Saie’s Slip Tint Broad Spectrum SPF 35 | $35 

My personal top pick for tinted SPF this season is Saie’s Slip Tint Broad Spectrum SPF 35. This is a tinted moisturizer that provides light coverage (think CC cream, not foundation). It has a moussy, creamy texture that goes on super smooth and it looks v natural. Like you can’t even tell you have anything on but your skin is just…better, softer, more moisturized, protected. 

Love the addition of hyaluronic acid to hydrate, licorice root extract to brighten and pansy flower to fight free radicals. I tried this in the shade FOUR and it was a good match. Honestly? SPF has never been so easy to use. File this one under can’t-get-enough. -Lisa

Beekeepers Naturals Propolis | $13.99

Have you heard of propolis? It’s what bees make and use to keep their hive sterile. For example, they use it to line the walls of the hive to keep the germs out. Or, if a mouse busted in, they could sting it to kill it but they wouldn’t be able to carry it out of the hive so they use propolis to basically mummify it to keep the hive free of bacteria and germs. 

We can use propolis to soothe scratchy throats, combat free radical damage in the body and feed the good bacteria in our gut. It’s loaded with 300+ beneficial compounds including vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and it’s been touted as a natural antibiotic. 

Love this to treat cuts, scrapes and sore throats. I feel lost without a bottle on me at all times. And Nicolle just started using it to help soothe her dry, allergy-itching throat and is raving. -Lisa

Laurel Sun Serum Phyto Defense + Repair | $96

Literally the best face oil for summer. Why? It’s specifically formulated to address both PREVENTION and REPAIR of sun damage to the skin. Yeah, and it’s 100% plant powered too, meaning this is made with ALL PLANTS (no synthetics). Oh, and did I mention ALL the plants are organically grown? Lol, it literally doesn’t get better than this. 

Here’s a quick peek at some of the Sun Serum’s botanical actives. (There are 27 of them in total.)

• Scarlet Pimpernel, which has historically been used to reverse sun damage for centuries.
• Carrot Seed to help repair chronic UV damage. 
• Licorice as a powerful antiinflammatory to help provide immediate relief.
• Sea Buckthorn to strengthen connective tissue. 
• Marshmallow as a soothing anti-inflammatory to address redness and irritation.
• Red Raspberry Seed Oil to help prevent UV induced skin damage + deliver antioxidants. 
• Red Grape Seed Oil to help protect and repair skin from UV damage. 
• And on and on! 

If you haven’t tried this oil yet, it’s a must! -Lisa

BRUNS N24 SILVERSCHAMPO (purple shampoo) | $39

Just in time for summer! Keep your blonde and / or gray hair bright and brilliant looking with a healthier purple shampoo.This formula provides shine, volume and luster without stripping hair and scalp or over-cleansing. Gentle enough to use as a daily shampoo and a great fit for people with dry hair, maturing hair and medium to thin hair. This is a moisturizing formula that works to neutralize yellow tones with Campeche Logwood and Acid Violet 43.

I have this and the BRUNS N24 SILVERBALSAM (purple conditioner) in my shower and use it everytime I wash my hair (usually about 2x a week). It keeps my gray hair bright without turning my nails, hands or hair purple. This is my #1 summer staple! -Lisa

Worthy by MOODEAUX | $65

I got a sample of this fragrance in a Credo mailer and instantly loved it. Powdery, sexy, spicy…light yet bold, this fragrance by journalist-turned-perfumer Brianna Arps had me instantly taking a second look.

Brianna committed to being someone who “shakes shit up,” creating a Black-owned fragrance line that prioritizes and values disclosure. 

Created in a base of fractionated coconut oil, apricot kernel oil, grape seed oil and meadowfoam seed oil, this formula uses synthetic fragrance oils, naturally-derived fragrance, natural fragrance and essential oils to deliver its scent. We don’t see a full ingredient list detailed out on the website, but knowing this has been vetted by Credo, we are assured it complies with Credo Clean Standard, and is void of ingredients on Credo’s The Dirty List, which includes some of the most problematic fragrance ingredients (like phthalates, polycyclic musks and nitromusks).

Grab the full size with a fun travel pouch at Credo or try a sampler for just $10 at MOODEAUX. -Lisa

Dazzle Dry Base + Top Coat | $22

Want to make your summer mani / pedi last three times longer? LISTEN UP! Dazzle Dry is a nontoxic nail system that is quick drying and long lasting (think gel mani without the LED or tedious removal). It comes with a nail prep, base coat, top coat, its own remover, line of polishes blah blah blah. BUT skip all that and just use the base and top coat along with your favorite nail polish to make your mani / pedi last up to 2 weeks (like LOOK AT THIS—LEGIT). You’ll thank us later! -Lisa + Nicolle

Save: Use code NEWKNEW to save 15% site wide at Dazzle Dry.

Vapour Aura Multi Stick in Dare | $36 

*2023 note: Vapour is no longer in business

Erin’s Face’s Deet Free Mosquito & Tick Repellant | $14

Okay let me start off by saying I’m one of those people that GETS EATEN ALIVE by bugs. Like, Jason and I were walking back from dinner the other night and I go, “OMG, are there like a million bugs on me?” And he turns to look at me and just starts laughing because I LEGIT had 5 thousand bugs swarming my body.

Not his! MINE! All of that to say, bugs love me and no natural bug sprays work on me. None. For those rare occasions I am outside at night, you bess believe I am spraying a repellent with Deet (which is not good for you!). I’m also interested in trying Picaridin-based repellents this season which may be just as effective as Deet but a better option. More to come. 

But for people who find natural bug spray effective, we love Erin’s Faces. This one stands out to us because it is alcohol-based (not oil based), which means it dries on contact and applies without the mess. Nothing worse than a spray oil that you’re supposed to put ON your clothes, amiright?! No one wants that, plus no one will use it.

If it’s hot and humid, an oil is not going to make you more comfy—enter this alcohol-based spray that Nicolle has gifted to many a friend for their kiddos, and it’s the one she reaches for annually. Plus it has a base of incredible ingredients…and smells good too. RECOMMEND! -Lisa, Kristy and Nicolle

Save: Use code THENEWKNEW to save 10% on a one-time purchase at Erin’s Faces.

Ficcare Hair Clip | $44+

The 8th wonder of the world to me personally are items that have one job to do and CAN’T do their own job. Like a hand towel that does not absorb moisture, a shampoo that does not clean hair or a hair clip that can’t hold a top knot for sh*t. What is that?! 

Anyway, I’m not here just to complain. I’m here with a solution too. Ficcare hair clips are the LEGIT best hair clips I’ve ever used. Doesn’t matter how little or how much hair you have, this sucker is holding it down. Super strong. Super cute and most likely the last hair clip you will ever buy. 

Available in an array of colors, Ficcare clips are hand-made, hand-painted and hand-polished brass metal clips. (V. French IMO…although the founders are from Brazil.) They’ve even made their way onto Friends, Gray’s Anatomy and The Oprah Show!

Check out three ways I use this clip here (I’m using a size medium; Nicolle can use a size small for her long but thin hair). -Lisa

Mara Sea Silk Lip Balm | $26

In college, I developed swollen, peeling lips with no apparent cause and a doctor recommended applying Aquaphor regularly to treat the condition (spoiler: it was a beeswax allergy, but that GP never thought to ask about what products I was using…). After that, I never went anywhere without a huge tube of Aquaphor—no one wants peeling lips when you plan on making out with your usually-long-distance-but-in-town-for-a-weekend boyfriend. 

Then I wised up and stopped using anything petroleum based, period. Even with all our research on the best Aquaphor swaps, I’ve had a really hard time finding a balm that is beeswax free AND as thick and glorious as Aquaphor. Until now.

This recently released Sea Silk Lip Balm from Mara is everything I’ve been looking for and more. It has waaaaaay better ingredients than Aquaphor, and it still creates that humectant seal on lips, for the softest and smoothest pout I’ve had in years. And it comes in a coral shade that I need, stat. -Nicolle

Beauty by Earth After Sun Spray | $25.99

Even a beauty industry vet who should know better than to sit outside, ever, without applying a good SPF makes mistakes. And that’s why I’m keeping this in stock all summer, every summer, forever, amen. 

It’s a souped-up after sun spray that does it all—treats inflammation and redness with aloe; soothes and calms with cucumber, green tea and chamomile; rehydrates with sodium PCA; and cools with peppermint and menthol. It’s glorious after accidentally soaking up too many rays—just don’t spray it too close to your eyes, as that peppermint/menthol can sting. -Nicolle