When it comes to discovering new natural beauty gems, we fancy ourselves treasure hunters of sorts: we love diving below the radar, digging around and surfacing with something intriguing, effective and always green. That same passion has earned Jessica Richards – founder of Brooklyn’s coolest clean beauty hub, Shen Beauty – her rightful ‘cool hunter’ reputation and a solid gold star in our beauty books.
With a path that’s taken her from Vogue to a current role as Free People’s beauty buyer, Jessica’s eye for fab products is one we can trust. She recently dished out her shortlist of must-haves on Free People’s BLDG25 and we’re excited to share it below. Read on for five TCM-approved picks this treasure hunter swears by…
Before I was even introduced to Jess at our recent Beauty and Wellness event, she was on my radar. Hair pulled back in a chic low bun, revealing even more of her radiant and naturally glowing skin, as if a sunbeam was hired to follow her around the store. Seriously, this New Yorker shone. Jess lives in Brooklyn, where she is also the founder and owner of beauty boutique, Shen Beauty.
“What began as a neighborhood haven for undiscovered, organic lines and exclusive British imports soon started attracting consumers from Manhattan, Europe, Asia and beyond. Jessica is renowned in the industry for her considered, relevant curation, and has been featured in the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Interview, Allure, Harper’s Bazaar, The Huffington Post and Goop,” reads Shen Beauty’s website. To say Jessica is experienced and knowledgeable is a considerable understatement. She knows what is in each product, how it will affect the body, how to use it, what to expect from it, and how it may — and should — personally pertain to you.
During the event, I kept finding myself gravitating toward Jess, being reduced to an inquisitive toddler in her presence. As someone who is currently attempting to make the jump to all-natural beauty products, I was a constant eruption of questions. She patiently walked me through each product, resulting in my leaving with three pieces, all of which I use nearly every day. I also bought three of the products featured below. Jess is the real deal — utterly honest, she will not try to just sell you something. She wants you to feel beautiful, inside and out. Here are five natural products she swears by…
Vapour Organic Beauty Foundation Stick | For makeup, one of my main go-tos is the Vapour skin foundation in ‘120’ – hands down the best organic glow foundation to make every woman look her best! CHECK OUT HERE
ORG Mineral Face Peel | The strangest product, and possibly my absolute favorite, is the ORG Mineral Face Peel. When it was first sent to me, I had to call and ask how to use it. I was told to ‘just put on my dry skin and rub.’ So I did, first to my hand, and totally freaked. Dead skin all balled up, but my hands looked so nice. That night I took it home and applied to my face and neck. What I found most interesting – and disgusting at the same time – was how truly dirty my neck was because I realized that I never really exfoliate my skin. I now use this product every Sunday night religiously to reveal new, younger skin and help keep acne at bay. CHECK OUT HERE
RMS Mascara | My other non-negotiable makeup essential is the RMS mascara in ‘Defining’ — it’s organic and fantastic. CHECK OUT HERE
Kopari Body Balm | I live and die for Kopari Body Balm. Considering that I am constantly traveling and need a body moisturizer that can also double-down as a makeup remover, a hair mask and a foot/hand balm, this is my go-to for my bag. CHECK OUT HERE
Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee Mix | Since I have been trying not to drink much coffee (and especially trying to cut out cream due to some health problems), I am addicted to the Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee Mix which I combine with Tocos to give it the creamy milky effect that I am usually incredibly heavy-handed with. The cordyceps in the coffee mixture helps with mood stabilizing so there is no up and down effect like you’d get from caffeine. CHECK OUT HERE
