Investment bags, better skin & scent of the season
The 'New Year' desirables that require your attention
Judith Leiber always wanted to make handbags that made people smile. And she succeeded after emigrating to New York in 1947 as Judit Pető, a Holocaust survivor from Budapest. As the first woman admitted to the Hungarian Handbag Guild, she had already mastered everything from leather tanning to metalwork, so started at a small handbag company. Here, she quickly rose to forewoman before joining Koret of California where her designs drew attention.
In 1963 she launched Judith Leiber Handbags, which took off after Mamie Eisenhower carried a Leiber bag to her husband’s inauguration. By transforming the evening clutch into a work of art, her crystal-studded minaudières (pronounced mee-noh-dyair), shaped like birds and cupcakes, became instant icons and more desired than the Birkin by A-listers. Now displayed in museums, her bags still make a statement, particularly when worn on the arm on the arm of the new Mrs Bezos.
Lauren Sánchez took her Eiffel Tower Leiber bag to her bachelorette party in Paris. Judith Leiber died in 2018 at the age of 97, just hours after her husband, to whom she had been married for 72 years. Today, designer Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger, the Jewish wife of designer Tommy, keeps the bags red-carpet-worthy and for next Rosh Hashanah why not invest in the red crystal Leiber Apple Sweetie for $4,995. It’s a pricey plan ahead as a nod to the apple/honey combo, but it’s the perfect simcha purse. There are fruity alternatives that won’t break the bank.
Get some skin help with history
When a skin potion comes in a weighty glass bottle with a subtle italic label tucked inside a bag, it feels serious. Like it will work. Discovering it’s from a range built on the expertise of six generations of female cosmetologists from the same family leaves you in no doubt. The product is Anti-Ageing Serum by Libi & Daughters (£260), which was founded by Dr Inna, daughter of Dr Libi Hershkovich who, as an endocrinologist and pioneer in dermatological research, has preserved invaluable family formula recipes that include her great-grandmother’s skincare creams for soldiers in the First World War.
Used morning and evening on cleansed skin, the serum – which combines niacinamide, vitamin C and retinol liposome – plumps fine lines, targets pigmentation, improves hydration and moisture retention, strengthens the skin barrier and delivers antioxidant protection. Dr Inna says the skin is an organ. This complex serum backed by historical research allows it to normalise its function and improve its appearance. The Libi & Daughters legacy suggests it’s worth investing and for further assistance they have a London clinic in Fitzrovia. http://libi.com
Lashing OUT
There’s a reason TikTok’s #1 Lash Growth Serum by Glow For It holds its place – because it works (be vigilant). The brand now turning five marks the occasion with a first-time
cleanser: Restore Your Glow Cleansing Balm (£17.99), which nourishes skin and lashes. No dragging cloths, cotton balls
or wipes, it melts away eye and facial make-up, which most cleansers don’t. http://glowforitshop.com
SCENT OF THE SEASON
DKNY Be Delicious tops the apple scent charts according to the experts, but the New Year is now and Miller Harris Melody eau de parfum (£180) is the one to talk about. The brand’s Lost in the City stops traffic as people sniff the air around you, but Melody has a hard scent to follow, and it is created by Sidonie Lancesseur, one of the most respected noses in modern perfumery. According to forecasting platform Trendalytics, rose fragrances are up 21 percent year on year and Melody is a pairing of rose damascena absolute with white musk, cashmere wood, bergamot and blackcurrant. So no apples, but it’s gorgeous. From Miller Harris boutiques and http://millerharris.com
GIVE THEM A LIFT
They are impossible to ignore when badly applied, but you stay schtum and stare. We’re talking eyelashes and while some can successfully self-apply, do a bad job and you’ll terrify an arachnophobe. There are always extensions but, in the blink of an eye, natural is now the trend and Everlasting Salon in Temple Fortune will give you effortlessly lifted, defined lashes – no mascara required. Not sure how they do it, but the luxe Lash Lift & Tint treatment takes about an hour, costs £70 and
you’ll wish you’d tried it before.
http://everlastingsalon-london.co.uk
Curl shakeup
If you were born with Jewish hair, chances are you’ve spent a third of your life holding straighteners. Your Jewish New Year resolution should be to abandon them, embrace your inner curls, then enhance them with Curlsmith Shake & Shine Refreshing Mist (£19.99), which was spotted in the Love Island villa. Not that you watch it, but on TikTok it’s described as game-changing, with seven types of hyaluronic acid mineral-rich seaweed to revive, rehydrate and redefine curls. Available at Boots.
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