All Tied Up

empties, SPF, & cake

Hello! Thanks for tuning in to &fini. In today’s send, I’ll be sharing my first batch of empty products, some tinted SPFs that don’t look like makeup (a common request I receive), a few gorgeous cakes I’m obsessed with, and a coordinating recipe to wrap it up. Time to begin!

Empties, explained

When there’s a long line of products to be tested in my beauty cabinet, an empty bottle becomes the ultimate testament to a product's excellence, meriting a notable mention to those seeking my top recommendations. Hence, the empties photoshoots leading &fini.

Product run through

The first product I’m ready to rave about is from Claudia Sulewski’s beauty brand, Cyklar. The Body Cream has a luxurious texture and comforting scent featuring bergamot, florals, and woody hints. “Inspired by the comfort and joy of a place rich with forests and nostalgic memories,” the brand explains. But the real star of the show is the packaging. Plenty of beauty brands craft refillable and reusable products these days, but there’s often a hurdle to jump over first. Either the bottle is ridiculously complicated to refill, or the “reusable” jar has tons of bright colors and obnoxious branding deeming it essentially non-reusable if you have any sense of design cohesion in your space (I’m ranting). Hats off to Cyklar and Claudia Sulewski for crafting this item, I can’t wait to see more from them.

⏳️ Time to empty: It took me about 2 months to get through the jar, which is embarrassingly a lot longer than usual given I douse my entire body in lotion once or twice a day.

SHOP CYKLAR BODY CREAM  

Part of the reason I’m entering April with somewhat dewy skin is thanks to this vegan milky essence. It’s lighter than a face cream but heavier than a watery toner, and it sits perfectly under any products that succeed it. Plus, it’s been clinically tested and proven to reduce redness, smooth texture, and strengthen the skin barrier—performing like a hydrating serum. The product falls in line with a host of milk-adjacent products that have surfaced this year, but it doesn’t contain pore-clogging ingredients like many competitors, so I back it for my acne-prone friends, too.

⏳️ Time to empty: I used the essence morning and night, and it lasted me about two months. If you want to milk it (ha) you can just use it at night.

SHOP ILIA BASE FACE MILK

I’m one of many beauty editors and fragrance fanatics who adore Phlur. Their scents are equal parts unique and adaptable, and Father Figure is officially my favorite SKU. This fragrance features a prominent fig note, complemented by fresh cassis, but with a dynamic twist that includes hints of vanilla Madagascar, sandalwood, and orris root…it’s so good. Similar to Phlur's popular scent, Missing Person, Father Figure possesses a subtle musk reminiscent of skin, adding to its allure and making it incredibly addictive. I've already recommended it to several friends, both male and female, who appreciate its gender-neutral appeal.

⏳️ Time to empty: I typically rotate my fragrances, but I’ve used this one nearly every day since its launch in July 2023—attesting to the addictive nature of the scent. I just finished it about 2 weeks ago, so that’s about 7 months.

SHOP PHLUR FATHER FIGURE 

To be honest, I’ve never really understood the obsession with wax-like lip masks. Still, I like the idea of a product that does more than lip balm, hence my adoration for the Ghlee Lip Mask. The tiny jar (that lasts forever) is filled with ghee, olive squalane, Kahai oil, and other vitamin-rich hydrators that do more than just satisfy your chapped needs at the moment. Unlike many of the viral lip masks on the market, this one prevents dry lips just as well as treating them. I was using it maybe once every other day in peak dry season in NYC, and it did more than check the box.

⏳️ Time to empty: I’m not kidding when I say that this lip mask lasted me 8 months. I used it every other day or so, and not too much at one time because the texture is so rich.

SHOP GHLEE LIP MASK

You can shop all of the products mentioned in one place via Shop My Shelf.

☎️ Phone a friend

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⭐️ Inspo Expo: Really Great Cakes

If you have a birthday or dinner party coming up, you're in luck. I've compiled some really great cakes to serve as inspiration for your next baking project. Plenty of them are more fruit or flowers than cake, which is something I seem to gravitate towards at this time of year. Flavor-wise, I've had vanilla as a background character on my mind. Lemon-vanilla, lavender-vanilla, orange-vanilla, and so on.

If your cake design is unique, following with a dynamic flavor profile only makes sense. Here, I’m sharing the recipe my lovely friend and roommate Kayla used to make me the most delicious chocolate cherry cake for my birthday a few months ago.

🍒 About the cake

She used this recipe from Add a Pinch, suitably named “The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe (Ever)” by the site. Then, she lightly dropped cherry syrup on both layers of the cake, using this recipe that was just sweet enough. In between the two layers but not on top, she lathered a rich chocolate ganache using this recipe. Finally, she topped it with this homemade whipped cream and a few fresh cherries. It was a labor of love, but very worth it. I loved it, she loved it, and the many cocktail-drunk party guests were even more impressed.

💌 Until next time

That’s a wrap! Thanks for being here. I hope you walk away feeling inspired to elevate your beauty shelf, wear sunscreen that doesn’t suck, or make a really great cake. The next send is already in the works, so get excited.

@and.fini || @hannah.frye