Handed out to celebrities and VIPs and, on many occasions, sported on the various red carpets throughout the Festival de Cannes, these were personal standouts from this year’s most glamorous gift lounge, nestled inside the JW Marriott.
GLO by Me Red Carpet Travel Kit
As the skin’s appearance is super important, because our face is often the first thing strangers see, I’m going to start with the basics. Great skin is often hard to achieve and as we delve into more and more into facial treatments, lasers and microdermabrasion, our top layer done away with, we can damage our complexion. Or rather, what we do, or fail to do, after our treatments can damage our face. Too much sun exposure and not enough nourishment and moisture for the skin is a dangerous combination. So I started my visit to Nathalie Dubois’ fabulous DPA lounge in Cannes with stop at the GLO by Me stand.
Based in Las Vegas and owned and founded by Mechelle Evans, a medical aesthetician whose skin speaks for itself, the brand features a nourishing, calming cleanser, AquaGLO, a VitaGLO rx serum with bio-identical glycolipids and a GLO BioCalm Peptide Cream, which is concentrated and, like all their products, features a medical grade formulation. To top it all off, there is a lightweight sheer tinted SPF 40 which Mechelle was wearing, as her only “make up” on the day I visited. Let’s just say I’m now a convert and will be looking for a way to get my next dose, online perhaps.
To find out more and order, check out the company’s website.
Glow 25 Collagen Intensive sachets
In my opinion, one of the celebrities who has aged the best, due to her complete beauty routine and conservative approach to pushing back the years is American star Sarah Jessica Parker. She’s recently become the testimonial for French brand Glow 25 and at the DPA lounge they were handing out boxes of their Collagen Intensive, a thirty-day supply of powdered supplements. These taken daily, along with having a healthy diet, exercising and taking care of ourselves from the inside out, help in keeping us youthful and keeping our skin, hair and nails, but also our cartilage healthy. Let’s just say the company had me at “hello” and I love that the supplement, which combines collagen with vitamin C, zinc and biotin is in powdered form so I can put the thirty day supply in my carry on and breeze through security at the Nice airport.
You can find the range of Glow 25 products on their website.
Niara High Jewelry
There are gems and baubles and then there are items like those made by Niara, which are wearable works of art. Rings, earrings and necklaces with interchangeable gems, as well as earrings that go from day into night with just a little, clickable adjustment, these are the kinds of jewels that get attention and start a conversation. And goodness knows we need to reintroduce the art of communication in our lives, invaded and ruled as we are by social media and our devices.
With roots in India, the country where, in my humble opinion some of the most beautiful jewels in the world have been made, and based in Houston, Texas, this women-owned and operated company designs creations which are “intentionally designed with multi-use versatility, offering interchangeable elements that transform from day to evening, honoring the dynamic rhythm of modern life,” as their mission statement goes. The giveaway was a gorgeous ring studded with light green semi precious stones which wraps around my index finger and makes me feel very chic! See it pictured above.
To see all their beautiful products, check out the website here.
Chic Pluie by Pascal Piveteau
While it usually rains in Cannes, this year we were lucky with the weather, thus far. But rain is never too far off in the forecast for most who live in the western hemisphere, and for those wishing to slosh around and still look stylish, the DPA lounge featured a wonderful collection of raincoats by Pascal Piveteau, a former designer in stretch leather turned rainwear entrepreneur. Chic Pluie creations combine minimalist lines, urban influences, and innovative materials to give the wearer a reason to play in the rain. They say, to know a person and find out their true character you should see how they react to a rainy day. And in one of these creations, I imagine you’d impress everyone by your cheery disposition despite the downpour, as well as the elegance of its minimalist lines.
For more info and to order a creation, check out the company’s website.
Masqly Hands & Arms, Legs & Feet masks
Alright, I’ll admit it. I’ve used the Sephora foot masks often and even tried their hand mask once, although I have a hard time sitting still without using my hands. But they don’t do the trick, not the trick I wish for anyway. After I take them off, slide them off my feet, after about 30 minutes the hydration is gone and nothing’s really changed. But Masqly, designed in Paris and newly launched, is a company that promises 48 hours hydration as well a reduction in lines and wrinkles. I say “yes please” and where can I get a twelve month supply please!
Joking aside, I have a care kit from the DPA lounge and I look forward to using the masks at home, although I won’t promise to sit still with the hands and arms one, long enough to allow them to work. But the product feels luxurious and the promise of younger looking hands and arms has me wondering if I can’t watch a movie or binge on the new season of The Four Seasons on Netflix while allowing the product to work its magic.
Find out more on the company’s Instagram account.
60 Dates in Six Months with a Broken Neck by Maureen Anne Meehan
Alright, a book is a first for the DPA lounge, but I may be wrong. I loved meeting Maureen and hearing all about her pursuit of love, as a widow who decided to jump back into the dating scene and, spoiler alert, found her soul mate (he was number 61). While her journey didn’t start out as the subject of a book, which was then turned into a movie — now streaming on Apple TV and Amazon Prime — as she sat for a meal with her BFF, Meehan realized it had the potential to touch other women going through similar experiences.
More than that, it’s an inspiring journey, as many of us can’t imagine dating after our forties and perhaps, we should take Meehan’s example and jump back into that pool of the unknown. Because, one never knows…
Maureen signed my copy of the book and, with its short format and easy to read anecdotes, I can’t wait to read it! Get your own copy here. And watch the film here.
Kappp’s in Cannes x DPA
Capucine, age 12 and her friends are volunteer singers at care facilities and old people’s homes and in Cannes they are launching The Cap’s Tags, an initiative to raise awareness about the importance of the arts as powerful tools for inclusion, connection and happiness. One has to love the youngest generation’s attempt to make the world better and don’t we need some positive vibes at the moment! No, that is not a question, hence the exclamation mark.
For more information and to donate to their cause, contact the non-profit by emailing kapppscasquettessolidaires@gmail.com.
All images by © E. Nina Rothe