“This Prequel cleanser is mostly made out of glycerin, which is a humectant that holds water in the skin,” Landriscina says. “It really hydrates the skin without stripping it.” 

He adds that it comes in a pretty big size, and it could be used for face and body, so it’s cost effective. 

“They make different versions now, too, like some with exfoliants in them and things like that, but I’ve only really used the original,” he says. “The downside to this would be if people want a foaming cleansing experience, this is not very foamy.” 

“However, I think that people have this idea that cleansers need to foam to really clean the skin, and that’s not true,” he adds. “A lot of more modern cleansing agents actually don’t foam, but brands are looking to other technologies to put into the cleansers to create foam just so that people feel like they’re getting clean, even though it’s not the foam that’s cleaning.”

“This is a hydrating serum that has multiple weights of hyaluronic acid in it,” Landriscina says. “And the thought behind that is that, within those outer layers of the skin, the smaller hyaluronic acid is, the deeper it goes. By providing multiple sizes of it, you’re basically putting it in different layers of the skin where it can then hydrate those different layers and plump them out.

However, ultra hydration has an ultra price tag. Landriscina says, “the pain point of this is that it is expensive.” 

However, “I think of all the hydrating serums I’ve used, this is the one that gives me the most plump look with the hydration,” he says.

“If you know me, you know I don't drink coffee or caffeine,” says McLeod. “My morning starts with cacao about five mornings a week. I don’t miss caffeine. My favorite way to drink it right now: I melt down about a cup and a half of bone broth — high in collagen, high in protein — and blitz into it half a date and two heaping tablespoons of cacao. That is my morning elixir. 

But this cacao is endlessly versatile. I mix it into oatmeal. I've blended it into avocado mousse. I blitz it with water and different plant milks. I have even used it in ceremony. This has been a staple in my home for close to five years. It has genuinely nourished me.” 

“What I love beyond the taste and the ritual: the sourcing,” she says. The founder works directly with small farmers, and “you can feel that care in the product. I've tried a few of her different strands but I remain loyal to the original: her Signature Blend ChunCho cacao from Peru.”