You may have noticed some posts from our friends at the Strategist on the Cut. They’ll be dropping in every now and again, sharing their expertise on the basics you don’t have time to research and the weird and wonderful things you don’t yet know you need.
If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hairspray and the electric toothbrush. We asked Bethenny Frankel — who recently launched her podcast Just B with Bethenny Frankel — about the carpet steamer, perfume, and kombucha she can’t live without.
It’s a good throw-in-your-purse item: Like just this morning, I was doing The Drew Barrymore Show and it was too early to think about food, but I didn’t want to be there and be hungry. Or for when I’m in an airport or just in a car. I like the dark-chocolate ones; I like that they have texture.
This is No. 1. I literally want to cry thinking about it. My dogs, Biggy and Smallz, are 4 years old and they sometimes have accidents. So I keep this in my closet. It’s not the size of a vacuum cleaner. It’s small. It’s not gigantic. It has two sides: One to put the cleaning solution and the water in and another for the garbage water. It’s so satisfying, too. You use a spray handle to spray it and then there’s another part that just soaks it up. A lot of steamers do not work and they’re so unwieldy. This is a really good one. It works. I can’t say enough about it.
I love Frederic Malle fragrances. I love Carnal Flower and the new geranium scent they have, but if I had to pick just one, it would be Portrait of a Lady. It smells like musky femininity. I’ve worn it for several years.
Eternal Fleur makes these flowers that last a long time. You don’t have to water them. They’re gorgeous. They’re amazing as a gift or just for your house.
I panic if it’s not in my house. The brand will tell you I helped put it on the map because I wrote about it in my book Naturally Thin, which came out 13 years ago. So before anybody drank GT’s, I was drinking it, and they were sending me cases. I can’t lie: I don’t know any other company that comes close. It’s just the best. My favorite flavors are Watermelon Wonder and Golden Pineapple, no question. I drink one a day. I live for it.
It’s this sort of fuzzy, blanket-like sweater that has a hood — like a robe meets a blanket meets a sweater. I live in mine. I have two white ones and a camo one. My friend Jill makes them.
The Calm app is another thing I really can’t live without. I do it with my daughter. She likes to do the sleep stories together. I don’t sleep well. But if I want to fall back asleep, I do it. If I want to meditate during the day, I do it.
It’s like the modern version of a S’well bottle, but it’s better. I don’t drink enough water. So I need to have it with me all day because it keeps everything cold and will make me drink ice water. Everyone’s obsessed with Yeti coolers. They’re on every boat.
I have an iced coffee every day. I fill the cup about two-thirds full with iced coffee, then I add either Silk or Califia almond milk, then I top it off with this Silk creamer. It’s not too watery. And then I add Skinnygirl sweetener — we don’t make it anymore, but I kept the inventory.
I have one that’s outdoors in the Hamptons. I need to get one for the city. I want to have one for everywhere I am. I meditate in there. It makes me relax. It calms me down. Heat makes you not move around too much. You have to be centered and focused. I like to just sweat and then jump into a cold pool or shower.
The new Talenti Gelato is sick. It’s got layers, it’s insanity. This cookie crumble is bananas. Also chocolate chocolate. And they make one that literally has bananas, too.
Skinnygirl makes the best built-in bra tanks, sports bras, slips — the best basics. They’re not tricked out. We started out with a lot of bells and whistles and lace and now it’s just really all classics. It doesn’t cut into you. It doesn’t look like you’re wearing embarrassing shapewear. It’s just clean lines. I wear the sports bras all the time. I don’t like to wear a bra. And you can take out the little pads. I just want to wear something underneath that keeps me supported. Dorinda’s obsessed with the sports bras — she even sleeps in them. If you want to be around your house braless, but still have some support, they’re the best.
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