The Energy of the Mirror Second

Photo courtesy of The Select 7

The beauty cabinet questionnaire

Goop’s beauty editors Jean Godfrey-June and Megan O’Neill love to ask and answer questions. In their podcast, The Beauty Closet, they do both. To familiarize you with the guests each week, we developed a questionnaire on beauty (and life).

THIS WEEK WE TALK TO:

Francesco Clark, President and CEO, Clark’s Botanicals

The few minutes you take each morning to smooth your skin care routine and contemplate yourself and the day ahead are far more important than it seems, says Francesco Clark, founder of Clark’s Botanicals, a national ambassador for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, and the authors of Walking Papers: The Accident That Changed My Life and The Business That Got Me Back On My Feet. “It’s about bringing out and empowering your inner hero,” says Clark in the latest episode of The Beauty Closet. “And that creepy feeling of walking down the street and feeling so at ease with yourself that a stranger smiles at you.”

1. 

   Clark’s Botanicals Jasmine Vital Cream goop, $ 75

   SHOPPING NOW

Clark survived – and thrived – from an injury that paralyzed him from the neck down, and he created his ultra-luxurious, results-driven skincare routine from his need for something to work on his reactive skin (a side effect). from paralysis). He helps raise millions for people with disabilities and is something of a medical miracle in terms of his own physical progress. Clark credits the mental changes he made (he was even portrayed in a documentary about happiness) for the life he has today. He’s as inspiring as it gets – and hilarious too – but it’s his take on the little habits, gestures, and rituals we do every day (including a moment with something called Jasmine Vital Cream) that really changes our lives .

We got the details about these habits and rituals on the podcast and then got even more details when we sent him the Goop Beauty Questionnaire.

First job?

I was hired at Condé Nast as Assistant to the Director of Special Projects (now a dear friend). It was a dream job for a 22 year old. They flew me to LA to assist with a cover shoot and a film premiere and to meet a lot of great people from the film industry. It was a lot of work with long hours, but it was so much fun. I couldn’t get enough. The lessons were a bit haphazard so it was perfect for me at that age, but now it was going to be difficult.

Currently in your goop shopping cart?

1. I’m getting the Birkenstock Arizona sandals for my mother. My mother is always on the go, works with my father and as an active and chic mother and grandmother, she wants comfort and style even in the summer months.

2. 

   Birkenstock Arizona Big Buckle Goop, $ 150

   SHOPPING NOW

3. The Caraway Ceramic Cookware Set: We’re renovating our house and making it wheelchair accessible, which was a feat, but while we’re getting ready I want it to be fun and calming. I love the fact that this cookware set is a little quirky, and it’s Teflon-free and non-stick, super clean and healthier for us.

4. 

   Goop Caraway Ceramic Cookware Set, $ 395

   SHOPPING NOW

5. The stone diffuser is natural and blends in so well with any room, whether you’re looking at it through an antique or modern lens. It’s inviting either way, and I like how the stone naturally absorbs the scent you love without the diffuser being filled all the time.

6. 

   goop x vitruvi stone diffuser goop, $ 119

   SHOPPING NOW

7. And the G. Label Deven Link necklace for I don’t know who for Christmas. I’m pleasantly surprised by G. Label’s jewelry designs – the timeless aesthetic of this necklace reminds me of casual European country elegance, almost a little Mr. Ripley-esque.

8. 

   G. Label Deven Link necklace goop, $ 2,500

   SHOPPING NOW

Go-to weekend evening recipe?

Barefoot Contessa’s lemon shrimp because it’s so quick and easy to make, except I cheat and put white wine in the butter sauce.

Indispensable beauty products?

Um, hellooo: our Jasmine Vital Cream, when my skin is oily or reactive and needs calming, plumping and calming. And our deep moisturizing mask makes me look like I’ve slept more than four hours. Right now I’m formulating some new products so my face is half a product and the other is a new biotech serum. Let’s hope I don’t look like a mummy tomorrow.

1. 

   Clark’s Botanicals Jasmine Vital Cream goop, $ 75

   SHOPPING NOW

How often do you charge your crystals?

If you mean my iPhone by crystals, then twice a day. Joking aside, I have a couple of large crystals near a large glass door: in the sun, the light breaks into a prismatic veil. And it always happens when I’m stressed, as if nature wants to remind me that despite all the difficulties there is still room for the unexpected and beautiful.

Glowy skin trick?

Add three drops of Jasmine Vital Oil to our Deep Moisture Mask and the micronized red algae plumps up your skin. I call it candlelight in a bottle.

Favorite hotel?

The Gritti Palace in Venice, Italy. I grew up in Italy, spent my time between Bologna and Cortina d’Ampezzo and miss it so much. I decide to travel more despite some inconvenience due to my wheelchair.

Best book?

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It’s crazy to think of how forward-looking it was and still stands upright today.

Preferred form of training?

I’m hyperactive so cardio is my first choice. I have a bike that I pedal with my arms and that also moves my legs. I pedal on my back and talk on the phone all the time. I love it.

Drink of your choice?

Negroni.

Perfect Sunday afternoon?

Every Sunday we have family evenings where my mother cooks a three-course meal. Skipping the food or their handmade pasta is sacrilege. She grew up in Reggio Emilia, where Parmigiano-Reggiano is from, and then moved to Bologna to study at university. Bologna is not only home to the oldest university in the western world (Dante is an alumnus), but also known as the culinary capital of Italy, which is why we are pushing our carbohydrate intake to its limits.

the hottest thing you’ve ever done?

I burned sage once and used the burned sage to make tea. Seared sage in a tea is gross, let me just tell you.

What would you put on your neon sign?

The best vengeance is success.

Philosophy of beauty?

Do you know the five minutes you have in front of the mirror after showering to prepare for the day? It’s that brief window of time when you don’t look at your phone and apply moisturizer or facial oil, but your thoughts are transported elsewhere. That’s what I like to call our mirror moment. We all have these moments every day, and it really is these moments when we imagine what we need to do for the day and how awesome it is going to be. In this visualization, I imagine this dynamic person doing everything with ease and joy, and after a few seconds I realize that there is no reason why the person I am visualizing cannot be me. It strengthens.

What I love about skin care is that it’s about being completely transparent, but at the same time being the strongest and most confident version of yourself. Skin care is not about hiding anything, it is about bringing out and empowering your inner hero. And that tingling sensation of walking down the street and feeling so in tune with yourself that a stranger smiles at you. People will notice.

1. 

   Clark’s Botanicals goop hand sanitizer kit, $ 17

   SHOPPING NOW

Wondering where to add these to your routine? Do you have any other questions about skin care? Send us a message at [email protected] for personal support.