If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what everyday stuff famous people add to their carts — like hair spray or an electric toothbrush. We asked chef and Top Chef host Kristen Kish — who recently partnered with Iberogast — about the palo santo sticks, whitening toothpaste, and gummy bears she can’t live without.
You decide how to use palo santo sticks. They’re an incense to some people, and others use them for cleansing. I travel with them. They’ve become this ritual for me. Because I spend so much time on the road, especially in hotel rooms where everything’s different, it’s nice to have a scent that cleanses. It’s easy to travel with — instead of taking a candle to every place — and it doesn’t linger like other smoke that’s not appropriate to use in a hotel room. I really, really like it, and my wife really, really loves it. It just feels familiar.
I’ll be honest with you: I did a Bose campaign a decade ago and I got a free pair as part of the deal. Since then, I’ve bought myself some Bose because I love them. They’re comfortable on my ears. A lot of other over-ear headphones can get uncomfortable after wearing them for so long. Not only are they great quality and actually noise canceling, but the battery’s really good. They come with a cord, so if you need to plug into an airplane seat or your phone, you can.
I’m a big slipper wearer. It was my wife who found these when we were up in the Arctic Circle for one of my jobs. We went to this outdoor store, and she’s like, God, these look amazing. They’re basically sleeping bags for your feet. Who wouldn’t want that?
Once it came time to take off my TV makeup (news flash, I’m wearing fake eyelashes), I found that this makeup remover was really gentle on my eyes. It gets the eyelash glue off. You’ll see when you buy it that it’s separated: part water and part oil. You shake it up until it gets almost frothy, which is what my makeup artist told me to do. I squeeze some out on a cotton pad, and then I don’t rub my eyes, because she said to stop doing that. I lay the cotton pad on my eyes and let it sit for a second. That softens everything: The little lashes come off, and then I can wipe the other eye makeup off.
I got hooked on this during my first season of hosting Top Chef. My makeup artist told me about it. My skin has been going through a lot more because I wear makeup every day now with filming. It’s great for killing the bacteria on the surface of your skin. I don’t have a testimonial in terms of redness. It’s more so something refreshing and cleansing for me.
For a long time, I used just straight whitening toothpaste. But my wife, who takes care of us in so many ways, got us off fluoride. I found that I liked the texture of Marvis most. I think it’s almost creamy. I like this mint flavor and, of course, it’s fluoride-free.
So many products, even when people have their favorite, can be interchangeable between different brands. To me, Vitamix is one where its blender is the better blender. I used Vitamixes all the time in restaurants, especially when we were trying to get super-silky purées. I realized after a while that I didn’t have one at home. I thought, I’m fine. It’s totally fine. But there’s nothing like a Vitamix. The fact that you can have them in your restaurant and your home says a lot. They’re durable. They’re long-lasting. It’s not one of the best blenders, it’s the best blender, if you ask me, out on the market.
I don’t go anywhere without gummy bears. They’re my vice that I refuse to give up. They’re a comfort. And Albanese gummy bears have every great flavor and the perfect texture that I’m always looking for.
I try to find items that have better ingredients in them, too. I found this popcorn at Whole Foods, which is where we do a lot of our shopping. It was there, I tried it, and it’s now my go-to popcorn. The little hint of coconut oil is nice. I wouldn’t say it’s sweet, because that would imply that it’s like a kettle style. It’s not sweet at all. It’s still salty.
When I went to Australia for the first time to visit my wife’s family, she brought me to Bonds. Bonds is like their … I don’t know what to relate it to here, but it’s sweatshirts, sweatpants, T-shirts. Everything’s really comfy. I love the way it all fits. It’s my favorite kind of clothes: sweatsuits. I wear sweatpants to and from work every single day.
Being on the road can mess with your stomach (even if I weren’t eating all the time). This is something I can easily travel with. It has a little tiny dropper. You just drop a bit in a cup of water. I use it before I start eating a lot, especially on the job.
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