22 International Beauty Buys to Brighten Your Quarantine Days

Danes know about dry-skin management. Case in point—this chic Skandinavisk hand cream with aloe vera, shea butter, and beeswax  tosoften and moisturize dry hands on contact. A subtle strawberry/peony scent makes you want to reapply long after your cracked knuckles are healed. Don’t worry—the hand cream absorbs right away and won’t smudge up your keyboard or smartphone.

Replace your boring ol’ Crest with this ultra-fancy toothpaste to add a dose of small luxury and pleasure to your morning and evening routine. Marvis toothpaste from Italy is iconic for its timeless packaging (that’ll elevate your sink counter situation), range of flavors (from classic mint to out-of-the-ordinary ginger and jasmine), and quality so superb, many of Italy’s luxury hotels keep the toothpaste stocked in their guest rooms.

Is French Polynesia at the tippy top of your bucket list? Those crystal-blue waters have to wait, but you can import a piece of Oceania—aka pure coconut oil with Tahitian gardenia and vitamin E. If you’re a sucker for the smell of cupcakes right out of the oven, do yourself a favor and go for the vanilla. Pro tip: because this is coconut oil, it hardens at room temperature. Leave it in your shower or bath and the steam will warm it up and turn it to liquid. As soon as you cut the shower, massage the oil in while your skin is still wet.

If you’ve ever gone to Europe and realized you forgot your toothbrush, chances are you came across cute Curaprox options in the pharmacy near your hotel. These Swiss-made toothbrushes come in a huge range of fun color combos, their super-soft bristles are gentle on gums, and the octagonal handle makes gripping a cinch. Quarantining couples could go in on a double pack with connecting hearts. 

Minimalism be damned. Bring on the ornate, embellished, and hyper-adorned pampering products! Just opening one of these specially packaged Portuguese shea butter soaps is truly a delight. The Art Deco wrapping is inspired by the vault of Claus Porto, a fragrance brand founded in 1887. One whiff, and you’ll start planning your 2021 trip to Portugal.

This one is for the sunscreen haters out there. If you’re fed up with gunky, chalky formulas that look like white clown paint, prepare to become a Biore believer. Found in drugstores all over Japan, Biore UV Aqua Rich is a coolly refreshing gel sunscreen with a watery, whisper light texture that converts even the most reluctant sunscreen-avoiders.  

Loaded with tingly camphor, menthol, and peppermint eucalyptus oils, this all-purpose muscle rub will ease any pinched nerves, hunched shoulders, or other tension. Work it into sore or tight spots for instant relief that keeps on giving. A drop of cinnamon and clove oils sweetly soften the classic tiger balm scent.

Get that just-back-from-the-Whitsundays glow without leaving your bathroom. Australian brand Frank Body’s coffee scrubs have been a hit since the day they landed stateside, and with good reason. The all-natural exfoliator uses robusta coffee grounds and sea salt to slough away dead skin cells and cold-pressed almond oil to pump moisture into freshly buffed arms and legs. Use it in your morning shower and you may even give your Nespresso the day off.

Professional hairstylists swear by this heritage hairbrush, whose boar/nylon bristles feel like nothing short of a scalp massage. The brush is meant for all hair types; shoppers with fine hair report their Mason Pearson is amazing for volume, while those with thick hair praise its ability to nix frizz. It’s certainly pricier than the plastic Goody you may have kicking around, but this is a super-high-quality investment that’ll last for years and years, maybe even decades. Oh, and the brush production process does not involve any harming of animals.

This luxurious fair-trade argan oil from green beauty brand Kahina Giving Beauty truly quenches parched skin without feeling heavy or clogging pores. Made from argan nuts cracked by Berber women in Morocco’s Anti-Atlas mountains, this pure, 100% certified organic formula protects skin from environmental damage and diminishes the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

Two coats of Nails Inc.’s gel-like lacquer, and it’ll look like the work of a pro technician. Every thoroughly opaque shade applies smoothly and dries to a shiny, durable finish that can withstand several days of typing, cooking, puzzling, gardening, and cracking beers.

A few pats of this refreshing gel erases any evidence of a late-night Zoom call. Free of fragrances and parabens, this lightweight eye gel boosts moisture content with hyaluronic acid, soothes with thermal spring water from France, and reduces redness and puffiness with caffeine. Also notable: La Roche-Posay is donating millions of hand gels to hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies around the world.

We wish we could beam down into the grand and historic thermal spas of Budapest. For now, we’ll convert our bathroom into a mini Hungarian spa with this kit of Omorovicza bestsellers, including cleansing balm made with Moor mud and a cushy night cream that fights fine lines with vitamin A-rich carrot oil. If you’re working from a home without central air, the super-fine facial mist is a godsend. And the zipped bag will come in handy when travel resumes.

Non-tacky texture, a smooth application, and serious staying power have earned this Japanese mascara cult-favorite status in its home country and beyond. Wiggle the teeny brush into the corners of your eyes to get full fluttery lashes that won’t flake or smudge all day. 

This classic do-it-all moisturizer is stashed in every jet-setter’s bag. Work it into thirsty hands, heels, cuticles, and even calloused patches on the elbows, and tap it over cheeks before bed to wake up with a healthy glow. The plant oil- (sunflower and almond), beeswax- and lanolin-based formula hasn’t changed much in almost a century, so you know it’s solid.

Amla oil is traditionally used to promote scalp health and hair growth, but similar to coconut oil, it works wonders for moisturizing skin, relieving muscle aches and joint pain, and even massaging away headaches, in addition to nurturing healthy, shiny hair. Expect a natural herbal, medicinal scent—the almond oil-based formula is a blend of lavender, clove, spikenard, hibiscus, rose, agarwood, camphor, and other natural ingredients. 

Beauty bloggers and tastemakers consider Christophe Robin’s 2nd arrondissement salon reason enough to go to Paris. Alas, you can’t treat yourself to an appointment anytime soon, but you can treat your scalp to his exfoliating, sea-salt shampoo scrub. Dial up the at-home luxury and douse damaged strands with the hair-care brand’s creamy, prickly pear oil-infused mask.

With natural glycerin and organic aloe vera, this hand refresher from French brand Kerzon cleans hands without water—and without drying them out. As the French would say, magnifique! 

Love sheet masks but don’t want to terrify your quarantine partner? This gold-dust-flecked hydrogel mask from Korean beauty brand Oh! K is made mostly from essence (the watery, clear skin-care product that’s akin to a super-light facial serum), so it won’t scare the bejesus out of anybody. After cleansing and moisturizing, secure the mask over your face to seal in the hydration. Selfies encouraged.

This body cream isn’t just from Italy, it’s from Sicily—the alluring, atmospheric, ancient nerve center of the Mediterranean. It’s impossible to capture the island’s mystique, but Ortigia fragrances (named for the historic heart of Syracuse) come darn close. The brand’s luxe body lotions feature—of course—olive oil and quintessentially Sicilian scents like orange blossom, fig, and cedar. 

Take your stressed-out strands to Gisele levels of shiny with shampoo and conditioner from Granado. Both are handsomely packaged and loaded with mega-hydrating Brazil nut seed oil. (On a future trip to Brazil, hit up a pharmacy—like the 24-hour Droga Raia—to stock up on the brand’s pretty soaps and hand creams as gifts.)

If you’re going to be washing your hands roughly 40 times a day, you might as well use an elegant hand soap. Aesop’s Reverence Hand Wash has super fine pumice and bergamot rind for a gentle grittiness that exfoliates away dirt and dead skin. But most important, the minimalist brown bottle looks very, very cool on your bathroom sink.