Gwyneth Palthrow has never shied away from, well, anything. The actress is now her lifestyle brand goop, the one-stop destination for reaching peak Gwyneth-ness, jade egg and all. But despite controversial
Hollywood wellness trends (many of which I myself have delved into), one thing is clear: she helped normalize talking about your vagina in a way that maybe we needed, even if we didn't ask for a candle that smelled like it.
As an influencer who influenced before influencers were a thing, the actress and entrepreneur is doing us one more solid: Gwyneth is partnering with Rakuten to celebrate its Big Give Week, their biggest shopping event of the year. The e-commerce platform is known for its program that lets members shop hundreds of brands and automatically get cash back. This week, until May 17, you'll be able to make up top 15 percent cash back whenever you shop from its hundred of retailers, goop included (Levi's, Intermix, Mejuri, are some more, to name a few).
In other words, you've already been tempted to buy the goop vibrator, so now's your chance to make some money while doing it. ELLE caught up with Gwyneth over the phone and we probed her for tips on how to actually use the sex toy, what coffee she travels with, and what's sitting in her shopping cart.
Goop just launched its first vibrator. Do you have any tips on using it for someone who's brand new to the world of sex toys?
I think the tips are, follow your own lead. Trust yourself!
Is there anything in your cart, right now, that you haven't pulled the trigger on yet?
Let me see, I'm going to my goop cart actually right now. Because, there are things in my cart. I know that I have a new vitamin C serum thing, that goop makes. Hold on let me look at my cart, here... Yeah. So I have in there, the GOOPGLOW Hyaluronic, and I have, oh, this Kosas Air Brow Clear Lifting Treatment. I want to try that. Yeah. And, I also have a super serum skin, SPF, a foundation from Ilia. I want to try that, too. I'm about to pull the trigger, but I was seeing if there's any... I'm sort of in the mood for something maybe short or floral, something a little optimistic for spring.
Are there any other summer trends that you're excited to test out? Summer, Spring, anything like that?
I've been very excited for some bold, as I said, bold prints or color. I'm feeling, even though I'm wearing sweat pants right now, I feel really, really, really ready to never see a pair of sweatpants for quite a while. And then, I'm sort of feeling excited about actual shoes. I found a pair from Gabriela Hearst.
What's your worst shopping habit?
My worst shopping habit is I just get too generalized. I'll be like, maybe, okay I'll go on because I need a specific thing. And then I'll be like, "Well, maybe I need it in three other flavors, too?" Or maybe, I need to try something else. And so I'll buy too much and have to return a bunch of stuff.
I feel around COVID, and during COVID I got so conscious of how much stuff is in our homes and apartments that we don't need. And I was doing major clean-outs, giving away a ton of stuff, selling stuff on The RealReal and trying to really streamline. So now, I'm trying to be really conscious of not accumulating things without really thinking about it.
What's the thing in your kitchen that you've been a loyal to for decades?
I always have to have coffee. That's a big one for me. I always have to have Brooklyn Roasting. I think, Brooklyn Roasting Company. It's my favorite coffee in the whole world. I travel with it, I always take it everywhere with me. Yeah. I mean, I get it shipped weekly. And then, I always have to have our GOOPGENES Face Oil, which is my obsession. That I always have to have.
Here's the ultimate beauty question: What is your favorite lip balm?
My favorite lip balm is, I'm sorry to say it, our goop lip balm. It's so good. And it's non-toxic, and it's cushiony, and it's totally fantastic. It took me three years to get the formula perfect. And I think it's an amazing product.
Who makes the best pair of basic underwear?
Baserange! That's my favorite. I also really love The Kit, which is a new.
What's the best no-fuss gift that you can keep in your closet for anybody?
I always think candles are great. I always have a cupboard full of candles, and Posters Gift, or just little gifts because everybody always loves a candle. You can't go wrong. Sometimes you buy wine for someone and they don't drink or it's the wrong size, wrong grape, or whatever. So, I think candles are, it's pretty good.
I really like, kind of, woodsy, more musky scents. I always like a more, sort of, masculine smell, like sandalwood and that kind of thing. Spice.
What is the best $10 that you can spend as a gift that's always worth it?
I feel it's always great to buy something that enhances your wellness, a little bit, right? So, whether it's a kind of a hydration pack, that you can add to water, that will encourage you to drink more water, or maybe subscribe to a meditation app or something like that. Assuming it's $10 of disposable income, something to treat them.
Do you have any favorite meditation apps, that you've been using?
My favorite is called Insight Timer, and I really love it. There are great courses on it, which I've gotten really into, over COVID. But, I also love Headspace. I think that's great and really good for beginners.
Wellness is something that has been top of mind for many during the pandemic. But for somebody that's never done it before, what's an item or a book or anything that can help beginners?
I mean, any book that sort of talks about the importance of being in the present, and how to get there. Whether it's that old favorite, The Power of Now, or something slightly more academic by Osho, who was an amazing teacher. There are so many great books. I think anything that sort of gives you a roadmap into how to be present. I would start there.
Are there any books that you're currently reading?
Yes, I'm reading a bunch of, I always have a couple on the go. Right now, I'm reading a book called, I started yesterday, called The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee. I'm interviewing her for our podcast soon. So, I'm reading that. And then, what else am I reading? I have a novel that I'm reading... The Parable of the Sower. It's an old one, but a good one. It kind of depends on what you're in the mood for that particular day, right?