Entertainment
Carolyn Bessette’s ’90s Beauty Favorites Revealed, Including Her Signature Scent and Red Lipstick
Following the release of Love Story, Carolyn Bessette has once again become the face of minimalist yet chic beauty. Now, her staple products have been identified — and the best part is, some are still available today!
In a February Instagram post, Allure revealed some of the late Calvin Klein executive’s beauty favorites.
Often photographed with a striking cranberry-red lip shade, the fashion icon — who married John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1996 — either opted for the Face Stockholm Lipstick in Cranberry Vail or the Bobbi Brown Sheer Lipstick in Ruby, which has since been discontinued, according to the outlet.
When it came to keeping her long blonde locks healthy, Allure reported Bessette reached for shampoo and conditioner by Philip Kingsley, as well as the brand’s elasticizer treatment.
Additionally, Bessette used Kiehl’s Creme with Silk Groom as her hair styler, and sometimes accessorized with the 1.5-inch Tokyo headband by Charles Wahba, believed to have been purchased at C.O. Bigelow in NYC’s Greenwich Village.
As for scent, Bessette reportedly donned the Abdul Kareem Essential Oils Egyptian Musk, which she bought on the streets of Manhattan, per the outlet.
Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian revealed to Allure in 2015 that Bessette even inspired a fragrance by Narciso Rodriguez.
“It was designer Narciso Rodriguez’s muse, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, who planted the seed for the fragrance in the designer’s imagination after she fell in love with a musk she’d bought from a New York City street vendor,” Kurkdjian explained.
As First For Women previously reported, Bessette was also known for her effortlessly chic style, which she described as “straightforward” in a 1992 interview with Glamour magazine.
“I’m not comfortable with anything ornate. I like clean and understated looks,” Bessette told Glamour at the time. “I love boots, jeans, blazers. I like very classic colors — black, navy, gray and white.”
“If I want to add some impact, I’ll do it with texture,” she added.
