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A Non-Drying Lip Stain That Actually Lasts

This story first appeared on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, in  The Strategist Beauty Brief ,  a weekly newsletter in which our beauty writers share their must-tries, can-skips, and can’t-live-withouts. But we liked it so much we wanted to share it with all of our readers. If you want more first impressions of buzzy launches, quick takes on what’s trending on TikTok and Instagram, and deep dives into the week’s best beauty launches, sign up  here .  The Strategist Beauty Brief  is delivered every Wednesday.

A hydrating lip stain is my beauty white whale. Most lip stains dry out my lips for days, or worse, they settle into the fine lines on my lips. And many formulas that claim to be hydrating are really just glosses , fading after a couple sips of pretty much anything. Kulfi , a newer brand I’ve been following, released a lip oil this summer that promised both moisture and budgeproof wear. Sure, I thought.

When I first applied  Lassi Lips  (in a nude caramel), I noticed the texture was in between those of a typical lip oil (goopy, thick) and a lip stain (watery). Even though it was a little thinner, it stayed in place. It was also easy to apply precisely, thanks to its pointed applicator. Just one swipe of the product and my lips looked glossier and fuller. I rubbed my lips together and waited a minute, and it dried down to a subtler sheen with just as much pigment.

I went about my work day — eating lunch and sipping water out of my Owala. I checked the mirror every hour or so ,  not expecting much. After work, I met up with a friend for a very sweaty Pilates class. I was sure that after my workout, the lip stain would have worn off. But when I looked in the mirror, my lips still had the healthy, subtle glow they’d had all day. They were evenly pigmented and hydrated. It felt like I wasn’t wearing anything — no tackiness and no spidery lines around my mouth.

Also worth noting: Caramel is my perfect nude. I’ve always struggled to find the right shade. They’re usually too pink or too deep of a brown, which is great for certain occasions but not a true natural look. This shade felt like wearing the right bra size for the first time. It complemented my skin tone so perfectly. After two months, I’m reaching for Lip Lassi constantly (I’ve kind of stopped wearing my balms and lipsticks ). For casual everyday wear, it’s easy. I don’t have to layer to get both moisture and lasting color. And for going out, I like to keep the finish high shine, so I reapply it like a gloss. But even after all this obsessive use for months, I’ve barely made a dent in the tube. It truly takes one swipe for full coverage, and my lips are set for hours. I’m planning on buying a couple more shades to round out my collection.

The Strategist  is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about  here . We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.

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This Iconic Swiss Hotel Has a 30,000 Bottle Wine Collection and an Underground Nightclub

Not to mention an incredible ski scene.

I’m standing in the lobby of Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in Switzerland trying to soak in all of the beauty around me. The dark wood-paneled walls, ornate coffered ceiling, gilded details, and arching windows of Le Grand Hall (also known as “the living room of St. Moritz”) contrast the magnificent view framed directly outside: acres of pure white snow, towering mountains, and swaths of black alpine trees, all illuminated by sunshine. The unspoiled snow glitters like a kaleidoscope, and it’s so blindingly white that it hurts my eyes to look at it without sunglasses.

I turn around and admire the incredible collection of time-worn art hanging on the walls around me. There’s a mix of different periods, subjects, and styles, but I fixate on the oil paintings with ornate gilded frames. When I ask a staff member about one of the piece’s provenance , they tell me it was stashed here during World War II so it wouldn’t be confiscated by the Nazis, and its owner tragically never came back for it. I learned that many of the pieces in the hotel’s collection share this story.

If the walls at Badrutt’s Palace could talk, they’d tell over 128 years of riveting tales, from hosting Wimbledon and the French Open in the early 1900s, to welcoming guests like Alfred Hitchcock, Bridgette Bardot, Audrey Hepburn, Charlie Chaplin, and Coco Chanel. The hotel’s signature Rolls Royce cars that pick guests up from the train station in style? They’re from the British Royal Family’s personal fleet, natch. Each day spent at the Palace reveals a new layer, a new secret, a new story about its fascinating past—but this iconic grand dame hotel isn’t slowing down any time soon.

Today, Badrutt’s Palace continues to build its legacy while paying homage to the romantic era of the “Grand European Tour” during which it was founded. As the birthplace of winter sports, it boasts direct access to the world-class Corviglia ski area and an unreal aprés ski scene at Paradiso Mountain Club with belly-warming fondue, crisp Champagne, and international DJs (you might just stand on the table and dance in a floor-length faux fur coat, there’s no judgment here). Each winter, the Palace also plays host to The ICE , where beautiful and rare classic cars race across the frozen Lake St. Moritz.

You might think a hotel of this caliber would feel stuffy or highfalutin, but it has a welcoming and playful spirit—next-level parties are simply ingrained in its DNA. In 1953, Badrutt’s started hosting Palace Balls, which ushered in the American jetset and firmly cemented it as the place to see and be seen. That hasn’t changed much in the 70-plus years—in fact, the annual New Year’s Eve costume party is perhaps more over-the-top than ever with its themed decorations totaling over one million Swiss Francs each year (yes, you read that correctly).

In 2018, the Palace opened an underground nightclub called King’s Social House that closes only when the last guest leaves. The hotel also has a wine cellar with over 30,000 bottles and a tiny elevator where a sommelier can send bottles to the property's 11 restaurants, two bars, and nightclub within minutes. It’s like something straight out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .

These little secrets add to the sense of discovery that keep Badrutt’s Palace feeling fresh, and there’s another surprise addition currently in the works: an underground pedestrian tunnel system. The Palace is situated on Via Serlas, the shortest, highest luxury retail street, lined with stores like Hermes, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Loro Piana, and Bulgari. The tunnel allows guests to bypass the traffic around these busy streets and discreetly walk underground to the town square and Chesa Veglia, the oldest farmhouse in St. Moritz that’s home to four of the hotel’s restaurant concepts.

Guests can also use this passage to access the new Serlas Wing, an expansion of the hotel designed by ACPV architects which is expected to open in December 2024. The 25 contemporary suites and guest rooms of the Serlas Wing boast high-quality materials from the alpine region, such as Dorato Valmalenco stone for the façade, locally sourced wood for the roof, and elegant bronze window details. Sleek and simple interiors with a focus on luxe textures (think: luxe oak wood finishes, Loro Piana wool-fabric wall paneling, and B&B Italia furniture upholstered in Loro Piana fabric) keep the focus on the surrounding natural beauty.

One thing is for certain: Badrutt’s Palace is a must-visit destination for anyone who loves well-appointed hotels, world-class skiing, beautiful snow-capped views, and fun with a capital F. Whether you’re eating a cheeseburger off a Ginori plate in Le Grand HallI, hitting the slopes, or taking in panoramic snowy mountain views from the spa’s outdoor jacuzzi, you’re sure to discover some delightful surprises of your own. And while you’re there, please enjoy some fondue and Champagne at Paradiso for me.

Jaime Milan (she/her) is the deputy digital editor for VERANDA, where she manages the brand's cross-platform digital strategy. She also writes and edits dozens of stories each month about design, architecture, gardening, jewelry, travel, entertaining, shopping, news, and trends. Prior to joining VERANDA, Jaime was a digital editor for over 10 years at national news and lifestyle brands and has written everything from in-depth packages and celebrity news to features and holiday gift guides. In her spare time, she can be found shopping at the antique store, cooking, gardening, or teaching her mini Australian Shepherd, Gumbo, new tricks. Follow her on Instagram at @jaimemmilan . 

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A Classic Singapore Hotel Gets a Thoughtful Update — but You Won't Want to Miss the Elevators

Conrad Singapore has had three different identities since its first in 1982, but all have kept architect John Portman's classic design intact.

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Tom White/Courtesy of Conrad Singapore Orchard

Rarely at a hotel have I thought so much about the elevators. The Conrad Orchard Singapore has four of them, traveling up, down, and perhaps back in time.

Architect John Portman designed this iconic 12-story tower around a dramatic open atrium in 1982, when it debuted as an InterContinental, before becoming a Regent, then most recently landing under Hilton’s Conrad flag in 2023. Portman, whose other iconic hotels include the similarly modernist Hyatt Regency Atlanta and Marriott Renaissance Center Detroit, stacked the floors of rooms and restaurants like the ribcage of a giant, graphically rendered bird and linked them with a central spine upon which ascend and descend the whispering capsules of metal and glass. Skirting an outlandish arrangement of orchids, I stepped into the dome and called one.

Adam Bruzzone/Courtesy of Conrad Singapore Orchard

Ninety-nine out of 100 elevators are boring at best and uncomfortable at worst. We stare at the numbers, never each other, counting up or down, waiting for a ding and the doors to slide open to release us from the dreadful steel embrace of modern convenience. Ninety-nine out of 100 elevators are utilitarian things entombed inside walls so no one has to see their ugly guts. Glass elevators, from Willy Wonka to the mall of your suburban childhood, are aesthetic candy, placed on the outside, frosted and iced for all to admire. Portman understood this.

I entered my lift when one appeared, facing outward to watch the ground floor shrink below. The checked marble floors, the glowing river-rock pond, the houseplants, and flotillas of club chairs disintegrated into pixels of rose and gray, aqua and green. My transparent chariot whooshed past grand spiral staircases joining the lobby with the second and third mezzanines, where I would feast on violet-skinned mangosteens and made-to-order sourdough dosas at Basilico, Conrad’s breakfast buffet by day and ristorante by night, and sample Negronis and Bamboo cocktails straight from the barrel at gloriously moody Manhattan’s dedicated rickhouse. The elevators soared upward too smoothly, like the gears were greased with ghee. A pause to pick up more travelers put me at eye-level with “Singapore Shower,” a kinetic mobile by Michio Ihara, shimmering like nine stories of sequins.

It feels like anything can happen in a glass elevator. A braces-locking first kiss. A spy chase on horseback à la " True Lies " — filmed at the Westin Bonaventure in L.A., another Portman atrium hotel. A journey back in time. When I disembarked at one of the upper floors and crossed the catwalk-like hall to my suite, it did not feel like 2024.

Vines cascaded down from the atrium railings, an inverted Hanging Gardens of Babylon, while the neo-futurist elevators returned to the earth. Peering down gave me the disorienting sensation of being at the apex of some hollowed ziggurat — part 800 B.C., part 1989. Conrad Orchard completed a multimillion-dollar renovation less than a year ago, updating all the rooms and innovating in food and beverage. Still, to its credit, they’ve kept Portman’s striking bones perfectly intact.

Here, read on for T+L's review of a refreshed Singapore classic.

Conrad Singapore Orchard

• The attention paid to non-alcohol drinkers at the various restaurants and bars, from an entire section on the Broadway-themed menu at the den-like Manhattan lounge to the elegant tea pairing at the one-Michelin-star Cantonese dining room, Summer Palace, is impressive.
• The canvas laundry bag in each room invites guests to Give It Forward, a program spearheaded at this property. Fill it with unwanted clothes, and Conrad arranges the donation to a local charity.
• Air conditioning here doesn’t quit, and it is essential in sultry Singapore; the suites get cold enough to store steak.
• Have we ever met a glass elevator we didn’t like? These clear capsules traveling up and down the lobby's backbone are a rare retro-futuristic treat to both watch and ride. Please and thanks, more glass elevators in 2024.

Conrad’s serene rooms and suites are studies in the grades of beige. The linens, flooring, woodwork, and furniture suggest sandy beaches, animal tusks, and nut milk, with the occasional pop of a clementine pillow or bronze accent.

Singapore is a hectic, thrilling city, and these spacious chambers (all renovated in 2024) help guests reset and recenter; you won’t find a rogue line or askew ottoman interrupting the clean symmetry. Some favorite features: the incredible beds (cool, back-supportive, jet leg-banishing), the Byredo Mojave Ghost bath products (dusky, amber, floral), and the filtered water tap at the minibar, perfect for refilling bottles before heading out into the jungle.

Not that you would, given Singapore’s status as a global food capital, but there are so many high-quality dining outlets housed inside the Conrad — from the meticulous kaiseki at the 13-seat Shoukouwa Shinjidai to photogenic take-away pastries at Dolcetto — you could eat every meal here and not get bored.

There’s high tea in the lobby-level Tea Lounge, influenced by Singapore botanicals, and at Manhattan, world-class cocktails designed by talented head bartender Zana Möhlmann. But the one not to miss is the peaceful, elegant Summer Palace, which serves an exquisite, tableside-carved Peking duck feast I’m still thinking about.

No judgment if the Singaporean heat sends you straight to Conrad’s pool. It’s Neptune-blue, ringed in cushioned loungers, and so perfectly circular it looks like someone took a giant hole-puncher to the hardscaped roof deck and filled it with cool spring water.

The hotel offers free snack-size sessions in the morning with wellness partners Trapeze Rec. Club. There’s also a full gym equipped with Technogym machines and on-call personal trainers.

Most of the concierge-booked experiences center on food from the hotel’s epic culinary line-up (cheese-infusing workshop or barrel tasting from Manhattan’s rickhouse, for instance), but the one not to miss is a picnic and guided foraging walk through the UNESO-designated Singapore Botanical Gardens with resident botanist and farmer Alexius Yeo, author of "101 Edible Plants: A Guide to Designing Foodscapes in Singapore."

There is no spa, but the first-floor Shun Sakurai Hair Salon has a handful of cranium-centric treatments, typically offered in conjunction with cuts and colors.

Conrad Orchard Singapore has big business-hotel energy. Kids will enjoy the pool and the foraging walk, the property’s style and amenities seem better suited to adults in Singapore for work or pleasure.

There are wheelchair-accessible king and twin rooms. Rooftop solar panels, in-house composting, digital and reusable wood key cards, and full-size bath products (contributing to a reduction in single-use plastics), and the aforementioned Give It Forward program are a few of the sustainability initiatives here.

Though its name claims Orchard Road, the Conrad sits just off Singapore’s glossy commercial drag, near its western terminus. The neighborhood doesn’t exactly inspire strolling — to be fair, neither does Singapore’s omnipresent humidity — but anywhere you’d need to be in the metropolis, including the airport, is only 15 to 30 minutes by taxi or Grab, Southeast Asia’s preferred ride-share app. One significant benefit to the Conrad’s location is the proximity to the incredible Singapore Botanical Gardens, less than a 10-minute walk away.

As part of American Express’s The Hotel Collection , Conrad Singapore Orchard offers benefits to members who book through the Amex portal, such as early check-in and late check-out (when available), room upgrade (when available), complimentary breakfast and parking, and a $100 property credit.

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DOT secures consumer protections ahead of Alaska-Hawaiian Airlines merger

As the proposed merger of Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines moves forward, the Department of Transportation is requiring new enforceable consumer protection guarantees from both airlines.

“Our top priority is protecting the traveling public’s interest in this merger. We have secured binding protections that maintain critical flight services for communities, ensure smaller airlines can access the Honolulu hub airport, lower costs for families and service members, and preserve the value of rewards miles against devaluation,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “This more proactive approach to merger review marks a new chapter of DOT’s work to stand up for passengers and promote a fairer aviation sector in America.”

According to the DOT, the airlines promised that once combined they will adhere to the following commitments among others:

• Maintain the value of airline miles in a new combined frequent flyer program
• Continue serving inter-island and continental routes in the Hawaii market
• Preserve Essential Air Service routes in both Alaska and Hawaii
• Foster competition at the new combined airline's Honolulu hub
• Guarantee free family seating 

The DOT said it has granted an exemption to the airlines to start merging their businesses, but final approval for a full combination of their operations is pending further review.

During a press briefing about the consumer protections Tuesday, DOT officials noted that the Department of Justice has not moved to block the merger on antitrust grounds, though said final approval of the combination has not yet been issued by either department. The most recent proposed airline merger, between JetBlue and Spirit, was blocked by the DOJ.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected].

Zunair Travel

Travel agency in Hyderabad

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About Zunair Travel

begum bazar ,, Hyderabad, 500012, India

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Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Australia , Singapore , Thailand , USA

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