New York Times Style Magazine: The Beauty Stores, Near and Far, That Are Destinations in Their Own Right

Read the full New York Times Style Magazine article by Kari Molver here. Excerpt below.

Sought-out spots for picking up finely milled soaps, hand-sculpted makeup brushes, exquisite scents and more.

‘Awa & ‘Ōlena, Honolulu

It’s no surprise that Hawaii, with its abundance of native flora, excels when it comes to natural beauty products, and some of the islands’ best plant-based formulas can be found at Amanda Watkins’s peaceful shop in Honolulu. The selection of locally produced and minimally processed offerings includes lotion from Ua Body, a skin-care company based on the Big Island’s Kohala Coast, which soothes sunburns with pikake flowers; fungi powders from the wellness purveyor Malama Mushrooms in Kailua-Kona; and the Honokaa-based brand AO Organics’ face mask, which uses volcanic clay to clear pores. The kava (‘awa) and turmeric (‘ōlena) in the shop’s name are both “canoe plants,” says Watkins, meaning they were “brought here by the first Polynesians to arrive in Hawaii by canoe.” Watkins herself moved to Oahu from the mainland in 1999, adopted a natural beauty routine and, as she says, “never looked back.” 1152 Koko Head Avenue, awaandolena.com.