Mother Essentials: Leslie Antonoff
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
“Multi-talented” barely begins to describe California born-and-bred mother Leslie Antonoff. She’s a recipe developer and YouTube star (Butter + Brown), a writer (thehautemommie.com), and soon-to-be HGTV personality, thanks to the 2021 rollout of Divide and Design, a budget-conscious home design show featuring Leslie and her sister, Courtney Robinson. Plus, on top of her numerous creative endeavors, she’s “mommie” to three beautiful daughters—Dreux, 12, Clarke, 5, and Emerie, 2. It’s perhaps no surprise then, that Leslie’s Mother Essentials list is as eclectic and entertaining as the lady herself. Enjoy!
LV Bumbag. “For what feels like the past 7 or 8 years, I’ve had to carry a diaper bag and purse. Now that my girls have largely grown out of needing that, I’m able to carry my fun bags again. This is one of my faves!” Louis Vuitton Monogram Bumbag, $1,915, Fashionphile.
La Roche-Posay Moisturizer with SPF 30. “Many folks mistakenly think Black people don’t need sunscreen. WRONG. Sun damage does not discriminate. I use this everyday and it blends easily into my skin, plus you can wear it with makeup while not feeling cakey.” La Roche-Posay Moisturizer with SPF 30, $19.99, Ulta.
CUUP. “Buying undergarments has NEVER been my favorite thing. I will spend money on clothes with no issue, but bras and panties were my arch nemesis until I saw CUUP on Instagram. I purchased one set and fell in love. They quickly took over my drawer and now it’s all I wear. Now I see why people love lingerie, CUUP did that for me.” ShopCuup.com.
Happy Planner. “Though 2020 was a year most people felt like they couldn’t plan for anything, my planner keeps me together. I have three kids, a husband, and a host of businesses—I have to write things down to know what’s going on or they’ll get lost.” Happy Planner, $20 and up, The Happy Planner.
Candles. “Candles reign supreme in my house. Boy Smells, Overose, and Otherland are some of my favorites. I love the LES, Anthurium, and Chandelier scents.” LES Candle, $32, Boy Smells; Anthurium Halo, $68, Overose; Otherland Chandelier Champagne Vegan Candle, $36, Sephora.
Sunglasses. “No matter where I am, where I’m going, I will ALWAYS have a pair of sunnies with me. I tend to gravitate to Céline more than anything for their shapes, weight, and color.” Céline Polarized Square Sunglasses, $450, Bloomingdale’s.
Great Jones “The Dutchess” Oven. “Obviously, cooking is a huge part of my life, which means I take my cookware seriously! I hadn’t found a Dutch oven I loved until this one. It’s pretty, cleans easily, and holds a lot. I recommend it often.” The Dutchess, $155, Great Jones.
Cora Women. “I have had terrible periods for as long as I can remember. Using Cora has made them much easier to handle due to the all natural, organic ingredients. I worked with the brand a few years ago and have kept my subscription since. I use everything they offer from the cup to the tampons and the pads. I recommend it to everyone.” Cora.Life.
SevenJune Jewelry. “I live for gold jewelry. I wear my necklaces and hoop earrings almost daily from my friend Zenobia’s line, SevenJune. She and I went to Howard University together and I love to support my friends. It’s easy when they make great pieces.” SevenJune.Online.
Apolis Market Bag. “Apolis sent me one of their bags a couple years ago to share with my audience and I fell in love. They double as decor and are so useful for many things. I went to Morocco for my 35th birthday at the beginning of 2020 and gifted these to each of my guests. Plus, I love anything I can monogram, so this gets a 10/10.” Apolis Market Bag, $48 and up, Apolis.
D.S. & Durga. “Everyone needs a signature scent. It’s one of the tenets of what I think adulthood is. D.S. & Durga does a great job of creating scents that can be layered or worn alone. Plus, the brand gives folks who may not know what they want an opportunity to smell everything with their sample pack.” D.S. & Durga Perfume, $40 and up, D.S. & Durga.
Mudpuppy. “I love Mudpuppy products, but their tiny board books are so cute and make learning so fun. My littles love them. The flashcards are also great because they’re cute. I have a huge need for everything to stick with the aesthetic in my home. These do it.” Mudpuppy.com.
JoyLab Activewear. “In April 2020, my youngest turned two and I realized that I needed to start taking back my fitness and body. Clothes are a huge part of my life, I knew that if I wanted to incorporate working out into my life it had to be cute. JoyLab from Target is perfect!” JoyLab Activewear, $12 and up, Target.
Phillips Sonicare Toothbrush. “Dental hygiene is so important to me, being on TV and eating people see my mouth—A LOT. Ha! I need to be sparkling and feel fresh. This is my favorite toothbrush. When I’m filming I keep one on set with me at all times.” Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart 9300 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush, $189.99, Amazon.
Nike Degrassi Slides. “These are my house shoes year around and my on-set shoes because I’m on my feet all day. I have 3 pairs now and have gone through plenty others since my basketball days.” Nike Benassi JDI, $25, Nike.
Kiehl’s Crème De Corps & Dry Oil. “Dry skin is a no-go for me. I think skincare is a huge interest right now but so often people are only focused on their faces or the décolletage. Skin is our largest organ, I take care of mine from head to toe. I love to mix the two of these for the perfect moisturizer.” Kiehl’s Crème de Corps, $30, Sephora; Kiehl’s Crème de Corps Nourishing Dry Body Oil, $35, Sephora.
Daily Harvest. “I recently incorporated Daily Harvest into my diet and it has been a game changer for me. I get so busy that I forget to eat and then I would find myself bingeing whatever sweets were available at the end of the day since my blood sugar was so low. Daily Harvest is SO delicious! Having them delivered weekly or biweekly has been awesome.” Daily Harvest, $5.99 to $8.99 per item, Daily Harvest.
MacBook Pro. “As an entrepreneur, chef, writer, and TV personality, I am always writing, researching, or working on my e-commerce site. I will say I loved my Macbook Air more but this laptop gets the job done just the same.” MacBook Pro, $1,999, Apple.
Crocs. “I LOVE Crocs for my girls. They’re tough, chic, and can be personalized—what’s more fun than that? I always keep a pair in rotation for all of us and discovering the small businesses that sell charms for them is a joy.” Crocs Kids Classic, $29.99, Zappos.
Champagne. “I don’t believe we should save champagne for special occasions. I prefer a glass of bubbly to a glass of wine if I had to choose. My favorites are Louis Roderer, Perrier-Jouet, Moet, and Veuve.”
Disney+ “Ever since this service dropped my kids have been discovering movies and shows I loved as a kid, plus been able to watch all their favorite Disney shows at any time. Best subscription I have TBH.” DisneyPlus.com.
Twitter. “While the world worries about the Instagram algorithm every other week, Twitter is still my favorite social platform. It’s probably the writer in me but I love engaging with people that way.” Twitter.com/hautemommie.
Sneakers. “I am a tried and true sneakerhead. I recently had to tell myself not to buy another pair until I buy at least 5 pairs of pumps, because at this point I’ll be at a gala in Yeezys or Balenciagas if I don’t stop.”
Amazon Prime. “I have a love/hate relationship with this item. Amazon comes through in the clutch often for me and my household but I do want them to treat their employees much better. But Prime is a winner!” Amazon.com/prime.
For more Mother Essentials, peep our past columns with author Rio Cortez, Kido Chicago owner Keewa Nurullah, small-space mama Laura Fenton, Citizens of Humanity creative director Marianne McDonald, Curasalve founder Kelley Williams, Trade Street Jam Co. founder Ashley Rouse, Weelicious and One Potato founder Catherine McCord, Milky Mama’s Krystal Nicole Duhaney, mega-influencer Chriselle Lim, Matana Organics founder Gabriela Babila, interior designer Susan Work, author Tiffany Dufu, Les Gamins founder Veronique Nguyen, Lonny editor Angela Tafoya, Wiley Body founder Vanessa Wade, DockATot’s Roma Patel, designers Anna Wallack, Cynthia Rowley, Rebecca Atwood, and Dana Haim, Olympian Alysia Montano, cookbook author Hetal Vasavada, model and muse Slick Woods, children’s author Serena Minott, clean living expert Kristian Henderson, Oakland retail queen Sherri McMullen, wellness influencer Joanne Encarnacion, author LaTonya Yvette, and many, many more!
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