#113: I traveled to Italy with a bottle of olive oil
And my skin has never looked better
This newsletter is proudly sponsored by Furtuna Skin, a Sicilian-born skincare brand that has been a part of my routine for several years now. I’m so excited to work with a brand that champions my independent writing and my love for romantic rituals!
Ciao from a tiny, sleepy town in the southernmost region of Puglia, the final destination of my summer travels this month before heading back to New York. This town I’m in is so charming, so remote, so off the beaten path that the local townspeople have been looking at me and my sister with endearing bemusement.
But it’s here where I’m practicing a form of mindful meditation: truly slowing down and maintaining the rituals that keep me in balance so that I can charge forward with clarity and intention. Of all the things I’m neurotic about—and there are many when it comes to my lifestyle—my morning routine might be the one I take most seriously. It’s something I actively try to maintain even when I’m traveling.
My skincare routine is an important part of that ritual. It isn’t simply about appearance (though I’d be lying if I said I don’t enjoy the results); it’s a small act of care that signals the start of the day. Alongside my coffee, journaling, and a few quiet moments before setting out for the day, I’ve introduced something to my skincare routine that I’ve only heard in headlines from supermodels: a daily shot of olive oil.
I’ve always known that beautiful, radiant skin starts from within. It’s not rocket science. We are what we eat and a single night of bad eating or drinking will manifest in some angry pimples that will tell me something’s up.
My first introduction to olive oil as a skincare ingredient was through Furtuna Skin’s Biphase Moisturizing Oil. The brand, founded by Agatha Relota Luczo—a model and double certified olive oil sommelier (!!!)—uses olives grown on its 800-acre Sicilian estate to create skincare products designed to nourish the skin. That face oil, along with the brand’s balm have been part of my routine for years.
More recently, however, I’ve become interested in olive oil not just as a topical skincare ingredient but as something to incorporate into my daily wellness ritual. Furtuna’s olive oil introduced me to the habit of taking a tablespoon each morning—a simple practice rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and other nutrients that support moisture retention and hydration.
I should note why I’m traveling through Italy, home to some of the world’s best olive oils, with a bottle of Furtuna’s LXR06 in tow. The reason is quite simple: this blend is particularly rich in many of the compounds that make olive oil so celebrated in the first place. It contains higher levels of antioxidants, polyphenols, and unsaturated fatty acids than your standard extra virgin olive oils.
None of this is to suggest that a spoonful of olive oil is a shortcut to perfect skin. At 30, I’ve lived long enough to know there is no single ingredient, supplement, or product that can deliver that. Good skin, genetics aside, is usually the result of many small choices made consistently over time. In a world that constantly asks us to optimize, hack, and experiment with pseudo science, olive oil is just so… straightforward.
This habit feels especially fitting here in southern Italy, surrounded by olive trees that have shaped both the landscape and the culture for generations. I look around on my drives and see endless groves of olive trees stretching across the countryside. Olives and olive oil, in every way, have shaped the rhythms of daily life here for centuries. There is something special about participating in a ritual that has endured for so long. I feel more connected than ever to my body, to my routine, and to this beautiful place I get to be in.
Code LAURA gets you 20% off Furtuna Skin’s products sitewide. Try the olive oil, trust me on this one!
In love and beautiful skin,
Laura