Moon Juice: Beauty In A Bottle
TOP FLIGHT:
MOON JUICE: BEAUTY IN A BOTTLE
Testing the wares of Amanda Chantal Bacon, the high priestess of juice, at her new Melrose Place store.
- Written By
- JACK SUNNUCKS
Juice. If you’re not drinking it you’re talking about it, from the vaunted cleansing powers of charcoal lemonade to the golden ratio of kale to apple in your morning smoothie. At the center of the juice craze is Amanda Chantal Bacon, the much-discussed yet still epically serene founder of Moon Juice, the California juice mecca with locations in Venice, Silver Lake, and now Melrose Place. Bacon has elevated juice drinking to something like a religious practice, replete with devotees who rave about the properties of her potions and famed nutritional Moon Dust powders. “People order six at a time,” Bacon reports.
This year, she’s been busy expanding the brand, with Moon Juice’s new outpost on Melrose Place (a stone’s throw from VIOLET GREY’s flagship), and her new cookbook, The Moon Juice Cookbook: Cosmic Alchemy for a Thriving Body, Beauty and Consciousness, out October 25. The book covers more than juices—strawberry rose geranium bars, savory tarts, and chocolate chaga doughnuts sit alongside more esoteric concoctions. But for the real deal, you’ll have to head to the source. The latest venue also features an Alchemy Bar, where lattes starring the aforementioned nutritional Moon Dusts are whipped up to order. “I make these drinks for myself every morning,” Bacon says, “and I thought, we have to build a store where we can do this for people all day long.” The Violet Files paid a visit to the new shop to taste-test juices that give you a glow (as good as your favorite strobe cream, if not better), and investigate the beauty-enhancing properties of their sundries. Read on for Moon Juice’s inner beauty solutions, below.
MOON JUICE TAXONOMY
Moon Juice has a juice (or a dust) for every skincare woe. Here, a few of their cures for whatever ails you. (With tasting notes!)
FOR PERKING UP THE COMPLEXION
THE PRODUCT: BEAUTY DUST
WHAT IT IS: A powdered combo of goji, rehmannia, schisandra (an antioxidant that Moon Juice likens to “goji on steroids”), pearl, and stevia with a cult beauty following.
WHAT IT DOES: Increases collagen and silica production, tones and firms tissue, and hydrates and fortifies skin, hair, nails, and cell membranes from the inside out. It also works wonders on rosacea.
HOW TO DRINK: Add to nut milk, tea, coffee, smoothies, and hot or cold water for a beauty boost. (See below for Bacon’s preferred recipe.)
TASTING NOTES: Moon Dust lattes, “alchemized” at the store’s bar, taste milky, soothing, and sweet. We chose a coconut and tea base and tried them both hot and cold, crowning the latter option the winner.
FOR A HEALTHY, SKIN-SATING SNACK
THE DRINK: MONSTER MOON
WHAT IT IS: A milky concoction of alkaline water, coconut, cucumber and greens, chia seeds, mint, lemon, and stevia.
WHAT IT DOES: This low-glycemic panacea “has good fats from coconut, high protein and omegas from the chia seeds, and hydration from the cucumber,” says Bacon, who cites this as the drink she’d want with her if she were stranded on a desert island. “It also nourishes the skin, boosts energy, and supports the thyroid.”
HOW TO DRINK: As a meal replacement or any time you require an energy boost.
TASTING NOTES: Think of this milky concoction as the healthy answer to bubble tea. The coconut gives it a sweetness and the chia seeds expand to a delightful gelatinous consistency. And while it contains a generous helping of greens, those who abhor them in a juice will find the flavor just barely perceptible.
PHOTOS VIA @MOONJUICESHOP
FOR DRY SKIN
THE DRINK: ENZYMATIC TONIC
WHAT IT IS: A refreshing blend of alkaline water, aloe vera, plant enzymes, and probiotics.
WHAT IT DOES: This super hydrator also stimulates digestion and detoxification, in turn promoting clearer, glowier skin.
HOW TO DRINK: Swap for your usual H20 after a workout for extra rehydration.
TASTING NOTES: This refreshing tonic goes down easy, with the consistency of water and the subtle tang of aloe.
FOR FINE LINES
THE DRINK: SUN TONIC
WHAT IT IS: A delicious juice starring grapefruit, with aloe vera and schisandra playing supporting roles.
WHAT IT DOES: Hydrates and nourishes the skin with aloe and schisandra (also an astringent) to tighten and tonify inside and out.
HOW TO DRINK: Enjoy at breakfast with your toast and eggs in lieu of your usual orange juice.
TASTING NOTES: Like a bruléed grapefruit in a bottle—a favorite.
FOR CALMING BREAKOUTS
THE DRINK: STRAWBERRY GOOD LOOKS
WHAT IT IS: A rich “milk” comprising alkaline water, activated almonds, strawberries, coconut nectar, lucuma, schisandra, and pink salt.
WHAT IT DOES: Schisandra antioxidizes and calms, while lucuma is great for tissue regeneration (read: healing breakouts, especially if you picked at them); the strawberry provides a bonus hit of immunity thanks to its helpings of vitamin C.
HOW TO DRINK: With impunity.
TASTING NOTES: Too delicious to be healthy, this smooth beverage is reminiscent of a strawberry smoothie without the attendant guilt or stomachache.
THE PRODUCT: SEX DUST
WHAT IT IS: A powdered aphrodesiac comprising Ho Shou Wu (a beauty and sex enhancer that also provides hormonal support), cacao, shilajit, maca, and schisandra berry (an earthy, tangy aphrodesiac that lends hair extra shine and makes skin clearer and more supple), among others.
WHAT IT DOES: Another of Moon Juice’s lusted-after products, this potent powdered blend is meant to stimulate “sexy energy” and generally increase circulation and vitality, but it has the added plus of helping to combat acne.
HOW TO DRINK: “Dump it into hot water when on the go, mix it into a smoothie, or add it to a latte for some extra crazy power,” Bacon advises.
TASTING NOTES: The Violet Files editors advise going the smoothie route, as the powder in its unadulterated form is on the earthy, mushroom-tasting side with a splash of stevia.
BEAUTY DUST LATTE
“I love the little self-care ritual of this drink,” the Moon Juice founder says. “It’s a warm cup of beauty expansion that increases collagen and silica, and tones, firms, and hydrates.”
Ingredients:
1 tsp Beauty Dust
10 oz hot or cold coconut milk
1 tsp Moon Dust Pantry lucuma
1 tbsp Moon Dust Pantry tocotrienols
Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix on high speed for 20 seconds. Serves one.