Meet Rebekah Peppler. Friend, writer, stylist and our newest NOTO collaborator. Back in January when thinking through this year, about the possibilities we could create, the friends or people we were fans of that we could connect with and make something beautiful with, about the dreams we wanted to dream up, Rebekah came first to mind. As someone who writes about travel and food, makes incredible recipes and shares unique ways to enjoying life filled with rich color, slow living, and beautiful taste I knew creating a limited edition color with her would be something special. Not to mention, she often sports a beautiful red lip, which made It very clear on what we should make together. Cut to our delicious red multi-pot. A color that has incredible vibrancy with hues of cocktail cherries and perfectly ripened heirloom tomatoes. Super color pay off that can be dabbed on for a sultry blurred flush or layered on for a full on vibrant red. A color so perfect for summer.
Below, enjoy taking a moment to learn more about Rebekah and why we love her so much! We are so excited for this launch and know you will LOVE this new collab as much as we do. 
1. How would you describe what you do—in your own words?
In the most succinct form, I'm a food and travel writer and author. If I have a little more space, I add stylist to that list as well as the names of my books: Le Sud: Recipes from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, À Table: Recipes for Cooking and Eating the French Way and Apéritif: Cocktail Hour the French Way.
2. What does ritual mean to you, especially in the context of beauty or self-care?
As someone who travels frequently for both work and pleasure, having small daily routines and rituals plays a significant role in maintaining my sanity. In the context of beauty and self-care this means (ideally) starting the day with a warm lemon water and my probiotics — followed shortly thereafter by coffee. I also always have my full skincare routine with me. It's not long or complex by any means but consistently following my am/pm routines wherever I am is really grounding, helps keep my extremely sensitive skin happy and allows me not to have to wear makeup most of the time. I also always travel with a face mask, aim to put my legs up the wall when I can and try my best to keep a semi-regular appointment with my facialist in Paris.
3. You’re based in Paris. How has living there shaped your approach to beauty, food, or creativity?
I've been in Paris since 2016 and was living in NYC for nearly a decade beforehand —with a restless spot of time living out of a suitcase and bouncing between Paris, New York and Los Angeles. Each city has really shaped my relationship with and approach to food, creativity and beauty in different ways. I think the biggest shift in France specifically relates to work-life balance. There's a stronger separation here between work and the rest of life and while it filters in in plenty of ways, one that has always resonated deeply with me is l'heure de l'apéro.
The daily transition from the work day to the personal ushered in and marked with a drink and a snack (it often is but doesn't have to be alcoholic!) is deeply ingrained in French culture and was really my entry into starting to understand and participate in the rhythms and rituals that are so deeply rooted here (so much so that it's the topic of my first book Apéritif!). As a freelancer, I always have a variety of different projects going: I'm writing pieces, testing recipes, pitching my editors, often working on a book or larger project, planning a shoot, sorting travel logistics, trying to stay on top of emails, collaborating with brands I love and so on. It consistently feels like there's always something more I could or should be doing. That said, I also know that my creativity absolutely suffers when I'm constantly switching between projects and not taking any time to simply be. I can't say I'm always great at shifting over completely but the ritual of marking the moment of transition from day to night is such a beautiful, easy to love reminder to seek more of that balance.
Both my partner and I have been using NOTO products for years and I've always felt drawn to the brand's style, ethos and values. Gloria and I met a while back in Los Angeles and it felt like we had known each other forever. So when the idea of a collaboration came up a while later and we started to talk about a red lip (something I've always secretly wanted to create) it felt like an obvious alignment.
5. Can you describe the inspiration behind the product we’ve created together?
I have a bit of a thing for a red lip and I love a bold matte lipstick as much as I do a tinted gloss. When Gloria and I started talking about what we wanted to create, I really wanted to focus on something that can live alongside you and work for whatever you have going on that day. It's meant to be a nourishing, effortlessly sexy lip that you can blot on lightly for a softer, smudgier, just kissed look or you can layer it for something more bold or you can blend a bit on your cheeks if you're looking for a bit more color. It works across the spectrum in a really beautiful, organic way and slips easily into a pocket or a purse. Looking back at our earliest texts about this collaboration, the beginning inspiration really shines through in the final product. I wrote at one point: juicy summer by the sea, lush tomatoes, cocktail cherries, salty skin in le sud energy. And I feel like that's exactly the vibe we created.
When I'm at home and writing, I wake up early, drink lemon water in my favorite mug, put away any laundry or dishes, make coffee in the quiet of the house, light incense and a few candles and sit down at my desk (aka the dining room table). I write best in a clean, clear, early morning space and the order and ritual of that morning routine gets me in the mood to write, like, 8 out of 10 times. When I'm traveling, I always bring a few of those travel pour over coffee bags and a candle + matches with me so I can mimic that ritual. I also swear by unpacking the moment I get to a destination — I like to feel like I'm at home even if it's a temporary one. For better or worse, that also means I'm that person who unpacks the moment I get home but, basically, I'm just always looking for ways to feel settled wherever I am.
7. Your writing has a certain intimacy and texture to it—how does that same energy translate into your aesthetic or lifestyle choices?
That is so incredibly lovely to hear, thank you! I honestly think they all work in tandem. I worked primarily as a food stylist for many years and I think that training really informs the way I write. With my books I take as much care with the design and imagery as I do the language used and it's incredibly fun and fulfilling to see everything work together to tell the story on the page. But even when there are no images, I don't think that that inherently visual aesthetic energy really changes all that much. The best narratives form images in the reader's mind and, when I'm doing my best work, I'm aiming to create something that feels tangible.
8.What’s exciting you right now—in your work, your space, your life?
I'm currently in a busy travel season of life (for work and for pleasure) and so it's very exciting to me to be home for more than a week at a time. I recently had a three-week sprint of (exciting!) travel that had me in Copenhagen then Nice then Saint-Raphaël then on the Istanbul—Paris route on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express with stops in Romania and Hungary. It was a dreamy if hectic few weeks (and I had my NOTO x Rebekah Peppler with me from seaside in a bikini to black tie on the train — it really works for all occasions!) I spent a solid week after I got home to Paris sleeping in my own bed and making lunch in my own kitchen and resetting my space. I can't tell you how exciting and restorative that was for me. That said, I'm answering these questions from a last minute trip to Marseille and am currently in full restaurant reservation mode for another (Biarritz for my birthday in early July) so I'm clearly finding excitement in that balance!
What a special collab and interview. Maybe one of my favorite to date! Thank you Rebekah for such thoughtful responses and for making something beautiful with me!
-XO G