“Growing up, I thought I would do something writing-related, but even in college, I figured there was no use worrying about it. That was really scary at times, but it was also helpful to not feel so attached to any one thing. And as it goes, one thing led to another and I ended up working for Vanity Fair, Lucky, and Fashionista before I went on to The Business of Fashion, where I spent six exciting years learning as much as I could about the business end of the industry.
While I was at BOF, Lauren Sherman and I reported on Victoria’s Secret, which then led to our book, Selling Sexy: Victoria’s Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon. We wanted to explore how the company got so big, and how it became so polarizing. It’s in line with my new role at the Cut, which I joined earlier this year. There, my focus is on longer stories about fashion. I get to connect my background in business reporting with what’s happening in culture to break down why we buy what we buy. For the fall fashion issue, I wrote about VICs, or top luxury clients, and how their passion for fashion has turned into a lifestyle, and how brands are catering to them through show invitations or even flying them out to special dinners in other countries. In writing the piece, I was so interested in understanding these customers—what drives them, and what their interactions are like with the brands. Big luxury brands are all about control, but you can’t control customers because they’re actually making purchases, so there are these interesting tension points.
SKINCARE
One of my earliest memories of interacting with beauty was through the lens of acne. If a product promised to take away acne, I had to give it a try. I tried everything—antibiotics, Accutane, Proactiv. I even used a concealer that was recommended for covering tattoos, and if I physically didn’t have it with me at all times, I would have a panic attack. More recently, spironolactone is what’s helped me the most with my acne, though I will say that spiro wasn’t amazing for me until I started double cleansing. I look back now and I’m like, ‘Oh, I wasn’t fully taking my makeup off.’ Cetaphil’s gentle cleanser and Bioderma’s Sensibio H2O are my baseline go-tos, but there have been times I’ve cleansed with both and still had makeup on my face. That’s why I recently introduced the oil cleanser from Skinfix into my routine—it’s a more efficient way to get everything off my face.
SkinCeuticals’ C E Ferulic is really good and probably the vitamin C serum I would always use if money was no factor. That said, Allies of Skin’s 35% vitamin C serum is cheaper, though not hugely different, and I really feel and see its effect. Clindamycin phosphate gel and an azelaic acid gel have also been great at improving my skin texture and keeping my acne at bay while I take a break from spiro. I don’t know if the combination is a long-term solution, but I really wanted to switch things up to see how my skin was doing after taking the medication for a decade. Oh, and about once a month, I use Drunk Elephant’s Sukari Babyfacial, especially around my T-Zone. It stings a little bit, but it’s not too crazy.
I love good moisturizers that don’t break the bank. I’m constantly looking at the cost-per-ounce because I veer on the side of putting on a lot. Recently, I’ve been alternating between Laneige’s Water Bank, which I tend to use more at night, and Skinfix’s peptide cream. As far as sunscreens, I got a tester of Supergoop’s Unscreen sunscreen earlier this year and I really liked it. It’s almost like a makeup primer because it has a kind of blurring effect on your skin.
I go through waves with my devices. I’ve had a Nuface for several years now. I get quite puffy, and I do think it helps, but sometimes I use it more as a face massager, which is absolutely not the point of it. Honestly, if I’m really in a pinch, putting my face in a bowl of ice or even under cold tap water is great. And since I get quite red—I have rosacea—I got an Omnilux LED mask, which has actually made a difference.
I get Botox in my elevens at Tribeca Park Dermatology. I started getting it in 2019, right before the pandemic. I go maybe twice a year, but there have been years I’ve skipped it entirely. Honestly, I wasn’t worried so much about wrinkles, but rather, my elevens were sore. I always say I have a ‘resting reading face.’ I hold a lot of tension there to the point where it’s painful.
MAKEUP
I don’t wear that much makeup day-to-day. Kosas’ Revealer concealer in 2.3N works really well for me, and I try to fix my eyebrows so they don’t look crazy. If I’m going to step it up a bit for an event or something, I love Dior’s Forever Skin Glow foundation in 2N. It doesn’t go on heavy, and it’s great at covering my redness.
On my cheeks, I mostly wear Makeup by Mario’s Soft Pop blush stick in Pale Petal. It’s this rosy, bubblegum pink that’s so pretty. And I also have Patrick Ta’s Major Headlines blush duo in Not Too Much, which is a rosy taupe combo. Meanwhile, I never do intense contouring, but I like Victoria Beckham’s Contour Stylus in Marble because it’s so thin and precise, and you can use it to contour in a really subtle way. The contour stick from Westman Atelier in Biscuit works really well with my bronzers, too. Speaking of which, I recently bought Makeup by Mario’s Softsculpt bronzing serum in Light. I love the way it goes on—it looks really natural and is so easy to blend in.
I’ve gone through a journey with different eyelash curlers, and I honestly feel like curling my lashes is dependent on when I’m trying to curl them. Is the room humid? Have I just taken a shower? Is it cold? But I still find that Shiseido’s is the best for me. I bought the Rare Beauty mascara after hearing great things about the brand in general. I have a really hard time sticking with one mascara. For some reason, I feel like they stop working after a while, although maybe that means I just have to buy a new one. But so far, I like how fluffy Rare’s makes your lashes. Tower 28’s mascara is better for elongating them though.
As for brows, mine are pretty intense. I have to be careful or I can look like Groucho Marx pretty quickly. I was using Anastasia Beverly Hills’ brow pomade, but I felt like my brows needed a little more filling out so I’ve come back to the Brow Wiz pencil in Soft Brown. I also use ABH’s Brow Freeze gel. Other than that, I get them done at Carrie Lindsey Beauty once a month—I don’t touch them myself.
Growing up, my lips were really red and I was self-conscious about them. I also have a big smile and can look like Ms. Pac-Man if I’m not careful, so I wrote off lipstick. I had actually decided I wouldn’t wear any lip products for my wedding, but then the very wonderful woman who did my makeup got me to use Charlotte Tilbury’s Cheat Liner in Pillow Talk, and it really matches my lip color so I still use it on occasion. And recently, I bought Violette_FR’s Bisou Balm in Batiste because I knew I was going to be doing more promotional work for my book. I wanted something really subtle, and it has definitely delivered. It makes enough of a difference that I feel good.
HAIR
I dyed my hair for a long time, until I realized that I was essentially dyeing it my natural color. It’s like when I was in middle school and I straightened my hair and then one day I was like, ‘Oh, my hair is straight. What am I doing?’ I mostly care that it’s shiny and that I’m using a shampoo and conditioner that are working for, and not against, me. The last time I got a cut—I go to Union Beauty Salon in Park Slope—they used R+Co’s Television shampoo and conditioner, and I loved how my hair air-dried afterwards. I was influenced. Maybe once a month I’ll use Briogeo’s Don’t Despair, Repair mask when my hair’s in need of some intense moisture. I wash my hair maybe once a week, so in between, especially when I feel like it smells like the city, I spritz it with the Rare Beauty fragrance mist. It’s citrus-y and so good.
My hair gets pretty frizzy—I always have a halo of hair growth around my face—but I tame it with R+Co’s Dart pomade stick, which is a recent discovery. R+Co’s Two-Way Mirror oil is pretty great, too. I use a tiny bit on my ends when they look a little scraggly or just need an extra dose of life. And then I air dry my hair about 99-percent of the time, so towels are very important to me. I usually use Volo’s Hero towel, which was a recommendation from my mom. It’s insanely absorbent. I then follow that up with Crown Affair’s towel. I love its texture and it genuinely makes a difference in how my hair dries. But if I run out of time or need to tame a weird bump, I dry it with my Ghd dryer, or if I’m really pressed for time, I’ll use the Revlon brush.
NAILS
There’s something about nail polish—maybe how long it lasts or how it looks on me—but at a certain point, I decided I was going to be a person who doesn’t have color on their hands. Also, as a writer, I feel like my hands are involved in a lot, and manicures felt like even more work. I’m really happy about this decision. But I do love pedicures with OPI’s Lincoln Park After Dark.”
—As told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Shana Trajanoska in New York on September 30, 2024
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