'When I’m at my parents' in California, I still have a curfew, if you can believe that. I love my mom, but she’s crazy—she’ll tell me I have to be home before 1am and stay up and wait for me. Even though I’m 27! But when I'm in New York, now that I've been here for five years, I prefer to do something low-key when I go out. An ideal night would be somewhere quiet in the West Village or even the Lower East Side for drinks, dinner, maybe stop by the Soho House. Right now, I really like Acme—they have really good music downstairs.

Tonight, we’re going to the Caeden launch party. It’s this new brand of wearable tech and portable audio equipment. They make these headphones that kind of look like earrings when you wear them. It’s really cute. I actually did some creative consulting with them, so it’s pretty exciting.

GETTING READY

I’m really bad with time management, so I’m always running late. When I’m getting ready, it’s a whirlwind of chaos and then it’s like 'I’m so hungry!' But there’s never any time to eat. Luckily, it only takes me 30 minutes to get dressed and ready to go. But even though it’s quick, I like to light a scented candle and turn on some music. I have a pretty broad sense of music—I listen to everyone from The Strokes to Wilco to Blondie and Jane Birkin.

I keep my outfits pretty casual if I'm just going out with friends—low-heeled boots, skinny jeans, leather jacket. And then if I go to an event, I try to keep it simple and chic. Nothing too short. And even then, I’ll wear a leather jacket. I’ll wear a leather jacket with anything.

MAKEUP

If I’m coming from a job, I’ll just leave whatever makeup I already have on. Otherwise, I start fresh by washing my face with Shiseido Benefiance Extra Creamy Cleansing Foam and this face brush that I got in Asia.

If I’m going somewhere I know I’m going to be photographed, I’ll try a little bit harder then I would normally. I’ll use Vidi Vici Perfect Face Glow Foundation Balm and then I’ll contour using Chanel Les Beiges in 30 on my cheeks and my nose. I’ll also put it on my eyelids to make them more dimensional. But only it’s a formal event—if not, I'll skip foundation and just use concealer. The Chanel Éclat Lumière Highlighter Face Pen is good for minimal coverage, but I’ll use the Laura Mercier High Coverage Concealer if I need something heavier.

The rest of my makeup is pretty minimal. I don’t use too many bright colors. I just got Nars Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencil in Red Square that I like, but I’m only starting to play around with it. What's more important is that my lips aren't chapped. I swear by the lip balm they give you on Korean Air— Davi Napa Moisturizing Lip Balm. It’s the only thing that doesn’t make my lips more chapped afterwards. It’s amazing. And then if I do eyeliner, I'll use something from the drugstore—I don’t like keeping them too long because they get gross, so I stick with inexpensive ones. Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner is good.

No matter how small my purse is, I won't leave for an event without oil blotters. Especially if there are going to be photos, you want to make sure you're not too shiny. It's always warm, and the flash just makes it look worse. So oil blotters, or a bit of loose powder for touch ups, are essential.

I usually fall asleep without taking my makeup off, which is really bad. But if I have a little bit of energy, I’ll use Banila Clean It Zero. It’s really thick and oily and gets everything off. But since it’s a little intense, I’ll use Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water on a cotton pad afterwards because that’s more refreshing.

HAIR

Going blond did change my style little by little. Inside, I felt the same, obviously, but the outside package is different. I started wearing more colors, more prints. My black hair was beautiful and really defining, so having something so different feels good.

Usually I like to keep my hair messy and tie it in a loose bun. But if I have the time, I like to do a wet comb over look. Like Beyoncé in ‘ Drunk in Love.' It looks really sexy and sophisticated and I think it is perfect for a nighttime look. I don’t use gel—just treatment oil and leave-in conditioner. It works really well because when it dries up, it’s not damaging like gel. The Alterna Caviar Repair Fill & Fix Treatment is good, but it has micro-beads in it, so I’d only recommend if you’re blond so you can’t see the beads.

WHAT TO DRINK

I love wine, but it makes me drowsy. Instead, I start with beer. For a while, I was really into Coors Light and Bud Light because it only has a hundred calories and it tastes like water and it does not get your drunk. But now I have actually gotten really into IPAs.

Really, my favorite thing is cocktails. I love a Penicillin, which is rye with muddled ginger and sugar and lemon. French 75s are great…Sazeracs used to be my favorite thing. It’s got absinth and scotch and simple syrup. Maybe a dash of lemon. It’s one of the oldest American cocktails apparently—I like it because it’s an old man cocktail.

LATE NIGHT SNACKS

So, because I never remember to eat before going out, I end up starving. On Kenmare, there’s this bodega that’s a big pit stop for taxi drivers. I’ll end up there at the end of the night and get a Bengali egg sandwich—it’s made with chopped jalapenos and cheese on a bagel. It’s so good. That or a slice of pizza. Something greasy—always.”

—as told to ITG

Soo Joo Park photographed by Tom Newton. Read more Top Shelf After Dark here.