“What you see is what you know, and all I ever saw growing up was women cooking. My parents were very against the idea of it becoming my career. My family doesn’t drink or eat pork, and they worried I wouldn’t be able to avoid those things in a professional kitchen. When it was time to go to college, I started out studying finance at Baruch College, but I landed an internship at Time Inc. during my freshman year. From there, every internship I had was in fashion, beauty, or media. Halfway through college, I realized I didn’t have the experience—or interest—for a finance job, so I created an ad hoc major that blended communications, marketing, and journalism, with a minor in art.
My first job out of school was at BuzzFeed. By then, I’d already started posting food videos on TikTok and was gaining some traction. BuzzFeed had a talent incubator program where you could create content, and after two months there, Bon Appétit food director Chris Morocco emailed me about an assistant food editor position that was opening up. I interviewed and got the job.
Less than six months into Bon Appétit, I signed with a manager. I was feeling overwhelmed by influencer work, which had become a real—and lucrative—part of my life, and I didn’t want to give it up. Pretty quickly, my team asked if I had any interest in doing a cookbook. I initially said no—it felt too soon—but they encouraged me to think it over. I did, and the book, Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation, took more than two years to make.
If you’re the child of immigrants—or come from a family that recently immigrated—the term third culture kid really resonates. For a long time, I couldn’t make sense of the tension of being from two places. Both of my parents are of Indian descent, my grandma came from a farming family in East Africa, and I was raised in New Jersey. That in-between space is real, but different, and there’s no blueprint for how to exist in it. So when I first heard the term, I felt an immediate sense of peace. It was like, Oh—I don’t have to pick. I exist here. And that’s enough. My cooking is third culture cooking. I’m not exclusively doing American classics, and I’m not strictly recreating my grandmother’s recipes either. A term like fusion might sound similar, but it feels hollow and it lacks context. Third culture cooking has layers—there’s history, storytelling, and meaning.
BEAUTY
I feel uniquely lucky to have always been surrounded by women. My mom is a hairdresser and aesthetician by trade, and I have two sisters. Seeing them interact with beauty made me feel like This is what girls do. This is a part of girlhood. Also, the idea of getting ready has always been part of my life. As someone who wears a scarf, there are a few steps before you head out the door—I have to put my scarf on, and if I’m doing that, I might as well put on some lip gloss. One of my sisters wears a scarf too, so she’s my go-to for hair stuff because she’s in the know. My other sister and I talk about skincare constantly, because when you’re framing your face with a scarf, your skin is everything because that’s all people see.
SKINCARE
The Drunk Elephant line was truly revelatory for me. I was maybe 18 when I discovered it, and a few of their products completely changed my skin. Their Beste cleanser is super soft on my skin—it’s what I travel with because it removes anything left after my first cleanse with Sulwhasoo’s cleansing oil. I also like the Youth To The People’s and Kiehl’s Ultra Facial cleansers. And if I want gentle physical exfoliation, Humanrace’s Rice Powder is my go-to. My skin always looks smooth afterward, and makeup goes on beautifully. Another game-changer: I bought a 15-pack of washcloths and switch them out every night.
For chemical exfoliation, I tone with Ren’s Ready Steady tonic, usually in place of my Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos serum, which has glycolic acid. And I’ve been using Tower 28’s SOS spray for over a year—I can’t travel without it. It has hypochlorous acid and helps calm my skin and reduce hormonal breakouts. And TikTok convinced me to try Beauty of Joseon’s Revive eye serum, and I swear my eyes look brighter since I started using it.
During the day, I like Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma serum. I’ve tried the vitamin C from Skinceuticals, but like everyone says, it smells like hot dog water and was too much for me. Also, every time I test a new vitamin C, I end up wishing I’d used my Drunk Elephant one—it makes my skin look so bright and even.
I’ve been using Dr. Idriss’ Major Fade Active Seal moisturizer during the day for a while now, but Dieux’s Instant Angel moisturizer is probably my most repurchased product. I can’t imagine moisturizing without it. It’s thick and rich at night but somehow watery under makeup. That said, I’ve been making my way through Emma Lewisham’s Supernatural rich cream and loving it for nighttime. I wore it on an eight-hour flight recently and my skin didn’t feel parched after—always a good sign. The brand also sent me their Supernatural face oil. It does a solid job at locking in moisture, which is all I’m looking for. And I’ve been using EltaMD’s SPF 40 for a long time. Most tinted sunscreens leave me looking ashy, but their tinted version actually works for my skin.
MAKEUP
I work from home and because I’m cooking a lot, I’m definitely not wearing makeup every day. But if I have a Zoom, I’ll quickly tap on my Ole Henriksen Banana Bright CC stick in Apricot and Merit’s Flush Balm in Mood [discontinued] and curl my eyelashes.
If I’m doing a full face of makeup, I start off with the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip or NYX Studio Perfect primer, which I’ve been using since I was a teenager because it does a really good job at smoothing my skin. Then I go in with my Kosas Revealer concealer in 7.5 W. It’s probably my favorite concealer because it’s so lightweight and I can use it as a sort of foundation—I use it to hide any spots, of course, but I place it under my eyes, next to my nose, on my chin, and even on my cheeks. For even more glam, I’ll switch to the Natasha Denona Hy-Glam concealer, which is the most full coverage one I own. It’s so intense that I pair it with the Huda Beauty Fauxfilter color corrector in Peach because I feel like the concealer can look a little gray on me without it.
I contour with Dior’s Backstage Rosy Glow blush in Mahogany. I’m not necessarily looking to do a dramatic cut look, and I went through a lot of actual contouring products before I landed on this one. The others were too intense.
I’ve always loved winger liner. It’s how I learned to use eyeliner, so it’s never really left me. I recently switched from using liquid eyeliner to using Sephora Collection’s Black Lace eyeshadow as eyeliner, and I find it so much less stressful. If I want a little something extra on my eyes, I like Urban Decay’s 24/7 shadow in Space Cowboy. It looks like straight glitter on my eyes because of my skin tone.
The only setting powder I like is Huda Beauty’s Easy Bake in Cherry Blossom. It’s the only one that gives me a very smooth, long-lasting under eye when I bake it. That said, I do like Kosas’ Cloud Set powder in Comfy when I use my Ole Henriksen CC stick or if any product creases or needs buffing on my skin.
When it comes to my lips, I think they look better when I line them. I’ve been using liners from NYX since I was 12 years old—Cocoa is my favorite. Otherwise, I’ll use MAC’s in Stripdown in the center of my lips for more of a ‘brightening’ effect. I’ve really been loving the ones from Huda and Patrick Ta, too.
I bought the Patrick Ta blush duo in She’s Flushed last year and I’ve been obsessed with it since. I love his technique of putting powder on top of cream; it really does give your skin a beautiful finish—and makes the color last longer.
Setting spray has always been a non-negotiable for me. The MAC Fix+ setting spray is my all-time favorite because it immediately makes my makeup look like actual skin. I bought a mini size of the One/Size On ‘Til Dawn spray everyone loves and the makeup didn’t move, but it was giving hairspray. [Laughs] I felt like I had put a sticker over my face. The in-between for me is Urban Decay’s All Nighter.
HAIR
I take mediocre care of my hair. I wash it probably two or three times a week. I finally found a shampoo I’m obsessed with: Davines OI. It has a great lather, smells oud-y, and feels nostalgic to me. My hair has looked shinier since I started using it. I haven’t been using the matching conditioner lately because I’m trying to finish my bottle of thick hair conditioner from Ouai. Someone needs to figure out how to size shampoo and conditioner relative to how much you actually use—one always runs out faster than the other, and then you end up in this endless cycle of mix-and-matching.
I usually let my hair air dry. The minute heat touches it, it goes completely straight. But if I want a more uniform texture, I’ll blowdry with my Dyson, twist it into a bun, and sleep with it overnight—when I wake up, I have these really beautiful curls. I always use Slip silk hair ties to keep my bun in place—they don’t give me a headache like others do, and I can still get three turns out of them. If I can’t get three turns, I don’t feel like my bun is secure enough, especially since my hair is often wet when I’m putting it up.
As soon as I get out of the shower, I wrap my hair in a Culture Hijab hair towel because it’s long and annoying when it’s wet. And for scent, I love Byredo’s Mojave Ghost hair perfume. It was a gift and has become one of my most prized possessions, even though I don’t wear it that often.
Every two months, I go to Blissful Headspace Spa for a scalp treatment. I don’t need to go more often than that because I wear a headscarf most of the time, which keeps my scalp fresh and my hair really clean—and I would rather get my head massaged for an hour and a half than have a full body massage.
I only get my hair cut twice a year, always by Lorna Pollack at Second Day Hair. My hair needs to stay long enough to fit in a bun for my scarf, so that’s plenty. I have to give Lorna a shout because sometimes when hairstylists see you wear a scarf, they assume the cut doesn’t really matter—and they’re not totally wrong, I guess—but Lorna really takes her time.
I have two brushes: an Italian resin one from Oribe and one from Emirates—yes, the airline. When you travel with them, they give you a double-ended brush in their kit that’s so good I literally collect them. One side is perfect for parting my hair, which I need to do to wear my scarf, and the other side is great for brushing.
NAILS
I go to Primp and Polish for manicures and pedicures because they really take special care with my nails and do an excellent job trimming cuticles. I will say the services can be a little long, which is sometimes annoying—but at least you’re getting what you paid good money for. If I’m in a rush, I book with Amy—she’s thorough but fast. But if I have more time and want nail art or a specific color, I’ll see Chiew. I usually go for Sheer Fantasy from Essie’s Gel Couture line—it has great shine and lasts forever—or Bubble Bath from OPI.
For hand care, I rotate between a few products. Before I leave the house, I use Davines OI hand balm—it’s thicker than the others, so I don’t feel like I need to keep reapplying, and it has that oud-y scent I love. Sidia’s Nirvana hand serum is much lighter, almost gel-like. I keep it around the house and use it whenever I see it. [Laughs] And Theraplush from Soft Services is incredible. It has retinol, which felt revolutionary in a hand cream. I’ve seen such a difference in the texture and brightness of my hands.
FRAGRANCE
I get so many compliments when I wear Amouage’s Guidance. The same goes for Lavande 31 from Le Labo, which I think works really well with my skin. I’m also infatuated with Mistpouffer from Stora Skuggan. I love smelling it on myself. It has notes of bergamot, fig leaf, pine, and vetiver. It can lean a little summery at times, but I generally find it works year-round. And of course, I love oud scents. Notorious Oud by D.S. & Durga is fantastic. I wish more Americans got into oud-y fragrances. It’s one of those ingredients that smells completely different on everyone. It also transforms beautifully throughout the day—the dry down is really special.
At home, I love burning the Oud and Shay Dokhoon incense from Anfasic. They come in these little pebbles that you crumble into an electric burner. The scent is like oud meets fresh laundry, and people always die for it when they come over. We usually pick them up when we’re visiting family in Dubai. Homecourt’s Cece candle is another obsession. The brand sent me one, and I ended up buying it myself—that’s when you know the love is real.”
—as told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Shana Trajanoska in New York on May 1, 2025