“My first job was at Barneys about 10 years ago. I worked in studio services, which was private styling for high-end clientele, so I got to understand personal fashion really well. From there, I went into the styling world, realized it wasn’t for me, then moved into corporate fashion... and realized that wasn’t for me either. One day during COVID lockdown, I was bored and posted a TikTok of my shoes. Everyone in the comments was asking where they could buy them, but they were rare Dior Galliano dice mules. I saw a huge gap in the market. At the time, I had a little jewelry brand to supplement my income, so I did a drop of 10 pairs of vintage shoes on my jewelry website and it sold out in a minute. That’s when I realized that the girls want shoes. And I was going to make sure they got them.
The rest is history. I founded Nou, where I source and sell vintage shoes and clothing. The magic of my studio is that I wouldn’t bring in a single piece I wouldn’t wear myself. I don’t believe in gatekeeping. I tell everyone where and how I do my sourcing—because even if you walked into the same place I did, you could easily pick five totally different things.
Last year, I expanded Nou into vintage homeware—and now, most excitingly, I’m designing my very own Nou shoes. The first silhouette, a vintage-inspired peep-toe pump in leopard pony hair, launched last month and sold out. The second style is a peep-toe mule that will come in a classic black satin and a really sexy statement color I’m keeping under wraps for now. You can expect both in early July.
My skincare routine is the same morning and night, except I don’t cleanse in the morning and I’ll sometimes use a retinol at night. I’m not loyal to any of my cleansers, but right now, I’m using Rhode’s and it’s great. I went to Marta Mae’s Air Milkshake gifting suite a couple of months ago, and she gave me some products from Skinfix and Medik8 that I’ve been loving. I was going to give the Skinfix Triple Lipid-Peptide cream to my roommate—I usually never change up my skincare—but I’m glad I didn’t. I don’t see myself using another moisturizer now. The same goes for their Activating Serum. My skin feels so much more plump with it. The Medik8 Liquid Peptides serum is a bit thicker, so I’ll grab that one more often at night or if my skin’s feeling dry. Living Libations’ Ensorcell is another serum I love—it’s oil-based and gives me the best glow. Oh, and I never had any purging with Medik8’s Crystal Retinal. It’s super gentle, though I still only use it every other night. Meanwhile I learned about Saltyface Tanning Water from my roommate, who is always glowing. I can’t believe I lived without it. I do a few spritzes and use the brush it comes with to blend. That’s the game-changer—it makes my face so even.
When we were all wearing masks during COVID, I had a crazy outbreak of perioral dermatitis all over the bottom half of my face. Nothing helped until I tried the Cerave diaper rash cream and started getting facials from Lana Bara at Lana Beauty Bar. I see Lana once a month, and honestly, she’s turned into a second mom to me. She’ll look at my skin and say, ‘You were drinking a lot this month,’ or ‘You’re stressed,’ or ‘You went to Miami, didn’t you?’ She just knows. And she always gives my skin exactly what it needs—whether it’s more hydration or an intense peel.
Body-wise, I feel like I could drink Osea’s Undaria Algae body oil. It smells divine. I douse myself in it every morning after I shower. If I’m somewhere warm, I like to wear Saie’s Glowy Super Gel in Sunglow on my body. It gives me this really beautiful shimmer. And Byredo recently sent me the Gypsy Water body lotion—now it’s one of those products I use sparingly just to savor it. It’s so luxe and special that I mostly use it as a hand cream. Nothing drives me crazier than when I cook and my hands smell like food, so I like to wash them and apply the lotion to replace that scent.
In the morning, I have an anointment routine where I apply certain essential oils. Right now I’m loving Kate’s Magik Sun Of Success—it’s really citrusy and bright. I also recently got into Osea’s vagus nerve oil, which is supposed to help with anxiety. I like to apply it on my neck, where the vagus nerve is located, and my hairline. Then there’s Rare Beauty’s Find Comfort mist, which smells like cashmere and jasmine. It’s meant as a pick-me-up throughout the day, but if I’m going out and want to smell a little sexy, I’ll spray it on. Honestly, I prefer these types of ’scents’ because they also make me feel something—like I’m actively drawing in success, or relaxation, or whatever it is I’m needing that day.
I take a bath at least once a week in the evening. My bathroom is all original green tile from the 1950s and I’m obsessed with it. I’ll mix Dr. Teal’s eucalyptus epsom salts with Agent Nateur’s Holi (Bath) [discontinued] and light a Trudon Gabriel candle, which smells warm and woodsy and incredible. I have a ‘bathtub dreaming’ playlist that I highly recommend playing in the background.
On a daily basis, I just like to wear Saie’s Beauty Slip Tint with SPF 35 (in shade Four), Merit’s Flush Balm in Cheeky (a cool pink I keep on me at all times), and Benefit’s Hoola bronzer (which I’ve used since middle school). I’m not super mindful about actual sunscreen so I really like that my products have SPF. If I want more coverage, Saie’s Super Skin foundation in 13 is great, and I love the Nars Radiant Creamy concealer in Custard. I’ve been using it since I learned how to do makeup and there’s just nothing better. Saie’s Base brush is amazing for application, by the way. It’s technically a foundation brush, but I use it for everything: foundation, bronzer, blush—it’s universal. And the Westman Atelier Face Trace contour stick in Biscuit is the absolute best. It’s so easy to apply and blend—I don’t want to be one of those people walking around with lines on my face. The entire brand is just fantastic. I love to use their Super Loaded tinted highlighter, too—Peau De Soleil is my go-to—but I like to use it as eyeshadow on a night out because I don’t like actual eyeshadow. The Hoola bronzer is great faux eyeshadow, too.
I get lash lifts and brow lamination at Lisa Brows + Beauty every three months—starting every morning with those already done really kickstarts my routine every day. Also, I have really thin brows and they don’t grow very much so the lamination makes them look thicker. That said, I got the Subtl Brow BFF from Marta, too, and I like to use it to fill them in lightly sometimes. It’s the best because it’s a pencil, gel, and brush all in one, and for somebody that doesn’t know how to do their brows like me, it makes the work really easy. And if I need mascara for a night out, Ilia’s Limitless is one of the only ones that doesn’t make my eyes dry, red, or itchy.
Lip-wise, I love Tower 28’s liner in Work of Art. I heard that the perfect match for your lip liner is the color of your nipples, and let me just say: It’s very true. [Laughs] Dior’s Lip Glow in Pink is another daily driver for me. It’s the perfect color; I never have to think too hard about it when I need a little color on my lips.
I started coloring my hair in kindergarten. My mom is a natural brunette, but I’ve never seen her with brown hair. She’s always kept it platinum blonde, so that’s what I knew and wanted. Anthony Lillio at Sally Hershberger was my phenomenal colorist. He was always so gradual and consistent with the color—and never let me push it too far. But two years ago, I decided to go back to my natural color for the first time in my life. People still see me and they don’t even recognize me because I look so different. It’s the best thing I ever did. I still see Anthony every three months—but only for cuts.
I’m pretty low maintenance with my hair now. I wash it every other day with the Nounou shampoo and conditioner from Davines. I air dry my hair most of the time, but when I blow it out, I use my Dyson Airwrap with some big, velcro curlers and finish off my hair with the Crown Affair hair oil. My hair brush is from Crown Affair, too.
I love French pedicures. Honestly, I think they help me sell shoes. They’re memorable and definitely part of my brand DNA. Liana Satenstein, who writes Neverworns, came to my studio once and saw my French was so overgrown. She goes, ‘Look at these slutty little toes!’ [Laughs] But overall I’m not picky when it comes to my nails. I still go to the same place down the road that I’ve gone to since I moved here. It’s nothing special—the work isn’t phenomenal—but what I get is very simple, so it works. They know me by name, and that makes me feel special. I always get OPI’s Big Apple Red on my hands. I’m from New Jersey, so I’ve definitely come a long way in my beauty routine—I used to have lash extensions, long nails, platinum blonde hair... I was Jersey. [Laughs] But I still have a bit of Jersey in me.”
—as told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Brittany Bravo in New York on February 27, 2025