“I was really interested in fine arts in high school, and when it came time to apply to college, I started thinking seriously about how I could be creative and support myself full-time. I’d worked on my high school’s literary magazine and loved it, so I chose graphic design. I know a lot of artists take that path and later switch careers—it’s the more commercial route, and we often disappear behind client work—but I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how it’s turned into something viable.
My big college internship was at Man Repeller, and I stayed on for a bit after graduating. Then I went to Domino for a year before landing an editorial design fellowship at The New York Times, where I worked on print layouts for sections like Food, Style, and Science. I became the art director for the daily business section, and around the time my contract was ending, Bloomberg Businessweek reached out to see if I could cover someone’s paternity leave. Richard Turley, who’d worked at Interview, had turned Businessweek into a really cool visual place so I was thrilled. That snowballed into me staying two and a half years and then I was brought on full-time.
On the side, I’m also the creative director of Byline. I did all the branding and site design. When we wrapped the launch, they asked if I wanted to stay on. I love working at Businessweek, but I think the dream is always to have something that’s yours—that’s why so many people are starting Substacks, right? Byline is that for us. The reason it’s called Byline is because the co-founders, Megan O’Sullivan and Michelle Guterman, recognized a gap. There used to be a lot of cool editorial spaces—Man Repeller, for all its faults—where people without traditional bylines could pitch something personal and meaningful. Those spaces feel fewer and farther between now. Byline is trying to fill that void—to give people a chance to write something they care about and get published.
As far as beauty goes, I think overall that the industry is such a weird space because it’s inherently a consumer business, which can feel frustrating. But on the other hand, it’s also a great way to connect with other people. There’s something fun about talking to friends who also love beauty and swapping notes. As someone who receives a lot of products, it can feel frivolous and wasteful. And I hate how much packaging the beauty industry produces. But I also joke that beauty is my hobby. Even if it weren’t part of my job, I’d still be playing potions master with new serums and oils, hoping one of them works magic. It feels experimental and fun. And honestly, all hobbies cost money. I knit, too, and yarn is expensive—if you mess up, you start over. Beauty is no different. It takes research, curiosity, and trial and error.
Actually, this is an interesting time to talk about my skin because I’ve been going through major changes. I recently went off birth control and started to break out, so in a panic I saw my derm. He prescribed spironolactone, which can be a great add-on if you feel like your acne needs help beyond a topical routine. The main thing he said was to layer my prescription retinol—I use Arazlo—with Differin, an over-the-counter retinoid. I did that for a while, and my skin barrier got so fucked—I had never been so dry in my life, which was a first for me as someone with oily skin. That’s all to say I’m taking a break right now, but I’ll eventually go back. But since my skin has been Flake Town, USA, I’ve been using a Levoit humidifier before bed.
My current face wash of choice is a boring pick: the Cerave SA cleanser. I use it because I was worried that without retinol in my routine, I needed an active cleanser. It’s also affordable. It doesn’t take off makeup though, so for that I use Sofie Pavitt’s micellar pads. I’m a recent convert from drugstore makeup wipes to those, and I love how they get all of my makeup off and are really gentle at the same time.
I’ve tried so many serums and toners as of late. The ones I liked: The Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5, Medicube’s Deep Vita C, and Medicube’s Zero Pore Pads with lactic and salicylic acid. But the overall winner, which has become the single serum of my routine both morning and night, is the mandelic serum from Sofie Pavitt.
For hydration, Cerave’s moisturizing cream is boring, but it’s tried and true. I’ve used lighter moisturizers in the past, and when my skin turned into dry paper, I even tried Aquaphor—but Cerave’s cream hits the sweet spot. It’s rich without being greasy, and still feels light and creamy. My oily skin makes sunscreen a tough ask for me though, but Supergoop! Unseen sunscreen is great. It feels like nothing and doesn’t leave a white cast. I also like the Abib sunscreen sticks when I’m in a hurry.
My daily makeup is pretty lowkey. I just amp it up for night looks—or if I need some extra oomph. I don’t prime my skin with actual primers. Skincare makes my face more plump and ready for makeup in a way that actual primers don’t. I used to use Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow drops, but I’m a huge fan of Rhode’s Glazing Milk now. After that, I usually have a few blemishes to cover. I switched from Tarte’s Shape Tape to Glossier’s Stretch concealer because it’s less full coverage. I’m shade Light 3. I dab it on with my fingers and then use the smaller end of the Saie Double brush to blend it in. If I’m feeling really shiny or like I need extra help with my acne, I’ll use Fenty’s powder foundation with the other side of the Saie brush. At night, I like Glossier’s Skin Tint in G6. I hate the feeling of makeup on my face, but this is so light while still giving me a bit more coverage.
My new daily blush—if I wear any—is Rhode’s in Toasted Teddy. I like that it’s not super pigmented, which sounds backwards, but I get very self conscious when I look like I’m obviously wearing blush. I swipe it on and then use the Big Brush from Saie to buff it out. If I want a pinkier, more pigmented blush at night, I use Patrick Ta’s Major Headlines blush duo in Just Enough. This stuff is pigmented—like, I put it on then and wear powder foundation over it sometimes because it’s too much. I also like to wear it with bronzer. TikTok influenced me into getting the Fenty one—I wear Butta Biscuit. One time I wore it to get a haircut and my hairstylist asked if I had been to the beach because I looked sunkissed and that was confirmation that it ruled.
During the day, I leave my brows untouched. I used to fill them in with an eyebrow pencil, but I’ve been letting them rock on their own lately. Otherwise I’m a big eye gal—eyes over lips every time for me. I used to invest in Tom Ford’s liquid eyeliner, but lately I’ve been grabbing random brown liquid liners. I have Urban Decay’s 24/7 pen in Whiskey and Sephora Collection’s 12HR in Chocolate Brown when I want to do a little cat eye. But honestly? I’m not a crazy fan of either—maybe I need to splurge on the Tom Ford one again. My eyes get sweaty or oily or something, so I usually have to wear liquid on my eyes so it doesn’t smudge all over. Sometimes I use a pencil for a softer look or under my eyes if I want more definition. I’ve liked Urban decay’s 24/7 pencil in Demolition for a long time. And when it comes to mascara, I used to be a Clinique girl, but I’ve switched over to Saie’s 101 and it layers nicely.
I rarely use eyeshadow because I have hooded eyelids and the eyeshadow melts off. When I do though, I’m hanging on to Marc Jacobs Omega in Moment-O! for dear life. It’s such a light touch of color in the best way. It also doesn’t really show up as a purple on my eyes—it’s more gentle than that. Marc Jacobs Beauty was so good. I still have a pink liquid eyeliner from them, too.
Very rarely, I’ll wear a red lip like Prada’s Monochrome in Lava. Other than that, it’s mostly balms for me. I’ve tried everything from Aquaphor to Carmex, and nothing keeps my lips hydrated and protected like the C.O. Bigelow rose salve. You can put it on your cuticles, too.
I have really fine, thin hair, which sucks. I used to dye it neon pink, so back then I was using super intense moisturizing products, but now I reach for things that won’t weigh my hair down. It’s unclear if anything has been working to thicken and grow my hair, but I’ve been taking Nutrafol supplements for a few months and I use the Champo Pitta serum every night. I used to use the Act+Acre stem cell serum and it did work, but it was so expensive.
I wash every two days with the Ouai fine hair shampoo and conditioner, and every few washes, I’ll use Color Wow’s Dream Coat anti-frizz treatment—this stuff is so good. I used to be a big Olaplex believer, but I’ve moved on. The one product I still like is the No. 6 Bond Smoother, which I use as a leave-in. Once a week, I’ll use Act+Acre’s Scalp Detox oil. I get little flakes in my hair sometimes and it’s noticeable with my dark color so I have to stay vigilant.
Sometime last year, I became obsessed with exciting-looking nails. Lexi Nails and Spa in Murray Hill is amazing—you can show them a photo of anything and they’ll do it—and the prices are really reasonable. But I kind of hate sitting there because it takes forever, so I’ll do press-ons every once in a while. I love Chillhouse’s Chill Tips, and Etsy has some great custom sets. I also love nail sets because I tend to pick at my fingers when I’m anxious, and I can’t do that when my nails are long. [Laughs] If I’m getting regular polish: Red’s a classic for me. J. Hannah makes a great dark brown. Chanel had Rêveuse, a limited-edition shiny chartreuse that I love, too. And Manucurist has some light, glowy shades that look really pretty.
Even though I’ve worn perfume since high school, this year is the first time I’ve actually thought about fragrance. I used to wear whatever my mom passed down or gave me for Christmas. This is probably the time to say that I credit everything that is cool about me to my mom. She’s so interested in fashion and beauty, and she’d get all sorts of perfume samples when she shopped at Neiman Marcus—I’m from Dallas and that’s where you shop—and saved them all. I always thought that was so cool, having all of these little vials that you can throw in your bag. She used to send me little care packages in college with samples—that’s how I got a mini bottle of Versace Dylan Turquoise. That’s all to say that while I still love my nostalgic scents, like Daisy by Marc Jacobs, I’ve realized I like woody, musky fragrances. My boyfriend and I don’t share perfumes, but I like smelling androgynous so whenever I smell a new one, I like to ask myself, ‘Could Chris wear this?’ My mom and dad actually share perfumes, so I get that from them, too.
My main girl is Eidesis from Aēsop. I was instantly hooked when I smelled it on one of my friends. I wear Sycomore by Chanel a lot in the winter. In the summer, I love Ceremonia’s Perfume de la Tierra because it’s a little sweeter. Byredo makes a version of their Mojave Ghost perfume for your hair, but I like to spray it all over—I have a sweater that permanently smells like it now.
Home-wise, I love anything that smells like a tree. Give me a Yankee Candle Shimmering Christmas Tree and I’m happy. Spiritous from Boy Smells [discontinued] is the mature version of that. It’s not a holiday scent, but I think my brain has tricked itself to think that because it’s in a silver vessel. I used to light Glossier’s orange blossom neroli candles a lot—they remind me of Neroli Portofino from Tom Ford.”
—as told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Shana Trajanoska in Brooklyn on February 15, 2024