“My origin story will always come back to my daughter. I’ve always loved beauty—buying the things, trying the things, fully immersing myself in the world—but for a long time, I was focused on being a mom and wife. Something shifted after I had my daughter. People say to do something you love so that it doesn’t feel like work, so I started imagining what a beauty line of my own could look and feel like, and what it could add to the world.
I never wanted to put something out there just to say I did it. I wanted real intentionality behind every choice, and I think I’ve done that with Reframe. I also knew I wasn’t going to pretend to be an expert. I’m not that person—I don’t talk just to sound like I know everything. If anything, I believe it’s important to surround yourself with people who are experts. I had never launched anything in the beauty space before, so I wanted to make sure every decision had proper checks and balances. I had the vision, but I needed the best chemists, creatives, business minds, and scientists around me to bring it to life. Staying curious is important to me. We don’t know everything; we’re not supposed to. But if you put smart, thoughtful people around you, you never stop learning.
To that end, we partnered with Howard University’s Department of Dermatology on a year-long clinical study. It’s still ongoing and includes 45 participants spanning Fitzpatrick skin types I through VI, ranging in age from 26 to 63. It was important to me that the products were tested rigorously, inclusively, and with intention.
SKINCARE
I have such vivid memories of my mom and the way she approached beauty. She was definitely the one who introduced me to everything, but she was also incredibly simple about it. I remember the smell of Noxzema so clearly—she was a Noxzema girlie through and through, and she still uses it to this day, aside from Reframe. I would burn my face off with that stuff. [Laughs] Maybe she’d add a little eyeliner or a burgundy-ish lipstick if we were going somewhere fancy, but that was about it. No foundation, no blush, no powders. Looking back, I realize that’s where my own approach comes from.
I generally have combination skin, but I also have eczema that comes and goes. I’m having a little baby flare right now on my wrist. I wear a lot of bracelets and I don’t think I dry myself off well enough after washing my hands, but I never really know what triggers it. I’m just treating it with Aquaphor—very simple. My biggest issue is hyperpigmentation. I might be a skin picker… so that’s usually where it comes from. But I’ve been seeing my amazing aesthetician, Celeste Rodriguez, for seven years now, and she really helps me manage it. I’d love to get a Hydrafacial once a week, but realistically it ends up being monthly. If I have an event coming up, I’ll go in for a little touch-up. She also has some really cool add-ons, like microcurrent gloves. I’ve recently started microneedling, too. I was terrified because I thought it was going to be the most painful thing, but we have a good system down and I can handle it. I do that every six to eight weeks.
I love how gentle the iS Clinical Cleansing Complex is—it never strips my skin. I’ve probably been using it for seven or eight years now. It’s amazing even on days when I’m wearing makeup and need a deeper cleanse, though I always take off as much as I can with Bioderma micellar water first.
If I’m tired and trying to get to bed fast, I’ll just put on my Reframe Circadian Cream. When you’re sleeping, that’s when your body repairs and your cells rejuvenate. The cream is designed to work with that natural cycle to smooth and firm your skin. We call it an overnight seal because it’s a bit balmy and really locks in whatever you put on before it. My skin looks so glowy when I wake up—I might have a little crust in my eye, but my skin looks bright. [Laughs] Before we developed it, the iS Clinical Reparative Moisture Emulsion was my go-to. I still keep it in my arsenal.
If I’m in the mood for a longer situation, I’ll use the Skinbetter AlphaRet peel pads to exfoliate after I cleanse. After that, I pick a serum based on what I’m treating. If it’s hyperpigmentation, I grab the Reframe Pigment Processor. It’s such a special formula—unlike some pigmentation products that lighten everything, this one only targets the inflamed pigment, so you can put it on all over your face without worry.
I don’t use cleanser in the morning. Listen, skincare is expensive, and if I’m going on a walk, I don’t want to sweat and feel like I have to use it again. So I use a Clean Skin Club wipe with water and then spray the Prequel Universal Skin Solution. It’s a hypochlorous acid spray, so it kills bacteria. Then sunscreen and I’m out the door. Preventing hyperpigmentation is a huge part of treating it, and SPF is essential. I found the Bioré Aqua Rich UV SPF 50 face mist in Japan and fell in love—it’s so light and doesn’t burn my eyes. I was worried I wouldn’t find it in the States, but I found some on Amazon.
If I sweat during my walk, I wipe my face again and then apply moisturizer and sunscreen again. During the day, I love our Reframe Compression Complex. It’s made with really cool ingredients like konjac filling spheres, which is a natural plant root powder that helps plump the skin, and tropaeolum magus flower extract, which helps oxygenate the skin. I think that we all would love to look a little more snatched, and the combination of all of the ingredients helps tighten your skin—that’s why we call it our sculpting cream. Of course, it’s focused on hydration, but I even use it as my makeup primer because of the finish on my skin.
The Laneige lip mask is the GOAT. It’s a ‘sleeping mask,’ but I use it during the day, too. I love that the scents aren’t overpowering, and the staying power is great. You put it on your lips and it stays on for a long time. It’s always in my purse.
I don’t use my NuFace as often as I should, but once or twice a week, when I’m in my ‘do everything’ mood, I take it out. I’m more of a lymphatic drainage girl—I massage all my creams in to help with lymph movement.
And body-wise, I’m obsessed with Cyklar’s Sacred Santal body wash and body oil. I actually discovered the brand through an Instagram ad. Now I travel with the bottles—always in Ziplocs so they don’t spill.
MAKEUP
I don’t wear a ton of makeup day-to-day, but depending on what I’m doing or where I’m going, I’ll tap on the Haus Labs Triclone concealer. Sometimes I mix it with the iS Clinical Reparative Moisture Emulsion to thin it out a bit. Then I set everything with the Laura Mercier powder so it doesn’t budge. I’ll swipe on the Anastasia Beverly Hills brow gel—the one in the gold tube—and add bronzer so my face doesn’t look flat. I love the Charlotte Tilbury bronzer; the texture is soft, it’s super buildable, and the shade range is great.
I get dark brown lash extensions from a young lady named Kelly. I discovered that with blonde hair, the brown lashes look way more natural on me. And since I wear lash extensions so much, I don’t wear mascara as often anymore, but I do love the one from Haus Labs. I know there are millions of mascaras out there, but this one doesn’t run down my face.
I’m also big on highlighting the high points of my face—my nose, lips, upper brows—so it looks like I’m glowing from the inside out. The Haus Labs Bio-Radiant highlighter is perfect for that. And I am a lip-liner queen—sometimes that’s all you need to elevate a look. I probably own a hundred of them, all in similar shades. But Make Up For Ever’s Limitless Brown? That’s my girl.
HAIR
I don’t wear my natural hair and I’m also deathly afraid to dye it, so I just wear wigs to get the look that I want. I’m very grateful that Ricky Wing comes to my home and takes care of everything. But I have two processes: my natural hair process and the wig process.
I keep my natural hair braided down in cornrows as the foundation for my wigs. I’m tenderheaded so I don’t like them too tight—pulling my hair is very painful. I probably wear that foundation for about a month before I wash my hair, deep condition it, and steam. I’ve been using the Design Essentials Honey Crème detangling shampoo and Almond Butter conditioner since I was a teenager, and they’ve never disappointed me. I know the brand has expanded with a lot of new products with different ingredients, but I like to stay in my lane and go for what I’m used to. Then depending on the time of the year, I’ll get a trim and braid it back down. Ricky is such an extraordinaire. He puts on my wigs and really makes it look like the hair grows from my scalp.
FRAGRANCE
Cassandra Grey is really close with a good friend of mine, and I met Cassandra at her new Violet Grey store in New York. She told me she really wanted me to try Madame Grey, her perfume, so she gave me a bottle. She’s so smart and cool, and the fragrance really does smell great on me.
My other go-to is Byredo’s Casablanca Lily extract. I first smelled it in Paris. I was with a friend around my birthday. I didn’t buy it, but then she surprised me with it later. It’s an extract, so the staying power is amazing, and the scent itself is immaculate. I wear it almost every day. But when I want a more masculine scent, I like Dior’s Bois d’Argent. It’s light and especially great in the summer.”
—as told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Brittany Bravo in Los Angeles on August 5, 2025