“I never intended to start my own business. I studied interior design in college, and got my master’s in furniture. When I was still in Georgia for school, I’d visit New York occasionally and reach out to designers to see if I could visit their studios. Everyone was incredibly welcoming. I started posting my work on social media, got grants to cover trade shows, and eventually landed a feature in The New York Times about my furniture and ceramic jewelry. All of a sudden a huge influx of people wanted to buy my stuff… but I didn’t have stock. I was literally just going to class and getting excited to share what I was making, and meanwhile, people thought it was a business.
I have an actual business now. [Laughs] I design furniture and lighting, primarily through ceramics but also wood, upholstery, glass, and metals. I always say my team and I make a mess for a living because we’re constantly working with materials that require us to get a little dirty. Everything we make is playful and experiential—nothing is ever too serious, like we have lights that look like flowers or eggs. My second collection with Lulu and Georgia comes out this fall. Our first collection was furniture, but this one is all lighting. I also make rugs with my best friend, Spencer Malinski, through Speny. The rugs are simple, easy to plug into a space, and really intentional. Spencer comes from a luxury fashion background, so she has an incredible aesthetic.
GOING OUT
I recently went to a rave, which usually isn’t my thing, but my friend Kitty Ca$h was DJing, and getting to see her in her element for the first time was really special. Mostly though, my friends and I love to dance. I don’t want to feed into the idea that nobody dances anymore, but it’s definitely getting harder to find good spots. We were just talking about that after dancing our asses off at a wedding in Morocco. We decided we couldn’t bring that negative energy home, so now we’re committed to finding places. We’ve been looking into salsa clubs lately—everyone’s trying to go to Terrazza 7 in Queens.
But honestly, I don’t care where I’m going because I’m mostly excited about putting an outfit together. I dress like a boy most of the week at the studio, so going out is my chance to feel flirty in a mini skirt and tall heels.
SKINCARE
I was never much of a skincare person. I hate to admit, but I was pretty irresponsible with my skin—I didn’t even wear sunscreen until I turned 30. But I’m learning. A friend put together a strict routine for me and insisted I start double cleansing at night. I begin with Dieux’s oil cleanser, then follow it with Auteur’s Definitive Enzyme cleanser. I was supposed to start tretinoin but I’ve been loving Medicube’s Zero Pore pads, so I’m easing into stronger actives. I also have prescription-strength azelaic acid for dark spots and a more even tone, and La Roche-Posay’s Hyalu B5 cream. Even if I’m drunk, I still do every step. It’s good for my skin, but I also don’t want makeup stains all over my pillow. [Laughs]
When I’m getting ready to go out, the routine is basically the same, except I just cleanse, apply La Roche-Posay’s vitamin C, and moisturize. I also keep a few extras around: Sofie Pavitt’s mandelic serum and benzoyl peroxide acne mask, and Eighth Day’s resurfacing tonic pads. Those are strictly as-needed products.
And then there’s my body. I used to be ashy until I started dating my boyfriend. He’s constantly reminding me to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. He’ll jokingly say, ‘You can’t be embarrassing me.’ [Laughs] Now I keep a giant bottle of Diptyque’s Fresh lotion around.
MAKEUP
Some of the products have changed, but I’ve been doing my makeup the same way since college. I prep with Refy’s Glow and Sculpt primer, spot conceal with NARS’ Radiant Creamy concealer in Custard, and follow with Givenchy’s Prisme Libre foundation in 5N.
I put blush everywhere because my cheeks are so big—I have plenty of space. [Laughs] I always want to look like I’m blushing and embarrassed, or at least like I spent a little too much time in the sun. I have olive skin, so I gravitate toward burgundy, brown, and orangey blushes. I’ve been rotating between Refy’s in Rust, Saie’s in Spicy, and Hourglass’s in Imagine lately.
I’ve always done winged eyeliner. Sorry, I’m a millennial forever. [Laughs] I don’t have double eyelids, so I have to make the line pretty thick for it to show when my eyes are open. I use whatever cheap liquid liner—like NYX’s Epic Wear—I have around, soften the wing with a little shadow, and finish with a Slim pencil along my lower lash line. Meanwhile my lashes are fake—I go to GPlus in Long Island City. I also don’t do much to my brows anymore since getting them microbladed. Depending on where I’m headed, though, I might darken them a bit.
For lips, I love blurring out Refy’s liner in Umber or Stone. I usually top it with Auteur’s lip treatment, but it always comes off halfway through the night and I never bother reapplying. Instead, I try to make everything last longer with Refy’s Face Setter or Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush spray, which is a little stronger when I’m out dancing.
HAIR
I go to Toto in Chinatown for haircuts; you’ve probably seen it on TikTok because everyone seems to go there for blowouts. My hair is almost always down, though I wish I knew how to do more updos. I use WavyTalk’s 5-in-1 Multi Curl set and always apply a heat protectant first. I like the Guava Rescue spray from Ceremonia. That’s about it; I’m a no-frills person after learning my lesson living as a blonde for three years. One time, a random stylist left the bleach on for so long that I ended up platinum blonde. Parts of my hair snapped off, so certain spots felt spiky, for lack of a better word. This all happened when I decided to dye it after my divorce. My marriage wasn't bad at all, but I was itching for a change. There's a saying that every Asian who goes blonde is finally healed once they return to their natural hair color. I think I'm there now, even though the grow-out has been painfully slow.
NAILS
I work with clay all day so I normally keep my nails short and pretty unkempt—there’s always something under them. Plus, sitting in a salon for two hours makes me itchy. But if I know I’m going to be away for a couple of weeks, I’ll ask my friend and talented nail artist Naomi Yasuda to do something fun. Otherwise, I just use Sidia’s Midas hand serum to keep my cuticles from drying out. It smells incredible.
FRAGRANCE
My boyfriend is really adamant about layering fragrance. Apparently that’s how you’re supposed to wear perfume—I had no idea. My friend Kamal introduced me to an incredible musk from a Yemeni shop somewhere uptown. It’s the best smell on the planet. On top of that, I wear Coqui Coqui’s Flor De Naranjo. It’s warm, spicy, and mixes so well with my musk. I love their Tabaco scent, too. That said, if I’m going out with the girls, I’ll switch to Dries Van Noten’s Soie Malaquias. I call it my sexy lady scent—but don’t get me wrong, it’s not ‘girly.’”
—as told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Shana Trajanoska in Brooklyn on June 15, 2026