“I always felt a little bit like a fish out of water growing up—partly because I was half Chinese in Iceland, but also because of how I spent my time. My mom is a violinist, and I was on a pretty serious pre-professional violin track. I spent hours every day practicing and going to lessons. People often assume that was all my mom’s doing, but it was me. I knew that if I wanted to study abroad, I needed the grades and extracurriculars to make it happen.
I went to college in the UK, where I studied international relations and economics. For a while, I thought I was going to work in finance because that felt like the most straightforward way to land a ‘good job.’ I got a job at a startup in London as an analyst of sorts—I don’t even remember. They told me I should be calling clients by Friday, and I was like, ‘Who?!’ I actually had no fucking clue. I quit after four days. On Thursday, I went into the office, used the printer to print out my CV, and marched my ass to A.P.C. because I decided I would rather work retail. They rejected me.
Around the same time, I started touring with my sister—the singer Laufey—helping with her social media. I then got a job at Universal in brand partnerships, but I’d already been helping shape Laufey’s visual world from the beginning. One of the first things young artists do is build a visual identity—Pinterest boards, mood references, brand worlds. Do you want it to feel like old Americana glamour, like Lana Del Rey, or something more Tumblr, rave-y, club like Charli XCX? It feels almost secondary at the beginning because you just want people to listen to your music, but it becomes the foundation of everything that follows.
When I first started, I was still in college, just helping make mood boards. Then it turned into music videos—building out the story, creating creative decks, sending them to directors, and choosing who to work with. And as her work developed into full albums, that expanded into entire creative worlds—album shoots, press imagery, and the overall visual language that carries through a release.
More recently, I worked on Laufey’s single, ‘Madwoman,’ which involved building the concept, creative direction, set design input, and working through styling, hair, and makeup with the team. It was really fun because it included a lot of Waysian people—Lola Tung, Alysia Liu, Hudson Williams, and Megan Skiendiel. I’ve also gotten the chance to direct two music videos: ‘Snow White,’ which we shot on a glacier in Iceland, and ‘Lover Girl,’ which we shot in Tokyo.
SKINCARE + WELLNESS
Keloids are my biggest worry. They’re… tricky. They’re essentially raised scars produced by excess collagen when a wound is healing. They’re more common in skin with melanin and in people of Asian descent. I’ve had one on my chest since I was 15 years old that started as a blemish, and I’ve never actually talked about it openly before. I’ve gone through phases of hating it and loving it. My friends say they love it—they think it makes me me. My boyfriend loves it, too, which is really sweet. I covered it up for a Met Gala afterparty once, and he kept asking me where it went. I go to these amazing doctors at Greenwich Street Aesthetics who inject it with cortisone shots. That’s where I am right now. You can have them surgically removed, but having a scar from the surgery might trigger it to return. Lasers could help strip it of its color since it’s sort of dark, but I’m not sure whether I’ll do that or not.
At least I have a simple skincare routine. My sister’s facialist, Joomee Song, recommended Hylunia’s Hyaluronic Cleansing Cream, May Lindstrom’s Jasmine Garden mist, and Cosmetics 27’s Crème Bio-logique 27 serum, but I have my staples. In the mornings, I just use the basic Cetaphil face wash followed by the Cerave moisturizing lotion. I’m going to be honest, I don’t really use sunscreen in the winter, but I try to get back on the SPF train in the summer. I like Supergoop!’s Unscreen sunscreen. It doubles as a primer. But I try to use SPF 50 as much as I can, and that’s when I lean into Elta MD’s. Then at night, I use the same Cetaphil face wash, Caudalie’s Vinoperfect serum, and the same Cerave moisturizer. That’s literally it. [Laughs]
I’m more into my wellness practices. I love getting massages at Spencer's Spa, I love going to Sky Ting for yoga. They have a small room with a sauna and a cold plunge. Bathing culture feels essential to me in general. In Iceland, there’s such a strong culture around hot tubs and communal bathing, so if I can get access to a hot tub, that’s my ideal. But I travel a lot and spend a lot of time in hotels, and these days most of them have a sauna or steam room. I don’t cold plunge all the time, but I always feel really good about myself when I do.
MAKEUP
Using a Sephora Collection 70 brush, I start with Ilia’s Skin Rewind stick in Magnolia. I also like Westman Atelier’s Vital Skin sticks, but they’re a little too dewy for spring and summer.
Then I use NARS’ Radiant Creamy concealer in Café Con Leche. I like placing it on my undereyes, but I try not to go too close to the lash line. Lately though, I’ve been trying to skip concealer because it’s the first thing that creases. I know there are ways to combat that, but embracing slightly darker eyes is kind of cool. Especially if my skin is feeling healthy, I can let go of concealer and allow a bit of imperfection to show through.
I like to use Westman Atelier’s contour stick in Truffle as bronzer with an Hourglass No. 15 brush. Truffle is my holy grail of holy grails, but I love Biscuit for when I’m back in Iceland because it’s cooler. Since I don’t use eyeshadow, I sometimes put a little bit of Truffle on my eyelids for a touch of color, but the most important part of my routine is eyeliner. I like the Voyeur waterproof version from Hourglass in Cave, a brown shade. I’ve repurchased it at least 10 times. I’ve done a cat eye every day for three years—I don’t remember why I started, but when people started complimenting me on it, I decided it was my thing.
I’ve been using a Tweezerman lash curler from their Cinderella collab [Editor’s note: discontinued] because I lost my Shiseido one. The Shiseido fits over my eyes better. I got it in Japan, so maybe it’s better for Asian eyes? But then I go over my lashes with Hourglass’s Unlocked mascara—it’s unmatched. And I like brushing Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Brow Freeze gel sideways. I don’t add any color because I’ve found that having really dark brows makes me look scary.
Then it’s time for Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Finish powder. I put it on my undereyes, around my cheeks, on my nose, on my forehead if my bangs are up, wherever my face will sweat or wherever I might touch my face.
My lip liner of choice is from Charlotte Tilbury, too: Lip Cheat in Iconic Nude. I also like Merit’s Signature liner in Bespoke. Merit has a Flush Balm in the same shade that I like using on my lips, too. But mostly, I overline, color in a tiny bit with the liner, smooth it out with my fingers, and top it with Laneige’s vanilla lip balm.
HAIR
I’ve never dyed my hair. I like that my hair is an ode to my two heritages: It’s darker because of my mom’s Chinese roots, but there are some red tones that come from my Icelandic grandmother’s hair. Both of my grandmas have curly hair, and mine is, too. But I do like to style it with a straightener sometimes.
I need really hydrating shampoos and conditioners. I’m a huge fan of Milbon’s stuff. Disclosure: Anh Co Tran, their global creative director, is a friend. I wash my hair twice a week—I don’t think it could handle more than that. I was very into the curly hair routine for a while before I got bangs. I was doing the whole plopping-with-a-T-shirt thing but not so much anymore. These days, I mostly use Kérastase’s Curl Manifesto defining cream and diffuse it. When I slick my hair back, I use Rōz’s Evergreen cream. Jenny Cho, who works with Laufey a lot, recommended it—I’m so privileged because I get direct access to recommendations from the top talent who are working with my sister.
I blow dry my bangs before going in with a straightener for extra hold, but most of the time I’m styling with a hope and a prayer—and I take hair clips everywhere. Honestly, getting bangs has been a whole experience. When I was 25, I really wanted to find a way to have my own identity through hair. The bangs are a little annoying sometimes, but every time I cut them again, I think they’re worth it. It’s the best beauty decision I’ve made in my entire life—I feel like they’ve really helped me step into my personality.
They came in tandem with my frontal lobe developing; I cut my bangs and I was a different person. [Laughs] I first got them cut at Hershesons in London, but now Daniel Kim cuts them. He works out of LA and Austin, but he’s on tour with my sister so he’ll do them when I’m around. Sometimes I even cut them myself.
I don’t want to get too philosophical over bangs, but I feel like understanding my bangs is like understanding my life—if I cut them too short, I know they’ll grow back. In my life, that’s looked like understanding that things are ever-changing and you can make a mistake without it ruining your life. I used to obsess over things. Like I wouldn’t want to put down a lease for a new apartment because what if A, B, or C happened, rendering the move a stupid idea or too much money spent. I’d sit frozen in a box of my own indecisions. But opportunities, like bangs, will come back and nothing is forever.
NAILS
I didn’t get my nails done for the first time until I was 20 years old. Then I got gel manicures for years and they really helped me feel put together, but they ruined my nails. Then someone suggested Dazzle Dry at a salon one time. I didn’t think much of it, chose a color, and it lasted two weeks. There’s a whole four-step process, but it’s especially helpful because I travel all the time and don’t often have time to go to an actual manicurist. If Dazzle Dry were a pyramid scheme, I would still buy their products in a second. [Laughs] There are only three colors I ever wear: burgundy, navy, or ballet slipper pink.
FRAGRANCE
My perfume choices are very much inspired by my mom. She’s always had incredible taste in scents, and I was such a goody two-shoes. [Laughs] I was scared to dabble in Bath & Body Works because I knew she wouldn’t approve. Looking back, I wish I had. I think it’s important for kids to do things that feel offensive to their parents. It builds thicker skin and the ability to handle negative feedback while keeping your independent thought and identity. I let my parents dictate who I was, and to this day, I only wear scents that my mom has co-signed.
I need all of my scents to feel somewhat earthy or fresh; I don’t like anything too sweet. I wore Le Labo’s Santal 33 for seven years—it was marked safe by my mom. [Laughs] But the one I usually wear now is St. Pauls from Frama, a Swedish brand. I also love Jo Malone’s Orange Marmalade cologne with Paddington Bear, Byredo’s Altro Astral, and Diptyque’s Eau Rose.
At home, I like spraying Útilykt from Fischersund. It’s an Icelandic brand partly owned by some of the members of Sigur Rós, and Fischersund is actually a street in Reykjavik. Útilykt roughly translates to ‘outdoor smell,’ and it’s crazy how the spray really nails how Iceland smells—like earth and rain. I know it’s made with bergamot, moss, fresh-cut grass, Siberian fir, Arctic thyme, and ozone, whatever that is. [Laughs] Fischersund also has great incense, which works for me because I’m not scared of leaving it on if I leave the house like I am with candles. But my favorite home scent of all time is Diptyque’s Oud candle. I thought it would be too strong for me, but it’s actually perfect. I mostly burn it in the fall and winter and then switch to Diptyque’s Roses candle in the spring and summer.”
—as told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Ashlee Huff in New York on May 7, 2026