“Running Chan Luu was never my plan. But funny enough, Chan—my aunt—wasn’t trying to create a brand either. Chan was a buyer for a store called Jonathan and traveled all over the world before opening her own clothing store in Palos Verdes, California. She started making jewelry to accessorize the clothes she was buying, and customers kept coming in asking for more. Eventually, she closed that store to pursue jewelry full-time, which became the foundation for the Chan Luu brand. She later expanded into ready-to-wear clothing.
After college, I went to Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising for a two-year accelerated fashion design program. I started at Chan as an intern and now I’ve been here for 15 years. Chan really mentored me through the years; I was her right-hand gal. She’s a tough and amazing businesswoman with excellent taste. She taught me a lot about structure and resilience. When she was still working here, we were traveling a ton and working a lot, but it was fun and we were always learning something. Whenever she had an idea, she would just go after it. She used to say to us, ‘Why are you guys all moving at a snail’s pace?’ I think about that a lot today. You just have to do things and go after them; nothing’s going to appear on its own.
That same spirit informs the way I design today. Even though we present collections, I don’t really design things that are seasonal. What I wear doesn’t change from day to day, season to season or year to year. I always gravitate toward the same pieces and the same look—and once I wear them into the ground, I buy them again. I want people to feel the same way about their Chan Luu pieces.
And we’re not just sending CADs overseas and sewing up garments. I embrace artisan, handmade work, and all of the jewelry we make in-house is designed in-house. In the world of AI and all of these technologies taking over, it goes back to what Chan did since day one.
SKINCARE
Anti-aging is more of a concern since I’m nearing 40 and I’m definitely seeing changes in my body. I’ve tried Botox twice in the last three years, but I haven’t gotten it in maybe a year and a half. I only got it those times because my facialist told me I did and that really stuck with me. All of my friends go to Dr. David Samimi, an oculoplastic surgeon who is my best friend’s husband, and absolutely the best guy in the world. I was so nervous because I’m scared of needles, but it was fine. I never say never, but it’s not a priority for me right now.
I’ve been a Biologique Recherche girl for many years. My love for the brand started with Into The Gloss. I remember reading an article that said, ‘Treat your face like a silk shirt,’ so you shouldn’t tug or drag your face. Now when I cleanse I start with Biologique’s Lait 02 cleanser before going in again with Rhode’s Pineapple Refresh. I’m usually hesitant towards celebrity-founded lines, but someone gifted me Rhode’s products. When I used the cleanser, I had really bad cystic acne and it really helped calm down my skin. I still use the cleanser, obviously, and haven’t broken out since, so I’m holding on to it.
In the mornings, I like following my cleanser with Muji’s Toning Water. I wasn’t toning before, but a Korean facialist told me that toning becomes more important as we age. On a recent flight to Japan, I went down a deep ChatGPT and DeepSeek rabbit hole and people kept recommending this one. At night, I use Biologique Recherche’s P50. I’ve been using it for over a decade.
Serums: I love iS Clinicals’ Pro-Heal serum, which has vitamin C, and Osea’s hyaluronic acid. At night I switch to iS Clinicals’ Active serum, but only on nights that I don’t use P50.
Both morning and night, I moisturize with either the Ecological Compound from Sisley or The Cream from Augustinus Bader. The Sisley one is so light and lasts me an entire year. The Cream is thicker but doesn’t break me out. I just can’t use it in summer.
Since I live in LA I have a full sunscreen wardrobe. Tizo’s tinted mineral SPF is my daily go-to; I’ve been using it for over 20 years. When I’m in Japan, I buy Bioré’s UV Aqua Rich mist. When I’m playing tennis, I wear iS Clinicals’ Eclipse on my face and Nécessaire’s sunscreen on my body. Then when I’m at the beach, I like Caudalíe’s Vinosun. I discovered it in Saint-Tropez; it’s oil-based so it leaves me a little glowy.
Finally, my lips. I love Eadem’s Butter Mochi balm. The silver applicator is perfect. Also good: PCA’s hyaluronic lip booster. At night, I like Sisley’s Nutritive balm. It’s pricey but will last a year and is my favorite lip product ever.
MAKEUP
I don’t feel my best when I wear a lot of makeup. Even for my own wedding, I did my own makeup and I requested that my bridesmaids wear as little makeup as possible because people just don’t look like themselves. But I do have a couple of staples.
Tarte’s Shape Tape is the best concealer ever. Every makeup artist I use for our shoots asks me what it is. I wear 35N most of the year, but I switch to 37G for the summer. I just dot it on any spots or red areas and because it’s not shiny, it really blends in. That said, if my skin feels dry, I’ll use Chanel’s Les Beiges foundation in B30. It’s hydrating but still natural-looking.
I like placing my blush a little higher than my cheekbones and prefer browner shades. Merit’s Flush in Terracotta is perfect. If I skip blush, I use Chanel’s Les Beiges powder in B80 as a bronzer. In the summer, sometimes I’ll skip all makeup steps and just put on Chanel Illuminating powder in Warm Gold. It’s hard to travel with because it’s the size of my face.
My eyebrows are already kind of full, so I just run MAC’s clear brow gel over them. I tried tinted gels, but my brows looked too severe. Then I curl my lashes. I’ve never found a better curler than Shu Uemura’s. I buy three to last me the whole year when I go to Japan.
If I’m going somewhere at night, I wear Tarte’s Maneater mascara. I have tiny eyelashes and it never clumps. I also add Trish McEvoy’s lip liner in Barely There. It’s maybe a shade darker than my natural lips but makes a big difference. I recently got Sisley’s Le Phyto-Rouge in Beige Tahiti, which is a honey color with not much pink in it. And I’ve been loving RMS’ Un Powder to reduce shine in my T-zone. It’s so silky.
WELLNESS
In the mornings, I drink alkaline water with a shot of turmeric and ginger. It’s meant to neutralize the body’s acidity and prevent common illnesses. Jury’s still out.
During the day, I drink a Chinese tonic that I make and actually stems from a dessert that’s very nutritious and hydrating. I boil white fungus, jujubes, goji berries, and lotus seeds for 45 minutes. Sometimes I’ll have a bowl of it with rock sugar as a dessert. I also drink Pu-erh tea, a fermented Chinese tea that’s good for digestion, and Dr. Stolberg Rest + Digest tea. It’s coriander and cumin; it smells much more pungent than it tastes.
I have a body worker who’s by referral only. She does the best full body massages. But on random nights, I’ll go to Bao for foot massages. Instead of sitting, you lie down on a bed while your feet soak in a wooden tub and they start by massaging your head. It’s heavenly.
Dr. Sandra Hung is a great acupuncturist. I’ll never forget the first day I started the shots for my egg retrieval. My husband was out of town and I asked if she would mind staying with me through the first shot. When we opened the shot, I started to cry and freak out. I didn’t want her to do it because I’d need to do it myself the next day. She had me sit down and held the shot up and said, ‘Look how pretty this shot is’—it really was pretty in a glass tube—’Let’s think about the shot. Think about all of the things this is going to do for you.’ She really stabilized me just through her words. I can’t recommend her enough.
When it comes to workouts, I’m an avid tennis player, but I also like taking pilates classes. My friend introduced me to The Class and describes it as The Hoffman Process. If you’re not familiar with The Hoffman Process, it’s basically a week-long retreat without phones. My girlfriend said The Class was similar and that it would change my life—and it did. It was like exercise and therapy rolled into one.
HAIR
Everybody always asks me where I get my hair cut, and I have to break it to them that I go to a salon in India about four times a year when I’m there for work. Goldie, my stylist, charges me $10. I never do anything different with it—I don’t get crazy layers or go short—so I don’t need a fancy salon.
I used to say I wouldn’t dye my hair when I had grays. But I really do feel like a different person when I color them, like I’m 10 years younger. I learned about Herbatint from my friend Doug. He’s in his 50s and went gray really early. When he came in with hair basically the same color as mine, I bought the tint on Amazon and watched a YouTube tutorial. Now I dye it once a month—I don’t have the patience to sit in a salon for hours.
I shower twice a day no matter what—even my husband thinks I’m crazy—but I only wash my hair every other day or every three days with Head & Shoulders classic shampoo. It makes my hair feel squeaky clean.
I’ve also been using Moroccanoil for ages, probably since high school. I either air dry or rough dry my hair with T3’s Aire 360—using this is like getting your hair professionally blown out—then add in the oil and sleep on my hair. Meanwhile, Bumble & Bumble’s Brilliantine cream is the best for taming little flyaways without leaving my hair greasy or waxy.
My favorite hairbrush is Sheila Stotts’s Untangle. My sister-in-law bought it for all the girls for Valentine’s Day. My second is from Mason Pearson. I bought a competitor’s brush because everyone was talking about it, but it’s not as good.
NAILS
I’m so happy Ruby Nails & Spa reopened after the devastating fires in the Palisades. I always ask for the same thing: short nails—like, very, very short. For about a decade, I just got them buffed and shined, but I tried clear polish for a while—that was a big deal for me. [Laughs] I tried clear gel, too, but that destroyed my nails. Now I’m sort of in between with Essie’s Over The Moon Stone [Editor’s note: discontinued]. It has the slightest bit of iridescence, so it’s a better version of clear.
I’m a firm believer in Chanel’s Le Lift hand cream. My aunt’s friend Sherry—who is the most beautiful woman in the world—gave me one for my birthday two years ago. It smells very nostalgic, sort of like a plastic Barbie. [Laughs] But it’s also very hydrating.
FRAGRANCE
I am also very sensitive to scent, so I prefer those that mold to my body and don’t announce themselves when I walk into a room. That’s why I can’t stand Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge 540. It’s a status symbol, but I call it the sticky auntie scent—when you double kiss and you’re like, Oh, God, it’s stuck to my face. That also means when I find one I actually like, I stick to it. Jo Malone’s Basil & Neroli is an old school classic. My brother’s ex-girlfriend, who is one of my best friends, gave me a bottle for my birthday. Now it reminds me of her. I also love Costa Brazil’s Aroma but only in the summer—it smells like a sexy summer to me.
For my home, I love Loewe’s oregano candles. They make great gifts because they smell amazing and look beautiful. Chateau Marmont makes an amazing candle called Alessandra, the hotel’s signature scent: spicy but floral with a hint of vanilla. And I have a specific scent for my home from Aēsop. It’s light and herbaceous and sets the tone.”
—as told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Brittany Bravo in Los Angeles on October 24, 2025