“I grew up in Evangelical Christian Iowa. I never thought about writing—or anything creative—as an actual career. But then my dad died when I was 15, and that opened up my expectations of the future. Fashion magazines were such a safe place for me—I would read Porter like a bible and I’d plaster issues on my wall. Around this time, I was also scouted by Karlie Kloss’ agent at a Starbucks in Des Moines. By the time I was 17, I felt that if I was going to pursue fashion, that I had to do it the right way. So I moved to New York.
I enrolled at FIT. I modeled a little during undergrad, but I decided there were other ways to work that felt less complicated. I had visions of being on staff somewhere after I graduated, but in reality I nannied for a while as I wrote freelance—like $75 for a newspaper in Red Hook—but I needed to make more money. A really dear friend of mine who works at Spotify and another friend at Squarespace coached me in how I could position myself as an asset to various companies. So I pivoted and became a copywriter for a healthcare incubator, and then led copy at K18, and then worked as the head of brand for a software company. On weekends, I worked on my event series, EV Salon, and I wrote. I loved, and still love, the experience of being the creative person in the room who you turn to after you’ve run through all of the formulas, but I left the software company almost four months ago because all of my side work was expanding in a way that was really untenable. Now I work with brands who want to show up on Substack but don’t really know how. I still do some brand direction work for tech companies, but I also write for publications like The Strategist and Vogue. And then I also write Long Live, my fashion newsletter.
In addition to all of that, I run my event series. I thought to myself, ‘If I could build my dream event, what would it look like?’ I started with a beta test in my apartment with 30 of my close friends. The idea for the series is, that everyone who is invited to an event is matched with another guest. I’m really putting them all in a social situation that feels almost greased for connection—people are so ready when they show up to EV Salon to chat. We’ve all been to those events where people are eyeing the room to see if there’s someone better to talk to. That’s not the energy here.
SKINCARE
Elizabeth Grace Hand, the founder of Stallë Studios is my teacher in skincare. I was using so many actives when I first started seeing her. When you have acne PTSD, you think you’re face is going to break out if you’re not constantly using products that sting. But when I met her she told me that there’s a better way. That’s when I stopped using P50—it’s great for a lot of people, but it was too intense for me. I switched over to Sofie Pavitt Face’s mandelic acid serum, which gently resurfaces. It’s the product I’m the most evangelistic about—and I just trust Sofie Pavitt.
As far as other treatments go, I go to Formula Fig when I want to look lifted and glowy. I’ll go on an as-needed basis when I’m in LA, but I especially like to go before events. I also started getting HydraFacials once a month when I was on Accutane and I noticed a huge difference, so I’m still pretty loyal to them. And then I discovered the power of facial massages when I started taking online FaceGym classes during the pandemic. That got me curious about NuFace, which I now use four times a week for five minutes.
When I was wearing masks all the time, I found Tower 28’s SOS spray to be so helpful in avoiding acne. Now I use it every morning before I write. I work out and cleanse after with Sofie Pavitt’s cleanser. It’s especially great when I don’t have the time to double cleanse, like when I’m traveling. I used to use olive oil to take off my makeup, but I started using Fig 1’s micellar oil cleanser about four years ago and I think it’s great. It’s super affordable, too. And Isntree’s Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel is my favorite sunscreen. I like that I can use a ton of it and still blend it in.
For my eyes, I use a balm from Monastery—it’s like a grown-up Skin Food. I’ve felt pretty apathetic about eye cream, but it has this really reflective quality to it and it’s super moisturizing. And then I go on and off vitamin C. Mostly, I just don’t want to spend a ton of fucking money on it. Prequel’s is $25, and it comes in a bottle that’s not clear. It’s great. Every time I start using it again, I really see a difference in brightness, but I hate adding another step to my routine. When I’m done with the mandelic acid I’m like, ‘Isn’t this enough?’
Do you remember the drying lotion from Mario Badescu? Hexomedine’s Transcutaneous Topical Solution is sort of like that. It’s a French, liquid-y acne treatment. You dip a Q-tip in it and then you put it on the pimple to dry it. This one dries clear though—I’ll put it on overnight and it usually helps diminish the size. And then Up&up’s benzoyl peroxide gel is my poor man’s version of the Sofie Pavitt benzoyl peroxide mask. I use it maybe four times a week because I’m not using tretinoin or anything else like that, so it helps keep my skin clear.
Activist’s manuka honey mask is an Elizabeth recommendation. I love to put it on while I go under my Celluma once or twice a week for 20 minutes so I can knock out two birds with one stone. I used so many masks that were supposed to be moisturizing, but they all broke me out. This one’s antibacterial. It’s a bitch to get off though. I started using the Celluma five months ago. If I’m breaking out, I’m less prone to picking my skin since I can go under the blue light instead. The red light has helped with sun damage. I feel like I’m getting fewer freckles, too. But also, I find the Celluma really relaxing, and that’s reason enough for me to use it.
MAKEUP
On the rare occasion that I’m doing a full face, I’ll use the tinted sunscreen from Tower 28 instead of an actual foundation. I like that I can’t really mess it up. It’s actually what I wore on my wedding day. I did my own makeup and had a full-on foundation, but as soon as I put it on I thought it looked insane. I took it off and put on SunnyDays. If I have a spot or want some under eye coverage, I reach for Saie’s concealer in shade 1.
I wear Tower 28’s bronzer in Sun Coast on my eyes. It’s shimmery, and it makes me feel like I’m doing something. For actual bronzer, I use Saie’s Sun Melt in Fair Bronze, which I apply with the bronzer brush from Saie. Then I use RMS’ Luminizer in Champagne Rosé as highlighter under my eyebrows and on my cheeks. That’s it.
I only pluck my eyebrows when I remember. I don’t shape them or anything. I have a natural arch, and when I was scouted, the agents were like, ‘Don’t let anyone touch your eyebrows. People in suburban Iowa will fuck it up.’ I do brush them through with KS&CO’s Sheer Tinted brow gel.
For my eyes, I’ve been obsessed with Victoria Beckham’s EyeWear in Caramel since I borrowed it from a friend. The payoff is amazing and you don’t need to have an exact hand to use it. And then I don’t really care about mascara. I have watery eyes, but it also makes me look really done up and I tend to go for more of a masculine look.
When it comes to lipsticks, I love Ilia’s Color Block lipstick in Rococo, but recently, it’s been replaced by Chanel’s Rouge Coco Baume in My Rose. I’m ready to say that. It’s pretty similar to a Glossier’s Gen G—you can do just a touch for the perfect wash of color.
HAIR
I think I’m going to keep my hair at this length for the rest of my life. I get haircuts with Jason Zeren at Spoke and Weal every three months, where we just thin out the back of my hair because it gets so thick. As far as products go, my naturopath recommended Nutrafol shampoo and conditioner because I was having scalp issues—I get dandruff when I’m stressed—and these products are apparently engineered with the microbiome in mind. I’m liking them so far. I don’t usually use a conditioner because my hair really holds on to it, but I keep it in my shower because sometimes I’ll put a tiny bit on my ends and rinse it out immediately. I’m more loyal to K18’s Molecular Repair hair mask. I’ve been using it for six years at this point, and I feel like my hair is stronger and grows faster. Recently, I started using Jupiter’s purifying mask once a week. It’s a charcoal mask that you put in before you shampoo. It’s very cooling. My scalp has gotten better with it—and it’s been a year-long process of trying to figure it out. Otherwise, I’ll throw on The Ordinary’s glycolic acid.
I grew up in that super chalky dry shampoo era, but I’ve been getting used to Crown Affair’s. It comes with a dip brush that you run through your hair, and I love the scent. It’s perfect for touch-ups. I also really like K18’s AirWash dry shampoo. It will literally destroy any and all oil.
On the other hand, K18’s Molecular Repair Oil is the best. It’s not heavy, and you only need half a drop to make your hair glow. If I’m doing a bun on day three, I’ll brush my hair, oil the ends, and slick it back.
NAILS
I hate doing my own nails, but I love having a gel manicure. I go to pH7 and get shade number seven. I don’t know the brand, but it’s a particular shade of red that I love. That said, I only get them done if I have a shoot or an important event. If I am painting my nails at home—if it’s an emergency—I use Essie’s polish in his Geranium. Ideally, I would have gel all of the time, but it’s so bad for my nails, so in between manicures, I use Bare Hands’ manicure kit. I’ve had it for five years, if not more. It comes with a glass file, a cloth, cuticle oil, and cuticle pushers. It’s the best. As for my feet, I get a pedicure without polish once a month.
I feel no allegiance to any hand cream other than Soft Services’ Theraplush hand cream. I was actually a test user for it and had to send them progress photos. You track everything on an app, and it was really interesting to see my hands change over 60 days. It was the first time I felt like I could actually see a material difference. My hands had less lines and were more moisturized. The cream’s also not greasy, which I prefer. When I travel though, I use Weleda’s Skin Food. I always have it; it’s like a security blanket.
FRAGRANCE
I wore Rose 31 from Le Labo for a long time and then transitioned to Thé Noir 29 probably two years ago. Rose 31 represented another era of my life. I had an apartment in Park Slope that I lived in by myself, and when I moved to my current place with my husband, I felt like it wasn’t necessarily ‘me’ anymore. My best friend’s mom, who’s my vision of a powerful woman, wears Thé Noir 29. I borrowed it from her once and I thought, ‘I don’t know if I’m ready to wear this perfume.’ Then one day, I thought, ‘I can handle it now.’ D.S. & Durga’s Cowboy Grass is a new one for me. This is a daily driver. When I’m not ready to commit to the Thé Noir 29 of it all, like when I’m running errands, I’ll do a few spritzes. My husband has also started using it, so it’s fun to play back and forth.
D.S. & Durga’s Swoodish candle is so good. And I think Homecourt’s candles are super underrated. The scents are great—and the vessels are gorgeous. Cipres Mint is good for the summer. But I think Flamingo Estate’s Roma Heirloom Tomato is the perfect gift candle. There’s a discovery associated with it.”
—As told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Shana Trajanoska in New York on July 19, 2024
