“When I was in fourth grade, there was an assignment where I needed to write my autobiography in the future tense. One of the things we had to consider was what we’d do when we were older. That was when it occurred to me that someone was actually writing the books I loved. So I started writing my own stories because I realized I could do it, too. From that point forward, I was like, That’s it. That’s the job.
I’ve written 10 books of my own now. Great Big Beautiful Life, my last release, follows two journalists competing for the chance to tell the life story of an heiress who vanished from the spotlight 20 years earlier. She’s a media heiress—think a Hearst or a Murdoch—born into extreme wealth and privilege but marked by her own trials and tribulations. Nobody really knows what happened to her. Over the course of the month that these two journalists are vying for her trust, they start to realize she’s telling them different stories and they have to get to the bottom of it.
My books are usually inspired by a few things. There’s often a setting I’m excited about—in this case, a small Georgian island draped in Spanish moss and live oak, an atmosphere that feels a little haunted and steeped in history. I also knew I wanted to write two characters who had external factors keeping them apart, since I usually explore more internal ones. My book before that, Funny Story, was about two people who were really nice and genuinely liked each other, which was shockingly hard to turn into a story because you need conflict. This time, I wanted that conflict baked in from the start, so the idea of two writers competing for the same job felt like a natural fit.
I tend to write first drafts very quickly and very badly, and this one was no different. It took about six to eight weeks to get the first draft down. The first couple of weeks were rocky, but then I hit a point where it all clicked, and it turned into a joyful, fast writing experience. The editing, on the other hand, was somewhat torturous—I pushed every deadline, trying to squeeze in a little more work until basically the last second. But it was worth it. I think that’s just how it goes: You either have a great writing experience or a great editing one. It’s rare to have both.
I have combination skin that’s prone to rosacea. I’ve always dealt with acne to some extent, but around 27, I suddenly developed horrible, cystic pimples and rosacea pustules. It wasn’t fun. Before that, I was one of those people who didn’t even use moisturizer, so I was a wreck. Then I overcorrected and went down the K-beauty rabbit hole, trying all these beautifully scented products while my skin got angrier and angrier. Take it from me, a 10-step routine on severely compromised skin is not great.
After two years, a friend told me to try Curology. You fill out an intake form, send photos, and they create a custom formula. Mine included niacinamide, clindamycin, and azelaic acid to treat rosacea, which I didn’t even know I had. I thought all the bumps were just acne and I had been scorching my skin trying to get rid of them—I’m a child of the ’90s; growing up with Proactiv did not set me up for success. It took about a year for my skin to calm down, and while Curology helped, the bigger lesson was that I can’t use most beautifully scented things without irritation. My skin just needs the basics. That’s hard for someone who loves luxury—I’ll always choose a hotel over an Airbnb because I like feeling comfy and, I don’t know, a little royal. [Laughs] But I’ve come a long way. I had discoloration and some light scarring from being a lifelong skin picker, and now that I’m older, Curology swapped the clindamycin in my formula for tretinoin.
In the mornings, I usually just rinse with water and follow with more Curology—their moisturizer and sunscreen. If I work out and get sweaty, I’ll wash my face with the Cosrx Good Morning gel, which I’ve used for years at night. Then it’s on to my Curology formula.
Body-wise, I’ve been using Nécessaire’s body retinol, which feels especially luxurious after a shower. I also love their hand duo: a hand cream and a hand retinol. They make me feel like Nicole Kidman in a movie slathering herself in beautiful things. And Vacation’s whipped sunscreen is my favorite body SPF right now because it looks like actual whipped cream and smells amazing.
I’m a homebody and too lazy to wear makeup every day, so I don’t really bother unless I’m going somewhere where I know photos will be taken. That’s when I wear Charlotte Tilbury’s Flawless Filter. It’s not super high coverage but it gives you a pretty dewy look, which I recognize can quickly become a dripping wet look—but I really like that. I splurged recently and bought Westman Atelier’s cream blush in Petal. I use it on my cheeks, and also on my lips. But in terms of actual lipstick, I love Charlotte Tilbury’s lipstick in Wedding Belles. It’s similar but a little more pink than Pillow Talk—I do use the Pillow Talk lip liner to have a little more brown at the edge of my lips though. Sometimes I dot it on my cheeks along with the Westman Atelier for a cute pink shade.
I’m still using Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Brow Wiz pencil—I like that the pen is so small. But I don't use anything to set my brows in place, which is kind of playing with fire because I have wild, curly eyebrows. My lashes, however, are very straight, and I’ve been told that I should curl them, but instead I just go right into Lancôme Idôle or Tarte XL tubing mascara. I get a lot of transfer, so tubing mascaras have been pretty game-changing for me, and I just switched to brown formulas and I’m really enjoying how much softer it looks on my eyes. Not to mention it’s so much easier to wash off.
I shampoo my hair at most twice a week, with whatever I have around. I just go to Target and let the spirit move me, but right now, I have bottles of Kristin Ess in my shower. Every once in a while, I’ll splurge and get something from Nexxus or whatever, but since I don’t wash my hair super often, I’m fine with anything. I did just get the AstroLift Reparative spray from K18 for my roots. I bought it on a whim when I was on Sephora’s website. I remember thinking, This probably won’t do anything, but I do actually think it makes a difference. Even on day two or three between washes, when my hair has gone flat, I can use it to put some waves back into my hair—huge fan of that.
Sasha Grossman has been cutting and coloring my hair for years. I’m not great at sticking to a schedule, but I try to see her every year or year and a half—I love being a bright blonde, but I don’t have the energy to keep it up so she gives me a very low-maintence balayage.
As for perfumes, I love all of the Glossier fragrances. They’re all great, and I say that as someone who is pretty sensitive to smells because I have chronic migraines. They’re very natural-smelling, sort of earthy and not too sweet or cloying. You is the longest I’ve stuck with any perfume in my life, but I take turns with them. Lately, my favorite is Doux when I’m at home, and when I’m traveling, I like Rêve.”
—as told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Andrea Sabugo in Ohio on May 7, 2025