A New French Hotel, Perched on a Cliff

I’m constantly asking my friends what they’re using. My routine also changes based on whom I’m dating sometimes. If that person is more adept at beauty than I am, I will absolutely steal their products and pretend I knew about them the whole time. I use a superlight face wash, sometimes Curology Gentle Cleanser or Aesop Purifying Facial Exfoliant Paste. To exfoliate around my beard area, I’ll use a konjac sponge to make sure I’m preventing ingrown hairs. On my beard, I like the hair oil that my sister makes. I use the Muri Lelu Mauvaise Herbe Indica Oil every other day and Costa Brazil Face Serum. I top those with Algenist Algae Peptide Regenerative Moisturizer. At night, I use Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream. Growing up I was taught that as a Black person I didn’t need to use sunscreen and that is such a lie. Right now I use Koa Mineral Sunscreen.

My family is Jamaican and I’m very much a home-remedy person. I’ll do an Aztec Secret Clay mask — it’s just a dry powder that I add water to — once a week. If I have any dark spots, I’ll also do some turmeric on my face. I mix it with grapeseed oil. On sensitive spots that need some cooling down, I’ll use aloe and sometimes a cold compress. If you get a cut or a sunburn, it’s a very Jamaican-grandma thing to have an aloe plant at home. My facialist is an amazing woman named Ingrid Tsung. I’ll go to her every two or three months and do a little bit of microdermabrasion and oxygen treatments.

I have scalp eczema (seborrheic dermatitis), which means I constantly have to manage it. Having treatments that help bring down inflammation is so important. Diet and stress management help, too. I have a prescription for a shampoo with salicylic acid and also use Sachajuan Scalp Shampoo. My hair is really important to me. If it’s not in place and looking good, I don’t feel good. My sister is a hairstylist so we’ll often do a pure aloe hair mask together. I’ll get a hot oil treatment, too, which involves heating up jojoba or avocado or coconut oil and having it just sit on the scalp after the aloe moment.

I love using Saipua soaps in the shower. On my hands, I use the Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm and our Yardy World All Hands Oil. As a chef, I’m often around a lot of food aromas so I keep Le Labo Tonka 25 on me at all times — and a change of clothes.

Last year, the hospitality company Experimental Group bought the 1907 Regina Hotel & Spa, a Belle…