“My parents are from Suriname, a South American country that used to be a Dutch colony, but I was born and raised in Amsterdam. I studied performing arts and danced professionally, and then I was lured into the modeling world. My first gig was almost 13 years ago, and it was for a haircare campaign for Dr. Miracle’s. That job opened a lot of doors for me. It’s the reason I moved to the US and how I ended up signing with an agency. I’ve been lucky enough to work with brands like Maybelline and MAC since then.
It was so exciting working with such big brands, but all of my jobs came with a lot of hair damage. Right from the beginning, Dr. Miracle’s relaxed my hair and cut it very short. Of course, growing up, it was very normal to relax your hair because it was ‘easier’ and more ‘manageable.’ I only started to embrace my natural hair in my early twenties, when the OG influencers on YouTube started talking about it and introduced products from brands like Shea Moisture to me. As I began to incorporate their recs into my routine, people would tell me how they loved my big and curly hair. That was surprising because I knew I would get more work with relaxed hair. I mean, every time I booked a job, the hairstylist would straighten my hair.
When COVID hit, jobs started to slow down. I figured I would try to get my hair to a healthier state because I had all of the time in the world to try different products and techniques. I went to all sorts of beauty shops to figure out what was best for me, but the space was—and is—very overwhelming. And I also felt like the beautiful, aesthetically pleasing brands that I resonated with didn’t tailor to textured hair. There are legacy brands that I grew up using and love, but they felt outdated in many ways. That’s why I decided to launch my own, Lobie, which means ‘love’ in Surinamese. It’s really centered around elevating the textured hair market.
BEAUTY
When I try too many products, my skin gets really crazy, so I keep my skincare routine very simple. Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Enzyme Cleanser is great—I love exfoliating my face, but gently. And then iS Clinical’s Hydra-Cool serum is chef’s kiss. It’s so hydrating. The Darker Skin Tones face cream from Dr. Barbara Sturm is the only one that keeps me moisturized. And of course, I always wear sunscreen. Shiseido’s Ultimate Sun Protector is so smooth and silky. It protects your skin, but it also gives your skin an extra glow. Plus, every other sunscreen I’ve tried has triggered whiteheads.
If I have to wear heavy makeup for a job, I take it off with Eve Lom’s balm cleanser. I love that it comes with a muslin cloth. And every two weeks, I use Biologique Recherche’s Masque Vivant. I tend to have bumpy skin depending on the season, and this mask smooths out my skin almost immediately. It smells horrible, like rancid chocolate, but it’s one of the few products that gives me instant results.
I’m not very good at doing my own makeup, and because I wear a lot of it for my job, I want to be bare-faced when I’m not on the clock. But if I want a little something, I keep it very natural. I use Saie’s glowy gel in Sunglow in place of foundation. I brush Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Brow Freeze through my brows, and then I curl my lashes with my Shiseido curler. Then I’ll go in with my Lancôme lipstick in Love To Shine. I’ll even use it as a blush if I don’t have my Ilia Lady Bird blush stick.
As for my hair, I have a five-month-old baby, which means it’s changed a lot throughout my pregnancy and after giving birth. My curls are looser at the top of my head and more coily underneath. I’d say I have 4A, maybe 4B, curls. And I have a ton of baby hairs coming in after dealing with postpartum hair loss. But I still try to keep my hair routine very, very simple. Even before having a baby, I was just a lazy girl. [Laughs] I wash and condition my hair once a week—I’ve been developing my own for almost two and a half years. Then I use my Lobie Peptide Leave In Mask. I like to use it for a chic, slicked back look. Oh, and my favorite hair brush is from S-heart-S. It’s the best at detangling.
If I want braids, I go to Jolie Beauty Bar in Los Angeles, but I don’t go very often. I think the last time I got my braids done was for my birthday last October. If I want to straighten my hair, I use the Dyson Airwrap. I always spray it with Innersense’s Hair Love first. I go over it with Oribe’s Gold Lust heat protection spray, too.
Since having my baby, I’ve become very sensitive to what I wear or spray on myself since she’s always on my skin, but years ago, I was so obsessed with fragrances that I wanted to start my perfume brand. I will also admit that I’ve started to gatekeep some of my fragrances because people will buy them and it’s confusing when they smell like me. [Laughs] That said, my all-time favorite is Battito d’Ali from Profumum Roma. It’s sweet but masculine and soft and strong at the same time. It’s sexy, too, and makes me feel confident. Mark my words: Just like everyone suddenly starting wearing Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge 540, Battito is the next big scent.”
—As told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Alexandra Genova in New York on October 7, 2024