The make-up artist enjoys croissants in Paris and caviar in Russia
I’M A PHOTO FANATIC, so during lockdown I spent time organising my photo library. I found some adorable pictures of a trip to Italy with my three sons and my two nephews. Every city we went into, we got different soccer jerseys and soccer balls. My husband made deals with the children: they could go to the park, but the next day they had to go to a museum. We went to Rome, Milan, Florence, and Venice. We even went to Pisa to show them the Leaning Tower, but that was a little disappointing.
I HAD VODKA AND CAVIAR WITH EVERY MEAL
when I went to Russia. My grandparents were born in Kyiv, so I did some research about where they lived, although I didn’t go to that area. Instead, we went to Moscow and to St Petersburg.
WHEN I FIRST WENT TO INDIA
it was an explosion of senses. I was a keynote speaker of the first Indian make-up show. I went to Delhi, Mumbai, and Jaipur. On my birthday, we stayed in a hotel with a view of the Taj Mahal. The whole experience was amazing, I fell in love with the people and the food.
FOR A PERFECT HOLIDAY,
I need good weather, my family and really good food. I like to have a couple of reservations in “tough to get into” places. I don’t like going to fancy restaurants. I just like really good food and so often I’ll go by a recommendation of a foodie friend or someone that has a food blog.
MY EARLIEST MEMORY OF TRAVELLING ABROAD
was when my father took us skiing in Italy and Switzerland. I was 14 and found the Alps pretty terrifying when I’d never been on skis before, so I don’t remember that trip fondly! Skiing still is a part of my family holidays – we go to Telluride, Colorado, where we have a winter house.
I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I WENT TO PARIS
as a young make-up artist. With just a couple francs in my pocket, I sat down at a café and ordered a café crème and a croissant and they brought down a basket of croissants. I ate one and it tasted so good that I ate all of them. I didn’t realise that they charged you for every single one! I didn’t have enough money and didn’t speak a word of French, so that was a difficult moment. I went back the next day to settle the bill.
MY MOST RELAXING VACATION DESTINATION
is the Bahamas. We had a home there, which got
When I was 14, I found the Alps pretty terrifying when I’d never been on skis before
destroyed by the hurricane last year, so we are now rebuilding it. It is the most relaxing place on earth. The second I see the turquoise blue Caribbean water against the white sand, I feel my ears and my shoulders kind of separate. We’ve been visiting for about 15 years. My best holiday was for my 60th birthday, which was with family and friends at our home there. There was a lot of great food, great tequila and great dancing.
I THINK PEOPLE OVERLOOK NEW JERSEY
because when they fly in, all they see are the oil tankers. But there’s beautiful countryside and mountains to go hiking. You can also drive down to either the Jersey Shore or Cape May and it is really nice. My husband and I own a hotel in Montclair called The George.
I FOUND HAWAII OVERRATED and was certainly not blown away by the country. Honolulu was just like a giant city with fast-food restaurants. Yes, there are beautiful beaches, but I just didn’t see the allure.
MY FAVOURITE HOTELS
are within the Soho House brand. I love the ones in London. I love the ones in Miami. I just know that wherever there is a Soho House, I’m going to love everything from the sheets, to the culture to the decor.
I LOVE BOTH PARIS AND LONDON
and my two favourite places to have a drink are both in London. I love to have a martini in the bar at The Connaught or at Scott’s.
I DON’T GO TO SPAS AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE
because it’s not something my husband loves to do. But we go to a vegan-hiking ranch in California, called The Ranch Malibu, and that is very intense. There’s an amazing detox spa in London, Urban Retreat close to Harrods: the massages help get rid of jet lag.
THE ONLY PLACE I’M NOT CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT I EAT
is Paris. There I can eat anything I want and don’t seem to gain an ounce or get a stomach ache. And it’s so beautiful. You can walk around at night and it’s safe. I love it.
MY MOST MEMORABLE MEAL
was tough for my husband because he doesn’t eat meat. We were at Le Severo in Paris, so he had a lot of tomatoes and fries, while I had the most amazing steak tartare.
FIVE OR SIX YEARS AGO,
my husband and I took our entire family – including our siblings and their kids, so there were 21 of us – to South Africa on a Backroads tour. We started in Cape Town and either hiked or biked and stayed in the most amazing places for 10 days.
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