MK: Well, if you have melanated skin, you have to be so careful about lasers. But a lot of times people who have melasma after pregnancy [for example] can do a simple laser and be fine with it. But I can’t do that because I keloid, which is another thing that happens to people who have darker skin. I’ve had to go to doctors and explain my keloiding issues to them because it’s so specific to people with darker skin. I loved that when I talked to Nisha and Madhu, they already knew about all these issues.

Allure: What do your beauty rituals look like today?

MK: I’m really worried about being really boring right now. So tell me if you’re like, “Hey, you’re getting too granular.”

Allure: This is Allure — go for it.

MK: Okay, good. So what I always do [first] when I take off my makeup is I use a hot washcloth, so I’m not using my expensive products to take stuff off that could have just been taken off with a cloth. Then I’ll do some kind of an oil-based makeup removing balm. Or if it’s not oil-based, it has that smooth, creamy feeling to take off most of my makeup. The one that I’ve been using these days is the Drunk Elephant Slaai. I also really like the Augustinus Bader cleansing balm. That one’s pricier so that’ll be like, if someone gives that to me for a gift for Christmas, my birthday, I’ll use that one.

Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser

Augustinus Bader The Cleansing Balm

Then I follow that up with an exfoliating powder scrub. So every stitch of makeup is off my skin. I don’t know whether this is some phobia I have, but the idea of going to bed with even a drop of makeup on is gross to me. So I do a double cleanse and then I’ll tone my skin and that’s when I put the [Unspotted 4X] serum on. I’ll wait a couple of minutes, send a couple emails, go do something with my kids, come back and put on a really moisturizing moisturizer, a little eye cream sometimes. I often forget eye cream and then go to bed. Before the Met Gala this year, I had a crazy hormonal breakout along my chin, and had lots of little hyperpigmentation marks from old pimple scars. So I was using the serum in the morning as well and then using a ton of sunscreen.