What’s in My Weekend Bag to…Brooklyn

New York City smells like a lot of things—the dim sum as you’re sauntering down Doyers Street on a lazy Sunday, the soft perfume of woodland azaleas springing up around Little Island, the pleasant brininess of the breeze coming off the beach in Dumbo—but for clean skin-care founder Asia Grant, it has a distinct signature scent. “Summer in the city smells like warmth, scandal, and mischief,” says the Philadelphia-based Grant, who was living in Brooklyn when she dreamed up Redoux—a gorgeous line of botanical skin care and candles—with her college best friend and cofounder, Alejandro Cuevas. “That’s what we try to capture in our scents. We started the line because scent is such a powerful way to remember beautiful moments and places—it’s storytelling.”

Indeed, anyone who picks up the brand’s chunky turmeric body soap is almost instantly obsessed with its fresh bergamot-geranium-ginger fragrance, which blooms beautifully in a steamy shower. (The milky, coral-colored bar also lathers like a dream, leaving skin plumped and pampered, and the bar itself lasts and lasts.)

When she’s headed back to Brooklyn for a visit, Grant doubles down on turmeric, packing both the soap and a turmeric latte powder, along with a full bath routine, easy glow-boosting skin care, and lots of shoes. Here, her packing list—plus her can’t-miss places.

How I Make Any Hotel Room Better:

Slip
White Queen Pillow Case
goop, $89

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“I always bring a silk pillowcase. I stayed in this fancy hotel without it once, and I woke up creased, and my hair was not good. I don’t care how nice the sheets are—I can’t live without my silk pillowcase. It’s the first thing in my bag.”
goop Beauty
G.Tox Detox 5 Salt Bath Soak
goop, $40

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“I love a good bath, and I really love the G.Tox soak. It’s so deluxe and travel-friendly. I wrap myself in a big plush robe afterward—another favorite thing about staying in a hotel.”
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G.Tox Ultimate Dry Brush
goop, $25

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“I bring a dry brush. I do it before getting into the bath—my skin likes feeling all that warmness, and it’s also like, Yay, I’m getting to be very present in my body.”
Redoux
Turmeric Bar Soap
goop, $16

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“My skin is sensitive to hard, mineral-heavy water, and my turmeric soap helps—it’s made with moisturizing shea, gently exfoliating rose clay, and brightening turmeric. You feel clean but not in a sterilized, too clean way.”
GOLDE
Original Turmeric Latte Blend
goop, $29

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“Trinity Mouzon Wofford, the founder of GOLDE, is the love of my life—we text and have funny little founder chitchats—and she makes the best turmeric latte powder. I drink it every morning, and it helps balance my life out.”

Best Haircut (and What I Bring to Keep It Looking Great):

Photo courtesy of Beauty Supply hair salon in NYC

“My hairstylist is Shelby Samaria—she’s such a Brooklyn It girl. Her appointments book up faster than clothing drops, and she’s the global styling director of Bread hair care. She has me on a pretty strict hair regimen of hydrating products and oils, so I bring leave-in cream for shine, detangling mist, argan oil (a pea-size amount smooths my whole head, and I also use it on my cuticles), and a Mason Pearson brush to distribute some of the oil from my scalp to my dry ends.”

My Hotel-Room Skin Routine:

“I have dry skin, and when I’m traveling, the goal is to bring along a very simple routine to maintain glow. I like nonfoaming cleansing creams that gently remove makeup, and I love hyaluronic acid—I make my own since we work with raw materials, and I use it on my body, too. I brighten with a really great vitamin C and protect my skin with a high-quality moisturizing sunscreen. I’m trying to make my skin care as Black-owned as I can.”

Best brunch:

Dimes

“It’s embarrassing because I always order the same thing. I’ve never had pozole like theirs. I need their matcha because they blend it with ginger; I don’t even care how much it costs. And I’m good all day when I get the earth tacos.”

Easy Makeup:

“I like a cream blush that I can sweep over my cheeks and eyes and also use as lip color for a day-to-night situation. I also love nude lip gloss.”

goop Picks

Favorite Museum:

The Noguchi Museum

“The art is whimsical and philosophical—and a significant visual inspiration for Redoux.”

The Outfit:

“Half my bag is shoes. For a weekend, I bring four pairs. I go for classic black boots that I shine before I leave, and I love white sneakers—Veja, Nike x sacais collabs. I keep them pristine. And I can’t not pack an oversize trench coat. I can run errands in it all day, and it’s still cute later when I’m out, too.”