Jamie Baratta
“I was born in Los Angeles and grew up in a big, loud, Latino/Italian household with two brothers and two sisters. If there is any bit of cool in me, it’s from my older brothers and sisters. Besides them, and my parents, of course, I like to say that New York raised me. That’s where I spent my late teens and most of my 20s. Living in New York was so instrumental in forming the person I am today. The beautiful thing about living in New York is that it’s the epicenter of so many different industries, in addition to cultures and races. So, if you have a curiosity about something, you can pursue it.
For me, that meant lots of different internships. While I was in college at NYU, I interned for Ralph Lauren and Def Jam Records, and ultimately went down the music route. However, once I became an attorney, I was able to bring these two worlds together in my legal practice. Today, I am an entertainment attorney, representing artists, brands, and creatives, and I specialize in two areas that I’m very passionate about: fashion and music.”
“My fascination with skin started at a really young age, out of necessity. In seventh grade, I started getting acne for the first time. Thankfully I went to an all-girls school, but I remember it just consuming me. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing that was different from before that was causing this new forehead acne. Anyone who has had acne can attest to the fact that it’s hurtful to your self esteem. You just don’t feel your best. You feel insecure, like everyone is staring at it.
It’s funny looking back, because I’m an attorney now, but I’ve always been a big researcher. At the time, our resources were so limited in terms of where you could find information about skincare, and what products you should be using. What I did have and am thankful for was the ability to see a dermatologist. Dermatologists are amazing, but they aren’t always going to know about all the different products that are out there. They stick to either their own products, or the dermatologist favorites: Cetaphil, Neutrogena, Aveeno, and prescriptions—so that was what I was directed to do. It helped for a bit, but it was always this constant struggle for me to have clear skin. Clear the way I like it, like a Snapchat filter. Because of that, I was always reading beauty magazines and all the interviews with doctors, dermatologists, and celebrities. I was always reading any book I could get my hands on, like the Derma E Doctor book from way back.”
Jamie wears The Line by K duster top, Zara pants, Monocrafft earrings and necklaces, J. Colby earrings, custom Spinelli Kilcollin ring, and Cartier bracelet.
“Weirdly, my acne never made me get into makeup, and I think that’s because I went to an all-girls school, so I never felt the need to hide my acne or cover it up. For me, it was always about the skincare. Now, as an adult, it’s hormonal acne that can be a bitch, which occurs primarily along your jawline. It’s funny, because any of my friends who are reading this probably think I sound crazy, because I generally have really nice skin, but the reality is that I do a lot to keep it that way.
I have a very strict skincare regime. If I miss a beat, my skin will suffer—either I’ll break out or my texture will just be off. Not switching up my products too often is really important for me, as is keeping my routine as simple as possible, so that when I do buy a new product, I can tell right away if it’s that product that’s affecting my skin, or something else. That said, my day-to-day routine is pretty boring. I save all the fun products for my weekly at-home treatments, which I do maybe three times a week. Those consist of light, at-home peels—like from Dr. Dennis Gross—as well as masks and at-home devices. Think LED, jade rolling, and gua sha.”
“Day-to-day, I start off my mornings with an enzyme cleanser from Dr. Susan Evans and follow with her face pads [ed. note: online shop down for maintenance]. For moisture, I like to keep it light with a hyaluronic acid serum. I’m always trying different ones out but right now my favorite is from NIOD. I just love how few ingredients are in their products. Something about it makes me feel safe—I don’t have to second-guess putting it on my skin.
Sometimes I’ll mix the Vitamin C Booster from True Botanicals into my NIOD serum. It’s the only vitamin C product that doesn’t irritate my skin, and I love how it’s just pure vitamin C. There isn’t a bunch else added to it. I then apply my Dr. Lancer Eye Contour Lifting Cream, and I’ll top off my routine with the EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 and some type of neck cream. Right now I’m using Dr. Dennis Gross’ Ferulic + Retinol Fortifying Neck Emulsion. That might seem like a lot of steps, but I honestly wish I could add more to my routine. My skin is just so sensitive.”
Jamie wears The Line by K duster top, Zara pants, Monocrafft earrings and necklaces, J. Colby earrings, custom Spinelli Kilcollin ring, and Cartier bracelet.
“At night I do a double cleanse. I start off by removing my makeup with Garnier’s micellar water, which I apply with these pads by Intrinsics that were suggested to me by a facialist. I buy them on Amazon in bulk. After that, it’s pretty much the same routine as during the day, except obviously no SPF. About four times a week, I’ll finish my nighttime routine with prescription Retin-A. I get a lot of compliments on my skin, and, I’m telling you, it’s all because of the Retin-A. That’s my secret. No funny business.
I’ve been using Retin-A since I was about 18. It was first prescribed to me for my acne. I used to hate the idea of having to rely on something to keep my skin clear and remember asking my dermatologist how long I would have to use it. He literally said to me, ‘You’ll be using it forever.’ That sounds horrible—but he explained to me, even after my acne was gone, that it’s the same thing that gets prescribed for women over 30 to help with ageing. And here we are. Scary to think how fast time flies! But yes, I credit my skin to Retin-A—and I freak out when I can’t find it.”
“One thing that’s been a game-changer for me is LED light therapy. I’m dying for one of those Déesse face masks, but until it falls within my budget or someone wants to give me an extravagant gift, I’ve been using the Lightstim handheld, and it works amazingly. The only bummer is that you have to spot treat everything, but it gets the job done.
For my at-home treatments, which I do about three times a week, I do a lot of facial massaging with either a jade roller or gua sha, in addition to applying beauty masks. My absolute favorite is the Biologique Recherche Masque Vivant, which is great for its anti-ageing properties and also for keeping my skin clear. I was introduced to Biologique Recherche products a couple of years ago after reading about them online and then finding a Los Angeles-based Biologique Recherche facialist. I mix it in as part of my weekly beauty treatments. A pro tip I learned from my facialist is to mix the Masque Vivant with a pinch of baking powder and a little bit of Biologique Recherche’s Lotion P50 toner before applying. Honestly—the little bit of baking powder makes such a big difference. To anyone who uses that mask: sprinkle it in. It’ll fizz up, and you’ll see even more of a difference from using the mask.
Sometimes after traveling my face will need a little bit more hydration, so I’ll go to sleep with a hydrating mask like the SkinCeuticals hyaluronic acid mask or Dior’s Hydra Life jelly mask. And you can’t neglect your lips! For lips, I use KNC Beauty lip masks about once a week. It’s the only lip mask out there that’s all-natural. It comes in the cutest pink lip shape. I plan on giving them to all my girlfriends on Valentine’s Day.”
Jamie wears The Line by K dress, Chanel Mules, Monocrafft earrings and necklaces, J. Colby earrings, custom Spinelli Kilcollin ring, and Cartier bracelet.
“I’m pretty religious about my weekly at-home treatments and my monthly office treatments, where I’ll either get a chemical peel or some type of facial. What has really worked to keep my skin clear more than anything are chemical peels. I started getting peels five years ago, and it was the biggest game-changer for me. I get a peel every other month now. Nothing crazy—just the lightest peel a dermatologist has to offer. There’s no downtime, and I can go straight back to work. I’m all about any beauty treatment I can get done in between meetings. Not only does it exfoliate your skin, it neutralizes the pH levels of your skin and gets rid of bacteria. For me, that, more than extractions—which can also leave marks on complexions like mine—keeps my skin clear.”
Jamie wears The Line by K dress, Chanel Mules, Monocrafft earrings and necklaces, J. Colby earrings, custom Spinelli Kilcollin ring, and Cartier bracelet.
“If you can’t tell by my home, I’m a super minimalist. This applies to my day-to-day wardrobe as well. As I’ve grown older, I’ve developed more or less of a uniform when it comes to getting dressed. It makes it so much easier and faster to get dressed in the morning. I have so much on my plate every day with work that I need my day-to-day routine to be chill. For me, that typically means high-waisted skinny jeans. I have a million pairs, but my favorites are J Brand and Re/Done, although nothing really beats my vintage Jordache jeans, which I bought years ago at a vintage store in New York, a basic white T-shirt—I’ll stock up on H&M’s form fitting tees from their basics line—and for footwear, a pair of mules, sneakers, or booties. I’ll keep it minimal, but then I’ll add a slight edge with something like a white pair of Margiela Tabi booties or a blunt haircut. Denim with a frayed hem. Minimal jewelry with an edge to it. You get the idea.”
“For me, it is so important to be passionate about what you do. You know, there’s a saying: “Do what you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Obviously there’s work involved in everything, but I think that if you’re passionate about what you do, the rest will follow, with hard work, focus, and commitment. The beautiful thing about today is that you don’t need to be confined to pursuing only one passion in life. You can pursue many, and they don’t even have to go together. I think that’s such an old way of thinking, to stay compartmentalized in one box. We are truly in a time of renaissance, where anything is possible.”
“The IV Wave is something I am very proud of. It’s a platform that I founded this past year with one of my best friends, Mirtha Michelle. Its aim is to inspire, inform, empower, and celebrate the Woman of Today by bringing to light topics that affect women universally. We do this across three mediums: by posting content on social media, with blog write-ups on our website, and with a podcast we launched this year.
For those who don’t know, feminism has historically been defined in waves, and it should come as no surprise that we are currently in the fourth wave. What distinguishes this wave from the ones before it is the role that technology plays in it. For example, an area where this was really prevalent was with the Women’s March, and the brilliant role that social media played in bringing people together from all over.”
Jamie wears Ralph Lauren briefs, Fruit of the Loom sports bra, Jordache denim, Nike headband, Monocrafft earrings and necklaces, J. Colby earrings, custom Spinelli Kilcollin ring, and Cartier bracelet.
“Mirtha and I created The IV Wave because we really wanted to create a space that not only celebrated being a woman, but also challenged society’s norms of what it actually means to be a woman, or even a feminist. A space where women go to hear us discuss topics that might be unconventional according to society’s viewpoints, or their region’s viewpoints, or even just their household’s viewpoints, depending on how they were raised. We wanted to create a place where women could go and gain the knowledge, information, tools, and resources to make educated decisions, whether in their careers, their sex lives, their relationships, or even just in their personal lives. No topic is off-limits.
We have no sponsors, we have no investors. It is just us. It’s a pure start-up. Because of that, our listeners know that they are coming to a place where they can get real, authentic, unbiased information. You can trust it. Over time, we hope our listeners continue to be super involved, so that we can grow together and evolve the platform based on their concerns and feedback. It’s been a crazy experience, because, as an attorney, I’m often behind the scenes. To have women contact us directly, through our email our DMs, and tell us how much the topics we discuss on the podcast are helping them in their everyday lives, is really beyond touching. It makes me feel like we are on the right path with this.”
“I started off my career and got to where I am now with internships, hard work, and focus. I was working a lot of hours, and for free, at the beginning of my career, and I say that because I meet a lot of people who are starting out in their careers who really don’t like to hear that. The reality is that there are no shortcuts, and almost everyone who is here in the music business has started off as an intern. I even have colleagues who interned out of law school just so they could get a foot in the door. There is no shortcut to success. Not to long-lasting success. Not to success with integrity. I think we’re going to see that more and more as companies are built and led by people who just don’t have the experience. Being able to build a brand and being able to ensure its sustainability are two very different things.”
“I think that we’re living in a very exciting time, because you can literally be anything you want to be. But that doesn’t negate our responsibility to educate ourselves, whether it’s through school, an internship, attending panels, reading, or even YouTube channels. Even when you feel you have it down, we have a responsibility to continue to educate ourselves and sharpen our tool sets. To me, that is how you lead—by knowing your strengths and your weaknesses, and knowing when to bring in others who have the skill sets or the knowledge you don’t have. You can only know when you need that by acquiring information and through self-evaluation. Because of that, I will forever be a student.”
Jamie wears Ralph Lauren briefs, Fruit of the Loom sports bra, Jordache denim, Nike headband, Monocrafft earrings and necklaces, J. Colby earrings, custom Spinelli Kilcollin ring, and Cartier bracelet.
“One of my biggest beauty influences growing up was Bobbi Brown. I used to buy all of her books and read them word for word. If you’ve read Bobbi’s books or are familiar with her beauty line, you know she’s a big advocate of natural beauty and the fact that we all have imperfections, which are actually what makes us our most unique and most beautiful selves. That was so important for me to hear as a teenager, because when I was growing up, all I saw were perfect models in magazines, which could be tough, especially growing up as a Latina and living in Newport Beach at the time. Her philosophy is more about accentuating your natural beauty than trying to cover it up. That really influenced how I wore my makeup when I was younger, and even to this day.”
“Although I love buying products, my day-to-day makeup routine is done in about five minutes and with just a few products. I work really long hours, so, for me, it’s important that my beauty routine is minimal. I don’t want a bunch of makeup sitting on my face all day, you know?
After my skincare is applied, I go in with my concealer. I’m obsessed with concealer. I don’t have crazy dark under-eyes, but if I had to have one makeup product, it would be concealer. I love how it freshens up my whole face. I feel so naked without it. I go back and forth between the YSL Touche Éclat (although I know this is technically supposed to be used as a highlighter), the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer (which can sometimes be a bit too heavy for me), RMS’ ‘Un’ Cover-Up, and Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer. During the workday, though, since I’m often sitting at my desk for over ten hours, there’s something that makes me feel better about using natural eye products—so for that I use my RMS. I’ll dab that around my nose, too, which tends to get a little red.
Then I’ll curl my lashes and follow with Kjaer Weis mascara, which is my absolute favorite mascara that I buy from The Detox Market. It’s all-natural and doesn’t smudge one bit. It also has such a great brush, which really combs out my lashes. I have this problem with mascara: I never used to wear it because they all smudge on me, except for Kjaer Weis’. I’ll then brush my brows with the remaining mascara on my brush or with Glossier’s Boy Brow in Brown. I have pretty thick eyebrows, but I love a defined brow, and I just don’t have the patience for eyebrow pencils or powders. If I need it, I’ll apply a bit of Benefit Cosmetics’ Hoola Bronzer to my forehead along my hairline, and a dab of Glossier’s Cloud Paint in Puff on the apples of my cheeks.
I finish with RMS’ Living Luminizer on the temples of my cheeks. One of my best girlfriends calls it ‘the Jamie glow.’ It’s my go-to product. If I need to, before a meeting, I’ll kind of just touch up lightly with those same products. Oh, and I can’t forget Dior Lip Glow. I’m never without it. A makeup artist introduced me to it around the time when I was finishing law school. I wasn’t working yet, and it definitely cost more than I should have been spending on a lip product at the time, but it was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. I use it just about every day. I have one at my desk, in my car, in my purse, at home. Dior Lip Glow is everywhere!”
“If I have to, I can be ready in thirty minutes—but I like to give myself a couple of hours when getting ready for a night out because I hate the idea of being rushed. I hate feeling stressed. I actually enjoy the process of getting dressed up from time to time. I’ll put on my robe, have a glass of red wine, and use that time to catch up on my music. I love the Apple playlists called The A-List. They have one for each genre.
Another go-to of mine is Zane Lowe’s show, if I’ve missed it earlier in the morning. It keeps me up to date on new music and new artists. If not music, I’ll listen to a podcast. My favorites are Happier and Pod Save America. Lately I’ve become a bit of a VC [venture capitalist] nerd, the more my work merges with tech. The Twenty Minute VC podcast is my current favorite. Then, I’ll spread all my makeup and hair products out on my bathroom sink—as if I have a glam team coming in—and get to work. It makes it more fun.”
Jamie wears Ralph Lauren briefs, Fruit of the Loom sports bra, Jordache denim, Nike headband, Monocrafft earrings and necklaces, J. Colby earrings, custom Spinelli Kilcollin ring, and Cartier bracelet.
“At night is definitely when I let myself play with a little more product. I typically do a full face, but still try to keep it as natural as possible. For me, that means starting off with a primer. I used to not use primer because they would tend to break me out, but I’ve found a couple now that work for me. My favorite primer is Dior’s Pore Minimizer Skin Refining Matte Primer. Sometimes I’ll even use it in place of foundation—it just creates a beautiful, smooth canvas. I’ll skip this primer if I’m on the drier side, though, and use the Becca Backlight Priming Filter primer. It’s so pretty by itself, too.
After that, I’ll spray my Morphe makeup brush with MAC’s Prep + Prime Fix+ spray and buff the foundation into my face—my newest beauty hack. I’ve been loyal to YSL’s Touche Éclat Le Teint foundation for years. Sometimes I’ll switch over to Armani’s Luminous Silk Foundation, but my number one is YSL. After that it’s concealer. My newest obsession is Urban Decay’s concealer. I apply that with the applicator and then blend with a wet Beautyblender. I’ll then set my concealer with Laura Mercier’s translucent powder and move on to a little bronzer. I don’t do the full contour thing—I’ll just apply a bit on my forehead and jawline.
I’ll then add a little blush on the apples of my cheeks—something like Nars’ Luster—and finish my face with highlighter on the temples of my cheeks and under my brow bone. I switch between highlighters, depending on how dramatic I want to go with it. Right now my favorite is from Hourglass, in their Ambient Lighting Palette.
I have the oiliest eyelids, so it’s taken a long time for me to even get into the idea of wanting to wear eye makeup. When I do, I still barely wear any. I’ll start off with an eye primer. My favorite is from Urban Decay. Then I’ll add a light base, like Bobbi Brown Banana, or, for something with more color, Chanel’s Slate [ed. note: discontinued]. Then I’ll tightline my eye with Stila’s liquid liner or the Diorshow Art Pen. I finish by filling in my brows with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz and top it off with her Clear Brow Gel. If I’m feeling daring, I’ll wear a bold lip. My favorites are the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencils—the thick, crayon-like ones—because the application is so easy. I know it’s so boring, but, for me, it always comes back to skin. Give me glowing, bronze, flawless skin—that’s all I need to feel my most confident when going out at night.”
Jamie wears Ralph Lauren briefs, Fruit of the Loom sports bra, Jordache denim, Nike headband, Monocrafft earrings and necklaces, J. Colby earrings, custom Spinelli Kilcollin ring, and Cartier bracelet.
“I try my hardest to remove my makeup every night. We hear it over and over again, how important it is to remove our makeup at night. Otherwise it’s just seeping into your pores while you sleep. I’m generally very good with this, but there are those occasions where I come home late from an event or a work dinner and I just do not feel like wetting my face or going through the whole routine. For those nights, I use wet wipes, or I’ll wet makeup pads with micellar water. I even keep a pair of La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clarifying Oil-Free Cleansing Towelettes in my bedside drawer, just so I don’t have any excuses.
If there’s anything that my mom’s skin has taught me, it’s to take the time at night to go through your skincare routine. My mom has the nicest skin I have ever seen or felt. She’s 62, has never had one drop of botox or filler, and, when I touch her skin, I swear to you it’s so soft and cool and smooth. It’s actually insane. If I could think of one image of my mom, it would be at her vanity washing her face, applying her serums and creams. Every night, this was her thing, and so it really instilled that same habit in me.
Even just when my boyfriend and I were in Miami for Art Basel—we both had work there, and instead of going to sleep before our 6am flight, we decided to stay out and go straight to the airport from our events. I kid you not, I removed all my makeup in the Uber on the way to the airport and even pulled out my Dr. Dennis Gross peel pads. I really believe that, if you invest in your skincare and take the time to be consistent with it, you won’t ever have to resort to botox or fillers. My mom is living proof!”
Jamie wears Helmut Lang sweater, Journelle bra, Levi’s x What Goes Around Comes Around jeans, Monocrafft earrings and necklaces, J. Colby earrings, custom Spinelli Kilcollin ring, and Cartier bracelet.
“Exercise has always been really important to me, for health reasons, and also for my happiness. I just feel my best when I have a consistent exercise routine. I feel confident. I’m in a better mood. I’m less irritable. In terms of my skin, I always see a noticeable difference when I’ve been working out. But I can’t lie—it takes a lot of willpower to get myself to the gym every day.
I grew up playing sports, so I always had a coach and a team to push me. For me, it was kind of difficult, this whole adult life, where that doesn’t exist, and it’s 100% on you to show up for yourself. One of the things that has been really instrumental for me this year is that I’ve started boxing with a personal trainer. I go to Wild Card Boxing Gym and train 3-4 times a week with my trainer, who’s a former professional boxer and Freddie Roach’s right-hand man. He’s the very best. It was important to me that, if I was going to start a new sport, I would do it all the way, and learn it correctly. It’s been so amazing for me. I get up at 6am and we train for an hour and a half. There are no email interruptions, no phone calls, no work talk. It’s just my time for me. What I love most about it is that there’s nothing pretty about it. No one’s in there trying to look cute or take selfies. It’s a real boxing gym, and everyone in there is putting in work. Each time I leave, I feel like I’m leaving a better, stronger version of myself.”
“A lot of dermatologists will tell you that your diet is not connected to your skin, but I think that any of us who have had skin issues will agree that when you’re eating clean, drinking clean, and taking care of your health, your skin looks and feels better—and so do you. I am a firm believer that everything is connected to the gut: your moods, your emotions, your skin. So for that reason—and not only for vanity reasons—I really try to eat a clean diet. It’s really a full-time job, being the best version of yourself, but it’s the most important job we all have. And if you build these habits into your daily routine, over time, they won’t feel so draining.
The biggest change I’ve made to my diet recently is cutting out meat, which I never thought I would do, as someone who is half Latina and half Italian. I mean, I’m the girl who, in Kindergarten, used to take Italian meats to school in her lunch box. Fast forward to 2017 and I eat more or less vegan. Crazy. My diet really changed when I started seeing my MD, who also practices Eastern medicine and acupuncture, which I love, because not everything needs to be treated with a prescription or treated with a pill. Some things just require a change in your diet and the addition of a few supplements. If you pay attention to your body and your skin, you will notice that a lot of things are connected to your diet. So for me, I try to be very mindful of what I put in my body. Everything in moderation, right?”
“My bad beauty habit is probably the same as most girls’, so I will say this: DO NOT PICK YOUR FACE. It can be tempting when you see something, but nine out of ten times you will regret it. Also, resting my hand on my face when I’m at my desk. I catch myself doing this all the time. It’s so bad because we do a million things with our hands throughout the day where we’re picking up bacteria. Just don’t touch your face in general.”
Jamie wears Ralph Lauren briefs, Fruit of the Loom sports bra, Jordache denim, Nike headband, Monocrafft earrings and necklaces, J. Colby earrings, custom Spinelli Kilcollin ring, and Cartier bracelet.
“My hair routine has changed a lot in the past couple of years, largely due to me developing scalp psoriasis, which is basically inflamed eczema. I have a super mild case of it in comparison to what you’ll see if you Google it, but it still affects my routine and unfortunately my life. Because of that, I’m really big on doing hair treatments a couple of times a week. When I first developed it, I was prescribed a prescription shampoo from my dermatologist, Larry Rivkin, who I’ve been going to forever and love dearly. For those who aren’t familiar with psoriasis, it’s an autoimmune disease. Basically, your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake. This prompted me to look into more natural methods to fix the problem internally as opposed to trying to fix it on the surface with a prescription.”
Jamie wears Helmut Lang sweater, Journelle bra, Levi’s x What Goes Around Comes Around jeans, Monocrafft earrings and necklaces, J. Colby earrings, custom Spinelli Kilcollin ring, and Cartier bracelet.
“Through trial and error, and a lot of research, I’ve learned that a clean diet, free from dairy, keeps my psoriasis at bay. I’m telling you—everything is connected to the gut! Also, weekly scalp treatments of coconut oil mixed with tea tree oil. I leave this on overnight and wash with my usual shampoo and conditioner in the morning. I’m currently using Ouai’s shampoo. If I don’t have time to do an overnight treatment, I really like the Briogeo line for keeping a clean, healthy scalp. The charcoal shampoo is my favorite.
I then finish with my usual hair routine: Ouai’s leave-in conditioner, a pump of John Frieda Frizz Ease, and a little mousse worked in, if I’m air-drying it. Otherwise, it’s weekly blowouts for me. The other thing I discovered this year that my good friend and hairstylist, Caile Noble, put me onto, is Olaplex. It is God-sent. I’ll do an Olaplex treatment once a week, which helps to repair the hair. It’s not a conditioning treatment. This has become so vital for me ever since Caile and I decided to go shorter in length, which tends to require a lot of straightening and blowouts. I’ll either sleep with it in or I’ll wear it in my hair and put it up before I work out, and then wash it out when I get back home.”
My favorite way to unwind is honestly just to be at home with my boyfriend and my dog on the couch, watching something new on TV and ordering in. My boyfriend and I call it ‘derailing,’ because we know there is nothing productive about it, that it isn’t furthering our goals, and that, depending on how long it is, it’s taking us off-track, in a way. Sometimes you need that. To just unplug. As long as you are aware that you’re doing it when you do it, I think it’s totally fine—and sometimes needed—to veg out. Sometimes the recipe to not burning out in my work life is just good old Netflix and chill, which, if I’m by myself, also involves a Dr. Lancer sheet mask, Bravo (unapologetically), and Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups.”
Jamie wears The Line by K dress, Chanel Mules, Monocrafft earrings and necklaces, J. Colby earrings, custom Spinelli Kilcollin ring, and Cartier bracelet.
“I’ve never been much of a scent person. Everything I buy body product-wise is fragrance-free. I’m super sensitive to scents. I can get nauseous from the wrong scent very easily, but for some reason I’m pretty good with anything Le Labo—an expensive problem to have.
The first time I was introduced to Le Labo was years ago. I was in Paris and had just bought some clothes from Colette. When I got back to my hotel, I became obsessed with the smell that the clothes had on them. Obsessed. Turns out that, at the time, Colette burning a Le Labo candle throughout the store—a scent that was specifically created for Colette, but was very reminiscent of Santal 33. A few weeks later I was at a bar in LA, and this girl walked by me wearing the same scent. I went up to her like a weirdo and asked her for the name. She was super sweet and told me it was Le Labo Santal 33. I went and bought my first bottle the next day.
Nowadays, the scent I have somehow fallen even more in love with is their newer fragrance, Thé Noir 29. If only they would make it in a candle. For candles, my favorite scent is Byredo’s Burning Rose. I always have one at home and in my office. I also love Le Labo’s Santal 26 and Palo Santo 14—although at times this gets a little too sweet-smelling for me—and Dior’s Ambre Nuit candle.”
“At the end of the day, it’s so important to be able to come back to a space that grounds you. A space that nurtures you, where you can feel at peace. Where you can unwind. Be inspired. Recharge. For me, my home needs to be able to provide me with that. It’s something I need to feel balanced in my life. What I like most about my home is that I’ve created a space I want to be in. That I can spend hours in. A space I can call my ‘favorite space.’
I think that’s also important in terms of setting the tone for how I spend my time. I’m not just saying ‘yes’ to every event, every dinner. I’m not trying to escape my personal space because I can’t sit still in it—and I’ve been there before, so I know what that’s like. If something is taking me out at night or on the weekend, it needs to have purpose.”
Jamie wears Helmut Lang sweater, Journelle bra, Levi’s x What Goes Around Comes Around jeans, Monocrafft earrings and necklaces, J. Colby earrings, custom Spinelli Kilcollin ring, and Cartier bracelet.
Los Angeles-based Jamie Baratta is a walking inspirational quote. Not in an annoying or preachy way by any means, but in a way that encourages us to get out there and start living our best lives. Instead of the fusty career counsellors who presented us with a very finite list of career choices growing up, we wish we’d had a mentor like Jamie, whose personal brand is marked by hard work, determination, and limitless scope. While studying a B.A. in cultural anthropology and Africana studies at NYU, she explored her interests in fashion and music by interning at Ralph Lauren and Def Jam, and, after graduating, moved on to earn a J.D. from Loyola Law School. Impressive, much?
Now, she combines all of her passions and aptitudes working as an entertainment attorney in L.A., inspiring the rest of us to explore and nurture every last thing that makes our hearts beat a little faster. But our awe doesn’t end there. In her ~spare time~, the smart angel is hanging out over at The IV Wave, which she co-founded with writer and actress, Mirtha Michelle. For the uninitiated, The IV Wave is a platform that aims to “inspire, inform, empower, and celebrate the Woman of Today by bringing to light topics that affect women universally.” Across social media, their website, and a recently launched podcast, they both celebrate women and challenge society’s expectations of what a woman should be. No topic is off-limits—careers, sex, relationships, personal life—and, as such, they’ve created a truly authentic and informative corner of the internet, growing a legion of fans along the way.
Aside from chasing down the titanic goals she’s set out for herself in life, Jamie is well-versed in the beauty game, as was evidenced that time we hung out in her delightful apartment. How she actually has time for a beauty ritual with such a packed schedule is beyond us, but, as Jamie says, we are in “a time of renaissance, where anything is possible,” and she is living, breathing proof that with hard work, focus, and integrity, this can 100% be true. Be your most inspired self by taking a virtual wander through her minimalist house and jotting down some of the wise things she has to say along the way.
Words, Madeleine Woon. Photography, Kat Page.
