Mishel Prada's Must-Have Products
Mishel Prada’s Must Haves, From an $8 Clay Mask to an Affordable Tin of Caviar
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Mishel Prada has been up to a lot lately. The Dominican and Puerto Rican actress recently appeared as Frankie DiFranco in "Stone Cold Fox," which hit theaters and VOD in November. Between traveling for two indie films and filming episodes of NBC's "Brilliant Minds," Prada has also been leaning into another role she's long mastered: the ultimate hostess.
Known among her friends for throwing extravagant, restaurant-level dinner parties at her beautiful Los Angeles home — the kind that look ripped from the pages of a design magazine — Prada recently hosted a holiday gathering complete with short rib guisado (which she proudly declared "came out a dream"), Cajun turchetta, and her very first jamón carving. She shared behind-the-scenes moments on Instagram, candles flickering across a table so romantically laid out it was practically cinematic. But romance, after all, is part of Prada's archetype. She's deeply passionate, with an innate appreciation for beauty, art, and life — qualities that make being the "hostess with the mostess" feel less like less of a hobby and more of a calling.
She's cooked for castmates before — including hosting Thanksgiving for the entire "Riverdale" cast — and while filming the "John Wick" spinoff series "The Continental," when she even tracked down the only chef in Budapest who could secure her a turkey.
"Food is my love language, and it also came before I was acting. I was chefing a pop-up restaurant before," she tells Popsugar. "It's just always been something that I really love, and it's such a powerful way that we connect: we sit down, we break bread, and we share stories. It's my favorite way to show love — to feed somebody."
She's a natural nurturer. Her love is given freely, not out of obligation — something she believes she inherited from her mom, who passed away a few years ago.
"My mom definitely cooked a lot for us and always made such an effort to make us feel really special," Prada shares. "She was so good at it. Even if I came and just wanted a snack, she'd have some ceviche [ready] and would get all these dishes from Goodwill, and she'd have a little martini glass and put the ceviche in there with like a plantain chip on the side with a beautiful napkin."
Prada, similarly, pays great attention to detail and beauty in general. "I love feeling really romantic and sensual, and I love beauty," she says. "I think that beauty feels very soothing and very intentional in what we curate. I want to have more of that. I think sometimes I didn't always feel like I deserved that, but going back to my mom, I see that it was something that she always did. There was always beauty in the house."
At 35, Prada could easily pass for someone a decade younger — thanks to great genes and a healthy lifestyle — but even she admits to sometimes feeling the pressure to maintain a youthful appearance as an actress. What she refuses to do, however, is buy into the patriarchal lie that women become less beautiful or desirable as they age.
"I feel hotter than I did at 20. I know how to do my makeup better. I know how to dress for my body type better. I know what colors look better on me — I am so much better," she says. "You could not pay me money to go back to being 20."
Prada says the best advice she's ever received about aging came from an older woman she met while volunteering at a retirement home. "She said, have friends of all different age groups. You have older women who you're looking at and thinking, 'Wow, I can't wait to be you.' You've got younger women that maybe you can mentor but can also teach you things, and then it doesn't feel like these very sliced experiences."
Ahead, Prada shares everything from her go-to terrine for hosting to her most affordable beauty buy, the heat protectant she swears by to keep her curls healthy, and her favorite indulgent luxury snack.
Mishel Prada’s Affordable Must Have
Instead of using pimple patches, Prada still swears by this old-school beauty classic: the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque ($9). "I don't know why anybody would use it on their whole face, but if you use it at the moment you even feel it happening (a pimple coming in), you put it on, and while you sleep with it, it sucks it all out," she explains.
Mishel Prada’s Snack Must Have
The same way some people think everything's better with a little bit of wine — though she believes this, too — Prada feels like life is a little richer if you always have a little bit of caviar at home.
"I always try to have a little tin of caviar in the fridge," she says, insisting that it doesn't have to cost you more than $100. "This is the thing, you can buy a $50 tin of caviar at Costco or Whole Foods, and it has a lot of vitamins." One of her favorites is Marky's Caviar American Paddlefish ($30). It's an affordable alternative to sturgeon caviar, and she believes it pairs nicely with chips.
Mishel Prada’s Hosting Must Have
Okay, so Prada doesn't actually have a favorite terrine — but she does have a collection that includes the Gohar Artichoke Tureen ($396). It's perfect for serving beans, soups, stews, guisados, and sancochos.
Mishel Prada’s Hairstyling Must Have
Believe it or not, Prada is actually a natural curly girl. "I have very curly hair, but they always straighten it," she says. "After 'Vida,' my curls didn't come back. I had to wait for my curls to grow back out." Now that she's managed to get her curls to a healthy place again, she takes a heat protectant with her to every set. Her favorite is the Mizani Press Agent Thermal Smoothing Raincoat Styling Cream ($26). "I will not let them touch my hair on set without it anymore," she says.
Mishel Prada’s Red Lipstick Must Have
Prada doesn't rock a red pout often, but the few times she does, she really owns it. "I'm obsessed with the Violette FR. When I've rocked a perfect lipstick, it's because I've had a makeup artist," she says. "It's a blurry red lip that is very easy to put on and looks like you just came out of a makeup session, but still looks good." She opts for the Violette FR Petal Bouche Liquid Longwearing Matte Lipstick in Amour Fou ($31).
Mishel Prada’s Eyeliner Mus Have
If there's one thing to know about Prada, it's that when something works, she sticks to it. It's like the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." When it comes to her eyeliner game — which is no joke — the actress remains loyal to her tried and true MAC Pro Longwear Fluidline Waterproof Gel Eyeliner ($23).
Mishel Prada’s Nostalgic Must Have
As a Dominican and Puerto Rican kid who grew up on Vicks VapoRub, or what Latines call Vivaporú, Prada admits to recently becoming obsessed with the Vicks VapoShower Soothing Vapors Shower Tablets ($11). "You pop 'em in the shower where the shower drain is, and it makes it smell not as intense as Vicks VapoRub, but it feels like a spa," she says. "You just pop in the shower when you need a good end-of-day relaxation or if you need a good cry."
Johanna Ferreira is the content director for PS Juntos. With more than 10 years of experience, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central part of Latine culture. Previously, she spent close to three years as the deputy editor at HipLatina, and she has freelanced for numerous outlets including Refinery29, Oprah magazine, Allure, InStyle, and Well+Good. She has also moderated and spoken on numerous panels on Latine identity.
