We asked John Legend — who recently founded his own skin-care line, Loved01 — about the signature cologne he applies every morning, the flavored water he drinks during shows, and the deep fryer he uses to make fried chicken.
Throat Coat keeps my vocals fresh. I’ll drink it multiple times a day if I have a show that day. Sometimes I’ll drink it even if I don’t, but definitely if I have a show, it’s my go-to beverage. It has slippery elm and licorice root, and it’s good for making sure your throat stays well lubricated. I’ll add a little bit of honey as well.
I have several bottles of Hint water next to me when I perform. If you see me play, they’re always sitting next to my piano, and I’ll take sips throughout the show. Blackberry is the flavor I’ve settled on. It keeps me hydrated and tastes great. Staying hydrated is always key when you’re performing and just in life in general. It’s good for your skin, good for your voice, good for everything.
I bought this cologne one time when I was at a Tom Ford store many years ago, and now it’s my only scent. I literally will only wear this every day. I just like the way I feel when I wear it. It feels like it finishes the process — the outfit, the skin-care routine and then the cologne to top it all off. If I get changed to go to a new event I might reapply, but mostly I just put it on after I get dressed in the morning and I feel like I’m ready for my day.
Speaking of Tom, my wife gets me a backpack from them every year for my birthday and I never go anywhere without it. The bags are beautiful and durable and I love the big bold gold zipper — I think it’s a great touch. They just look cool. They all have the same shape and design, but there’s a bunch of different colors and materials. The one I’ve been using this year is a brown suede one. I take it everywhere and I’ll use it to carry my laptop, which is a MacBook Pro. I’ll also bring an HDMI cable — I have lots of cables and cords to connect me so I can watch whatever I want wherever I am. And I’ll have my passport — all the essentials.
This is my wife’s book, so I’m obviously biased, but the recipes are really delicious. She’s the chef and the cookbook writer, but I cook about as much as she does. I’m just not as much of a recipe writer. A few of the recipes I wrote myself, but I use her recipes a lot. I cook from these books at least once a week. I make breakfast for the kids a lot and sometimes I’ll make dinner for her, and a lot of times I’ll make it from her book. I recently made the chicken-pot-pie soup. I made the braised short ribs with sweet potato mash. I made her cacio e pepe. I love how flavorful the recipes are, but they’re also really reliable. You don’t have to modify it, you just make it as it says and it works every time.
I’ve had a T-Fal fryer since 2007. It’s exactly what I want — it’s the exact right size and very easy to clean and take care of. It regulates the temperature perfectly. They have a turkey fryer that I’ve used as well — we use it for Thanksgiving sometimes. I like it better than frying in a big pot because the temperature regulation is much more straightforward. It stops heating when it’s reached a certain point and it heats back up when it needs to. So you don’t have to spend the whole time watching the temperature. I love to fry chicken, so this is what I’ll use. We’ve made homemade French fries in it, we’ve made egg rolls in it; a range of things.
I’ve gotten quite a few Bottega boots lately and I love them all. They have a great bold shape and always make a statement. I have some black lace-ups. I have some boots that are almost to the knee in army green and black. I have some in cream and brown as well. All of the recent Bottega boots have a nice shape to them because the nose of the shoe is very prominent. I like that bulk at the bottom of a lot of outfits; having that bold shape in the front makes a lot of pants look cooler. So I’ve been wearing a lot of Bottega boots lately.
We launched Loved01 earlier this year in February, less than a year ago. We wanted to focus on the needs of people with melanin-rich skin. We focus a lot on moisture and hydration and natural products that are really beautiful and feel great but are affordable and accessible. We’re really proud of what we created, and I truly use it all the time. My very favorite is the face and body moisturizer. I’ve tried all kinds of moisturizers over the years, and it’s the best I’ve ever used. The experience of applying it feels great — it’s not greasy. It’s perfectly creamy. Also it just lasts. Your skin stays moist and hydrated all day and it feels really good.
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