The Key to Beauty Entrepreneur Kristen Noel Crawley’s Eccentric West Coast Glam

“I am very much about positive energy,” Kristen Noel Crawley says. So when guests come to call at the KNC Beauty founder’s peaceful Pasadena home, only the boldest and most decadent gestures will do. “I like to hire a chef to cook so that I can enjoy my guests without having to worry about feeding everyone,” she says. For decor, a mix of vintage and modern designer pieces (from Gucci or Fendi Casa, for instance) keeps things fun yet refined—luxurious, “but with freshness.”

Crawley’s wardrobe could be described in similar terms. “My aesthetic has always been mixing high and low,” she explains. While a typical night in means sweatpants and an old baby tee (“I’m usually chasing around my two young boys,” she says), when entertaining, Crawley likes to go big. “At the start [of a party,] I like to dress up—a full look from Prada or Miu Miu never fails me in making a statement,” she says. (Not one to shy away from color, she loves a saturated hue—“cobalt blue, red, magenta, et cetera.”) As the evening progresses, however, “I always end up changing into something silky from Morgan Lane.”

Having the freedom to dress however she likes is just one of the things that Crawley likes most about living in California. “I’m from the Midwest, [and] when I moved here 10 years ago it was a bit of a culture shock,” she says. Now, she relishes the warm weather and progressive politics; not to mention the state’s astounding natural beauty. “[It’s] so dope that the beach is 1 hour to the west,” she says, “and the mountains 1 hour to the east!”

Shop Crawley’s eccentric West Coast wardrobe, below.