"I was extremely excited to join the cast of You because I’ve been a big fan of the show from the start. My character’s a bit of a mystery, and that’s going to keep people guessing. From what I’ve seen online, fans definitely have their favorites when it comes to Joe’s past lovers, and I don’t think Bronte will be a welcome addition right away–if anything, they’ll probably love to hate her, which I’m prepared for.
Being on hugely popular TV shows like You and The Handmaid’s Tale is funny because it came about by happy accident. I did my first play when I was 7, which stemmed from the fact that my dad had done some theater. I wanted to take a stab at it too, and really, there’s no other feeling quite like being on stage. When I graduated from school, my agent sent me on an audition for what I thought was a web series—streaming didn’t exist at the time, and Netflix still only had DVDs. When I landed the role of Tricia Miller in Orange Is The New Black, I got to set and the production was way bigger than I had imagined. That’s when I realized I had the wrong idea and it was a pretty big thing. The rest is history. The show, along with House of Cards, forever changed the way we watch TV.
I wasn’t a big beauty girl growing up. I mean, I started paying attention to how I looked in my early teens, but beyond the grooming aspect of things, beauty wasn’t on my radar. The biggest thing for me was that I wanted bone straight hair instead of my curls. Nowadays I just want longer hair. I did two or three jobs back-to-back—You being one of them—that required a short hairstyle, so I’ve been on a journey to grow it back for my wedding, but also just for life. I started washing my hair more frequently—making sure to shampoo twice each time. The first wash breaks up all of the oils and grime on the scalp. The second wash actually cleanses the scalp and opens up the follicles. Once a week, I use K18’s Peptide Prep Shampoo for a deeper scalp clean. I also discovered Bur Bur Growing Season hair oil—TikTok swears it helps with growth and strength. You’re supposed to apply it a couple of times a week before you shower. And of course, there’s the protection element to growing out your hair. I use Frizz Ease's Heat Defeat spray if I’m using a hot tool on it. I also love the Rōz Santa Lucia hair oil, which is also a heat protectant, and the K18 Molecular Repair hair oil, too.
I have an incredible hair color stylist, Craig Moir from Salon Dew, in Toronto—he’s been doing my color for The Handmaid’s Tale for eight years. But I’m currently in between appointments, and red is so hard to keep—it literally washes out in three washes. So, in an effort to bring it back to life, I decided to dye it myself. Craig wrote down the formula for me, and I got all the stuff. It’s probably a big no-no, but I think it turned out great.
When it comes to skincare, I’m particularly fanatical about sunscreen. I’m the person in my family who’s always asking, Do you have enough sunscreen on? Do you want me to put some on your back? When did you last reapply? I’ve come a long way from slathering on baby oil and baking in the sun—or worse, the tanning bed. But I’m from Jersey, so you can’t blame me. [Laughs] I love Beauty of Joseon’s Relief Sun for everyday wear. Every other sunscreen makes my eyes incredibly watery, and a lot are also sticky and mess with my makeup. If I’m going to the beach, I bring a big fat bottle of Blue Lizard’s mineral SPF 50. For my body, I like Shiseido’s Ultimate Sun SPF 50, which is a little creamier than the Relief Sun. That goes on after Palmer’s cocoa butter lotion, which I’ve been wearing for years. I’ve tried other things, but I always come back to it. I love the texture and the scent so much—someone once told me I smelled like hot chocolate.
Overall, I’m prone to redness, texture, and breakouts. Maybe the redness and texture is a result of not exfoliating enough. Everyone says chemical exfoliation is the way to go, but I like a physical one and have been using the Joanna Vargas exfoliating mask to help my skin. I think I have acne because I touch my face too much, especially when I’m stressed. The Solawave 4-in-1 wand has really helped the cystic breakouts on my chin—10 minutes on a cyst and the swelling and pain are mostly gone. But my holy grail is Murad’s Deep Relief Acne Treatment in combination with Hero’s Mighty Patch pimple stickers. That’s what finally stopped me from picking at my skin and trying to pop my zits. People say that the stickers aren’t noticeable but they totally are—I just don’t care because my skin is more important.
Of course I’m a double cleanser girl. My first cleanse is always with Farmacy’s Green Clean balm—it warms up in your hands and has the perfect slip. Then I’ve been using the Youth To The People Antioxidant cleanser, although I also really like Murad’s Essential-C cleanser. In the mornings, I use Dr. Jart’s Brightamin serum, then alternate between Kiehl’s Ultra moisturizer and Youth To The People’s Air-Whip cream. At night, I use Mad Hippie’s Triple C cream. One of The Handmaid’s Tale makeup artists told me about it and I’ve seen a big difference in my skin tone.
I’ve been making an effort to wear more makeup, which has been great for my mental health. Before, I used to save things for important moments, but now I feel like every day is worth dressing up for, and makeup is a part of that. I always wear Chanel’s Noir Intense or Cassis eyeliner. Cassis is a plum shade that I picked up after wearing it as Bronte on You. The purple really brings out the blue in my eyes. For mascara, I go drugstore—Maybelline’s Great Lash really separates my lashes and never clumps them. My mom uses it, too. However, I like Make Up For Ever’s Smoky Extravagant mascara for a thicker lash. It was my character’s mascara in The Handmaid’s Tale, when she worked in a night club.
Sometimes I’ll put blush on my eyelids for a monochromatic look, but usually I just place it from the apples of my cheeks up to the bottom of my eyes because one time I went out running and noticed that my natural flush sat there. Saie’s Dew blush in Dreamy and Carolina Herrera’s Good Girl blusher in Plum Tulip, are favorites.
For my complexion makeup, I love Saie’s Slip Tint concealer in shade 6 with the Glowy Super Gel in Starglow—it really makes my face pop. Then I do my brows with the Benefit Gimme Brow gel. I’ve used my tube so much that the label on it has completely worn off. I like Benefit’s Precisely, My Brow pencil in shade 3, a warm light brown, too.
I’ve been loving Anfisa’s Ân-Gloss lip treatment lately. It’s so hydrating and makes my lips feel luscious. Then I always wear Charlotte Tilbury’s Lip Cheat liner in Iconic Nude. It’s a perfect color, pretty similar to Chanel’s lip pencil in Nude Brun. Both pair beautifully with Chanel’s Le Rouge Duo in Tender Beige, which has a liquid lipstick on one side that dries down sort of matte, and a gloss on the other end. And yes, I did steal Bronte’s go-to lip—the YSL Candy Glaze Gloss in Showcasing Nude—from my makeup artist, Sasha Borax. [Laughs]
A few random things to know about me is I have a Listerine breath spray and strip addiction that is fully influenced by Elizabeth Moss. When I can’t find a strip, I panic a little. [Laughs] Also, I’m obsessed with Cocofloss because teeth are bones that need protecting, too. And I really love Essie’s cuticle oil. It leaves your fingers so soft and smells like apricot. I used to bite my nails and I learned that nail health starts at the cuticle in the same way that hair health starts at the scalp. That means you’ve got to get down to the root of things—your cuticles—to fix the problem.
For fragrances, I have four scents that I pretty much stick to. Occasionally, I’ll wear Good Girl from Carolina Herrera—it’s my most feminine scent. I also love Gabrielle by Chanel, which I initially bought for my mom but ended up keeping. My other favorite is Arizona from Proenza Schouler, which is now discontinued. I’ve had the same bottle since I was 19—it’s probably expired by now—because I only do one spritz when I wear it to avoid running out. Sometimes I’ll mix it with Le Labo’s Thé Noir 29 for a really nice mixture of florals and musk. I’ve been wearing Thé Noir 29 since, oh, God, years now. I’ve smelled it on other people and asked if they’re wearing it, and it’s funny because they’ll tell me the name of another perfume because they want to gatekeep. I say it’s the perfume that brings all the boys to the yards, because when I was a single girl, my lovers remembered it. My fiancé loves it now, too.”
—As told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Brittany Bravo in Los Angeles on March 27, 2025