“My parents are Cuban refugees, and when I was little, the only Cuban person I’d ever seen on screen was Desi Arnaz in I Love Lucy. Saying I wanted to be an actor felt like saying I wanted to be a president or an astronaut. But then I accidentally ended up in a drama class in high school and had this realization that I could make people laugh—on purpose, not just at me. You need to have a certain weird bravado to want to be an actor, and I’ve said this before, but I have the confidence of a mediocre white man. [Laughs]
Growing up in Miami made a difference for me because I wasn’t a minority there, so I never thought that being Cuban would stop me from being successful. My best friend and I moved to LA when I was 20, and I remember thinking, ‘OK, in a month we’ll have an agent. In two months, we’ll be on a TV show. In three months, we’ll be famous. It’ll be great.’ It didn’t work out that way at all, but eventually I started landing roles. I’ve been in shows and movies like Parks and Recreation, Santa Clarita Diet, Grey’s Anatomy, and No Hard Feelings. I also directed Plan B and Language Lessons, which I starred in. Recently, I got to play Zoe in My Dead Friend Zoe, and, as the title says, I’m dead. It was co-written and directed by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, and it’s based on his real-life story and the loss of his friend. Without giving too much away, the movie is really about helping people, and that’s what inspired me to be a part of it.
I’ve always liked beauty. In drama class, we had to do our own makeup, and I distinctly remember being about 15 or 16 when I realized that blue eyeshadow makes brown and green eyes pop. I found that so interesting and cool. Many years later, I ended up doing all the special effects makeup for Language Lessons. As for skincare, I’ve figured out a routine that works for me—to the point that I don’t deal with a lot of skin issues now. I definitely had acne in the past, though. I remember using the Clinique salicylic acid gel when I was a teenager. Now I keep pimple stickers around for the occasional spot.
Since I wear makeup constantly for work, it’s really important to keep my skin clean when I can. My skin loves Eminence's Clear Skin Probiotic Cleanser because it never makes my face feel tight. When I did The Beast In Me, our makeup artist, Ruthie Fernandez, introduced me to the brand. I also have their Stone Crop mist, which smells really fresh and green, and their Strawberry Rhubarb Hyaluronic Hydrator, which plumps my skin. Sunscreen-wise, E.l.f.’s Suntouchable Whoa Glow SPF 30 is my go-to. It gives a glowy finish without making me look oily, and it’s so affordable—only around $14.
Last year, I had an amazing facial at Selah Skin Studio in South Florida and I picked up their Rose Botanical Essence and also their Radiance serum, which has a sort of oily texture that I really like. For facials generally, I like to go to the girls at Joanna Vargas maybe two or three times a year—definitely not as often as I’d like. I love Joanna’s exfoliating mask. I keep it in the shower, and it reminds me of an actually-good-for-you St. Ives apricot scrub, in that it gives you such a satisfying clean feeling. I reach for it when I feel like my skin needs a reset after wearing so much makeup.
I used to be apprehensive about using face oils because I have combination skin and thought it might make some areas even oiler, but my face actually does really well with them. Kimberly Bragalone, a makeup artist friend of mine, got me a bottle of Kypris’ Beauty Elixir II, and my face loves it. I was using it so much until I looked it up one day and realized it’s expensive as hell. I like to use Embryolisse’s Lait-Crème moisturizer after the oil if I’m wearing makeup. Together, they create a really beautiful, non-greasy base for other products.
When I was in Paris, I loved the idea of being one of those girls who goes to a Parisian pharmacy to get Parisian things. [Laughs] But in reality, I didn’t understand anything and got overwhelmed. I ended up buying the Nuxe Prodigieuse oil balm because it looked and smelled good, like jasmine and lychee. I love using it at night. I also picked up the Prodigieuse dry oil, which you can use on your hair and face, but I use it on my body.
I bought the Solawave when it was on sale and I’ve noticed such a difference. Honestly, I didn’t expect much from it, but I was so wrong. I can especially tell the difference when I use it on just half of my face first—my face is more lifted and plump. It also makes me look a little more awake when I’m tired. Gua sha gives me a similar effect, but the Solawave is less work.
I wear more makeup when I go out or for an event, but on a regular basis, I only wear tinted SPF as my base. I was big on Ilia’s Skin Tint for a long time—and I still use it sometimes—but it has an interesting smell. Recently, I’ve been using one from Eminence, which is SPF 50+ and has a glowy finish that I love. Then I’ll use Benefit’s Benetint on the apples of my cheeks and my lips, and that’s it.
Since discovering it, I’ve worn Haus Labs' Triclone Foundation on every show and movie I’ve done. It has such a beautiful finish, and my skin has never looked prettier. That said, on ‘no makeup makeup’ nights, I use my Glossier Stretch Concealer as my base when I don’t want to have a face full of foundation. I swirl it around with an E.l.f. brush that fits perfectly in the little pot and blend it all over my face. It’s especially good under my eyes. If I want a slight contour, I like to use Kevyn Aucoin’s sculpting powder in Medium. It’s not heavy and actually creates a natural shadow.
Rare Beauty’s Lip Soufflé in Inspire is the best red lipstick because it’s a perfect balance between orange and blue-red, so it really works well with my skin tone. I like a lot of Rare Beauty products. I use their mascara, too. And while we’re on the subject of eyes, I love Armani’s eyeshadow tint in Wood, a deep brown matte. It spreads easily, and sometimes I use it as eyeliner. The Physicians Formula liner in Deep Brown is another favorite. Nykita from TikTok put me on to Nudestix’s Magnetic eyeliner—I use Night. It’s a kohl liner. You can use it on your waterline without worrying that it’ll come off. Their brow gel is also the best—I have crazy brows and if I don't use anything on them, I look like Walter Cronkite. [Laughs] It doesn’t leave white flakes or make my brows matte—it gives them a slight shine that makes them look so healthy.
Jenelle Oldham has been cutting and dyeing my hair since 2013. She’s given me bangs, bleached my whole head white, and, a couple of weeks ago, cut my hair into a bob. I hadn’t cut it in about a year because I was on two jobs where I wasn’t allowed to touch it. So, when I finally saw her, I told her to chop it all off. It might sound strange, but whenever I’d be stuck in traffic I’d have obsessive thoughts about the sound of scissors cutting my hair. I think I was chasing the feeling of watching it fall to the ground. [Laughs] Now, it’s so freeing to do my hair in five minutes and walk out of the door. I asked her to leave it choppy at the ends instead of an actual bob because that’s too much work—and also I didn’t want a fuck-ass bob, you know? The inspiration was Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive after she goes nuts. I already wanted to cut my hair, but then I watched the movie the weekend that David Lynch died, and I loved her look. So thank you, Naomi Watts, queen of the bob.
I used to wash my hair a lot less often when it was long because it took forever to dry and style, so I’d just use a ton of the dark tones dry shampoo from Moroccanoil. Now I wash it every two days because it feels so good to have clean hair. Last year, my friend Gloria threw a Galentine’s Day party and gave us some products, including Potion Studios’ Satin Silk shampoo and Confident Crown conditioner. I’ve been using them ever since. I also love Renpure’s apple cider vinegar scalp serum, which helps soothe my scalp. Usually my scalp screams at me when I go to sleep with wet hair, but not when I’ve used this serum.
I love Oribe’s products, too. Jenelle introduced me to the Après Beach Wave and Shine Spray, which is actually great for this kind of hair because it gives it texture and movement. The dry texturizing spray is amazing, too. The Monoi Star Strength leave-in cream from Carol’s Daughter is perfect for multiple situations. When I had long hair, I’d sometimes air dry with it. It’s also great when your ends are looking a little fried or when you want to revive curly hair. But I don’t know if they still sell it. I bought a gigantic bottle so long ago, and I only use a tiny bit at a time.
It’s hard for me to get gel manicures because if I land a job, I have to take it off immediately. Also, gel ruins my nails. But thank God for Zoya’s Naked Pink Perfector polish. I wear it all the time. It doesn’t look like actual nail polish on your nails. It just gives you that ‘your nails but better’ look because it hides imperfections. I’ve tried so many different ‘perfecting’ polishes that were too white or streaky. What’s great is that I can apply this one in two seconds because it dries quickly, and I never need to use a topcoat. It also lasts a really long time.
To me, the purpose of a perfume is either to delight you or make you more irresistible to other people—and hopefully, it does both. I usually like musky or vanilla scents—I love gourmands that aren’t too sweet. I got Coriander by D.S. and Durga for my birthday not too long ago, and I’m obsessed. It’s so soft that I can wear it all the time, which is what I want in a perfume. I want to feel like I can sleep in it—not that I would necessarily waste it on sleep, but you don’t always want to go to bed wearing some perfumes. I almost didn’t share this because I don’t want other people to start using it.”
—as told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Brittany Bravo in Los Angeles on February 28, 2025