“Being a Gemini, I’m always willing to try new things. I was working at Warby Parker when I signed up for improv classes—just to have a hobby—and I had never felt more joy. After that, I tried standup, and almost immediately I knew I wanted to be a comedian.
I started out by doing the open mic circuit, which is a very scary place as a woman. I also had to do ‘bringer’ shows, where you’re only allowed to perform if you bring five people to watch. I met Benny [Benito Skinner] at a comedy show in Bushwick. I remember watching his set and thinking he had such star quality. I mean, this was in a bar with more comics than audience members, and he just lit up the room. As I was leaving, he stopped me to say he loved my set. From there, everything happened pretty organically. We were booked on another show together, which led to us working on a sketch, which led to this really beautiful friendship and our podcast, Ride. When we started it, we wanted it to be a positive space where we could catch up as friends, be funny, and celebrate products or cultural moments. I’m very type A and Benny’s more chaotic, so we balance each other out really well.
Ride eventually led to Overcompensating, a semi-autobiographical show centered on Benny’s journey through college as a closeted gay guy. I met him after he had already come out, so it was really special to learn more about that part of his life. The show explores the idea that love can feel conditional, which sounds intense for a half-hour comedy, but it works. I play Benny’s sister, Grace, who I think is tragically misunderstood. She’s blunt and not particularly expressive, and it was fun to play someone like that.
SKINCARE + BODY
For a while it felt like the universe was conspiring against my skin. A few years ago Benny introduced me to Sofie Pavitt, and my first appointment scheduled with her was right at the start of the pandemic. It ended up being years before I finally saw her, but it was worth the wait. She’s so knowledgeable and genuinely fun to talk to and my go-to after big trips.
When it comes to my daily routine, my dog, Pinky, wakes me up at 8AM like clockwork. We’ll go downstairs, take a walk, get a coffee, and then come back to use my rose quartz roll—I keep mine from Jenny Patinkin in the fridge. Then I wash my face. The dermatitis I developed a couple of years ago makes my skin look really dry, but what’s saved me is my prescription shampoo, which I use as a face wash because the 2-percent ketoconazole in it keeps my dermatitis under control.
I keep the rest of my routine pretty simple. There are only two other products I’m really passionate about: 111Skin rose gold eye patches and Carmex. 111Skin eye patches are the best eye patches in the world. I got some during a facial in England, before I realized how expensive they are, and now I just save them for travel. I’m Italian, and one of my big fears is getting dramatic under-eye bags, but these patches really even things out. And honestly, even if it’s placebo, I’m still into them.
I’ve talked about Carmex at length on Ride. If you look around my apartment, there’s one in every corner. People have tried to scare me out of using it—remember the whole ‘there’s glass in it’ rumor? I’m sorry, but let me live. I like how it smells, I like how it feels, I like that it’s affordable, and I love the little squeezy tube.
I started going to Sugared + Bronzed when I dressed up as Kim Kardashian for Halloween a few years back. I learned something important then: a spray tan on my armpits clogs my pores and will give me BO for a month. It’s so important to know that about yourself! Now I always apply a little barrier cream on my pits and remind the tech. It’s such a nice thing to do before events. We also decided that all the characters on Overcompensating are tanned. I used to get a level two, but then I found out level four has fewer orange undertones—so now I’m a level four girl. At first, you look like a character from Guardians of the Galaxy—sort of greenish—but after you shower, you’re tan. It’s magic.
MAKEUP
On a normal day I’m pretty low-key with makeup. But when I have shows, I love being alone in my hotel room to blow out my hair and paint my face. I also love when Benny does my makeup—sometimes he’ll push me to go for a bolder look, which is fun, but my natural inclination is definitely more toned-down.
I usually start with the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin concealer in shade 4 under my eyes. If I’m doing a show, I might contour with her contour wand and layer foundation on top, but on more chill days, I’ll just use the Light Bobbi Brown bronzing powder as a subtle contour before going in with blush and highlighter.
My foundation philosophy is somewhat romantic. I’ve been through many phases, many breakups. Sometimes your skin changes, or the magic just fades. Right now, my skin is loving Charlotte Tilbury’s Flawless foundation. I mix it with the (sadly discontinued) Bobbi Brown Nude Finish tinted moisturizer, and the combo gives me just the right amount of coverage and melts into my skin so naturally that it barely looks like I’m wearing makeup. I’ve tried applying with hands and brushes, but I always come back to my Beautyblender. Yes, it eats some product, but I’m like, ‘The Beautyblender is hungry, and that’s OK. I have to honor that.’
For highlighter, I alternate between Bobbi Brown’s highlighting powder in Afternoon Glow and Charlotte Tilbury’s Light Wand in Pillow Talk. I also love the Dior Backstage Glow Face palettes—Benny introduced me and I have both Universal and Glitz. They have a mix of highlighters and blush, and lately I’ve been into putting a little blush on my nose, and you can even use the shades as eyeshadow. Speaking of eyeshadow, I do have a proper palette—the Luxury Pillow Talk one from Charlotte Tilbury—but I only ever use it for shows.
Sometimes all I do to leave the house is fill in my brows, which is a far cry from where I started as a person super intimidated by brows. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer in Soft Brown makes filling them in easy without looking harsh. For mascara, I’m loyal to a tubing one from Trish McEvoy because it comes off so easily with water. It doesn’t pack on as thick as I’d like, but it also doesn’t leave under-eye smudges.
Carmex is my true love, but I do keep a few other lip products in rotation: a Fenty gloss in Hot Chocolit that gives a little plump, a Summer Fridays lip tint in Rosewood Nights, and a red MAC lipstick that was actually a collab with Benny. That said, I find bold lipsticks often look amazing in your bathroom mirror but don’t always age well at events, so if I’m going to do a statement, I usually go for bold eyeshadow over a bold lip.
I finish with Half Magic’s setting spray, which is the only one that actually leaves my skin dewy. My skin leans dry, so the hydration makes a huge difference. I don’t know what they’re putting in that stuff, but whatever it is, I’m on board.
HAIR
If I could, there are two devices I would marry: my Dyson vacuum and my Amika 2.0 blow dryer brush. It’s truly a magic wand for your hair—I can do a full salon blowout in 40 minutes and the fullness and texture keeps. I always use Color Wow’s Dream Coat anti-frizz treatment with my brush. Blake Arsenault, the head of Overcompensating’s hair department, used it on me once and I’ve been hooked ever since. I don’t know how it works, but I love the way my hair looks when I use it.
I’ve been seeing Meaghan Almodovar at Mane Wellness—for cuts and color—for years. I’m naturally a brunette, but I went blonde for Overcompensating. I’m going back to brown on my birthday, May 28, even though I’ve discovered that baristas are nicer to blondes. Brown is just more low-maintenance, and I want to return to that. Also, I think messy hair when you’re brunette is a vibe, but messy hair when you’re blonde is not a vibe.
I wash my hair twice a week with Kevin Murphy’s Angel Wash, but I only condition with the Angel Rinse every other week to prevent build-up. I also love his Bedroom.Hair texturizing spray. It smells amazing and adds a little extra texture and volume. If I want a more natural wavy look but don’t want anything too heavy, I use the Shimmer Shine mist. And I always travel with my DevaCurl hair towel. My mom got it somewhere—you know how moms just have things at home?
TEETH
Teeth are weirdly neglected in beauty routines. Natural teeth are also getting rarer, so I want to keep mine healthy for as long as possible. I brush when I wake up, I brush before bed, and sometimes I even brush after lunch because, freelancer. [Laughs] I used to get really bad canker sores until I started using Verve’s SLS-free toothpaste, which my sister found after dealing with the same issue. And I floss compulsively—at least twice a day—with Oral-B’s Glide.
I had braces in eighth grade and they worked great, but then I stopped wearing my retainer. So to any young people reading this: please wear your retainer. I had a snaggletooth on the left side and it came back immediately. I felt self-conscious about it, especially being on camera, so I started Invisalign two years ago. It was so painful—sometimes you have to take them out for meals in front of people, and that’s something you should really save for marriage—but it was worth it. You only get one set of teeth, so take care of them… unless you want fake ones down the line.
NAILS + FRAGRANCE
I only have one fragrance: Maison Louis Marie’s No.04 Bois de Balincourt perfume oil. My cousin wore it on a family trip, I smelled it, bought it immediately, and haven’t worn anything else since.
Gel extensions totally ruined my nails. They’re finally long again, and now I’m obsessive about keeping them consistently shaped—always oval, always neat—and I do them at home to avoid the stress of the salon. My signature color is Lilacism from Essie; people always ask me what color it is when they see my nails. I love how girly it is—and to me, it doesn’t feel super summery or wintery so I can get away with it year-round.”
—As told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Shana Trajanoska in New York on April 25, 2025