Rachel Brosnahan on Her Favorite Nighttime Products

I like to do a quick stretch to wind down, especially when I’m working in a corset and high heels all day long. At the end of the day, my feet hurt so much. Sometimes I’ll step on a ball, or I’ll do some twisting in bed.

On the best way to face mask

When I do a face mask, I will either sit and lightly meditate—just sit with my thoughts—or listen to a podcast while I’m cuddling with my dogs. Recently I’ve been really into The Daily. I know I’m so late to the party on The Daily, but it’s new for me in the past couple of months. It lasts about the same time that it takes to do a face mask, so I actually time my face mask by [the podcast].

Sometimes I’ll learn my lines in bed if I have a big scene, either while I’m doing a mask or just as I’m lying there. I have, many times, fallen asleep with a script on my face, especially with Maisel. But I do often fall asleep learning lines, which I know isn’t the greatest because it keeps your mind moving—that it engages your brain right as you’re trying to slow it down. I find that sometimes, especially if it’s a very stressful week at work, I wake up in the middle of the night running lines.

On trying not to look at her phone

Once I’ve started my shower and skin-care routine, after that point, I don’t watch any kind of TV. I actually don’t have a TV in my house. I haven’t had one for seven years. I was grandfathered into a projector in my latest apartment—it came with it—and I’ve liked that because using it is a choice. If I want to watch something, I can get it down, but it’s not something that lives in the space all the time.

I don’t think I would ever have a TV in my bedroom. I try not to look at my phone late at night, but I feel like sometimes, in the process of thinking and reflecting, I’m like, “Oh, shit, I forgot to answer this email.” Or, “Oh, crap, I have to respond to that text message.” I do think it keeps me up, so I try not to do it. But I’m not very successful at that. I charge my phone overnight on the floor under my bedside table. I don’t want to be tempted to reach for it. I try not to check the time—[if I do] then I’m done, and I’m up thinking about how many hours I have left to sleep.

On the best tools for bad sleepers

I need to sleep with an eye mask. Extra light filters into my apartment, so I sleep with one of those silk ones. Depending on what’s going on in the neighborhood, sometimes I’ll sleep with earplugs in as well, or a noise machine.

It’s super simple, but I really love the Dohm White Noise Machine. It just has two settings; it’s not anything complicated. It’s just white noise on a high or a low setting so that if my husband is awake and doing things in the house or my dogs are moving around, I can still sleep. I love it, and I travel with it when I’m in strange hotel rooms or apartments. I’m not a great sleeper, in case you couldn’t tell.

On going commando

I alternate what I wear to sleep. Sometimes I wear pants and a T-shirt. I’ve been given some very beautiful silk pajamas, which I never thought I would like to sleep in but I’ve loved. But generally it’s just a T-shirt and stretchy pants. No socks, no underwear. Well, listen—we should be open about this stuff.

On being five minutes late, no matter what

When I’m not working I set one alarm or I wake up on my own, if I have the luxury. But when I’m working I set three alarms because I’m so afraid that I’m going to sleep through one or be late for work, even though it’s never happened. I always set three, and they’re 12 minutes apart.

I’m about five minutes late for things, no matter how much time I give myself. I could wake up five minutes before I need to walk out the door and I’d be five minutes late. I could wake up an hour before I need to leave and I’m five minutes late. I hate being late and I stress about it all the time. If anyone has any advice, it’s my New Year’s resolution every year.

Rachel Brosnahan’s Favorite Things

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, $10, Ulta
Cetaphil Gentle Makeup Remover, $5, Amazon
Cetaphil Purifying Clay Mask, $16, Amazon
Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum, $185, Nordstrom
Drunk Elephant Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum, $90, Sephora
Olaplex Hair Perfector No. 3, $28, Amazon
Marpac Dohm Classic White Noise Sound Machine, $50, Amazon

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