Categories
Health

Natasha Rothwell, Star of 'Insecure,' Eats Popsicles and Burns Things in Her ‘Wild West’ COVID-Era Bedtime Routine


Natasha Rothwell is booked and busy—normally. The former Saturday Night Live writer produces, writes in, and stars on HBO’s Insecure, which drops its highly anticipated fourth season on Sunday, April 12. She also has an overall deal with HBO, and is developing her own project with the network, which she will star in, write, and executive produce. She’s going to be in the freaking Wonder Woman sequel. She works hard and has a great dog. She’s a walking vision board.

But like you, she’s living through a pandemic. And so, her schedule has changed.

“We’re in the wild west as far as habits,” she says, of life during coronavirus. “Sometimes I’ll be like, ‘Oh man, this is a midnight snack!’ and I’ll look at the clock and be like ‘Oh. It’s 9 p.m. and I’ve been getting ready for bed since 4 p.m.’ We’re definitely in uncharted territory.”

Winding down for the night feels different when you’re living in conditions no one alive has ever experienced. Natasha Rothwell gamely walked us through her bedtime routine these days, which includes baths, popsicles, fires, jazz, and dealing with the fact that, right now, “Loneliness is part of the solution.”

The life-changing art of tidying up during a crisis:

I think that never in my adult life have I been handed this much time without expectation. I’m so used to filling my time with things, and there’s not enough things to fill this time! So I’m just trying to find moments to decompress and not be thinking about this crisis 24/7, which is hard. Right now, I like to tidy my space. I think because I’ve found as I learn more about myself that my environment really does reflect my internal, sort of shade of being. If things are messy I know that I need to tidy inward and outward. I try to make sure that my space is calm and clean and feels like it’s not something that I’m trying to get away from. I think my kind of over-cleaning is a direct result of the fact that loneliness is a part of the solution, in this new state. And so on a day when I have some anxiety, I’ll be a bit more clean around the house, and I feel like I’m participating in the solution.

Taking your loungewear look from day to night

Whereas before my routine would be getting into pajamas, now it’s taking off my work pajamas and putting on my nighttime pajamas! Being able to luxuriate in my nighttime routine is not something that I was consistently doing before. I try to turn off the news, and turn on HGTV or The Office or put on music, and just sort of separate my day from my life (I like the jazz Es—Ella Fitzgerald, Eartha Kitt, Édith Piaf). I seek comfort and familiarity right now—my sweatshirt from college, and drawstring pants that have holes in them. And then also later-in-life luxuries, like my Parachute robe that I love. It’s really comfy. I like to have one thing that’s familiar and one that’s a bit more decadent.

My makeup-free skincare routine

My sort of no-makeup skincare routine during quarantine: Cetaphil is my steady Eddie. And then afterwards, depending on what my skin is doing, I use a toner to make sure that my pores are tight and not as responsive to acne from anxiety as they’ve been lately. Then I’ll do this evening moisturizer from Sunday Riley and then the Caudalie night oil, and that’s about it. Depending where I’m at emotionally, it might be more or less indulgent. It’s fun to see what’s working with my skin and how my body is responding to the cool products that I may not have had time to experiment with before, but now I do.

The delightful life of adult braces

I use Sensodyne because I have very sensitive teeth, and then a veritable bevy of Listerine products. I have braces behind my teeth—it’s called Inbrace —I’m not doing a commercial for them at all, but it does make it tricky at night. But I have the GUM interdental brushes that get in between the braces. It’s adolescent braces shit. When am I supposed to get them off? Well, who’s to say, because I was supposed to get my braces adjusted before this went down, so I’m hoping that it’s not prolonged by the lack of adjustment, but hopefully by October.

The no-phone-in-bed exceptions

I’ve been dabbling in meditation, and it’s been a really important process. I think that meditation should be in everyone’s toolbox and I’ve definitely been taking it out of my toolbox and using it to sort of bookend my day feel a little bit of calm amidst the storm. I do Headspace, which I really enjoy—it’s very accessible. I try not to play on my phone right before bed, although it’s become increasingly hard, but lately my family and friends, we’ve been on Marco Polo. I try to let my last engagement on the phone be looking at my family’s Marco Polos from the day and just seeing their faces and that they’re good and healthy.

Team cocktail

I love melatonin—I try to use it infrequently because I don’t want to be dependent on it, but it’s nice and calming for moments when if I need a little bit of extra help to wind down.. I use about five milligrams, no particular brand. I definitely am team cocktail-at-dinner or glass-of-wine-before-the-brushing-of-the-teeth happens! I also really like sugar-free popsicles—there’s something so soothing and quick and easy about them.

The magic of burning things

I love candles. I have a whole shelf dedicated to them in my closet. If the day calls for a bath, I’ll light some candles and get in the bath and listen to music and really try to be as present as possible and not let the anxiety get the better of me. For me, smell is a very sort of strong, triggering sense. I can smell a little bit of something and instantly be 15 again. It’s a little bit of a time machine. It’s a nice thing to take me on a journey when I can’t go anywhere.

Right now I’m burning a Diptyque candle, which was a gift, and is definitely a gift in this moment. They smell amazing. I have all kinds of candles and I do not discriminate. Your two-for-five Glade vanilla candle gets me through as much as a $50 Diptyque candle. Not to get too woo-woo, but lighting a fire and burning something feels a little transformative.

Advice from a professional

My therapist challenged me with a question that I’ve found really sort of awesome, which is—at the very end of isolation when we can look back on how we spend our time, what do we want to have said about the time we’ve been given? I try to, at least at the end of the day, think about what I did that day to help me reach that goal.

Jenny Singer is a staff writer for Glamour. You can follow her on Twitter.





Source link

Categories
Health

'The Bachelorette' Season 14 Episode 2 Recap: So Many Good Arie Luyendyk Jr. Burns


I’m just going to spoil this week’s The Bachelorette from the top: Nothing on the show this week was as dramatic or disturbing as the controversy surrounding Garrett’s social media history that’s taking place off-screen. He’s canceled in my book, but Becca asked that we see this journey through—so, out of respect for her, let’s get right to the recap. Plus, on the bright side, there were several good Arie insults!

We open with Becca bopping around Los Angeles on a basket bicycle like she’s considering a career as a Zooey Deschanel celebrity impersonator—I mean, I could see it—and waiting for the first dates to begin. While she’s doing that, Chris Harrison arrives at the mansion with a date card and a piece of advice for the guys: If and when you get time with Becca, take advantage of it. With that, he reveals the first group date: Clay, Nick, Chris, David, Jean Blanc, Jordan, Connor, and Lincoln. Jordan is not worried about his competition:

“Being a model, I beat good-looking guys all the time.” – Jordan, spewing nonsense.

The fellas head to a ranch to meet Becca, where she tells them that because she was pampered on her first date with Arie—a date I was very jealous of, by the way—she wants to do the same for these scrubs. She leads them to a room filled with champagne and fancy tuxedos, and the guys have no issue with immediately stripping down in front of Becca—and the cameras, of course. Jordan wastes no time using this opportunity to show off his one modeling move: “the pensive.”

PHOTO: Paul Hebert

Now that they’re dressed in their finest, the group takes off to…a wedding-themed obstacle course. Rachel and Bryan are there and explain that the guys have to get “down and dirty” a.k.a. they’re going to trash these beautiful tuxedos. Why?!?!

The course goes like this: The men must strap a heavy ball onto their ankle—the ole ball and chain gag, har har—that they drag to the next event: cold feet. (You can guess what that involves.) After that, they have to climb a slippery slope to get to “Get Over Your Exes,” which requires crawling through mud to put a bouquet in a vase. That leads to a large wedding cake that they have to dig through using only their mouth to find an “engagement ring.” Once they have that, they race to the alter, where Becca is waiting. Got it?

If you don’t, Chris tells us all we need to know: Yes, there are professional athletes there, like Clay, and guys like Lincoln “who has a chiseled body” (tell me more, please), but maybe, just maybe smarts will win out on this one. TBD.

Once the race begins, the hardest part seems to be the “cold feet.” Bryan tells the dudes not to worry “about the shrinkage” in the cold water. Clay certainly isn’t—he’s calm and collected. Still, Lincoln is the first one out of the water. Chris thinks Lincoln cheated—and he’s not alone. David claims Lincoln pushed him out of the way as they raced to the alter. Lincoln’s not worried about the guys’ saltiness, though: You go all in for love, right? I get why the guys are annoyed, but I also don’t care because the stakes are so, so low.

Later that night, after everyone’s had a chance to clean up, there’s a cocktail party. Becca wears a STUH-UH-UNNING red pantsuit. Hot. Right away, Lincoln asks to if they can have some alone time, and this also pisses the guys off and oh my God what babies. You will get your time! Go enjoy your two-drinks-per-hour free booze and relax.

Anyway, Lincoln makes the most of his time with Becca by telling her that he feels like he can be himself around her. She rewards this with a framed “wedding” photo from his victory. He’s so excited, he asks if he can kiss her again now that they’re not covered in cake and mud. They make out, and then he brags about his new picture to the other guys. Connor deems this to be “childish.”

To be fair, Lincoln is being a little obnoxious—but not enough to warrant what happens next: Connor get so mad at Lincoln he takes the framed photo and tosses it across the room. Lincoln picks it up and puts it back on the table, flat, so Connor reacts by throwing it through a window into the pool. Uh, I’m with Lincoln so far on this. Is it because he’s very attractive? Possibly, but also Connor’s being a lil brat.

Jordan calls Connor’s move “epic,” which again tells me I’m on the right side of this. Lincoln, however, doesn’t fight back because he was “raised better.” He’s just bummed because he was looking forward to showing his mom the picture. (Uhhh, sure.)

Elsewhere, Jean Blanc and Becca cuddle under a blanket and bond. They make out.

The positive vibes don’t last for long: Lincoln tells Becca what happened with Connor and says he feels physically threatened. It’s a lame move for two reasons: One, being a tattle tale never ends up well on this franchise. And two, I don’t believe Lincoln, who is twice Connor’s side, is actually scared of this guy.

Still, Becca agrees that Connor’s reaction was aggressive, so she pulls him aside to talk about it. His excuse: “I just got rid of it.” She understands why it would be irritating to see that picture, but she wants a guy who can be respectful and handle himself well. Connor claims this side of himself “is not me” even though, uh, it is you because you literally just did it. Becca’s like, dude, it’s too early to behave like this.

Connor sits moodily in a dark room complaining that he’s lost his chance at the group date rose. And it’s true: That honor goes to Jean Blanc.

The next day, Lincoln CRIES while he tells the other men what happened. Apparently seeing the broken frame “broke his heart.” Some of the guys think these are crocodile tears—and Jordan even calls into question Lincoln’s accent. Jordan, if you want to hear a real fake accent, go watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

No time to unpack that further, though, because it’s time for Becca’s one-on-one date with Blake. She’s nervous because it’s her first big solo date since being engaged, so she lets Chris Harrison handle all the plans. Turns out, he can set up a pretty good date: Becca and Blake arrive at a warehouse filled with random things connected to Arie—a racing car, monitors playing his proposal, the actual damn couch he broke up with Becca on—and they get to destroy them all.

BLAKE, BECCA KUFRIN

PHOTO: Paul Hebert

Even better: Lil Jon is randomly there to DJ and yell encouragements. I’d 1000% hire him to scream things like “you can do it, girl!” while he blasts “Turn Down for What.”

“Break those hearts like Arie broke yours!” – Lil Jon

That night, Becca and Blake go to somewhere called “Warwick” for a candlelit dinner. They talk, blah blah blah, and Blake tries to bond with Becca by saying he went through “a very similar situation.” No, he did not get broken up with on national TV by a DVD copy of Cars 3 come to life, but he did fall hard and fast for someone who broke his heart. So, yes, totally the same. Whatever, Becca gives him the rose and they kiss.

At the mansion, another card reveals that Garrett, Rickey, John, Ryan, Alex, Christon, Trent, Leo, Wills, and Colton are getting a group date. That means Mike and….other guy….Jason! aren’t getting any date this week, meaning they’ll have to step it up at the rose ceremony.

Maybe it’s for the best though, because the group date is intense: They guys head to a school where three adorable but vicious kids make them run drills, scream insults, and throw 50 MPH dodgeballs at them. It’s great.

“Becca really dodged a bullet with that loser Arie last season.” – A savage kid.

“Trash! You think Becca wants trash?” This kid.

After this warm up, a twist is revealed: The guys will be competing in a dodgeball competition at Sky Zone. Even Fred Willard’s there to announce alongside Chris Harrison and shares this story: “You know, I don’t have much experience with dodgeball, but when I was in my younger years I spent a week at a nudist colony where they played volleyball in the nude. And when the whistle blew and those balls started flying, it was pure joy. I think we’re gonna have a lot of fun out here today.”

The guys are divided into two teams: pink versus green. Leo puts up a good fight for the pink team, but the green guys ultimately win. They get a trophy, and everyone gets to come to the after party. There, the first solo time of the night goes to Garrett—yuck—who leads Becca to a creepy dark pool room straight out of Swimfan to chat. “I feel like you’re the girl version of me,” he tells Becca.

Moving on: Becca’s bonding with all the guys—especially Wills, who gets emotional talking about his family. They end their convo with a make-out that he describes as “sultry and sweet.”

Meanwhile, Colton is nervous because—twist!—he had a relationship with Tia (Becca’s friend and fellow contestant from last season) before he came on the show. He tells Becca that, yes, he and Tia spent a weekend together, but it wasn’t enough to turn a “spark” into a “flame.” Becca doesn’t know how to feel about it, but it makes her feel a little bit sick. On the one hand she’s very attracted to him, but on the other this puts her in a weird position.

She’s thrown off by the whole thing, so she decides to end the night; before they go, Wills gets the group date rose.

The next day, Becca’s crying and feeling down about all the drama with Lincoln and Connor and Colton and Tia. She powers through it enough though to put on a gorgeous blue sequin dress for the rose ceremony. The guys put on their best behavior: Sweet, sweet Clay teaches her some football touchdown moves, which very smoothly transitions into a kiss. John wrote her a poem, and they kiss. Chris makes her laugh. Connor makes a picture of himself from the group date and has her take this “shit” and launch it into the pool. (“Changed man, look at that.”)

Not everyone’s behaving, though: Jordan wants to make an impression so he decides to do “more with less” and strips down to his undies.

“Nothing attracts a woman more than being comfortable next to a sexy man.” – Jordan.

Jordan interrupts David and Becca so he can sit next to hear and say nonsense things. Upset, David questions if Jordan’s there for the right reasons and confronts him about it. (“Are you more than a model? Is there any more to you?”) The fight is very stupid considering one guy was a chicken last week and the other is sitting there, nearly nude, while he clutches a fuzzy blanket.

“I wore my underwear, bro, that’s not me trying to get attention.” -Jordan. What is?

Becca has one last conversation with Colton about Tia, and it goes well enough that she gives him a rose. The other roses go to: Chris, Jason, John, Clay, Mike, Connor, Leo, David, Garrett, Nick, Ryan, Christon, Jordan, Lincoln, and Colton. (Don’t forget Jean Blanc, Wills, and Blake already had roses too.)

That means we’re saying goodbye to Alex, Rickey, and Trent. I’m looking forward to next week, which includes: Tia! “Attached to me is professionality!” “Hey, cheers to you being a bitch!” “This dude just looked like he got attacked by a bear!”



Source link