Lili Reinhart is a compelling mix of vulnerability and steel as an actress (in Riverdale and Hustlers), mental-health activist (she spoke at the Biden White House on World Mental Health Day in 2024), and founder of a skin-care brand called Personal Day. “I had no idea three years ago that I’d be known as the girl who talks about her depression all the time,” she told The New York Times in 2020. Her products even have a mental-health bent, with names including Even Keel, Stay Calm, and Support System, and a mission of “making acne a less shitty experience,” as she puts it. Her bedtime routine prioritizes comfort, couch rotting, and a good-night kiss.
WHEN DO YOU START GETTING READY FOR BED?
As soon as my last obligation of the day ends. If I’m not already in comfortable clothes, I get into them.
WHAT DOES YOUR NIGHTTIME SKIN-CARE ROUTINE LOOK LIKE?
It kind of depends on what my skin needs at the time. If I’m wearing makeup, I like to take it off as soon as possible. If I’m flaky or dry, I’ll use Personal Day Even Keel Resurfacing Peel to get rid of the dead skin, and the Everybody Stay Calm mask to moisturize. If I want to go the extra mile, I’ll pull out the little frozen … I don’t even know they are … the metal cubes that you rub against your face and that make the satisfying clinking noise. I’ll do that before I put any skin care on, to de-puff. I have really sensitive eyes, so I like to let those cubes sit under them.
DO YOU EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING?
I try not to eat right before bed because I have acid reflux. So shout-out to that. Only water before bed. I’m one of those people who has three or four glasses of water next to my bed at all times because I just never clean off my bedside table.
HOW ABOUT SUPPLEMENTS?
I take a lot of supplements, but mostly with my meals. I take stuff for my brain and for the health issues I have. I use a pill organizer to stay on track with all of them. I work with Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist, who has these Brain & Body Power Max supplements. They help with healthy memory and focus.
DO YOU WATCH ANYTHING?
No, and I’m really glad that I don’t. You’re always told that falling asleep to TV is really bad, so I’m happy that’s not one of my many bad habits.
WHAT’S ONE THING YOU HAVE TO DO BEFORE BED?
Put on my lip balm. And that’s not even a plug or a joke. I have such dry lips because I’ve been on Accutane a couple of times, and it’s left my lips permanently dry. The last thing I do before I get into bed is apply it, and then I kiss my dog Milo a couple of times. So usually I’ll have to apply it twice because it comes off when I kiss my dog.
DO YOU ADD ANY STEPS WHEN YOU’RE SHOOTING A PROJECT?
I’ll definitely make sure I do my Even Keel mask. Then I’ll maybe do a little L.E.D. light. I have one called Celluma that I’ll sit under for about 10 minutes to help brighten everything up. I’ll also use some 111Skin eye patches in the morning. And then I do the metal-cube things, whatever they are.
HOW DO YOU DECOMPRESS?
I’m really a big rotter, so I love to take a hot shower and then sit on my couch. I think there’s gonna be a permanent imprint of my body outline on my couch. Right now I’m watching The Sopranos, which is not necessarily a good decompressing show, but that’s what I’m doing. And I’m a pajama girl, so I’ll put on a set from Anthropologie or Eberjey. I also use a weighted blanket—I’m sitting on one right now—and my dog is always next to me. He’s a miniature schnauzer. I call him my little shadow because he follows me everywhere. Or I disassociate on TikTok, which I’ll do anyway in bed.
ARE YOU PARTICULAR ABOUT YOUR SLEEP CONDITIONS?
I need blackout curtains, and I need it to be 68 degrees. I also need to fall asleep to the sound of white noise, so either a loud fan or noise from an app called Noise Machine. I actually like the sound of green noise from that app.
HOW ABOUT YOUR BED?
I have a Tempur-Pedic mattress, and I didn’t love it at first because it felt too hard. I usually like very soft beds, but I think I’ve grown accustomed to it. I’m a simple duvet or comforter girl. I don’t like sheets—I think the top sheet is unnecessary. It always ends up curled at the bottom of the bed or on the ground. I remember telling myself, “Oh, wait, I’m an adult and I have free will. I don’t actually need to use this.” My nice, silky pillowcases are from Slip.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO FALL ASLEEP?
Forever—like a minimum of 45 minutes. It sucks. I’m not a good sleeper. I try not to stay on TikTok too long before dedicating my time to trying to fall asleep. It’s a bummer for me. But I really don’t want to rely on sleeping pills. I’d rather just suffer through.
WHAT’S YOUR STRANGEST NIGHTTIME HABIT?
Probably the fact that I apply lip balm and then kiss my dog and then have to apply it again. This is maybe more of a bad habit, but I’ll spot a pimple and squeeze it after I’ve done all my skin care. It’s the wrong thing to do, but this is where I’m plugging my Trust Me on This Hypochlorous Acid Gel. I’ll take a little drop of that and put it on the pimple so I don’t have to re-wash my whole face.
WHERE’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE PLACE TO SLEEP?
In my Los Angeles home. When I crave a good night’s sleep, I want to be in my bed at home in the Valley. But I’ll give a shout-out to when you’re on vacation and have spent a day at the beach and crawl into a cozy bed after getting out of the shower. That’s an ultimate experience.
WHAT’S THE BEST NIGHT’S SLEEP YOU’VE EVER HAD?
I could not tell you. Probably any night where I haven’t had to wake up to pee in the middle of the night, which is always. I also think there’s nothing like a vacation sleep, when you’re away with your family or your partner and you have no obligations. Any night there are blackout curtains and you wake up knowing that you don’t have anything on the agenda is the best night of sleep.
Jeanne Malle is an Associate Editor at Air Mail
