Sasheer Zamata Swears This $4 Mask Helps With Acne

After spending the past year and change inside, Sasheer Zamata has been feeling a certain type of way about her closet: “I keep looking at it and thinking, ‘I have too much stuff.” (Can relate.) 

That “stuff” comes from a lot of places, but the Saturday Night Live alum has especially enjoyed scouring for vintage clothes on Etsy during this COVID-19 era of her life. Her finds don’t always match her current wardrobe vibe—”I’ve been wearing a lot of matching sweatsuits because, well, where are we going,” she says—but they’ll work for her post-pandemic life. “Usually, my style is very flow-y and boho. Like, she’s a witch who likes to travel around in the forest kind of look.” 

Denise, Zamata’s character on the new ABC show Home Economics, also favors a boho look—though her budget for shopping is likely much smaller. As a second grade teacher living in the notoriously expensive Bay Area, Denise and her wife Sarah (Caitlin McGee) are dealing with a financial situation that Zamata describes as “a bit gloomy.” Sarah’s brothers Tom and Connor (Topher Grace, Jimmy Tatro), meanwhile, are at other end of the wealth spectrum, and this leads to frank conversations about money and other topics rarely explored on half-hour sitcoms. The result is a heartwarming family comedy—and Zamata is the standout star. 

Here, we asked her to take part in our latest installment of Your Fave’s Faves. Find out her favorite comfy pants, the beauty products she uses to clear up acne, and more. 

The essential oil that helps me get ready for bed

I like essential oils a lot, and I’ve been using an oil diffuser to let lavender waft in the air while I wind down from the day. I can fall asleep really anytime, anywhere—so I definitely don’t need help sleeping—but this does ease me into it. I like Saje. Their stuff smells really good, and I’ll wear their oils out and about. I catch myself smelling my wrist when I do because it smells so good.

Aroma Gem Matte White Diffuser

Peaceful Slumber Diffusing Blend

The kitchen tool that got me through quarantine

I got a toaster oven by Breville. I’ve never liked microwaves that much because they kind of make things soggy sometimes, and it’s not great to have those waves so close to a human body. I had a lot of friends suggest a toaster oven, and I love this one. I make so much stuff in there; it’s nice to not have to preheat a whole oven in order to make something really quick. It’s been a lifesaver during the pandemic.

My favorite comfy pants

I’ve been wearing a lot of Good American lately. They have these matching sweatsuits that I’ve been living in for last few months, and I’ll rotate from gray to lavender to brown depending on my mood. They are very comfy and warm. I think I’ll probably keep wearing sweats even as things open up, because you can dress them up. Put some fun sneakers on, or jewelry, or maybe a cool jacket and it looks like you’ve tried a little bit.

Good American Boyfriend Sweatpants in Lilac

Good American Boyfriend Sweatpants in Brown

The book I’m reading to tap into my creative side

I’m currently reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and actively doing it. It’s a 12-week course on how to tap into your creativity. I did it years ago in another kind of isolating moment in time: After college, when I didn’t know what I was going to do, what city I was going to live in, or what direction to go in my career. I just started this during the pandemic because I wanted to tap into it again and see if the words still connected with me. It’s showed me that I miss plays, so I’ve tried to read more lately and see what that sparks. 

“The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron

The one thing I’m telling everyone in my family to buy

My family and I started doing Zooms once a month during the pandemic, which is nice because I’m talking to my extended family more than ever. Recently, people were suggesting different health things to do, like vitamins to take and things like that. I told them about these chewable beet supplements by Humann that I started taking because the medic on Home Economics recommended them. They taste like candy, which is great because I don’t actually like beets, and are full of nutrients. I think they’ve been working—I feel like my blood circulation has been getting better, and I’m not cold all the time like I usually am. 

HumanN SuperBeets Heart Chews

My number-one beauty item

I like using the Glossier Priming Moisturizer. It feels really good and isn’t slimy or sticky—it just works with my skin. And I like that there’s primer in it because I can put that on and be done. It’s just one thing and I’m out the door. It’s a nice base for makeup as well.

Glossier Priming Moisturizer

My go-to products to help with acne

I love a mask. I’ve been using this Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask because I read somewhere that spearmint is really helpful for acne, which I still get sometimes. I feel like it’s helping–it’s drying out the spots that are problem areas while refreshing the other areas of my face. Osea also has great products, including this white algae mask that I like a lot. It feels like a clay mask.

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

I’ve started using Curology, which is an acne treatment program. You say what your needs are, and you actually talk to dermatologists throughout the journey. I’ve been doing it for the last few months. I feel like it’s working, which is so awesome because I’ve tried lots of things like that before and have seen no results. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a flare up, and I’m pretty excited about that. 

My friend, makeup artist Andrew Sotomayor, showed me how to take makeup off my face. That’s probably part of the reason I was getting a lot of acne, because I wasn’t taking makeup completely off before. I use an oil that breaks down the makeup, then I wash it off, and then I do it again. After that, I get a cleanser and wash again. I basically just wash my face over and over again until I don’t see any more makeup. Then I get Thayers witch hazel and use that until everything’s gone. After Andrew described how much I need to wash my face, I was like, “Oh! I was mostly walking around with makeup before this point and I didn’t even know.” 

Thayers Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel Rose Petal Facial Toner

Catch Sasheer Zamata in Home Economics, which premieres on Wednesday, April 7 at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.

Anna Moeslein is the senior entertainment editor at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @annamoeslein.