‘SNL’ Star Heidi Gardner’s Secret to a Good Night’s Sleep Is $22 on Amazon
You know and love Heidi Gardner for her hilarious impressions and superb character work on Saturday Night Live. (Angel, “every boxer’s girlfriend from every movie about boxing ever,” anyone?) But if you’ve really been paying attention, then you’d know she’s also one of the most stylish stars to come out of the long-running comedy series.
As each SNL episode comes to an end and the cast gathers behind the host to say goodbye, I find myself scanning the crowd to see what look Gardner has turned up in. That time Machine Gun Kelly fell off the stage? I was too distracted by her colorful tie-dye sweatshirt to notice. Her Instagram feed also feels like a fashion mood board—bold prints, playful pattern mixing, vintage pieces that aren’t costume-y, all the hallmarks of someone who actually has fun with clothes are there.
“I feel like, in a weird way I’m trying to recreate my mom’s closet from the early ’90s, like the one I played dress up in,” Gardner tells me over the phone. “I find myself really drawn to vintage or modern stuff that reminds me of childhood—without actually dressing like a child, if that makes sense.”
To achieve this, Gardner has figured out the secret to shopping vintage: Let someone else do all the work. Find a seller with a curated collection you like, and keep checking their stock, she tells me. “If you know this person is always picking good stuff and has a good eye, then you’re not going to get that crazy vintage closet where you’re like, I don’t even know who I am.”
Dying to know what else Heidi Gardner is shopping these days, I asked her to join our latest installment of Your Fave’s Faves. And she did not disappoint. Read on to find out where to get the coolest ’90s Leonardo DiCaprio sweatpants you’ve ever seen in your life, her easy-to-buy secret to a good night’s sleep, and the bath polish that she says will change your entire showering experience.
The last thing I bought
I’ve never been a fan of phone cases—I just get the most simple acrylic one—but Memor makes these really cool crafted ones that are embellished with little shells and old gold buttons and charms. They’re really stunning and beautiful. It’s the first time I’ve ever been like, “Oh, that’s a phone case I want.”
The cat toys that drive my pets wild
I have three cats: Marshall, Tweaky, and Cubby Bear. There’s this cat toy called Da Bird that’s a cat dancer with feathers on the end, and it’s the best recreation of a real bird I’ve ever seen. They go crazy for that. And then there’s this company, Dr. Pussums, that makes the best catnip. They make this long kind of body pillow for cats called Kickers that are full of catnip–my cats hold it like a teddy bear and then start clawing and kicking at it and just go wild. They love it so much.
What helps me sleep at night
The Magnesi-om from Moon Juice helps. Also, for a while I was just putting straight chlorophyll into my water. Some people think when I say that, I’m saying chloroform. [Laughs.] That really helps, but it’s weird: Even though I know it helps me sleep, it knocks me out so hard and my dreams are so intense that sometimes I don’t do it because I don’t want such a trip in bed.
My skin-care routine
I stick to my skin-care routine because we wear so much makeup on the show. Usually I start with a cleanser. I like any of the Shu Uemura oil-based ones. I’ve also been using an essence, just because people say they use them, but I don’t know what it’s doing. It seems like an extra step. And then I use a serum—I like the iS Clinical serum.
After that I use an undereye cream. I like the Ole Henriksen banana eye cream a lot. And then I’ve been finishing with the Fresh black tea moisturizer. I’ve been giving myself, like, full face massages with it—just two minutes really getting it into my skin—and it feels so much more plump.
I have this foaming body polish that I use in the shower, and it’s by a company called Sonshine Bath. It feels like whipped butter, but it also exfoliates, and the smell of it makes you feel like you’re in Tahiti. It transforms the whole shower experience. I also love it because it’s a woman-owned company. It’s called Sonshine for her son, who is like four years old and helps her package everything. She calls him the CEO, so I feel like I’m buying from a four-year-old CEO and that’s really cute.
My go-to makeup buys
I really love the Charlotte Tilbury bronzer and highlighter duo. I just love a good contour. But more than that, I love an old-school body glitter moment, like the kind from Lemonhead.LA. I put on little bit on the apples on my cheeks and my cheekbones, and it makes me feel so bright.
The best thing in my closet
There’s this designer I found on Etsy and started following on Instagram, Wild World of AK. She makes these sweatpants and sweatshirts with images of whatever you want on them, so I ordered from her this pair of ’90s Leonardo DiCaprio sweatpants. She found the best images of Leo from the ’90s and put them on a pair of bright pink tie-dyed sweatpants. Every time I pull them out I’m just so excited to wear them. It feels like I’m the only person in the world with them.
The candle I’m always telling people to get
Jonathan Adler’s Hashish candle comes in this white ceramic candle holder that has this really pretty design of cannabis leaves around it and smells so good. It’s just a beautiful object for your home.
My favorite happy song
It’s a throwback song from the ’90s, but that song “Steal My Sunshine” by Len is so good. I have that on a mix that I play whenever I just want to feel bright and happy.
Anna Moeslein is the senior entertainment editor at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @annamoeslein.
