'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' star Rachel Brosnahan shares her $12 skincare secret

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The actress shares her beauty must-haves and the trick to using the drugstore staple she swears by.. (Photo: Getty Images)
The actress shares her beauty must-haves and the trick to using the drugstore staple she swears by.. (Photo: Getty Images)

Emmy winner Rachel Brosnahan is known for her role on Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, a show about a 1950s housewife turned comedian. In the series, the 29-year-old plays the witty, impeccably dressed Miriam “Midge” Maisel, who is rarely seen without her signature red pout — but off-screen, the actress admits she’s quite the minimalist in comparison, at least when it comes to her beauty routine.

“Playing Midge has been so fun because she’s so different from me,” Brosnahan tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “I am a less is more kind of person. Midge is definitely a more is more kind of person. And to each his own! Both of us feel empowered by our different beauty routines.”

The actress is all about keeping is simple, including when it comes to her skincare routine. All she needs is one drugstore product, which she uses two very different ways.

“I’ve been using Cetaphil since I was 16 years old,” the actress shared (she’s also a spokesperson for Cetaphil), adding that it felt natural for her to become the face of the brand. “I’ve been using the Gentle Skin Cleanser ($12) forever. It’s hard to imagine changing it or trying anything else. I have the travel size in all my travel bags. I am fully obsessed.”

Brosnahan reaches for the $12 staple both morning and night.

“I recently learned that you could use it without water, so in the morning, I use a cotton round and wipe it over my face," she explains. "Then follow it with Vitner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum ($185) — which I love — and the Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 15. I’m very pale, and it’s my baseline SPF for the day.”

Cetaphil's soap-free cleanser was designed for the most sensitive skin and can be used from head to toe. (Photo: Amazon)
Cetaphil's soap-free cleanser was designed for the most sensitive skin and can be used from head to toe. (Photo: Amazon)

Shop it: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, $12, amazon.com

In the evening, she washes her face with the Gentle Skin Cleanser ($12) again but switches it up by using water.

“I do this backward, but after I wash my face, I use the Gentle Makeup Remover ($5) to take off my raccoon eyes and lipstick. And then I use the Vitner's Daughter Active Botanical Serum again and some moisturizer."

Whether you're neutralizing redness or covering up a breakout, this light formula gets the job done. (Photo: Amazon)
Whether you're neutralizing redness or covering up a breakout, this light formula gets the job done. (Photo: Amazon)

Less is more for Brosnahan, even when it comes to makeup. And who needs a bunch of makeup when you have great skin? "I feel the most beautiful when I look like myself. I feel good about myself, and I'm not trying to hide anything," she says. "I really love the RMS Concealer I dab it on spots that are red or uneven. If I need a little bit more coverage concealer-wise, I use a NARS stick."

Shop it: RMS Beauty Un-Cover up, $36, amazon.com

This versatile blush is the perfect way to nail a no-makeup makeup look. (Photo: Ulta)
This versatile blush is the perfect way to nail a no-makeup makeup look. (Photo: Ulta)

The beauty minimalist says she has an affinity for multipurpose products she can use on-the-go. "I'm kind of a makeup-in-the-back-of-a-taxi-cab kind of gal so stuff I can put on with my fingers and stuff that can be used in more than one way," she says. "So there's a blush that can also be used as a lip stain from Too Cool for School, and I love that.”

Shop it: Too Cool for School Jelly Blusher, $10, ulta.com

From neutral nudes to bold reds, Ilia High Impact lipsticks live up to their name. (Photo: Ilia)
From neutral nudes to bold reds, Ilia High Impact lipsticks live up to their name. (Photo: Ilia)

If she's wearing lipstick on or off-camera, the actress is a fan of Ilia.

"They make beautiful, beautiful lipsticks. I love their colors and that they use all-natural ingredients. They stay on forever, which is nice — we even started using them on the show. Those lipsticks actually taught me how great the Cetaphil Gentle Makeup Remover is, which is great because they really last all day!"

Shop it: Ilia Color Block High Impact Lipstick, $28, sephora.com

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