Masked and Answered: Actress Katherine McNamara's Skincare Routine

(Image credit: marie clarie)

published 30 March 2020

When actress Katherine McNamara isn't shooting sweaty fight scenes in her role in The CW series Arrow, she's taking a moment to unwind. For her, that means many wellness-related activities, including indulging in her skincare routine. She joins Marie Claire's second episode of Masked and Answered to let us in on her current favorite face mask: Patchology's "The Good Fight" Clear Skin Sheet Mask and to talk all things beauty.

"This is my absolute favorite sheet mask," McNamara shares about her Patchology pick. "It always makes my skin feel so refreshed and it's a reset when I feel like I want to treat myself." The 24-year-old usually listens to a podcast or audiobook while masking. Working out, eating clean, drinking lots of water, and taking supplements also fall under her favorite self-care practices.

"Occasionally my skin just doesn't behave," she admits about acne. "I wear a lot of makeup at work and often the kind of projects I'm doing involve fighting and sweating in makeup and that just doesn't make for happy skin all the time." To combat that, she'll apply over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream on her skin before bed to calm inflammation. However, an occasional breakout here and there has not halted her love for makeup."Makeup can be so transformative," she says of which category of beauty she loves the most. "It makes a statement and says something about your personality and what you want to express to the world."

When it's time to take her makeup off at night, she kicks off her skincare routine with a drugstore makeup wipe to remove the first layer of makeup. Next, she cleanses with Tatcha's Pure One Step Camellia Oil Cleanser ($48) to continue her removal process while nourishing her skin. She finishes her cleansing process with a prized product passed down from her grandma, who, the actress says, has amazing skin, with her "holy grail cleanser," Chanel's Anti-Pollution Cleansing Milk ($48). For a light exfoliation, she uses Tatcha's Rice Powder ($48) along with a Clarisonic Brush ($99) a few times per week. She finishes off her nighttime skincare routine with Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel ($28) topped off with Tatcha's The Silk Peony Melting Eye Cream ($60).

Watch McNamara's full beauty routine above. Don't forget to subscribe to Marie Claire's YouTube Channel to catch up on the latest episodes of Masked and Answered and share your favorite mask in the comments.

Maya Allen is the former Digital Beauty Editor at MarieClaire.com where she covered makeup, skincare, haircare, wellness, you name it! She has a 15-step skincare routine, owns over 200 red lipsticks, and enjoys testing the latest and greatest in beauty. On most weekends, you can find her at her happy place, which is her makeup vanity. There, she’s usually blasting her speakers while singing along to lyrics at the top of her lungs, and making sure her highlighter is on point.