How to Live Like You’re On Vacay Every Day by Lilly Singh

Photograph: Colston Julian

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The famous YouTube star, actress, best-selling author, Olay ambassador, and now talk-show host (A Little Late With Lilly Singh premiered on NBC in September, 2019, making her the first female late-night lead on a major network in more than 30 years) has a schedule that leaves Google Cals everywhere shaking.

Her typical get-it-done strategy has been “literally working every moment of the day.” Which, yes, is effective. But also... concerning?

So right before her new show’s debut, Lilly took some fans to a wellness retreat in the positive-energy vortex that is Sedona, Arizona—and got Olay to pick up the tab (is there anything she can’t do?).

“We did some R&R by the pool, took a pottery class, and had sentimental bonfire moments,” Lilly reports. (Start the #TakeMeBacks.)

She’s now trying to maintain that chill in her high-stakes life. Here’s how she does it—without exploding into a poof of glitter—and how you can, too.

 

Lilly Singh

Light some smell-good stuff

In Sedona, Lilly had lots of time to meditate. Now...not so much, but she does what she can: “I burn some incense and turn on a meditation playlist—which has a track that sounds like the Game Of Thrones theme song,” she says. Alexa, add incense to cart.

Go for the deep-tissue sh*t

“I really like to get a Thai massage every few weeks. Because I travel so much, I need that hard pressure. It’s truly heaven!”

Actually take off your mascara

Washing your face can be the first thing to go when you’ve got crazy work hours followed by crazy happy hours. But non-negotiable make-up removal before bed has been a game changer for Lilly. “It takes two minutes, but I feel like I’m doing so much.” The slippery slope of self-destruction stops here, fam.

Horror movie, anyone?

Okay, she didn’t learn this in Sedona, but after a long day, Lilly likes to baby herself with horror movies. “Ghosts that might kill me relax me,” she explains. This weird ritual actually tracks as a restorative group activity. “When I watch with my friends, we’re all feeling the same thing in the moment,” says Lilly. It’s mindful self-scare, y’all.