Kelsey Cook has spent the last several years building one of comedy’s more unusual résumés—stand-up specials that outperform on three different platforms, a world championship title in foosball and a podcast where she and her comedian fiancé Chad Daniels dissect their own arguments in real time. Now, she’s adding a new credit with her third special, Happy Hour, premiering on Netflix August 18.
It’s the kind of work that comes with plenty of camera time. We chatted with Cook ahead of the debut to hear how she actually stays camera-ready night after night on the road, and what she does the second she’s allowed to stop.
You’re about to drop your first Netflix special after big runs on Hulu and YouTube. Does a moment like this change how you think about how you present yourself on camera, beauty-wise?
“It definitely makes me want to look my best for bigger press moments. I don’t have the energy to do a full beat on a daily basis, but if I’m about to be on camera, I try to at least do my brows, mascara and lip gloss. I have blond-ish eyelashes and pale lips, so sometimes without makeup, I feel like I look like a thumb.”
Touring constantly means being ‘on’ in front of a camera or audience most nights. What’s your actual beauty routine look like before you walk on stage?
“I’ll do my makeup at the hotel before the show, and then right before I go on stage, I love to put on the Kulfi Lip Stain ($24) because it lasts through my whole set, and I top it off with either a Bobbi Brown lip gloss or the Lisa Eldridge lip gloss to add some shine and moisture back. And, if I don’t have powder with me, I’ll grab a napkin and blot my T-zone so it’s not too blinding in the stage lights!”
Likewise, what do you do for self-care to ‘turn off’ after you wrap?
“I’ll take a shower and do my nighttime skin-care routine, all while playing one of my favorite beauty/lifestyle YouTubers’ videos.”
You and Chad talk openly on Pretend Problems about navigating time apart on tour. Does that constant travel make it harder to keep up with a skin care and self-care routine, or has touring life forced you to simplify it?
“It’s definitely harder to keep up with it on the road, but I pack all of my skin care and try to stay as hydrated as possible. I love the Summer Fridays Jet Set Hydrating Mist ($21) for giving my skin a boost mid-flight, and the Dieux Instant Angel Cream ($45) is my go-to moisturizer.”
Comedy specials involve hours of retakes, lighting and multiple takes over one taping. What’s your survival kit for staying camera-ready through a full special shoot?
“I have combination skin, so I try not to eat anything too oily the day of the taping, and I do light layers of powder. Since it’s a long night in terms of makeup, I’m always trying to find the right balance of having enough makeup on that it looks good on camera, but not so much that by the end of the show, things are moving around and giving a melted-candle vibe.”
Being engaged to a fellow comedian who’s also often on the road, do you two ever swap self-care tips?
“Yes, Chad has started using some of the skin-care products I use, so it’s been fun to share some things. I always laugh at the skin-care products that are targeting men because the names are like ‘face tar’ and ‘glacier-eye blast’ and I feel like a lot of them can be harsh on the skin for no reason.”
