What Mixed-ish’s Arica Himmel Can’t Live Without

I can wear the Air Force 1s anywhere, and with pretty much anything, which is amazing. I was actually at Paleyfest — I was there for Mixed-ish, and they showed the first episode to fans — and I wore my Air Force 1s with an African skirt. And you know, it looked really great. I can wear them on the carpet, I can wear them just walking down the street. I usually purchase them from Kith in Soho and West Hollywood. I have the white ones, so I have to clean them a lot, but I’ve probably had five or six pairs over the years.

Living in New York, you know, whether it’s going to school or auditions, I always have my MetroCard on me — that’s how I get around. Taking the train, taking the bus, and regardless of where I am, where I live, I’ll always have it in my wallet. I grew up in the city. The first time I rode it alone, I was actually with my friends — we were 13 — we went to 77th Street to go see a movie.

I found out about Glossier through social media, I always saw their ads on there. I loved their aesthetic, their clean look. And when I started using their skin-care products, like the Milky Jelly Cleanser and Bubblewrap, their eye cream, you know, it really worked on my skin. I decided this is the light skin care that I need. My skin’s pretty normal, so the products work really well for my skin. The Glossier has prevented breakouts for now.

My hair is definitely a struggle. After shampoo and conditioner, my routine usually includes a leave-in conditioner and jojoba oil just to make it soft. I’ll put those in while my hair’s damp — from the roots all the way down to the ends. It restores the natural curl, especially from when I wake up and my hair’s looking a mess. The Pattern products revive it and also moisturize it. But for days when I don’t really want to wash my hair, I just want to go out and wear it, I’ll still use a little leave-in conditioner and oil.

Since booking Mixed-ish, I’m bicoastal now. In New York I would always have Chinese food at this place near my house called Evergreen. There’s also one in Chinatown that I really like, Wonton Noodle Garden. So Genghis Cohen offers the best New York–style Chinese food in L.A. — the crackerjack shrimp is just amazing. It reminds me of home. And I can get it super-quick on UberEats.

I use my Lumio night-light every night to read in bed. Right now I’m reading The Stranger in Our Home by Shari Lapena. After that I’m going to be reading Children of Blood and Bone, then Dapper Dan’s biography. But this night-light, first of all it’s super-cool-looking, I mean, it looks like a book. And then when you open it, it’s super-bright. I can have my lights off but still have enough light to read.

I’m nearsighted, so I always have a pair on me, but I also just really like the way these look on my face. I like the tortoiseshell. I tried rectangular ones, but I didn’t really like them. The circle ones I liked — that’s definitely my shape.

I make my own playlists on Tidal — I’m always listening to Drake or Megan Thee Stallion. I love how it’s so easy to navigate on there, unlike other music programs. I’m always listening to music — at home, in between takes on set, going back to my trailer for lunch — you know, pretty much everywhere.