The Morning Routine That Gets Chandler Kinney Through Her Longest ‘DWTS’ Days

In SELF’s Wake-Up Call series, we ask celebrities, athletes, and other notable people exactly how they rise and shine.

If you’re a longtime Dancing With the Stars fan—or you tuned in for the first time this year to keep tabs on Olympians Ilona Maher and Steven Nedoroscik—we don’t have to tell you that something special is happening in the ballroom. The show has set a new audience voting record in its 33rd season, thanks to a perfect storm of star power and earnest, wholesome teamwork from its cast. And 24-year-old actor and star contestant Chandler Kinney exemplifies that spirit.

Kinney’s captivating stage presence isn’t an accident: She’s been acting since she was nine years old and started dancing even before that. From her roles in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin and Disney’s Zombies to last week’s waltz as a bloodthirsty doll (which earned a near perfect score), she’s been known to nail a badass, dark character. But offstage—and behind the scenes with her partner, Brandon Armstrong—her warm, bubbly energy shines through immediately.

It’s no surprise, then, that before Kinney takes on a fierce competition, she savors a soft, soothing morning. While she admits that her wakeup routine is “a bit stripped down at the moment” due to the very early rehearsals, it’s all been well worth it: “It’s been amazing. Honestly, it’s been taking up all of my mental capacity, but in a good way,” she tells SELF about her DWTS experience. “I’m having a blast.”

Check out Chandler’s wake-up rituals (in her own words) below.

When I’m waking up, I usually am in a full blanket burrito. My favorite blankets are from Minky Couture—these are the softest, warmest blankets you could ever imagine. They have all different sizes, but I have the Monster one, which is just perfect to get all curled up in. The weather’s also finally changing ever so slightly in LA, so this is probably the thing I feel most strongly about: The very first thing I do is put on a pair of socks, preferably fuzzy. I cannot walk on a cold hard surface in the morning. I need to keep the cozy vibes going as long as humanly possible before I leave the house.

Minky Couture Monster Blanket

Once I’m successfully out of bed, I go straight to the bathroom, and—I’m adamant about this—I need to brush my teeth first, before skin care. I guess I just go from the inside out. I use a Phillips Sonicare electric toothbrush, and I’m a Sensodyne girly…I like that it’s not too minty, and I think I have sensitive gums, so it keeps me right.

I’m also blind as a bat, so I have to switch my glasses over to contacts. I wear dailies because I wear a lot of makeup, and it’s good to throw those out at the end of the day and start fresh. So now that I can see, I go onto my skincare. I’m becoming more of a skincare girly—I’m still a little in the dark—but my essentials right now are my Youth to the People Superfood Facial Cleaner and OSEA Probiotic Water Cream. The moisturizer is nice and light for daytime, and great for rehearsals: It seeps right into my skin and doesn’t sit on top, and it feels very hydrating.

I do wear sunscreen every day. Right now I am on a SuperGoop! kick. I love the Unseen Sunscreen for the same reasons as the OSEA cream for light wear, plus it doesn’t leave that pale lavender cast you get from other SPFs. It’s just seamless and feels really, really light on the skin. And it’s also a good primer for makeup, since I like that dewy look right now. It definitely sets me up for a good skin moment.

I’m wearing makeup pretty much every day, especially with being on camera every single day for Dancing With the Stars, which I’m not used to! I’m working on stripping down my makeup a little bit more and just embracing clean skin. I’m not a hundred percent there yet—I’ll be honest. Probably something to do with being a child actor, growing up in front of the camera and having your insecurities on display for everyone. But yes, I am a morning makeup girl.