Rosalee Mayeux is a comedian, actress, former model, cancer survivor, and one of the busiest women in entertainment— her brand new comedy special Model Mom is streaming now on various platforms.  She also has a new film called Love at First Spite out now on Prime Video, as well as the new Canadian series Lost in Regina hitting screens this summer. But long before the punchlines, she was the face of some of the biggest beauty campaigns in the business with more than 300 commercials on her resume, inclusive of the likes of Maybelline and Clairol.   Given her extensive career in front of cameras and under lights, she knows a thing or two about beauty.   Rosalee has seen every trend, survived every formula, and come out the other side with a philosophy that’s equal parts wisdom and wit: exfoliate, moisturize, sleep, and for the love of everything, read your ingredient labels. We sat down with her to talk serums, self-care, the allergy that launched a cosmetics revolution, and how her best work happens in a jacuzzi with a damp notebook.

Your new comedy special Model Mom is streaming everywhere right now. For someone who’s been grinding the comedy circuit for years,  what does it feel like to finally have this moment crossing over into TV? 

Comedy Dynamics making all the boss moves did the trick! I’ve been on TV shows for years, but never my own show, with my writing showcased. They really went all out with MODEL MOM! 

After years in front of the camera as a model, how has your relationship with beauty and the way you see yourself evolved? Is there a freedom that comes with where you are now versus your modeling days? 

That’s a good way to put it. Freedom! If I’m in a t-shirt, didn’t wash my hair, holes in my sneakers, nobody cares. If I make a group of humans laugh? That’s all that matters! I guess if I make robots laugh that would creep me out, though. 

Walk us through your current skincare philosophy. What does your routine actually look like day-to-day, and what are the tips and tricks you swear by? 

My go-to is whatever my face feels like. Is it thirsty, is it tired, put  through airplane dryness? Exfoliating and moisturizing is the answer. The difference today is we have amazing new products out there! Serums! Masks! Yummy scrubs! Beauty companies have really solved so many skin care problems for people who work and play late nights and long hours. 

Beauty from the inside out is a big conversation right now—sleep, stress,  diet, mindset. Given everything you’ve been through with your health,  how do you approach wellness holistically, and what habits have genuinely moved the needle for you? 

Gee, I used to push myself so hard. I’ve always had an inner tension, pressure cooker feeling, and been rather hyper and high energy. But  since I got clocked by the big C, I now put much more emphasis on daily  time to myself. It’s gold. Sleep. A nap in the shade. Writing alone when the sun goes down and the buzz of the day stops. And my favorite, a long hot jacuzzi tub, where it seems my creativity spikes, so with my notebook and pen all damp, I listen to healing frequency tapes, and spin yarns. I  know. Sounds too much. But it’s centering my heart and my brain. 

You did over 300 commercials and campaigns for brands like Maybelline and Clairol, yet that exposure to all the heat and lights actually left you allergic to many products. What was the wake-up call that made you start truly paying attention to ingredients? 

I was on the runway, and MAC Cosmetics had just been invented. They asked us to debut their new shimmery eyeshadow. The colors were extraordinary and the whole brand was super exciting. And then … my face blew up and my eyes swelled shut, ha! I discovered I was allergic to the real sea shell-based shimmer eye shadow! Now, they don’t use that in any of their products anymore. Thanks to Rosalee’s face! 

You’ve spoken about your cancer experience giving you a new perspective on age and being proud of where you are in life. What would you say to women who are afraid of getting older, especially in an industry that can be brutal about it? 

I don’t think women today give a hoot about getting older. I think it’s that  we fear loss of income, and deeply want to keep accomplishing all of our  creative projects, or taking care of a large family tribe, or going out in the world as a lone traveler. I see women around me getting active in the world, doing their part to stem the rising costs of everything from food to medicines, speaking out against the injustice of wars, marching,  picketing, protecting innocent animals, and most of all, we fight the deep  poverty caused by greed. When you are decision maker in your life, it feels a lot better. And that comes with age and confidence. 

You were working inside Quentin Tarantino’s commercial directing division when you received your cancer diagnosis. How did that moment completely rewrite the next chapter of your life, and how did humor become your survival tool? 

Oh, my, that was a time! I thought my life was headed in a whole different direction than it went due to the cancer diagnosis and prognosis! And now, I’m very grateful for it, oddly enough. I got super 

close with my grown sons, which was the best thing about it. I learned to ask for help, and my 3 best girl friends really saved my life by advocating for me in the world of new medical treatments. Highly recommend, lol. And the humor took over from something we all know to be true: If I didn’t laugh about it, I’d cry. And I certainly did both. My boys are funnier than I am and the chance to spend a year with them cheering me on, was priceless.  

You meditate when your dog lets you, you’re a mom, you travel, you write, you perform — what does a perfect day off actually look like for  Rosalee Mayeux, and does such a thing even exist? 

Qu’est ce que c’est Day Off? When you do what you love I don’t think you can ever turn your brain totally off, even with a day at the beach, something’s going to spark a thought and you’ll scratch something down in your joke journal.

Lastly, where can our readers find your new special, and how can they keep up with all of your upcoming comedy tours?

Please go to www.RosaleeMayeux.com where you can find links to  Comedy Dynamics to offer you links for Apple TV, Amazon, YouTube TV,  and on SiriusXM She’s So Funny Channel, Spotify and iTunes and so much more. Even Canadian and European streamers!