Rosanna Pansino: ‘My Dogs Are Better Than Any Meditation I’ve Ever Tried’

Foodie, influencer and host of HBO Max’s Baketopia, Rosanna Pansino just kicked off a summer-fueled, smile-related partnership with Sensodyne this past weekend in celebration of National Ice Cream Day (yes, it’s a thing!). “I love Sensodyne. I use it every day, twice a day, and I have been using this toothpaste for over a decade,” the 36-year-old shared via Zoom. “This is my toothpaste and I love it. I’m the kind of person when, if I find something that I love, I like to share it with other people. Usually, it’s food because I’m a foodie and I’m sharing my favorite recipes and my favorite restaurants—this time, it’s toothpaste.”

So, it’s safe to say this is a standby for you?

“It is! Oh my God, I’ve turned a few of my girlfriends onto it. Even my makeup artist, Emma, heard how much I loved it and she was like, ‘I’m going to try it now.’ It’s just really good if you have sensitive teeth. Genetically, I have sensitive teeth; my dentist told me it’s just your nerves, where they’re placed. I remember it was really uncomfortable growing up, because I couldn’t do all the things that my friends were doing—like biting into ice cream cones and popsicles. I have clear summer memories of all my girlfriends biting in to those red, white and blue popsicles and then I would try it and get a big zing! Now, I can actually bite into ice cream. Sensodyne really does help. I’ve been doing this for years and I just love this stinking toothpaste and I want to tell everybody about it.”

Smile care is obviously such a big part of wellness. What else do you do for wellness?

“I break it down into physical wellness for health and then mental wellness for health. Physically, I’m really trying to take care of everything on my body. I’m trying to sleep enough. I’m trying to eat healthy things; I can’t give up my sweets because I love them, but when I’m not eating the dessert, I’m trying to eat more leafy greens. I’m trying to exercise here and there and just build out those morning and evening routines—don’t just give yourself five minutes and rush it, do your routine. I’m trying to give myself a half-hour in the morning and a half-hour at night to brush my teeth, floss and just do the things I want to just skip sometimes. I feel better when I do that. 

Then, mentally, it’s playing with my dogs. I have two French bulldogs and they’re named after food. No surprise there! We’ve got Blueberry Muffin and Coconut and I like to play with them because they are so in the moment. They live in the moment and it’s kind of better than any meditation I ever tried because it takes everything else away and you’re living in the moment. It really is a huge stress reliever.”

I know you’re very into makeup and beauty. Do you have any new discoveries?

“My sister and I were talking about this this morning, and I grabbed these off of my shelf: We have some old loves and some new ones. My old love is Embryolisse lotion. I’m obsessed with it. I basically bathe in it. It’s a water-based lotion. You can put it on your face and you don’t have a breakout. I put it everywhere. I do the whole body and also, I live in Southern California and it is so dry here in the summer and I live in the valley. I’m not getting any of that ocean breeze. I have a humidifier in my room, but I need all the moisturizer. This is a lifesaver.

Then for the hair, I do Olaplex hair treatment. It’s a leave-in one that I do on the weekends. Then I have to have my Buxom lip balm. The do a tinted balm, but it’s kind of a stick. It’s really nice. It is a good one.

Last but not least, I found amazing hand sanitizer at Whole Foods. During COVID, all the hand sanitizers were drying out my hands so bad, but this one has a moisturizer in it and it smells so good. It’s a brand called Zatik; I fell in love with it and I’m never going back to the other kinds. It’s lavender and tea tree. It’s a hand sanitizer, but also a moisturizing gel. After you use it, the hands are still soft, not dried out, and it started blowing my mind. I bought 10 of these, and I gave them to my mom and my sister, and three of my friends. I have my little stockpile! You know what I just found out, girl? I’m reading this bottle right now! It says that it’s also a feel-good product. One out of ten sold is donated to a Los Angeles homeless center. I didn’t even know that! Here we are talking beauty and doing good in the world. I love it. [laughs]”