Gabriella Gofis Starts the Day with Pilates in Sweatpants, Her Wedding-Day Lip Combo, and a Cult-Favorite Hair Towel
GABRIELLA GOFIS |Substack Writer and Content Creator
Content creator Gabriella Gofis will be the first to tell you she’s not a morning person. But she did marry one last September, and his habits have rubbed off on her. So over the past year, she has slowly built out a morning routine that has actually helped her come to love her mornings. We asked her to walk us through it, from the gentle way she wakes up and moves her body first thing in the morning to her low-maintenance skin-care and makeup routine for a sunkissed glow.
7:15 a.m.
My latest obsession is my Hatch sunrise alarm clock. I used to wake up to an alarm on my phone, which, as we all know, can feel like an immediate cortisol spike. So, transitioning to a Hatch has made my mind feel much more at peace first thing in the morning.
Recently, my favorite setting is "Stephanie's backyard"—the sound of birds chirping—which brings me back to growing up in the Chicago suburbs. There are also a couple of other sounds I love, like the "Parisian morning" and "Brew and renew." Plus, the Hatch has a sound machine, so it's great for going to sleep, especially to the rain noise.
Right after I wake up, I'll drink a glass of Loonen water or a cup of peppermint tea—it just depends on the day. When I'm traveling, I love to pack peppermint tea to drink on a plane ride or in a hotel. It really grounds me for some reason.
7:30 a.m.
I love to move my body first thing in the morning. I usually follow a 10- to 20-minute low-impact Pilates class from one of my two favorite platforms: The Sculpt Society and FORM. I transitioned to at-home workouts before my wedding in September in an effort to work out more often. It also helps me feel more in control of my schedule since I no longer rely on making it to a workout class multiple times a week.
Recently, I've been very anti-wearing tight clothing—like leggings and bike shorts—during my workouts. Instead, I reach for very loose clothing, oftentimes sweatpants paired with a sports bra and an old t-shirt. I don't know what exactly sparked this change—maybe a desire for comfort over style or a natural shift toward feeling less inclined to dress up at home—but it's been a vibe I'm loving.
7:45 a.m.
After my workout, I make my non-negotiable everyday yogurt bowl. I use FAGE Greek yogurt (a staple for most Greek people I know, myself included). I mix in a tablespoon of peanut butter, and then I add strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. I top it off with a tiny bit of raw oats, chia seeds, Maldon sea salt, and, sometimes, I like to dip Honeycrisp apple slices into my concoction.
8:15 a.m.
Right after I eat, I'll take a warm shower. I pretty much always use the goop beauty Himalayan Salt Scalp Scrub Shampoo. If I'm being honest, I feel like this shampoo kind of changed my life. It's a great product for my thick hair, which often gets buildup in the summer, and it's the secret to a good blowout, which I get asked about too many times to count. I like to follow with the Crown Affair Volumizing Conditioner. On hair wash days, I switch to cold water because it's good for my hair and scalp health.
A few times a week, I wash my face with goop beauty's Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator. It leaves my skin visibly smoother and glowing. For body wash, I love Nécessaire’s in Santal.
8:30 a.m.
Once I'm out of the shower, I comb leave-in conditioner through my hair. My two favorites are the Crown Affair Leave-In Conditioner and Roz Milk Hair Serum.
I wrap my hair in the Crown Affair hair towel, which, yes, does actually make a difference. It really helps dry my hair faster while keeping down the frizz, and it stays tightly wrapped in my hair without feeling heavy. I don't know why you would ever want to use a regular towel if you could use something as innovative as this.
After I brush through my mostly dried hair, I apply the Smoothing Air Dry Cream from Crown Affair. If I'm giving myself a blowout, I'll use different products, but in the summertime I often opt to air-dry my hair.
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For skin care, I always use the Theraface Depuffing Wand from Therabody. I love the cool setting around my eyes and the hot setting when I have a blemish. It's calming and compact enough for traveling.
I follow with the Saie Sunvisor SPF. I love this SPF because of how sheer it is—it feels like a second skin and gives me the prettiest glow.
I'll massage the Kate McLeod body stone into my damp skin to boost moisture. Then, I use the Nécessaire deodorant, which is one of the only clean deodorants I've ever used that actually works. I just started using this last month and can't help but wonder where this product has been all my life. It's that wonderful.
8:45 a.m.
In terms of makeup, I'm pretty low maintenance. I feel confident to conquer the day with blush and a lip. For blush, I love Saie Dew Bronze—a bronze version of their Dew Blush, which I also love. Sometimes, I press the goop beauty Colorblur Glow Balm in Afterglow onto my cheeks and bring it with me wherever I go that day since its balmy texture makes it easy to apply on the go.
When I want to achieve an effortless sun-kissed glow, I swipe the Westman Atelier bronzer in Soleil Parfait across the high points of my face.
For my lips, I love a wide range of products to pick from depending on the day. I love Westman Atelier's Hydrobalm Tinted Lipstick in Soda—a low-maintenance lip product to throw on and give a wash of color.
I also love Fara Homidi's products, specifically her lip pencil in Faun because I often gravitate towards browns, taupes, and cooler tones for my lips, which is harder to find than you'd think. I like to pair that with the lip-plumping oil in Tawny. I think this gives the most gorgeous color ever. I love it so much that I wore it on my wedding day.
Then for setting spray, I use the Saie CitySet Lightweight Setting Spray, which I think is the most weightless setting spray I've used, and I'm just a big fan of Saie because they make clean beauty feel so easy.
9:00 a.m.
Something about me is, I dress for a feeling. I spoke about this on a podcast, and I feel like it's kind of shocking, but I don't plan my outfits. I don't really like to fuss the night before. I like to wake up, get into my closet, and feel connected to a different piece of clothing each day and work around that. So if I'm leaning towards a top I want to wear, I'll build an outfit around that top.
I feel like I have my best outfits when I plan them at the last minute, which isn't always conducive to travel. Theoretically, I would like to be better about planning my outfits, but it's always better when I can kind of just go with the flow and follow how I'm feeling. Lately, you can catch me wearing a lot of GWYN, Kallmeyer, Tibi, Still Here New York, and DONNI.
9:15 a.m.
After choosing my outfit, I plan my schedule around work events I have during the day. I drive over to my office in Santa Monica and get a decaf cappuccino to kick-start my workday. Sometimes, I like to treat myself to a sweet treat latte. I'm almost always going to Primo Passo Coffee Co. in Santa Monica (my favorite coffee shop in L.A.) and ordering a decaf iced hazelnut latte. I also love Philz Coffee and their Hazelnut Filtered Soul.
I always drink decaf. I don't do super well with caffeine, which is a shocking thing to learn for some people when they're getting to know me. But I just love the taste of coffee. I love coffee ice cream. Coffee-flavored anything. Even when I was a young girl, my Nona would let me sneak in a sip of espresso.
My morning coffee shop runs are a nice way to treat myself every now and then during the week and help me fall in love with my routine even more. My routine has become the alone time I value before the world wakes up and before I get super bogged down with work, stress, or whatever the day brings. I've also learned that when I'm not following my routine, I don't feel as good, which is a testament to how important sticking to my routine is for my mental health and overall well-being.