What Ming-Na Wen Can’t Live Without

I have these on right now. Being Asian, we have a lot of hair on our head, but no hair on our legs, arms, the rest of our body, and not much on our eyelashes. So false eyelashes have always been a necessity if we want to look a little glam. And I’ve always loved them. I’ve been wearing them for probably 30 years. And what I love about these particular ones is their shape, and the flexibility of their bands. I don’t know why, but they’re the only brand I find that really suits my eye shape. Others — and I’ve tried them all — are too rounded or too stiff. These also don’t bother you at all. I find their latex-free glue to be really great, and I even sleep with them sometimes.

I used to use Visine — and not to bad-mouth Visine, but I heard that it’s actually really not good for your eyes, which is shameful because they’re eye drops. Being a working mom and having 5 a.m. call times a majority of the time, Mama gets tired, so my eyes get red. I don’t use this every day — only when I have to be on-camera or on the red carpet. But it really makes the whites pop, and it doesn’t sting at all. It makes you look like you’ve really slept.

I’m starting to get some grays, which is a pain in the ass. And if I go swimming, I’m completely covered head to toe — it’s hilarious. Because I’m always wearing hats, my scalp is so white that sometimes it makes me look almost bald in certain areas. This is really good at covering not just the grays that might be growing out, especially along the edges, but it’s also really great for covering the scalp. It serves both purposes. I touch my hair all the time, and unlike other brands where product gets all over your hands and face, this one really stays.

Every human being should have this as a staple, and Mason Pearson should give me a percentage for saying that. It’s the boar bristles along with their hard bristles. What it does is take the oil on your scalp and redistribute it to your ends. It feels so good on the scalp when you’re brushing, and it makes the hair look fuller for some reason. If I’ve used a ton of products like hairspray for a red carpet event, yes, I wash my hair the next day. But if you just have clean hair with minimal product, I use this. It’s fantastic for the follicles.

I’ve kept a journal since I was 10 years old. I’ve always written in my journals, and I think that’s what keeps my sanity. It’s a great form of self-therapy. I’m able to recalibrate and get a better perspective on things when I write them down. I discovered bullet journaling through an actress friend when we were working on a project together. I saw her with her little bag of pens, drawing and writing. I asked, “Are you an artist as well?,” and she said, “No, I’m just bullet journaling.” I went into a whole rabbit hole with it. Especially in the beginning, I became obsessed — I started buying markers and pens, looking for different types of bullet journals, testing the size and paper weight. There is so much art to it. I love it because it allows you the freedom of journaling while maintaining a schedule and a vision for what you want to do. You keep an index, so it’s really easy to find pages. It’s a wonderful system for maintaining order, especially in my life.

I am also a pen freak. When I went to Japan recently, those stationery stores were to die for. These pens are so inexpensive, but they write beautifully. They don’t smudge. For bullet journaling, that’s really important.

I travel a lot, especially lately. I’m only five-foot-four — actually, my husband says five-foot-three, so let’s compromise on five-three-and-a-half on a good day when I’ve stretched. Those overhead bins are so high up now, and I don’t want to constantly ask someone, “Hey, can you help me put this up?” like I’m a fragile little thing. I’m Agent May, for crying out loud! My Docs are my go-to travel shoes. The only thing is the rubber sole is so heavy that even though I have TSA PreCheck and Global Entry, I still have to take them off because they set off the security scanners. They also make me feel really confident because they’re chunky. They’re comfortable and look hip and cool. I recently wore them at TIFF because by the third day of press, I was done wearing high heels. I thought, “Okay, I’ll wear this cute dress and pair it with my Docs.” Every time I wear them, people ask, “Which ones are those?”

I have many woks. This one is a good size. It works for a single person or a family. You need room to stir-fry and cook. The fact that it’s flat-bottomed is also very useful, especially for people who have electric cooktops. All of mine are hand-hammered because they feel thinner to me than the manufactured ones, which is really important for heat induction, even distribution, and overall feel. It’s the best cooking instrument, and it’s a lot healthier for you than a nonstick pan because it becomes naturally nonstick over time once seasoned. It’s good for any stir fry, whether you’re making shrimp fried rice, chives with eggs, noodle dishes, or cooking eggs. It’s great for stews, too. You can’t go wrong with it. If there were an apocalyptic situation, I would grab my wok.

These come from hawthorn berries, which are lovely, tart berries that grow in China. I’ve loved them since I was 3 years old, according to my mom. To this day, she can’t believe I still eat Haw Flakes. She laughs every time she sees me pull one out of my purse. I love a little something tart, and this has just enough sweetness. Sometimes all you need is one or two pieces as a treat. It’s like a hardish candy in the shape of a little disc, but once you bite into it — or you can suck on it — it’s really soft. Plus, it’s very good for your digestion. I actually have one here because it’s really good for soothing my throat, and I’m talking for five hours today.

I’m sitting on the cushier one right now, but I travel with this thin one. Like I said, I travel a lot, and airplane seats — even in first class or business class — aren’t the most comfortable. If I’m traveling five-plus hours, I love the support it gives my spine and tailbone. It’s great in a long car ride, too, like when we drive to Vegas to visit my mom. You’ve got to protect your back! It rolls up, and it comes with straps so you can carry it like a yoga mat. A lot of times, I’ll fit it inside my carry-on or tie it around the outside of my bag. Because it’s a pillow, airlines don’t consider it an extra personal item.

I love the compact shape of this bottle. S’well promises 12 hours of heat retention, and they actually deliver. Being Asian, we always have to have our hot water. I highly recommend drinking warm to hot water for your health and digestion. When I travel, I always bring my S’well bottle to keep hot water for the plane ride and the hotel. I even travel with a portable collapsible silicone water kettle to boil water. You can’t have one without the other. I don’t trust hotel coffee machines, and I don’t like my water tasting like coffee. So I bring my kettle and my S’well bottle.