Sarah Hyland Shares the $16 Bag She Takes Everywhere

One minute into meeting Sarah Hyland, I mutter, “I’ve been falling asleep to you!” It’s a line I’ve used exactly twice with TV personalities. Once to Adam Pally during my late-night Happy Endings kick (he was not charmed by me), and again to the Modern Family star now that I’m on my fifth comfort watch of the show that made her famous. Hyland, who recently partnered with Kohl’s, laughs politely, in a seemingly not-at-all-creeped-out way, putting me at instant ease.

The last time Hyland collaborated with the brand was in 2016 as the creative director of Candies. Since then, among myriad other projects, she’s gone on to star in Little Shop of Horrors off-Broadway (FWIW her “Somewhere That’s Green” is one for the books) and marry Wells Adams, the beloved Bachelor in Paradise bartender. But we’re not here to talk about her IMDB page. We’re here to talk about what puts her at ease, especially after doing eight shows a week; the fall fashion trends she’s into; the two-in-one beauty product she uses when she’s feeling blotto after a long flight (she’s currently bicoastal); and the bag she carries whenever she walks her dog, Boo.

The denim trend she’s living in

“I love a wide-legged jean. Apparently, any pant that looks like Katherine Hepburn would have worn it. I also love a pleated moment,” she says, adding that the brand SO from Kohl’s is her go-to.

The thing that helps her relax

“To unwind [after the show], it takes me a long time. I tend to go home and go into a functional freeze where I just eat cheese by the pack or eat pizza…. A good thing to do is put on records and get new music into my head, like Ella Fitzgerald. When I go to my apartment, I put on my Victrola Bluetooth record player to calm me down.”

The chocolate that makes her skin glow

“My Sourse Glow Bites are really great for collagen,” she says of the supplement brand she cofounded. “They’re great at keeping your skin glowing from the inside out. They taste like M&M’s and they’re the size of Whoppers. I’m not that young anymore. My collagen levels have dropped. It’s a great way to keep my skin hydrated, especially while traveling. Our energy bites are really great, too, when I’m doing eight shows a week and I need a little booster. It’s all-natural caffeine—like matcha and L-theanine—that just keeps me going.”

The makeup that helps her look pulled together after a long flight

“I love Rare Beauty liquid blush. You can literally use it as a blush and an eye shadow, so it’s a super-easy, on-the-go product for a little color.” Then she tops it off with a setting spray that, she says with a laugh, is especially helpful for “when you’re sweating and crying and stressed out. It just keeps everything in place so at least it looks like you have it all together.”

The cute fall fashion she’s vibing

“I had a love-hate relationship with polka dots for a long time, but I’ve come into my own, and I’m really excited about this collection from Lauren Conrad for Kohl’s. I’m so glad polka dots are making a resurgence.”

The $16 bag she takes everywhere

“Flex’s crossbody is great for traveling or walking the dog since it actually holds a lot of things,” she says, referring to her nine-year-old chocolate Lab mix, who is featured in her Kohl’s campaign.