Bethenny Frankel does not pause. In the same week she shot our cover, she was juggling a hair-care investment announcement, brand deals and, yes, the now-legendary Chicken Salad Olympics, all without leaving her glam chair. “Everybody use me. This is the day. Use me physically all day. Everybody descend upon me like a pit crew,” she says of her all-in approach to getting everything done. It’s the kind of multitasking that would burn most people out. For Frankel, it’s just Wednesday.
She’s been telling people what’s actually worth buying since before “de-influencing” had a name. She’ll hold a drugstore foundation up next to a makeup artist’s favorite, tell you which grocery store chicken salad is the best and call out which beauty myths just aren’t it. That’s the same audacity that had her strutting, almost skating, down the runway at this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit show at 55, and had the internet saying, “I’ll have what she’s having.” Frankel isn’t just a content creator, a former reality star or the entrepreneur behind Skinnygirl. Bethenny Frankel is a whole vibe.
What are some of your earliest beauty memories?
“I would say the roller rink and using curling irons to make wings in my hair. I don’t remember makeup a lot, but Bonne Bell Lip Smacker, that little roller lip gloss and Love’s Baby Soft. Sun-In was a big part of my life too, burning your face off, basically. Sergio Valente jeans and wings, that was my whole personality. It still is, honestly. My boyfriend says I identify with that whole ’70s era because I spent my entire childhood at the roller rink.”
You were at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show this year, your second, surrounded by supermodels, athletes and influencers, but you were the one everyone was talking about afterward. What was that moment like?
“I never really thought about my age until last year doing that. I don’t place a tremendous amount of emphasis on my looks, so it was strange that suddenly everybody else did, on my hair color, my body, my skin tone. It was exciting, but I had to catch up to everybody else. I don’t believe my own bullshit, and I don’t drink my own Kool-Aid, but I also think a lot of it affected women who are moms, who felt like, thank you, we’re not dead, we’re not dinosaurs, we get to be hot too. A lot of younger women told me I make them not afraid to get older. That part I’m proud of. Being hot and having a good body isn’t interesting. The meaning behind it is.”
You famously say you don’t work out. What do you attribute your fit, toned look to?
“People really do underestimate confidence. You don’t notice the hot, vacant woman staring at her phone all night with no personality. You notice the person who’s laughing, dancing and completely owning it. That’s confidence. As for the physical part, I attribute it to self-regulation and balance. I don’t binge, I’m not extreme, I don’t diet, and I don’t really exercise that much. I think your body remembers what you used to do. When you go back to it, there’s muscle memory.”
Let’s talk multitasking. Between brand partnerships, investments, this shoot and the Chicken Salad Olympics, how do you juggle it all without burning out?
“My entire team knows that if I’ve got my hair and makeup on for one thing, we’re doing everything that day. When I left the shoot, the Chicken Salad Olympics was happening at my house in that same glam. Other than that, I’m constantly thinking, talking, organizing, delegating and ideating, but I’m not physically required to be anywhere except once a week, maybe once every other week now. I don’t do as much as people think.”
What made you think of the Chicken Salad Olympics? You’ve really done a lot for chicken salad, it’s having a moment.
“I started making chicken salad the beginning of the pandemic, and everybody kept asking which one was the best. I got some validation that mine was, in fact, the best. I think it’s stupid and fun, and in a world with so much stress, it’s lighthearted.”
You’re one of the biggest beauty creators on social media. Was that strategic or a happy accident?
“It was an accident. I came from an era where you’d never say, here’s a picture of me, look at me. One day I had this CoverGirl foundation and this expensive one a makeup artist left at my house. I compared them and thought it was the greatest revelation in history. I posted about it and it just started to catch on. I didn’t even know I was going viral. Then I got some Maybelline lip glosses in the mail and thought, I am famous, I am an influencer. It just took off from there. Instagram matters more from a brand perspective, but TikTok is very hip and young, and I never would’ve had an audience that age without it.”
Let’s talk treatments. What actually moves the needle, especially for women in their 40s and 50s?
“I don’t want to act like I know, because I don’t, honestly. It’s the same as taking NAD supplements and collagen, we’re all just doing what everyone else is telling us to do. I don’t believe in the simple rub-the-cream-in facials or the five-minute high-powered facials. I do believe in microdermabrasion and lighter exfoliating products. Deep peels and lasers work, but you have to stay far away from the sun afterward. Body treatments seem to work because you actually feel them” [Frankel has previously credited treatments including Sofwave’s PureImpact VIP.] “Botox helped my jaw tremendously, changed my face entirely, mine’s tied to teeth grinding, so that’s more of a medical thing. I also think permanent hair extensions are terrible, they destroy your hair. Lash extensions too.”
Any beauty myths that make you roll your eyes?
“I own a piece of dpHUE [Frankel acquired a stake in the brand earlier this month], and you can’t claim hair growth because people come after you for it. A hair clinic completely changed the way I think about scalp care. Your scalp is like the skin on your face, it needs to be clean or things get trapped. So, when I saw the Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse ($38), I thought, that’s going to let my scalp breathe. Women can’t believe in a product in a vacuum. You have to understand the why. That’s true for diet, exercise, hair and skin. It’s not about waving a magic wand.”
What’s worthy of a splurge, and what drugstore products are you loving right now?
“RoC’s retinol makes sense for summer because it’s reasonable, not too strong. They also make a hydrating SPF that isn’t clogging and pairs well with it. Then there’s the L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renew Midnight Cream ($29)— a rich, restorative cream for when your face is dehydrated from sun or travel, almost like a mask. If I’m splurging, Haus Labs Foundation ($52) for nights out, IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream ($39) and good-quality sheet masks, I use Ryvalia. But I don’t think you need to splurge on cleanser, which is why I’ve talked so much about CeraVe Cream-to-Foam Cleanser ($17). Cream to foam is how you really get your makeup off and clean out your pores.”
You’ve talked a lot about confidence and owning it. What would you say to a woman in her 40s who’s starting to feel like she’s playing catch-up?
“Consistency. That’s when you realize you can’t get away with what you used to. Protection from the sun, always. The sun is out 365 days a year, including in your car and through your windows. Everybody wants a quick fix, but it’s really about consistency. You can always course-correct. You’re feeding your face, your skin, your body and your hair. It’s all connected.”
