"Listen, I’m a believer that if you want to take care of yourself and look good, that doesn’t mean that you are not interested in what’s going on in the world. Liking beauty doesn’t mean you’re superficial. You can do both, absolutely. There's sort of this sexist narrative, that's like, ‘Oh, she cares about what she looks like, therefore she doesn’t care about these other issues going on.’ I don’t buy into that. Let’s get real—there’s a big beauty industry for men, too! Taking care of yourself is a part of life—and it shows. I'm 54 and I recently realized that. All through my 20s and well into my 30s I worked at ABC News so I was a working girl. I never saw the inside of a club, I never drank. You don’t realize the harm you’re doing to your skin in your 20s with everything—lying out in the sun, excessive drinking, it all shows up later. Right now I’m getting all of these sun damage spots on my chest lasered with the Cool Laser. A thing that everyone should know—you’ve got to bring whatever you’re using down to your neck and décolletage. Think of your neck and chest as part of your face. For years, I would be like, ‘Your face, your face, your face,’ and then suddenly I was in my 40s and I’m like, ‘Eh.’ [Laughs] Nora Ephron wrote a really great essay called ‘I Feel Bad About My Neck,’ and she said, ‘The face is the lie the neck is the truth.’ So now I’m using this face mask for the neck from SiO.
SKINCARE
My routine starts at night. I’ll come home and take off my makeup with Bioderma wipes. Easy, classic, I buy them in bulk. For my eye makeup, I put a Q-tip and get along the lash line. My lashes are extensions—are you kidding me? That’s like one less thing you have to worry about. Plus, ever since I put the extensions on, I don’t wear mascara so I don’t fuck with my eyelashes. Every time I take them off I’m like, ‘Crap, am I not going have eyelashes?’ But they’re almost more protected now because I don’t pull them or anything. I’m very careful. Anyway, I take my makeup off as best I can, and then I’m into this Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Cleanser. I mix it with the regular ExfoliKate, just a tiny bit, because you don’t need to be scrubbing that much. If I have more makeup on, I use these washcloths that my mother-in-law uses. She is 85, and looks amazing. They’re called Vic washcloths, and they have a perfect exfoliating texture.
Depending on my mood, I’ll use the Augustinus Bader Rich Cream at night, and that’s it. But let me show you one other thing—it’s not only about the cream. I use a microneedler by Environ—they make the best one. I roll very lightly, although I have Italian skin and really, I could jackhammer it and it would be fine. I started by doing microneedling facials at Mashel Tabe—she’s great. I’ll go once every six weeks. Then I use an eye cream—I’m loving the Dr. Sturm Eye Cream. I’m really into her cleanser too, which is lovely. I also use her stuff for travel—it’s everything you need, and it’s so little but lasts for so long because it’s a foam. Then I use one of her serums—the Hyaluronic Serum, the Anti-Aging Serum, and her Calming Serum are amazing. Sometimes I’ll put that on when my skin feels red. Then, again, I roll. You gotta roll. And I also have the blood cream. I know, I’m one of the lucky few. I don’t know what it is, but it’s my blood, and I’m putting it on my face. [Laughs]
In the morning I wake up and I’ll wash my face again, and I’ll exfoliate with the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Daily Peels. Then I’ll put a little Tan Towel on. Sometimes I'll switch that out for the Angela Caglia Dream Exfoliant Mask and her cleanser because it’s a balm. You just feel so clean after those. And since it's the morning, I use the regular Bader Cream instead of the Rich Cream. What's really great is this Serum C from Melanie Simon. It’s so pure and amazing. The concentration is out of control. That’s also good to microneedle with. Then I have the red light from LightStim, and I binge all those crime dramas so whenever I do that, I’ll just sit there with it on for an hour. It’s kind of awkward if your boyfriend’s over, but really if he’s not into red light I’m not into him.
As I’ve aged, my jawline has gotten a little weak. I would never have thought to do it but I saw Dr. Ourian when I was in LA and he put a little filler on my jawline on each side, and it literally made me look 10 years younger. On HDTV you notice everything, I guess. So I told him that the right side of my face is a little swollen, which is something I noticed from watching [The Real Housewives Of New York City]. I’m not sure what the reason is and he didn’t either. He used an Ultrasound to massage it and calm it, and it just took out the inflammation. I'll tell you, this Ultrasound laser hurt more than child labor...I have never had a child, but that's how I imagine it. But I always say, ‘If it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t work.’ That’s my motto.
MAKEUP
To be honest, I don’t really have my own makeup because when I’m not on television or doing a photoshoot or something I barely wear it. But I do keep things around, like these brushes are so gorgeous, and they’re Sonia Kashuk from Target. They’re so good. I put on Nars Tinted Moisturizer, and then really all I use is La Prairie Concealer. This is sick—I just discovered this Lip and Eye Duo from La Prairie. This makes a little glow of highlight under your eye, and the lip is perfect and hydrating. It’s like a newborn baby who just took a nap—that’s what this is. Newborn baby in a compact.
I use the Charlotte Tilbury Sculpt and Highlight sometimes for bronzer, but really I use the sculpt side as eyeshadow and the highlight in the middle of the lid. It’s really good for everything. I’m really into these Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks under my eye, too. They’re wide, and I like that, but they’re so easy. It’s like that look when you wake up in the morning and your makeup is a little smudgy because you had a great night having sex with your boyfriend—that’s what these give you. A perfectly smudged under eye.
The first season of RHONY, I did my own makeup and thought it looked great in real life. Then I saw it on television, and I was like, ‘Oh, I can do it in real life, but I can’t do it in TV life!’ It’s a different thing, so I work with a makeup artist so I have one less thing to worry about. And when you see me on TV, it doesn’t really look like I have my makeup done. It’s just the HD foundation and a little bit of a lash, just so I look awake. It’s not like makeup for interviews. Oh, and brows are everything—they’re the most important feature on your face, really.
HAIR
Serge Normant did Meghan Markle’s hair, but before he did Meghan, he did my hair! He’s incredible—he’s just a nice, nice man. I go to Serge Normant at John Freida, and I see him if he’s around or Xavier Velazquez, who’s so charming and so talented. I use their shampoo. My colorist there Gina, who is also amazing and I’ve known for 15 years, gave me this Regenerating Hair Mask from Christophe Robin. Because I lighten my hair so much, it’s been really hard to maintain. Ever since I went lighter, you really have to do masks. Warning out there.
BODY
For body, I use the Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer every day. It’s a little tinted—it’s so good. If I want to be a little tanner, I’ll use the St. Tropez Gradual Tanner or just a dot of the Instant Glow Body Lotion. If I don’t want to do tan at all but I have red carpet and I’m wearing a short dress, I found this thing from an infomercial that’s actually amazing. It's called Westmore Beauty Lasting Effects Body Coverage—it’s amazing, I bought like 4 bottles of it when I saw it on TV. I’m always afraid that those infomercial things are going to disappear. It's not As Seen On TV, but I love that company, too. The Shamwow is amazing. So absorbent.
Mashel, my facialist, sent this Environ body oil to me one time and now I'm always using a body oil, too. It’s funny because I was on a panel once of successful women over 50 or something, and Marlo Thomas was on it as well, and she’s pretty amazing. She said, ‘Honey, it’s all about body oil.’ I don’t know how old she is now, but she looks great. So, body oil, slather it all over. As a cheapie, get a jar of Egyptian Magic. I use it on my elbows. If our elbows faced forward, we'd all go insane. What is going on back there?! We can't see it, so we forget it. I try to always remember."
—as told to ITG
Carole Radziwill photographed in New York by Tom Newton on May 22, 2018.
