Lala Kent on Injectables, Drugstore Skin Care, and The Beauty Advice She Got From Lisa Vanderpump

Lala Kent has made a brand out of of sharing herself with her fans. Literally. Her beauty line and her podcast are both named “Give Them Lala”, and that’s exactly what she does. She has spent years having her life documented on on Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules, shared details of her off-camera life on her podcast, and of course, shared some of her best beauty tips along the way.

Her beauty line, Give Them Lala Beauty was born from a place of practicality as well as her love of makeup. “My manager came to me and told me I have to create something to fall back on when this show is no longer and he asked, what are you interested in?” says Kent. “I love beauty so much and that's how Give Them Lala Beauty came to be.” The line initially launched in 2017 with six lip glosses, testing the waters and developing her own perspective on creating products. “My initial thought was, if I'm not going to wear it, I don't wanna put it out there,” Kent explains. “I had to know I would feel comfortable packing it in my purse and wearing it all night, because if I don't want to grab my own lip gloss, then we're doing something wrong,” she says. And people responded. In five years, Give Them Lala Beauty has expanded into a full brand including all kinds of makeup and into skin care, as well. It’s never been easier to get a little piece of Lala to take with you whether it’s her favorite cleanser or an eyeshadow palette named after one of her iconic Vanderpump Rules lines.

Below, Kent talks to NYLON about her makeup routines, injectables, and the beauty advice she got from Lisa Vanderpump.

What’s your earliest beauty memory?

Oh my gosh, I have been interested in beauty since I was around five. My mom always told me putting Vaseline around my eyes to prevent crow’s feet. And I was like, “what are crow’s feet?” But I watched my mom. Then, I remember one time she left her makeup bag out and there was no one around and I put mascara on—I think I was six—and I felt so cute. I remember my mom asking, “did you put mascara on?” I was so embarrassed, I said no, but clearly she could tell. From there on out, I thought this makeup thing is my jam.

How did your relationship with beauty grow and change as you grew up?

Well, I think we all went through the trend of buying Oompa Loompa makeup. In seventh grade it was right when The Simple Life came out with Paris Hilton and the spray tan look. I mean, I know it wasn't a great look, but honestly, I still love it so much to this day. That was around the first time I started dabbling in makeup and my dad would look at my mom ask, “Are we really gonna let her leave the house like that?” And my mom would say, “Just let her do her thing. She's going through a phase.”

I love that your mom was so supportive.

She always bit her tongue. She figured if my daughter is walking out of the house and feeling beautiful and confident with that kind of makeup on, then I'm going to let her do her thing. I just pray that I can be that exact same way with my daughter.

What are you with your beauty evolution now?

Obviously, I outgrew the foundation color that I liked in junior high school. But everything changed when I was on my first season of Vanderpump Rules. The season started airing and Lisa Vanderpump pulled me aside and told me that I needed to up my makeup game. Maybe it was my interview looks or just something wasn't hitting. And I remember thinking I should be offended, but I wasn’t. I decided I'm going to start watching tutorials and I’m going to learn how to contour and do eyeshadow correctly. That's when everything kind of shifted.

I feel like had she had that conversation with me prior to entering the lion’s den, I would've been a little bit sensitive. But I had been through the ringer for like four months at that point, so someone giving me beauty tips was the least of my concern. All season I had, you know, taken the wrath from others for showing my butt on Instagram.

Do you remember anything she told you?

I remember I was at the SUR hostess stand and and she told me to start playing with more of a smokey eye look to accentuate my eyes. Before, I’d wear this one shimmery peachy shadow, but all over my entire eye. She told me I should start using blush. I'd never used blush. So I started dabbling and I then I was having the best time ever with makeup. Later, my manager came to me and told me I have to create something to fall back on when this show is no longer and he asked, what are you interested in? I said the face. I love beauty so much and that's how Give Them Lala Beauty came to be.

What are some of your must-have beauty products?

I cannot live without Bio-Oil. I cannot live without Vaseline. I started Give Them Lala Skin when I was pregnant and I had the worst cystic acne and my hormones were raging. My Botanical Infused Cleanser was the one thing that actually kept my hormonal acne at bay, so I can't live without that. All Give Them Lala Skin, obviously. A simple moisturizer I use is Ponds, which you can get at the grocery store and it’s incredible. You don't have to go to a department store and spend $400 on a cream to get results. Beauty can definitely be affordable and work.

What’s your day-to-day routine like?

If I'm just hanging out with my kid, the first thing I think about is just hydrating my face—I'm not putting any makeup on. I'm either putting on my Bio-Oil or I'm drenching my skin in Ponds. If I'm filming, we are going all out. I'm putting on my fake eyelashes. I'm dipping into all of my Give Them Lala eyeshadow palettes. I can't live without a lip liner — lip liners are my everything. I have this product called Diamond Drip, it's a liquid highlighter and I mix it into my foundation. I love the look of just dewy, yummy skin.

How long does it take you to get ready when you’re doing a full face?

Well, I love to dink around, so I always allow myself about an hour and a half. Keep in mind, I may want to sit down and just watch the scene of Real Housewives of New York that’s playing — I am constantly playing OG Housewives on Hulu. I love a good luxurious getting ready time. I don't like to be rushed.

Do you ever go back and you rewatch Vanderpump Rules?

No. That sends me into sheer panic! I'm not saying that I haven't ever done it, but when I watch get a little cringe-y. If I do go back I tend to fast forward through my scenes—unless I'm looking banging. Then I just mute it and just enjoy the aesthetic of it.

Do you have an all-time favorite beauty look from the show?

I love this question! Season eight I was feeling so hot. Like my face was perfectly injected, my hair was bleach blonde and long, my outfits were on point, my makeup was flawless. I don't know what I did differently, but that season I was feeling myself. And I was so bummed out because that was the season that they had brought on 101 new cast members and I just don't feel like that version of Lala was given the amount of camera time that she deserved [laughs].

Who do you like to work with for your injectables?

With the face and injecting, it can go bad very quickly. Dr. Diamond, I trust with my life injecting my face and giving me the perfect amount of filler to not change completely, but just to add a little bit of like sparkle to what I already have. Then I go to Leigh at Skintight Aesthetics for my lips, because the lips can go real bad real quick, too. I only trust her.

What’s your beauty philosophy?

Do what makes you feel beautiful and confident. I sit here and I talk about how natural beauty is amazing and then I'm also talking about getting my face injected. I understand how that sounds and people comment, “don't do that” or “you don't need this”. I want people to know that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. However you feel beautiful and confident is exactly how you should do things. If you feel beautiful with your lips, the size of a freaking house, then that's exactly what you should do.