Kristin Cavallari: Her New Skincare Line, Her Diet and Exercise Regimen and her return to reality TV on The Hills

Photography Credit: Dennis Leupold

Kristin Cavallari became a household name when she was in high school after starring in the hit MTV reality series, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. Following Laguna Beach, Cavallari went on to appear in the show’s popular spin-off series The Hills and was later given her own reality show, Very Cavallari. She also enjoyed success as an actress after taking guest roles in series including Veronica Mars, CSI: NY, Cane and Adventures in Hollywood as well as direct-to-TV movies. In addition, Cavallari is also an entrepreneur and designer who launched her own line of clothing and jewelry, Uncommon James, in 2018. Very Cavallari ran for three seasons and followed her life in Nashville as she opened her flagship store. Now, Cavallari has branched into skincare with her line of clean skincare products becoming available last month. NEW YOU had the chance to conduct a one-on-one interview with Cavallari in which she discussed her new venture, her diet and exercise routine, her one-episode appearance on The Hills: New Beginnings and whether fans can expect to see her return once more to the small screen. Here is an excerpt from that interview.

Q. Your skincare line Uncommon Beauty is launching on UncommonBeauty.com. Why did you decide to start your own line?

Cavallari: One of the number one questions that I’ve actually always gotten from fans has been “What is your skincare routine?” And so, about a year ago, my team and I just decided to bring the products that I was using at the time. We brought them in, and we just wanted to do a deep dive into them, see what’s in them and see how effective they are.

We sent them to our lab only to find out that they are not clean at all and that when you add all these filler ingredients like petroleum and parabens and all these things, they are actually in fact not good for you. So, while you think you’re doing a good thing for your skin, you’re actually doing the opposite. They weren’t effective really at all and that was pretty alarming for me.

Then also, what I realized was, I’ve learned a lot over the past year, but really you can say you’re a clean skincare or clean beauty brand I should say, whether it be skincare or makeup or whatever, and you’re really sort of not, at least not according to my standards and I just thought that that was alarming. So, I felt as though there was a need for a skincare line that truly was clean while still being really effective.

So, here we have Uncommon Beauty. We’re launching with our five core products. These are the products that are the base of my daily routine. They’re the products that I think everybody really needs in their daily routine.

We have our Daily Foaming Powder Cleanser, which I can just quickly show you all the products, but this is a powder. So, it’s really cool because you can control the consistency of it. You mix it with water, and it can either be a really deep exfoliator or a gentle cleanser. So that guy is great.

Then we have our Pineapple Peptide Nectar, which is my favorite product, because this is essentially a serum. We don’t call it a serum. We call it a nectar because in order to achieve that serum consistency, again, you have to add the silicones and all of these things. But it is essentially a serum and it’s vitamin C and peptides in one. So, it’s brightening, it’s anti-aging, it’s hydrating. It’s really everything that you would want in a serum.

And then we have our Daily Water Cream, which is our daily moisturizer. And this is almost like a water gel. It’s really light. It absorbs into the skin perfectly, and it just gives you that perfect hydration that leaves your skin glowing. During the day, unless I’m going to the office or I’m doing press or something, talking to you, all I do is the Pineapple Peptide Nectar and the Daily Water Cream, and I’ll have friends go, “Did you just get a facial? Your skin looks so good?” And it’s truly just these two products. So, I love those.

And then our Triple Effect Eye Cream. I wanted an eye cream that was really thick and luxurious and really would seep into my fine lines and make a difference. And then our Mango Lip Balm and it’s a lip balm. Nothing groundbreaking, but it’s a big chunky stick and it just smells really good. It’s not greasy or gross. It’s just really the perfect hydration.

And so, the base of all the products is hydration because obviously we all know we need to be drinking water, but we also need hydration in our products because I really believe at the end of the day, that’s really what keeps us looking young when our skin is plumped and hydrated. That’s the goal.

Q: You and your team spent a year developing the products. Tell me about that process and what were some of the challenges that you experienced?

Cavallari: Yeah, so I actually wasn’t in the lab myself, which was something that I really wanted to do. Our lab is in Miami. I do feel at some point, I will go because I do just want to see the whole process of that. But instead, what we did because of COVID and everything, our lab would send us samples. We would always get about five little mini samples and then myself and some of the other team members on my Uncommon James team would try the products.

Initially, it was a long conversation of, “Right, well, what do we want to launch with?” And that’s why we ended up with our five core products, the base of every daily routine. And then in January, we’re going to follow it up with some products that are a little bit more fun that are very much a part of the routine, maybe not every day, like a natural alternative to retinol, some other things. So, I’m really excited about those too.

But to answer your question, the biggest challenge that I found was the eye cream, because when you first enter this clean beauty space, whether it be skincare or makeup, I think that there’s a moment where you have to let go of what you’re used to, whether it’s the texture, whether it’s the way that an eyeliner smudges or whatever it is, because it’s not always going to be the same. Because in order to achieve that consistency, you do have to add petroleum and some of these other things that I’m not crazy about.

And so, with the eye cream I kept saying to my lab, “Yeah, it’s great, but I want it thicker. I want it thicker. I want it thicker.” And finally, after three revisions, they said, “Kristin, we can’t make it any thicker unless you want to start adding in these ingredients that you don’t want to.” So, I had to let go of that a little bit. And I will say where we’ve ended up with our eye cream, I’m so thankful and so proud of our manufacturer because it really is thick and luxurious and everything that I wanted in an eye cream.

But yeah, is it as thick as the one that I was using for the previous few years? No, but I still love it. And to be honest with you, I put it on at night and I rub it in and then before I go to bed, if I touch under my eyes, I can actually still feel it. I think a lot of products, too, will slide off of your face. This actually absorbs into the skin and I can feel the difference and I can see the difference.

Q: Uncommon Beauty is launching with five products. Why was it important for you to keep the regimen fairly simple?

Cavallari: Yeah. We’re living in modern times. Everything I do with Uncommon James, the jewelry, now obviously skin care, everything is minimal. Everything is effortless. I don’t have 20 minutes every morning to try on different earrings and whatnot, or to have an extensive skin care routine. I have three little kids. I’m trying to get everyone packed up for school and get me to the office. Mornings are hectic and at nighttime I’m exhausted. I don’t want 20 products that I have to sit there and take so long to go through

That’s why a lot of these products have multi-purposes. The Pineapple Peptide Nectar, for example, is peptides and vitamin C in one. So that’s combining the two. The face wash could be a deep exfoliator or a gentle cleanser. And it’s just to take out the fuss. You shouldn’t have to overthink it. It shouldn’t be complicated. It should be easy. You should enjoy it. And so that’s why we just wanted to strip it down and give you five products that you really need that really are effective because that’s the other thing, if you have five products that are doing what they say they’re doing, you don’t need all of that other stuff.

Q: You now have a skincare line and a fashion and lifestyle brand. Do you have any plans to launch a cosmetics line?

Cavallari: I don’t know. To be honest, right now where I’m at, I’m very content and very happy. I don’t have any plans to add another product line. We just opened up a store in Dallas. Now with Uncommon Beauty launching, I feel as though my work plate is maxed out at the moment, and I have a really good balance between life and work, and I’m enjoying that, and I don’t want to rock the boat. So, I’m trying just to be more present, and I’m just allowing life to happen to me lately, and it feels really good instead of saying… I don’t know, I think for a while I was trying to achieve so much, and I got a little burnt out, and now I’m just happy with where everything is at.

Q: Where can our viewers buy the products?

Cavallari. On our website at UncommonBeauty.com

Q. What are some of your skincare and your beauty tips outside of using the products? Tell me about your exercise and diet regimen. How do you stay so fit?

Cavallari: Yeah, and I do really feel as though all of that plays a role in overall beauty, overall health. I am a very healthy eater. So, what does that mean? That means we’re organic as often as possible. Real food. I never look at fat or calories or anything on an ingredient label. I just read the actual ingredients, and I just want to make sure that I’m eating real food as close to its natural state as possible. I drink a ton of water. I work out five days a week and I lift weights, but I go quickly. It’s circuit training so that my heart rate is up. I’m a big believer in an infrared sauna, in a bath, in a mask, in a gratitude journal.

I think all of those things play a role in overall happiness, and I think that happiness is really where beauty comes from. I think when you have that glow, it’s from here and here. I think it’s inner and it’s shining through and I think when you love yourself and you’re comfortable in your own skin, that’s what makes people be attracted to you and want that secret. It’s no secret. I think your mental health is a large part of that.

Q: What do you do for self-care, especially during the pandemic?

Cavallari: Well, a few things. I will say I’m in the country in Tennessee, and I’m so thankful because my kids have actually been in school the whole year, since August and they’re getting out now at the end of next week. I think about all of my friends in L.A. or families in New York in condos, and those parents are the real heroes in this whole situation, because I don’t think I would have been able to do it. So that’s been great.

So, if I stay home from the office, I actually have my house to myself because all three of my kids are in school five days a week. So that’s great. But I think it’s more just about figuring out what you need in order to feel your best, to make yourself a priority. The older I’ve gotten, I know I need at least seven. I try to get eight to nine hours of sleep a night. That’s the most important thing to me. It just is. Instead of going to dinner or staying up and watching a TV show, I go to bed, and then I wake up early so that I can work out because that’s also a priority of mine. And that’s my alone time in the morning before my kids wake up, before the day gets so hectic.

And I have just learned that that’s what I need in order to be my best self in order to take care of three kids. I think for a long time there was the idea that if you’re a parent, you can’t put yourself first, what are you talking about? But it’s actually, I think we’re all realizing now we have to put ourselves first so that I can be the best mom that I can be. And so, yeah, it’s just about figuring out what works for you.

Q: You are making your highly anticipated cameo in The Hills: New Beginnings and Brody has teased that your episode is very exciting. What can you tell us about it? How was the reunion?

Cavallari: What can I tell you? I’ll tell you this. It was a ton of fun. It felt like a little reunion. I had the best time. I loved seeing everybody. And I felt as though the pressure was off of me. Well, it was a different pressure, I think, because I did one episode. I could just go and have fun, and I didn’t have to worry about some crazy storyline or them trying to really do something, so I could just enjoy it. And for once I was listening to everybody else’s drama, and I was like, “This is great, because it’s not about me.” And then I get to leave. So, it was great.

Q: Did you give any advice to the other cast members?

Cavallari: I’ll tell you what, the group of people on The Hills… They’ve been doing this forever, too. I mean, they could probably give me advice. They’re all pros. They all know what they’re doing. They don’t need my advice, but it was fun. Especially with Audrina and Heidi, the three of us have really maintained a friendship and we’ve remained really close. They actually came on my show, Very Cavallari. That’s actually how I ended up on The Hills. We swapped an episode for an episode.

We have that bond for life because we’ve been through those shows together, and I think no matter what, we’ll always be in each other’s corners. And that’s just a really nice feeling, just knowing that we can always count on each other. So that was really good and filming The Hills, it was just hanging out with your buddies, and it was fun. It was a lot of fun.

Q: Sounds very fun and I really can’t wait to see it. I’m very excited. So lastly, are you thinking of going back to reality TV or pursuing acting again? What do you see yourself doing down the line?

Cavallari: No, I will never do another show just about my life. I would go back in a hosting sense or a travel show, something like that, but I’m maxed out on sharing my life with everybody. There’s a level of stress that comes with those shows and I don’t actually like it. I’ve actually always been private even though I come from reality TV, but I’ve always kept the cameras and the audience at an arm’s length distance and I don’t like when people think they know about my life, and they judge it, even though they only know little bits. And so, it’s not for me. It’s just not for me.

I only did Very Cavallari to promote Uncommon James. I really looked at it as a marketing tool, and I’m really happy I went back beyond that because it left a really positive taste in my mouth with reality TV. And I was an executive producer and I really had a great time, but that was my initial reasoning for it. So no, I won’t go back to reality TV in that sense, but we’ll see. I don’t know. And as far as acting, my kids are my priority and I can’t really because most acting is in L.A. and New York, and we’re based in Tennessee. And to be honest, I’m just really happy going into the office every day and working on Uncommon James. That’s where I’m happiest.

For more on Uncommon Beauty, visit UncommonBeauty.com

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