Spending time with Real Housewife of New York Sonja Morgan puts a spring in your step. Yes, the reality star is fun, fully living up to the moniker bestowed on her long ago — “the straw that stirs the drink.” But there’s more to the entrepreneur, philanthropist and mother of one than a big personality. Her forward-looking ethos is uplifting: “I didn’t want to get a divorce. I really loved my life, but there’s no point in being sad and crying over things. You’ve got to move with the times. After all, I was the one paying the bills,” says the social fixture of her decision to join the cast of the reality television series.
“You just can’t live in the past. You’ve got to re-invent yourself and move forward,” continues the business woman. “For me, it’s worked out really well because first and foremost, I got my independence back. And now I’m part of pop culture. Other women, divorced women, widows, women going through tough times financially are encouraged by me. Plus, my charities have benefitted because I have a higher platform and the exposure that comes with that.” Also inspiring to beauty aficionados like yours truly, is Sonja’s flawless complexion. Below, the former model reveals the tricks of the trade and the pros that keep her in tip top shape.
Skin Care
In the mornings, I begin with a facial cleanser. I like to rotate them out. Right now, I’m using Peter Thomas Roth’s Rose cleanser. I also like the cleansers from IS Clinical, EMK and Bliss. Then I put on a serum. I love the CE Ferulic serum and the Phloretin CF gel from SkinCeuticals. I follow that up with an eye cream. Again, I like ones that contain Vitamin C. If I see orange, I know they have C in them. I also really like products that contain Retinol. They keep the top layer of skin fresh by sloughing it off. So, I’m always on the lookout for skin care products that contain Retinol like the mask from Kate Somerville. And I do scrubs – same concept. I’m really into the body scrubs from Osea, a brand from Malibu. They’re all organic and have sea salt in them and I think that really works. I also love their Ocean Lotion and their algae oil. They have a cleansing mud too.
Afterwards, I apply moisturizer. I like the creams from Caudalie because they contain resveratrol. I think it’s effective. And I love Dr. Perricone’s line. Basically, I like all his products, especially a neck cream called Sub-D. It has everything in there for wrinkling and for crepeyness. I also like Erno Laszlo’s neck cream. I feel like it firms. And I use lotions from IS Clinical and Bliss. I get a lot of things from Mercury. They have everything. They’re the best. They’re really hitting home runs over there.
Makeup
I’m totally into Hourglass right now for the colors. They have these refill lip pencils that are like lipsticks. They’re nice and thin and spreadable. They have great lip glosses too. And I use Tart. Tart has the best reds right now. I also wear matte lipsticks from Too Faced. They really stay on. I use their lip plumper too. My bronzer is from Bassam Fattouh. He also makes a pink lipstick I like.
My concealer always is from Hourglass. I use it with my special Cover FX brushes. Everyone in the business knows to use Cover FX for their foundation, for their powder, for their pressed cream. I don’t leave home without it in my bag. I use their translucent powder. Bare Minerals has a good powder too, but I love the Cover FX. Both brands use mineral powder, so you don’t get clogged pores. You don’t break out.
My mascara since always has been Voluminous by L’Oreal.
Bassam Fattouh Shamss bronzer
For eyebrows, I’m into that thicker brow. To achieve that, I use the Too Faced Brow Envy kit. It’s a cream that you brush on and it dries quickly. I like their eye shadow palette too.
I also dye my brows. Klara from Klara Beauty Lab on East 78th Street does a fabulous job. The best eyebrows I’ve ever had is when she dyes them — unbelievable. I think I’m like Brooke Shields. They’re just perfect when she does them.
Klara also dyes and perms eyelashes. She does my daughter’s eyelashes. And she gives her a serum that makes them grow. My daughter’s eyelashes are beautiful.
For eyelash extensions, I go to Karolina Bula Artistry across from Carnegie Hall. Karolina does my eyelashes and they last for three weeks and they’re beautiful. She talked me into doing the microblading for my eyebrows and it‘s great because you don’t have to do anything. It’s there for a year. You get the tattoo and then you go back a month later and she does the fill in and they’re done for a year. She’s terrific.
Hair
I like the shampoos and conditioners from Rusk and Matrix. It’s good stuff. For styling, I’ve been using the dry shampoo from Klorane and Phytovolume forever. I used to buy it in St. Bart’s. My hairspray is L’Oreal’s Ellnet, always.
The Pros
Hair salon: Everyone’s got a piece of the action on the hair. Kyle White is the only one that touches my color. He’s at Oscar Blandi. He does my highlights. These days, I get my haircut from Roy Teeluck. You only need to go once every six months for his haircuts. It’s a beautiful thing. He’s amazing.
Hair styling: For styling, I use Marco Maranghello. He does Jennifer Lopez’s hair. I get a lot of extensions from him and he does the updos for all my covers.
Makeup: Jasen Kaplan is my all-star makeup artist. He does me for all my appearances and he’s very well known. He is really good.
Veneers: I just got new veneers from this hot dentist called Sivan Finkel. He’s just a little bit over 30 years old and single. He’s really good. Look how great my veneers are! They’re natural. Not too white. You don’t want those big Chiclets.
Tailor: I have a great tailor who does men’s and women’s clothes — Peyman Umay. He won the Fashion Group International’s Rising Star award this year.
Personal Trainer: I just started with this new trainer, Michael Blauner. I get so many emails from trainers. I don’t want to work out. But, if I put in a little bit of effort, I get a lot back.
And this guy is very good. He’s very well known. And he doesn’t push me too hard. We do a walk in the park, do some weights. I got rid of the gym here. I got rid of the rowing machine. I don’t want to kill myself. It doesn’t take much to keep me in shape.
Dermatologist: I go to Dr. Ramtin Kassir my for my non-surgical nose job. He does injections in the tip to raise it. That’s one thing I find is a big concern for women my age — once you get over 30, the tip starts to droop. You just put a little drop of filler in the tip and it lifts it right up. That gives amazing results and you don’t have to get a nose job. Kassir is very good at that.
For other fillers, I go to Sheff Davis at Lucy Peters, a medspa on East 58th. Sheff is a cutie. He injects a little filler on my cheekbones which lifts the jawline. People make the mistake of putting the filler in the lower part of their face which makes it look heavier. If you put the filler on the cheekbone, it lifts the whole face. That’s the secret. He uses very little.
My main dermatologist though — if I have a breakout or for Botox or laser — is Schweiger Dermatology. That is a number one operation. The one who I love, who I go crazy for is Dr. Rachel Nazarian. She knows everything. She’s been helping me with my bad habit of picking at my nails and cuticles. She does my laser and she’s been treating my rosacea. She put me on a very low dose of spironolactone for my hair. My hair was thinning and it got thick. She’s been great.
Physician: Dr. Eric Braverman is who I see every two months for life longevity. His bedside manner is terrible, but he’s a genius. He is the best at balancing hormones. Every couple of months, I go and I test my blood. He tests for everything. He’ll tell you how your thyroid is. He’ll tell you if you need testosterone, estrogen, magnesium. Do you have mercury in your blood? Do you need sonograms? How fast is your brain? Sometimes it’s just a matter of taking the magnesium which is calming. He has all these herbs. When I don’t take them, then it doesn’t work. Everything that your doctor would tell you, he knows it 100% or more. I tried other people, but he’s the best. People say he’s crazy, but genius comes with a price. He talks a mile a minute like me.
Expert tip: Everyone always says I have really soft skin. That’s because I take baths. And I put essential oils in the bath. I don’t take showers very often. They’re very drying. I’ll do a steam shower. Steaming is very important, very ayurvedic. Also I have a humidifier on 24/7 for the skin.
For more beauty tips and information, follow Delia on Instagram: @chasingbeautywithdvn
