Jenna Lyons is sipping her Starbucks as her dog, Popeye, yelps on her lap. “I know what he wants,” she deadpans. “Coffee.” A pooch with a predilection for caffeine: Add it to the list of quirks that make Lyons such a fascinating character. She speaks in the same reverent tones about a Celine jumpsuit as she does about beef jerky and once wore a denim jacket to the Met Gala (paired with a pink duchess-silk-satin skirt, naturally).

Put it this way: If there were ever an ambassador for being authentically oneself, it’s Jenna F*cking Lyons, as her castmate Bryn Whitfield dubbed her on The Real Housewives of New York City. When she left J.Crew after 27 years, including seven as the company’s president and executive creative director, most expected “the woman who dressed America” to hop over to another big-name fashion label. Instead, she surprised everyone by making much riskier forays into beauty and reality TV.

She became RHONY’s first-ever openly queer participant and, in true Lyons style, flouted many of the franchise’s conventions, forgoing body-con dresses in favour of her signature button-downs and skipping out on cast gatherings to spend time with her teen son, Beckett, or simply head to bed early. “My lashes may be fake, but I definitely keep it real,” she quipped in the show’s intro.

The lashes in question are from LoveSeen, the brand of ultra-natural-looking falsies she launched in 2020 as a result of suffering from incontinentia pigmenti. On top of affecting her skin, hair and teeth, the genetic disorder prevents her from growing lashes. “It was rough—kids are mean,” she says of dealing with the condition in childhood. “I think that’s one of the reasons I went into fashion and one of the reasons I like the beauty industry; it’s really hard on your internal ecosystem to not feel good. And while you can say that beauty and clothing are superficial or shallow, how you feel about yourself when you look in the mirror is not.”

loveseen lashes

Loveseen Iris Lashes in Light Brown, $24.50, living-beauty.com

Here, Lyons opens up about her beauty rituals, embracing aging and finally feeling comfortable in her skin.

YOU JUST LAUNCHED LOVESEEN IN CANADA. HOW DID THE IDEA FOR THE BRAND FIRST COME ABOUT?

“I have a genetic disorder, so I have no eyelashes, and I think anything you feel you’re deficient in, you tend to notice in others. So I always noticed everyone’s eyelashes. A few years ago, I noticed that a lot of women at my office at J.Crew who didn’t wear a lot of makeup were wearing eyelash extensions. Then flip to all these Huda Beauty tutorials and boys online putting on 16 layers of contour and then, at the end, an eyelash, and I thought it was really interesting that these two really diverse groups of people—one who wanted a really light look and one who wanted full glam—were both focused on eyelashes. So I was sort of fascinated by that world, and whenever I had done any kind of red-carpet or TV [appearance], where you need lashes or else you can kind of disappear, I couldn’t wear any of the ones on the market. They were too long or too big, or they didn’t quite have the look I was going for. I wanted something a little more delicate and a little more natural, and I couldn’t find it. So it was just born out of a need, really.”

 

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YOU MENTIONED HAVING A GENETIC DISORDER. HOW HAVE YOU COPED WITH THAT THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE?

“If you look at pictures of me from when I was younger, I was missing many teeth and the ones I did have were shaped like cones. I just had them redone, so I smile a lot more now. But I had big bald spots on the back of my head and scars on my skin, and I got made fun of all the time and didn’t feel beautiful. When you’re little, people who love you can be like, ‘Oh, you’re beautiful,’ but if you don’t believe it, that’s all that matters. So I’ve always been a huge supporter of doing anything I can to make someone who maybe doesn’t feel like they have access [to solutions] feel better about themselves.”

WHEN DO YOU FEEL MOST BEAUTIFUL THESE DAYS?

“I think in my later years, I’ve moved through a lot of it, and now I probably feel most beautiful when I’m at the beach—feeling the warmth of the sun and the softness of the sand. It’s not about how I look in that moment but about how I feel.”

HOW DO YOU LIKE TO START YOUR DAY?

“Someone told me about this thing where you—it sounds gross, but after a while you get used to it—put two teaspoons of ghee in hot water. It’s supposed to help your digestive system. I do drink coffee, but I’ve been trying to do that first and just get a little quiet [time], usually making breakfast for my son before he goes to school and then taking the monster [a.k.a. Popeye] for a walk. Beauty-wise, I have a few things that I swear by, but I love trying new products.”

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR SKINCARE MUST-HAVES?

“One of my most treasured products is the Crème Masque Vernix from Biologique Recherche. I would slather my entire body in it if it weren’t so small and over $200. It’s probably one of the best products I’ve ever used. I also have a Tata Harper face scrub [Regenerating BHA Exfoliating Cleanser] that I love; it’s a gentle exfoliant. I love the Augustinus Bader serum and the Biologique Recherche P50 Lotion—I swear by that. And the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask—I put that on every night.”

WHAT ABOUT MAKEUP?

“Victoria Beckham did a primer with Augustinus Bader that’s great. I don’t want to look cakey or dry, especially at my age, and this keeps makeup from looking like that. There are also these Merit cream eyeshadows that I absolutely love and have on rotation in my bag. And there are two concealers that I’m obsessed with—a Shiseido one [Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer] that is so delicate and light and one from Biologique Recherche [The Eye Care Concealer]. It’s so liquidy and soft and works really nicely on my skin. There’s also not a blush I’ve met that I haven’t liked. I would marry blush. I have Dior ones, Charlotte Tilbury ones, Merit ones… And then for lipstick, it’s frequently been red recently. There’s Red Square from NARS and this Maybelline lip lacquer [SuperStay Vinyl Ink] that stays shiny and doesn’t move—it’s amazing.”

WHAT PRODUCTS DO YOU KEEP IN YOUR SHOWER?

“I really love the Ouai shampoo and conditioner. Every time I use them, the person who does my hair is like, ‘Your hair feels good.’ There’s the Wonder Valley Hinoki Body Wash, which I love. I also use the brand’s body oil in the same scent. And there are about 8 million loofahs in there and a pumice stone—I can’t get enough [exfoliation], especially as I get older.”

YOU HAVE A PRETTY EPIC BATHTUB. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BATHING?

“I’m six feet tall, so [as I was] growing up, no bathtubs were ever big enough for me. Every apartment I moved into in New York, the bathtub was either absolutely disgusting or tiny. So being able to lie flat in a tub is just heaven to me. I’m the person who will light a candle, bring a book, add in Epsom salts—it’s just very soothing.”

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE WAY TO UNWIND AFTER A HECTIC DAY?

“Spending time with my son. We’ll just cuddle and chill. He likes science and random things—I have no idea what he’s talking about half the time, but I love listening to him talk. Catching up can be hard because there’s always a lot going on, so it’s nice to have a moment when everyone comes together.”

“I’m not saying I haven’t done things—I am all up in there—but I think it’s about trying to do it with as much grace as possible and without changing my face too much. I’m 55, and I should look [it].”

WHAT ARE FIVE LITTLE THINGS THAT ALWAYS MAKE YOU HAPPY?

“Candles, really nice sheets, fresh flowers, a pedicure and cheesecake.”

YOU’VE BEEN A STYLE MUSE TO SO MANY. WHO ARE YOUR PERSONAL INSPIRATIONS IN THAT REALM?

“There are so many. I’ve always loved [socialite] Slim Keith and [fashion editor] Camilla Nickerson. I’ve also always loved [actor] Charlotte Rampling. What I love about her is she’s not all tucked and pulled. I think the European idea of beauty is so interesting because it’s about celebrating how you move through life, and I don’t think we do that so much here in the United States. Inès de La Fressange too—she’s so beautiful and stylish, but she still looks like herself. I’m not against all the other stuff—I get it. I think our culture makes people feel like they need to do that, and I understand why, and I’m not saying I haven’t participated. But I am so enamoured by that sense of beauty that can morph and change and not have to look like it’s frozen in time.”

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL APPROACH TO AGING?

“I mean, it’s hard. My girlfriend [Cass Bird] is a photographer, and we talk about this all the time. She recently shot Isabella Rossellini, who is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen, and [Rossellini] was really insistent that [the photos] not be overly retouched. Lauren Hutton does the same thing. She’s like: ‘I’m old. Can you celebrate me and leave me the way I am?’ I think that’s really inspirational. It’s just so hard in our culture to feel comfortable doing that. There’s nothing more challenging than being on a TV show with a bunch of young women and being like, ‘Wow, they look really great,’ and, you know, you look like you look. Again, I’m not saying I haven’t done things—I am all up in there—but I think it’s about trying to do it with as much grace as possible and without changing my face too much. I’m 55, and I should look [it].”

YOU REINVENTED YOURSELF AT A LATER STAGE IN LIFE, WHICH CAN BE A REALLY DAUNTING THING TO DO FOR MANY WOMEN. WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE TO ANYONE CONSIDERING STARTING OVER?

“I struggled in the shift from doing one thing to the next, and I had a lot of circumstances that were in my favour. I’m very well aware of that and grateful for that. But I spent a lot of time doubting myself, which I think a lot of women do, and not as much time focusing my energy on doing. I spent a lot of time psyching myself out and being like, ‘Oh, you can’t do this’ or ‘You can’t do that.’ I think focusing on all the reasons why you can is definitely energy better spent.”

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