Scroll through Bethenny Frankel’s social media and it’s clear the star is a connoisseur of budget-friendly skincare.
She calls it “rich bitch skincare,” aka the kinds of buys that are well-made with high-quality ingredients but that won’t empty out your wallet. In short, these products make you feel rich without having to be rich.
The mission she embarked on over a year ago to seek out the best drugstore beauty finds has introduced her to a number of affordable brands and products — and reacquaint her with some that had at one time been in her reprtoire. One such brand is No7, the U.K.-based drugstore brand that’s sold in neighborhood stores such as Walgreens, Target and Ulta.
Frankel, who partnered with No7 to help launch the brand’s Future Renew Damage Reversal line, tells PEOPLE that she has fond memories of it because she used to see it in stores in the U.K. as a child when she was traveling. A true fan, she says it felt like a full-circle moment to get to work with them now. (Anyone who has watched the former Real Housewives of New York star’s TikToks knows that she will tell you if she doesn’t like a brand.)
“You can feel the difference between watered-down, cheap skincare and functional, upscale skincare. This is [the latter], and I love that,” Frankel says of her No7 products. “I love that you can walk into Walgreens and get something that is serving you the way that something that is several hundred dollars is serving you. That’s amazing, rich bitch skincare.”
When it comes to the Future Renew Damage Reversal collection, Frankel likes that it feels “elevated” and “clean” on her skin.
Her favorites are the Eye Serum and the Night Cream. “I’m a night cream person even during the day,” she says. “I like a rich cream, because I believe when we get older, we want to feed the face with a ‘Goldilocks’ texture — not too thick, not too thin.”
This No7 collection contains a peptide blend technology — dubbed Pepticology — that aims to reverse the signs of skin damage, something Frankel says is “relevant” during this time of year when everyone is out “doing the damage” to their skin in the sunshine.
“It’s a big thing for all of us — reversing the damage,” she shares. “The Pepticology in here is functional, and that makes me happy. I can tell the minute I put something on my face if it’s good or if it’s cheap. I can just tell, and this is good.”
Frankel previously shared her opinion on No7 on Instagram in a review of the products, telling her followers that she wouldn’t partner with a brand that she didn’t “adore.” She shared that she felt the formulas felt “bouncy” explaining to fans that she has good skin because she takes care of it daily.
The video is one of her many beauty-related posts that you’ll find on her social media; Frankel can often be found musing about her latest drugstore find, whether it’s skincare or makeup. But even though the mom of one is devoting plenty of time now to sharing her beauty knowledge with her followers, she admits to PEOPLE that she’s still learning.
“I didn’t learn how to really cleanse my face until I was 52 years old,” she says with a laugh, nodding to her current age. “It’s like paint with your house — you have to get the garbage paint off first before you can start fresh. I like a washcloth with warm water to get all my makeup off before a gentle cleanse and a spray toner and then a serum and cream. But it depends on the time of day, what happened before or what happens next. Your routine can and should change, and I don’t think people think about that. There are options!”