Kyle Richards and Alexia Umansky are making their mark on the beauty space.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 55, and her 28-year-old daughter are the new faces of Peter Thomas Roth. Speaking with PEOPLE exclusively about partnering with the iconic skincare brand, the two open up about what it was like filming their first campaign together and their respective skin journeys, which have the “mom knows best” cliché written all over them.
“She taught me everything I know,” says Umansky, who has “forever” looked up to her mom for advice.
Richards’ beauty philosophy is also generational. “My mom was very into skin care, so I grew up with that,” she remembers of the late Kathleen Richards, adding that being a part of a “family of all women” influenced her rituals.
So when she became a girl mom, she “of course” passed down the importance of routine to her children. “For me, for my skin to be okay, then [I was] okay with everything else.”
The mother-daughter’s shared loved for skin care is at the heart of Peter Thomas Roth’s new digital campaign for Sephora, which spotlights the hyaluronic acid-formulated Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream Hydrating Moisturizer.
In the commercial, Richards and Umansky fawn over the fan-favorite face cream — but not without some reality television charm and humor.
The spot starts off with Richards in full glam and ends with her soaked in water, courtesy of Umansky who, in a “pretty rebellious” move, drenches her mom to snap her out of a daydream induced by the luxurious cloud-like feel of the moisturizer.
Richards tells PEOPLE she was more than happy to lean into the scripted antics. “It was so much fun shooting that day, just to be with Alexia. She’s not an actress by any means, but she just came in and did her thing. She’s definitely the most outgoing of my four daughters [Richards shares Alexia, Portia, 16, and Sophia, 24, with Mauricio Umansky and Farrah, 35, with ex Guraish Aldjufrie].”
There’s much more to the Water Drench collection, including more moisturizers, serums, a gel cleanser, gel mask, body cream, eye patches and sunscreen (available in tinted and non-tinted). The lineup gives the skin a major glow by addressing dullness, dryness and texture.
Another one of Richards’ favorites for a youthful complexion is the $58 Hyaluronic Cloud Rich Barrier Moisturizer, a skin-plumping cream that increases firmness and elasticity and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
“People can say, ‘Oh, age, grow old gracefully.’ No, I am going to fight every step of the way. I admit it — I want to look as young as possible,” she shares.
And when she says she’s committed to her skin care, she means it. “I remember my mom would wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and she would put her cream on in the middle of the night and go back to bed. So, sometimes even if it’s, like, 3 in the morning, if I’m going to the bathroom, I’ll wash my hands and put [cream] back on my face and go back to sleep.”
She also loves that the moisturizers can be worn with makeup during the day. “A lot of times you’ll find a good cream that you can’t wear under your makeup because it pills. So I love that I can have exactly what I need on my face and have it look plumped and…dewy,” Umansky chimes in.
Umansky takes after her mom in many ways (including the meticulous way she grooms her brows before bed). And, when asked what makes her feel the most confident, it’s clear that Richards has taught her one of life’s most valuable lessons: to do things her own way.
“I always feel my best when I’m not wearing makeup,” Umansky says. “I do think it’s correlated with the fact that I did struggle with my skin so much when I was younger. Now that I’ve come so far, I love my natural face and it feels like this proud decision every day to walk out and not be wearing anything.”
On what makes her feel good in her skin, Richards shares: “For me, it’s feeling healthy. When I feel healthy and I’m taking care of my body, I feel better about myself,” she says. “It’s taking care of myself from the inside out that makes me the most confident.”