It’s first thing on a Friday morning in LA, and Bre Tiesi is fresh from a workout when she sits down to dial in for our interview. “I look all sorts of crazy right now, so I won’t subject you to me turning on the camera!” She laughs. I don’t know what I was expecting, but given the Selling Sunset star’s high-glam on-cam look, I guess it was to see her dolled up to the nines, non-fat latte in hand. But there were lots of things that surprised me during our chat. Yes, she’s as unapologetically fierce as you’d imagine (she does sell multi-million dollar homes and stars in one of the world’s biggest reality TV shows whilst navigating being a mum – in the public eye – after all) but she’s also incredibly down to earth and refreshingly honest. She’s been in the game since she was 17, which hasn’t just given her the thick skin you need to survive the entertainment industry, but also a unique perspective on what it’s like growing up with cameras and headlines. And, as she’ll be the first to tell you, it’s not all glitz and glamour.
Sitting down with GRAZIA, Bre Tiesi talks all things bodies after babies, the pressure of beauty standards, and how she deals with the haters. And yes, she spills some major beauty tea. Because we all want to know what products and treatments she swears by, obviously.
GRAZIA: What three products are always in your beauty bag?
Bre Tiesi: “I always have lip gloss. Well, it’s a lip oil actually – I use the one from Hourglass. I am obsessed with it. It’s life. I also always have Tarte’s Shape Tape concealer for under my eyes and my brow pencil from Anastasia Beverly Hills.”
GRAZIA: What’s your go-to on-screen glam look?
Bre Tiesi: “I love a full beat. Heavy contour, highlight… I like to really have fun with my looks. But I’d say that a bronzey-brown look is definitely my go-to. I use a lot of products, but I love the Giorgio Armani full coverage foundation and the KKW x Mario palette as it has amazing neutrals for that beat. I love a Demi-Lash, and I usually double them up as that gives a bit more for on-screen.
I also found this powder on TikTok that I’m absolutely obsessed with. It’s by Fancy Face and it literally makes your pores disappear. I saw a girl use it just on the right side of her face and I was like, there is no way that works. But I bought it and now even my makeup artist is obsessed with it!”
GRAZIA: What about when the cameras are off?
Bre Tiesi: “Then ugly is my go-to look [laughs]. It’s all about absolutely no makeup. If I’m not fully decked-out, I refuse to put on anything. I’m lucky if I even do my brows.”
GRAZIA: Speaking of filming, how do you deal with the pressures of being in the public eye?
Bre Tiesi: “I just don’t deal with it [laughs]. I very much stay in my own world, and everything that happens outside of my real life isn’t real to me. Obviously, people say mean things and that can affect some people, but I know who I am. I know my support system and what I stand for, so it doesn’t really matter what somebody who’s never met me has to say or what they think about me. Sometimes I get a little spicy, but that’s more because I like to joke and I’m very sarcastic, so I’ll reply to things for my own entertainment. But I’m the last person to be actually taking that seriously.
I’ve been doing this for a very long time – since I was about 17. When I first got into the industry and when social media became a thing, it definitely would upset me and certain things got to me. But the more I evolved and the older I got and the more I was on it, I realised that you just can’t take it personally. It’s way more of a reflection of the person who took the time to come out and say those nasty things than it is about me.”
GRAZIA: What are your self-care rituals?
Bre Tiesi: “I work out every morning at 6:00 am. That’s my number one thing for my mental health and, well, for everything. At night I try to do my self-care things like an under-eye mask and hair mask. I have my glass of wine, my quiet time and my bath. Those are my main forms of self-care.”
GRAZIA: When do you feel your most beautiful?
Bre Tiesi: “When I’m done up and ready. I love to get a full glam. But then I also love to be naked-faced on a beach and feel beautiful there also. It’s kind of all of the time though. I mean, sometimes I look in the mirror and I definitely think I look crazy [laughs], but I think beauty is more about who you are, to be honest.”
GRAZIA: Do you think being a mum has changed your perceptions of beauty?
Bre Tiesi: “Definitely. Being a mum has changed every single thing about me. I think that, especially being in this industry and this fast-paced life in LA, you’re so programmed to think that beauty is just surface level. Which is something I’ve always tried to look past. But when you have a baby, you see things for the first time again, through them, which brings a whole new beauty to even the simplest things. We know what a dog is, but when your son says “dog” for the first time, you die, because they’ve never seen these things before or understood what they are. There’s so much beauty in that.”
GRAZIA: What would you say to mums who feel under pressure to “bounce back”?
Bre Tiesi: “I really wanted to refocus that whole idea of “bouncing back”. That was not my priority, my son was my priority. As much as I didn’t feel comfortable or whatever, what was more important than my body was realising that I’m never going to get this time back and I have the next five years to get my body back. So long as you’re loving yourself and you’re eating right and doing the best you can, you get to be in that present moment.
I think there’s so much pressure. Not just from the internet, but from men! I feel like more women should be supportive of each other. Studies say it takes almost two years for your body to go back. I don’t think people really process that your organs move in order to make room. Your whole body unhooks and opens, and it has to have the time to go back together. So, we need to give ourselves a little bit more patience and grace and let our body do what it’s going to do. We need to be more supportive of each other because if it wasn’t for this whole expectation we place on others, I think people would be happier and embrace that body more. Just soak that time in, you’re never going to get it back.”
GRAZIA: Fitness is such a huge part of your life. What’s your favourite way to work out?
Bre Tiesi: “I love boxing. I think I just like to hit things [laughs]. It helps me de-stress. But I honestly love all workouts, it’s such a stress reliever and you get the endorphins and a healthy release. It’s been a big thing that, honestly, has saved me throughout my life as it really centres you and re-sets your body and mind.”
GRAZIA: What do you eat and drink on a typical day?
Bre Tiesi: “It’s so funny, people ask me this a lot on Instagram, but you’re the first person to ask me in an interview! It varies, but I eat really boring and plain because that’s kind of how I grew up. I get up in the morning and have my pre-workout, and then I come back and have my protein shake, oatmeal and coffee. My snack is usually a bar or some grapefruit, and lunch is something like a turkey burger and vegetables, or I like to make breakfast tacos. I try to have at least half of an avocado too. My lunch is a lot of protein and is heavier on carbs, especially after a workout. Dinner is no carbs and more about protein and veggies. That’s basically it! I don’t eat after nine if I can help it.”
GRAZIA: What’s your biggest vice?
Bre Tiesi: “I just love a good glass of wine. I’m kind of a bougie wine drinker, so my glass of wine at night is my vice. Especially being a mum. It’s open by the time he’s getting into bed [laughs].”
GRAZIA: You’re so honest about the cosmetic work you’ve done. Do you feel a responsibility to be real about it?
Bre Tiesi: “Absolutely. It’s really f*cked up, to be honest. I think it’s really bad, especially for the kids. I’ll look at someone’s page and I’m like, oh my God, this girl can’t even be 18 and she’s saying things like “I wish I looked like you”. I’m like girl you can, just go to Dr. So-and-so! I try to make it a joke because I don’t ever want to create this false idea that someone is perfect. I think that’s so unhealthy. But it’s become so normalised, like with all the filters and things we’re so programmed to see.
I don’t ever want to create this false idea that someone is perfect. I think that’s so unhealthy.
I think being in the industry and knowing the ins and out and how so many huge celebrities say they don’t get work done is mind-blowing. Kids are killing themselves over stuff like this. It’s really serious, and it’s really unfair to tell somebody that this is not obtainable or that this is real when you know damn well that it’s not. Girls are getting their bodies done the second they turn 18 and the pressure is bullsh*t.
Obviously, I’ve had work done. I see nothing wrong in doing something that you feel passionate about, but you need to give yourself time to really sit and think about it. Look at the Kardashians, for example. They went and had these huge BBLs and now they’ve lost loads of weight and they’re skinny and they’re taking everything out. Fads change. Do something that you really want to do and that makes you happy, not because it’s what’s “in” right now. And that Ozempic thing really bothers me. They’re telling girls they should be taking this stuff. Just look at the warning signs and the effects of this thing, I can’t process why you would tell people to take that. It’s a weird time, and it’s scary because you can’t really talk anyone out of this stuff.”
GRAZIA: What treatments and tweakments do you swear by?
Bre Tiesi: “Where do I start… [laughs]. I’ve had my nose done, and I had my boobs when I was 18, but that was when you needed to redo them. Nowadays, you don’t have to get them done multiple times, so I re-did them right before I had my son. I’ve had filler, and I do Botox every six months. I’m actually going tomorrow, which I’m so excited about. I can see all these lines and I’m like nope, don’t want this! [Laughs].
I get hit up by a lot of spas and I love to try things. I’ve done skin tightening stuff, and I’ve done Kybella, which dissolves fat in targeted areas. I’ve tried Morpheus8, which is skin tightening. What else…Oh, I did this thing that’s a bit like EmSculpt but for your vagina. There are two treatments that are amazing. One goes inside and it’s like a Kegel machine and it tightens everything up and helps your core. It’s amazing for women who have leakage issues or anything like that after childbirth. Most women don’t really know how to strengthen their pelvic floor, but it’s so important. The other one is like a combination of Forma, which uses heat to melt fat, and Morpheus, which has needles. It gives the vagina this whole tightening facelift type of feel. I mean I’ve had vagina facials and all that stuff [laughs].
Because I train five days a week I go to physical therapy and I get a massage once a week or every other week, depending on how messed up I am. I do my facial every two to three weeks, depending on if I’m doing a peel or micro-needling. There are so many appointments [laughs]. It’s necessary in this industry though, especially with filming and makeup and stuff.”
GRAZIA: Speaking of skin, how do you look after it at home?
Bre Tiesi: “I flip-flop depending on my skin, but I definitely have a whole regimen. I started using the Replenix under-eye serum, which I’ve been loving. I also use the EltaMD sunscreen which has a little tint in it, and their skin recovery serum, which repairs the skin barrier and any kind of damage. I’m super dry, so I love the Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench and the squalene oil. It’s changed my whole skin because I’m so dry. I also use the SK-II toner, which I love, and every other day I use the Paula’s Choice salicylic acid exfoliant. Sometimes I use a retinol oil at night, and I love the Laniege Lip Sleeping Mask. I’m obsessed. I might throw in a vitamin C, but it really depends on the time of year. I won’t use retinol in the summer because it can do damage, for example.”
GRAZIA: What’s your signature scent?
Bre Tiesi: “I’ve been wearing Mugler’s Alien forever. I’m obsessed with it. Mugler is also one of my absolute favourite designers, so I really am riding hard for Mugler! I like some of the Tom Ford scents too, and I like more masculine smells. I’m not sure Nick [Cannon] likes my masculine smell [laughs] but he likes my Mugler. There used to be one by Lolita Lempicka that looked like a little apple, which I wore throughout high school until I discovered Alien. I still have a bottle that I keep because I love the smell.”
GRAZIA: If you could go back and give one piece of advice to your 18-year-old self, what would it be?
Bre Tiesi: “Oh God, so much. I wish I hadn’t focused so hard on being successful. I definitely travelled and lived my best life, for sure, but I think that the forefront focus was always “I gotta make the bag, I gotta get here, I gotta do X, Y and Z”. So, I wish I could have relished that youth aspect a bit more before diving into being a grown-up.
A lot of my friends have older kids who have graduated high school and they go and travel for a year and do all of these things. I love that and hope that’s something I can give to my son. Embrace that childhood and youth before coming to the real world, because once we’re here, we’re here. There’s no getting out of it [laughs].”
