Bag Spill: The Makeup that Helps Venita Aspen Beat the Heat, Onscreen and Off.
Peek into the fan-favorite Bravoleb's beauty bag.
Lifelong Charlestonian Venita Aspen’s no stranger to the small screen — your iPhone screen, I mean. She had a flourishing career as a model and influencer long before she landed on Bravo TV’s Southern Charm. And that’s important as you get to know her, now among a cast of Charleston-based caricatures who, over the years, have left a lot to be desired. Because fools or not, Venita does not suffer them. She established her reign long ago and so, remains largely unbothered. Southern Charm needs her way more than she needs it. Which is exactly why she lights up the show.
I love Bravo for the same reason as most: because it’s fun to watch. Who doesn’t love to cackle while a pro-level housewife like Sonja Morgan or Kandi Burgess stirs the pot? But Southern Charm has always been a tough show for me to digest, which I mostly attribute to 1. the lack of diversity in casting, conversation, and cadence, 3. the too-close-to-home (I used to live in Charleston and now live in Atlanta) squirmies and 3. its historically despicable male protagonists.
Thomas Ravenel is just the tip of the iceberg: watching the drug-addled men of this show lie to, shame, slur, tone-police, cheat, manipulate, and gaslight their way through 8 seasons makes for triggering TV (for me). I find them impossible to root for.
By contrast, many of the female castmates are girls I have socialized with over the years. They are friends of friends, or, in a few cases, my real-life girlfriends — of which I count Venita as one. This is not to excuse the girl-on-girl crime, which since the show’s inception has carried an undercurrent of casual racism and internalized misogyny. By and large, though, it’s the women who have saved the soul of the show.
So why does it still feel like such a tough show for women to win on? And who likes to feel like the good guys never win?
Venita does win, though, which is why I’m actually tuning in this season. And she’s a huge audience favorite, too. A quick Google proves that fans love her personal style (thoroughly documented on her IG), her low bullshit threshold and that she can humble her castmates with a single lash flutter.
Speaking of lashes, when I tagged Venita in my Instagram story in July, a follower sent me a DM:“I live in the South too. It’s HOT here. Can you find out what she’s using because her makeup never looks even a little out of place on TV!”
We can do that. (Hint: it all starts with Chanel Ultra Le Teint foundation.) More of Venita’s beauty favorites are below — in her own words.
“The VOLUME this mascara gives is unmatched!! There are definitely drugstore beauty products that blow luxury items out of the water, but this and the Anastasia bronzer are worth the price I promise!” Ed note: Venita literally carries this Avene bottle on her person at all times and is constantly misting her skin for that good dewy glow, have seen IRL and can attest.
”I know you've heard about Dior Lip Oils time and time again, but they really are the best. To be clear, you can't go wrong with anything from Dior, but sometimes that price tag is a liiiiitle high. Both the lip oil and nail creme are very reasonably priced. The cuticle cream has made SUCH a difference [for me]. The Lip Oil I don't leave home without.”
“So, I always have a Russian manicure on my fingernails, but I like to change the color on my toes more often. I've tried out A LOT of different nail polishes. This Chanel Lavernis Longwear nail polish is the real deal.”
Ed note: Venita’s makeup bag is Stoney Clover.
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