The $17 Lotion Bethenny Frankel Used For Her Sports Illustrated Runway Glow — Plus 6 More Must Haves

Love or hate her, Bethenny Frankel has figured out the influencer game. With over 2.8 million followers on TikTok and 4 million on Instagram, she earns millions annually from social media on endorsement deals ($3.2 million in 2023 according to Business Insider). The former daytime talk show host insists that becoming a social media titan wasn't part of a grand strategy. "I didn't necessarily decide to become an influencer - I didn't even know what I was doing when I started," she says. "I've always wanted a role where I could play myself, and TikTok naturally gave me that. Now, I get to connect with my followers over the things we all get obsessed with and hyperfixate on - like chicken salad - and that shared excitement is what makes it so fun."

Being unapologetically herself may have catapulted the 54-year-old to viral fame in this new frontier of social media, but being a brilliant businesswoman is part of Frankel's DNA. After all, when we were introduced to Frankel back in 2008 on a little show called "The Real Housewives of New York," Bravo was still a fledgling network and the housewives and their iconic quotes had yet to embed themselves in the cultural zeitgeist. Frankel was unique from the beginning. You saw her blood, sweat, and tears as a working entrepreneur on the first three seasons of "RHONY" and then on her spinoff, "Bethenny Ever After," for three seasons [she went back to "RHONY" in 2007 and left for good after Season 11].

Later, we watched her grow her Skinnygirl Cocktails brand into a lifestyle empire that included salad dressings, candy, deli meat, shapewear, sweeteners, and popcorn. After turning her company into a household name, "The New York Times" best-selling author sold it in 2011 for a reported $120 million. There is a fearlessness Frankel possesses as she is unabashedly herself in everything she does, and people embrace it. "It's throwing ideas against the wall and seeing what resonates with your audience," she says.

As for what we can expect to see next, the mother of 14-year-old daughter Bryn says her eyes are always open. "I'm all about following what's right in front of me. Right now, that ranges from bagels to bags - so let's just say some fun things are coming soon!" Those fun things include developments with her non-alcoholic brand Mingle Mocktails, the launch of her first-ever merch line, and her recent Sports Illustrated modeling debut at Miami Swim Week. For the latter, she joined 19 other models on the catwalk, including SI Swimsuit stars Jordan Chiles and Alix Earle.

Frankel's fans are enjoying keeping up with her many endeavors via her website Bethenny.com which she launched in March. If you look to Frankel for her take on drugstore beauty finds, jewelry, bags, kitchen appliances, clothing, food, and interior design, then this is for you. You can shop "The List" which is essentially a hub for her 'Nosy B's' to peruse all of her favorite things in one place. Frankel gave PS a preview of her go-to products, from her travel must haves to preferred investment pieces. Keep reading to shop her picks.