Kiki Barth is a fan favorite. From her first introduction as a guest at Larsa Pippen’s pool party in season four, to her frequent appearances on cast trips since then, Barth went from “friend of” to the must-watch personality of season six’s Real Housewives of Miami. Born in Haiti, “I came here at such a young age and now my dream is becoming a reality,” she tells ESSENCE. As a reality TV star, Barth has her life filmed constantly, spending five to sometimes six days a week in front of the lens for the world to see.
With every moment, drama, and beauty look on full display, “self-care is very important. I take it very seriously,” Barth says. Which is why every morning before she starts filming, drinking water is the foundation of her wellness routine. “You’re going to be shocked because I don’t really take care of my skin,” she says about keeping her skin care to a minimum. “The more I wash my face, I start getting blemishes and bumps. But I do get a facial once a month because I know I don’t wash it every day,” she adds.
The former Miss Haiti leaves her makeup just as minimal as her skin care routine. “I don’t like to wear makeup too much, but when I’m on set, I always ask for smoky eyes,” she says, turning the eyeshadow into her go-to housewife look. “My makeup artist is like, ‘Kiki, you always get smokey eyes.’ But I normally have sleepy eyes, so when you do smokey, it kind of opens up your eyes. That’s how I look at it.” But by the time she has a day off– from both reality TV and her modeling career– she likes to wipe her face clean at home. “You know, as a model you wear makeup so much, so whenever I’m off, I try to keep my skin just with nothing on it.”
And speaking of modeling, Barth has appeared on the runway and magazines like Harper’s Bazaar and Miami Swim Week. “Ever since I was a little girl in Haiti, I was always tall and so slim and people used to come to me and say, ‘when are you going to New York? You’re going to be a famous model,’” she recalls. Looking back, she didn’t understand what modeling was, but after moving to the US and having similar encounters, she decided to sign with her agency Front Management. “When I came, I went for it and here we are.”
And although she’s a beauty minimalist, Barth does ensure to incorporate her culture into her on-the-go beauty routine for modeling. For her hair, “we have this thing called Lwil Maskriti [castor oil],” she says. “I try to get mine direct from Haiti whenever I travel there,” using the ingredient for sickness, haircare, and other remedies. “As much as I don’t take care of my face, but when it comes to my body, I take care of that,” she says. “And body butter is a must,” so much so, she uses a sample she developed for her upcoming beauty brand launch.
Just ahead of next week’s Real Housewives of Miami season finale, Barth looks back not only at her beauty looks on the show, but her relationship with the other housewives. “At the end of the day, it’s good to have a group of friends, even though you have differences, you can agree to disagree,” she says. “I just love being around them no matter what it is.” And even after the season ends, her schedule will remain busy. “You just have to watch and see,” she says. “The future is bright.”
