"Real Housewives of Dubai's Caroline Stanbury on Embracing Change: Ashwagandha and Personal Aesthetics"

With exquisite taste and undeniable personality, The Real Housewives of Dubai’s Caroline Stanbury has solidified her position as not just a reality star but an icon. As a businesswoman, podcast host of Dear Media’s Uncut & Uncensored—dedicated to empowering women to live their best lives—and an overall talent, Stanbury is also an open book when it comes to beauty, including plastic surgery. We recently caught up with the 48-year-old before a day of travel, as she took us along on her packing process, and shared some candid moments from her personal life.

As I’m sure you know, filming is very intense for months on end. Keeping a wellness routine—or any routine—is really difficult because there are some very long days. You get very tired. Honestly, it’s quite shocking, but sometimes I fall asleep in my makeup. Got to be honest! I try to have deep-cleansing facials; I try to get a really good night’s sleep. I think sleep is everything. The night before I film the show, I prepare myself with things like magnesium and Ashwagandha. Actually, I’m launching my wellness brand Bust the Label next week and we have Ashwagandha in the line. I just love it before I go to sleep.

I also like to listen to a sleep app. If you’ve had a really stressful day and maybe the day [of filming] ended on a fight, those sleep apps are great; I love listening to the one with running water. I’ve also learned to breathe through a lot of things. How about that?

Things are quite far from my house, but I do have a few home services that I love. I just had an amazing massage today, one for detox, because I’m about to get on a plane. I like to do those before I fly and after I fly. Facials, obviously, are great. I always feel better in a clinic because they have all the machines, the HydraFacials and the peels, and everything like that.

Actually, I’ve packing my bag right now. I just put in masks. I always travel with earplugs and an eye mask because that helps me sleep. When I get on the planet, I am out and I tell them not to touch me—ever! Cream-wise, I like Laura Devgan, the plastic surgeon…her creams are great. I also love Sunday Riley CEO; I like that line. I always put a cream or a face mask in my bag, breath fresheners and things like that. I travel so much, but I sleep really well on planes. I really have it down pat.

Earplugs and eye mask are key! That’s it. I’m out because I can’t hear a thing. That’s the secret.

It’s very expensive, so that is annoying, but I absolutely love this new product from Goop. I suffer from really dry skin and I tan a lot, which really dries my skin out, but when I film, I like to be tanned. I’ve recently discovered the Goop body cream. I think it’s like $90 for a pot, and I’m embarrassed to say, but I love it. Nothing has worked on me like that has.

I swear by it. I work for two doctors over here that I promote all the time for plastic surgery. I think if you don’t like something in your life, change it! You don’t have to live with anything, which is amazing! Just because people tell you that you’re meant to grow old gracefully, doesn’t mean you have to. That’s your decision. And I didn’t want to. As I’m sure you are well aware, I had a facelift and I’m 48. And I wish I’d done it earlier. I really do. It’s fantastic.

I’m really excited about launching Bust the Label in America. For me and my husband, Sergio, it’s all about wellness and health and that goes in line with how we live our lives. I’m 48, as I said, and he’s 29 about to be 30. I think it keeps me young, and I can keep up with my husband, frankly.

I want to show all women that, life can just get better and better. We’re like fine wine. We are just getting started. That’s what I think and hope that they get from me. I hope women see that we’re destined for more and we have so many chapters in our lives. I feel like I’ve had nine lives and they’re all so different. And I don’t know which one I prefer. I’m having the time of my life now. You can keep reinventing yourself. There’s no need to give up and retire your work shoes. You can just literally reinvent yourself over and over and have your best life yet.