The One Thing
Our series The One Thing is a Sparknotes version of the products, rituals, and moments your favorite celebrities and influencers swear by—their go-tos, must-haves, and can’t-live-withouts. So go ahead—take a brief, intimate peek into the lives of your favorites through the things (and people, and moments) they hold dear.
When we first met Summer House’s Amanda Batula, she was the new girlfriend of cast member Kyle Cook—her now husband—sneaking into the Hampton’s house for late-night sleepovers. But over her seven seasons as a main cast member, she’s become a star in her own right, earning fan-fave status for her cool-girl style, chill energy (a much needed balance to the house’s chaos) and openness around her depression and anxiety.
But on November 6, she’s really embracing her main character energy with ShimmerGirl, a collab between her and Cook’s hard tea brand Lover Boy, and Vaseline. The collab includes three-pack of the Loverboy White Tea Peach Zero-Proof Iced Tea, as well as Vaseline’s beloved Glazed & Glisten Gel Oils, for a glow inside and out. “I loved the idea of doing something about me, and bringing Vaseline and Lover Boy together and really letting me shine through that and creating Shimmer Girl,” Batula tells Byrdie. “It’s all about being glowy and confident.”
In honor of the collab, Batula fills us in on her tricks to beating the winter uglies, her beauty favorites, and a surprising self-tan tip she swears by.
Vaseline
How She Beats the “Winter Uglies”
“The biggest tip [is to use] Vaseline Gel Oil, that’s an easy fix to put on your body, add a little extra sparkle and glow to your day, even if you’re not going anywhere. It’s very hydrating too, so it’s not just a surface-level, cosmetic item. It actually does good for you and hydrates your skin, so even [if I’m just] at home, putting that on my body really helps beat those uglies.
“But, nothing beats a good spray tan either! I love a spray tan, I love an at-home self-tanner, I love bronzing drops, I love a buildable moisturizer, anything. It’s life-changing. Just don’t pee in the shower after because it can ruin your spray tan, I’ve learned the har way!”
The One Product Always In Her Bag
“It’s in my bag right now, the Lawless Forget the Filler Lip Gloss. This one is empty! I go through these… this is my third one, I think it’s one of the best lip glosses on the market. The one I have right now is the Juicy Watermelon one, I like this one for the summer, but they have a Cherry Vanilla that has a little bit more of a red tint, and I love that one for the fall and winter. And they taste delicious too.”
@amandabatula/Instagram
The One Song on Her Getting Ready Playlist
“I have a song fixation, so I will play a song until I can never listen to it again. Right now on repeat is Olivia Dean “Man I Need.” Can’t stop singing it, can’t stop listening to it, can’t stop playing it. I think Kyle might walk out on me if I belted out one more time. He’s like, ‘Can you pick a new song?’ I’m like, ‘No.'”
How Her Routine Changes When She’s Not Filming
“My skincare routine doesn’t change. I’ve struggled a lot with my skin and acne, especially over the past few years, so the key to success with that is consistency. My skincare routine does not change, if anything, it’s a thicker moisturizer.
“I’m super consistent in terms of makeup and stuff—If there’s not a camera on me, I’m not wearing makeup! That’s how it changes, I’m mostly makeup free.”
The One Thing She Tells Herself When She’s Having a Bad Mental Health Day
“Tomorrow is a new day. For me, what’s been the most helpful is to embrace the bad day, and to give myself the opportunity to not do anything, or binge watch a show, or order unnecessary amounts of takeout, whatever it is. Instead of feeling guilty that I’m not being as productive, I’ll turn it around and make it a positive and, like, okay, I’m having a bad day, I’m having a lazy day, let’s just embrace it, enjoy it, and then start fresh tomorrow. And if tomorrow doesn’t work, then the day after that.”
@amandabatula/Instagram
The TV Shows She’s Binging
“I like The Girlfriend, The Woman in Cabin 10, any psychological thriller. You need to come over and look at my ‘recently watched,’ because I hit all the big shows. I’m on a big doctor show kick right now, so I’ve been rewatching Grey’s Anatomy. I watched The Pitt, I love The Pitt, I’m on season two of Doc, so good.”
The Treatments She’s Been Wanting to Try
“[I’m interested in] any sort of lasers and peel treatments in general, now that I’ve gotten my acne under control, because that was my main focus. I want to do other things to clear my skin, and the dark spots or any scarring, get rid of fine lines, so that’s going to be my next big focus. But in terms of facials, I love Face Gym. I feel like that’s really great in the winter when you’re feeling kind of ugly and puffy. I love popping in there, and having them put their hands in my mouth and like all the things.”
The Cast She’s Most Excited to See at Bravocon
“I love the women of Salt Lake City. I just think they’re so iconic. I’m fortunate enough to have met a lot of them and become friends with them, so I’m actually really excited to reconnect, and be in the presence of all these iconic women. I know people have their favorites, I grew up on Bravo, and I don’t think I can choose favorites. I’m just really excited to be in a room full of such strong, powerful, somewhat nutty women.
“I’ve been able to work with Lisa [Barlow] before, and Heather [Gay], and develop relationships with them. Meredith [Marks] is wonderful, they are a very very good time. I’m not on their bad side, anything that they ever tell me I’m taking to my grave. I’m not getting accused of leaking any information or going to the press!”
@amandabatula/Instagram
On Her New Bangs
“I’ve been wanting to change my hair up for a while now, and I’ve been wanting to do this sort of very minimal, fringy bang look. Every time I went to my hairdresser before we would start filming Summer House, they were like, ‘You don’t want to get bangs for the first time in the summer, you’re sweaty, it will stick to your forehead,’ yada yada yada. finally I was like, screw it, I’m gonna do it.
“So this was three years in the making, and I don’t have much to show for it! I’m still figuring out how to style it, and next time I go in for a cut, we’ll probably tweak it a bit, but I really wanted to do something different and I did not want to chop my hair off. That was a trend I was not willing to get behind. Long hair girl forever. I have extensions in too, mostly for thickness, but for a little bit of length. That’s how much I do not want to chop my hair off!”
@amandabatula/Instagram
Her Go-To Fall Outfit Formula
“Jeans, 100%. I’m overflowing with denim. I’ve been wanting to love a loafer. I can’t love it for myself, but I love it for everyone else. So I’m gonna say a loafer, or a cute boot, T-shirt, sweater, and a good suede bomber jacket over. I have different colors and all of those things, and that’s my formula.
The One Thing That Instantly Makes Her Feel More Confident
“Aside from the Vaseline Shimmer Gel Oils, which is the quickest confidence boost ever, I would say the people around me. I have friends that, if I need a confidence boost, I can call, and I think that’s really important. Even if they’re lying to my face and telling me I’m the most incredible, beautiful, stunning person ever, those are the people that you want in your circle, and that’s what I have. So the Gel Oil and good friends.”
The One Way She Relates to Her Zodiac Sign
“I think I’m the least Leo Leo. You have Kyle who’s a Leo, you have Lindsay [Hubbard] who’s a Leo, and I’m a Leo and I look at them and I’m like, we could not be more different. I don’t like being the center of attention, but I do like attention. I don’t want to be up on stage, I don’t want to be giving a speech to a room full of people, I don’t like that kind of attention, but give me compliments. That’s the attention that I want, and that’s probably the most Leo thing about me. Hype me up!”