Former Bravo star and convicted fraudster Jen Shah spent the last three years in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud, but that didn’t stop her from maintaining her beauty routine.
“I had to figure out how to do my skin care while I was there,” the 52-year-old Real Housewives of Salt Lake City alum said in an interview with People on Wednesday.
To improvise while incarcerated for her part in a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme, she turned to DIY solutions. “There weren’t a lot, but I would make my own [beauty products],” she told People.
Her resourcefulness paid off when she found an unexpected solution for her complexion.
Heather Gay, Jen Shah, Lisa Barlow, Jennie Nguyen and Whitney Rose on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
“Hemorrhoid pads—which had witch hazel in it and was really the only thing I could use for an astringent on my face—and laundry soap. That was the winning combo for looking young over there,” Shah explained.
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The witch hazel in hemorrhoid pads helps relieve the itching and burning of the sensitive areas impacted by the ailment. But the astringent is relatively versatile, leading some to use it on their faces to treat acne and reduce excess oil.
Shah said her hemorrhoid pad trick caught on throughout the Texas federal prison camp where she was incarcerated. She received a six-year sentence in 2023, but was ultimately granted early release after 33 months.
“I am deeply remorseful and sorry for my actions and my part. I take full responsibility,” Shah said about her crimes.
“I had a lot of people that were after my skincare routine. A lot of the women adopted it,” Shah told People.
The reality TV star’s shopping habits also followed her into prison, much to the chagrin of her husband and limited $360 monthly commissary allowance.
“[My husband] would be like, ‘You need to buy food this week. Please do not buy any more hairspray, but I got so worried they were going to run out at commissary, so I had backstock,” she said.
The Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, also houses Elizabeth Holmes, with whom Shah is friends.
MARK FELIX/Mark Felix/AFP via Getty
However, many of her fellow inmates appreciated her supply.
“I was like the Ulta at prison. People would be like, ‘Oh my gosh, they ran out of gel.’ ‘Go talk to Shah, she probably has four,’” the star added.
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