YouTube Kathryn Dennis
The season 8 premiere of “Southern Charm” was true to form for the Bravo show as it featured a major blowup between series OG Kathryn Dennis and her co-stars, primarily Naomie Olindo.
There were a couple of main storylines in the season premiere, including the hookup between Craig Conover and Naomie Olindo, which took place while Conover was dating “Summer House” star Paige DeSorbo, although the two weren’t yet exclusive. The other key storyline was Dennis’s 30th birthday party, which she organized along the roaring ’20s theme and called the Great Katsby.
Dennis decided to invite Olindo despite the two having a falling out after Olindo called out her co-star for spreading a rumor that their former castmate Cameran Eubanks’ husband was cheating on her. During the premiere, Dennis explained that she wanted to start the decade with a clean slate.
As the episode developed though, Dennis became more and more upset toward Olindo and eventually confronted her. However, fans were quick to seize on Dennis’ appearance in the second half of her party instead of her behavior, as the area of her face around her mouth became redder.
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There Were Hundreds of Comments From ‘Southern Charm’ Fans Reacting to Dennis’ Appearance in the Premiere
Kathryn didn’t have a single friend in that room because how could no one have told her she needed to fix her makeup? #SouthernCharm
There were comments all over social media about Dennis’ face in the episode, with opinions split about the cause. Many people said on Reddit that it was simply her lipstick that was smeared while others pointed out that Dennis mentioned a retinol treatment and it was likely causing irritation. Someone posted another thread on Reddit titled, “No one wanted to tell her that her lipstick was all over her face? SMH lol.” Dennis’ look was also discussed in a couple of posts on Facebook where fans wondered why no one told her and these threads picked up hundreds of comments.
One person agreed, “Its sad that no one wanted to tell her, including chleb. Im sure she had makeup to touch it up.” Another wrote that Dennis confirmed on her Instagram Stories that it was smeared lipstick: “On her Instagram story tonight she says it was red lipstick and doesn’t know why her friends didn’t tell her anything.” Another added, “She confirms on her instagram that it was in fact lipstick smeared all over her face and she wonders where her friends were to tell her…”
Several people disagreed with that explanation, however, and said it was a skin irritation from a retinol treatment. Retinol is a common ingredient in skincare products but it can have the side effect of retinol burn which comes with symptoms like dry skin, redness or discoloration, and flaking, according to Heathline.
“She said she had been using retinol,” someone said regarding Dennis’ comments in the premiere. “If her skin was already irritated and then she started drinking and warming up, the redness came out.” Another agreed, “It wasn’t her lipstick. She was peeling/irritated for the retinol she was taking. At first I thought the same, but having done chemical peels with retinol/retinoids it does cause lots of peeling and makeup doesn’t help/cover it up.”
One person said, “I thought it was lipstick at first glance but it’s actually from her rubbing the bottom half of her face from her peeling skin from the retinol… You would be able to tell if it was lipstick especially that shade of red.” Someone agreed, “She said to Austen’s date that she was using retinol and her face was peeling. Kinda looks like her makeup around her mouth and chin wore off.” One person added, “She mentioned at the beginning of the party that she had started using a retinol and her skin was peeling as a result. As the night goes on her chin/mouth area gets increasingly angry and irritated and red.”
Many people agreed that Dennis looked like “a hot mess” though many called out her friends and her boyfriend for apparently not telling the reality star, saying they “did her dirty.” One person said, “She looked like a clown.”
Dennis’ makeup artist for the party, Chelsea Shea, also addressed the incident on her Instagram. She posted a photo of the “Southern Charm” star’s look for the party and wrote, “Hair and makeup on @kathryndennis for her Great Katsby Birthday.” In response to a fan asking what happened in the comments, Shea replied, “she was eating food as you saw.. and rubbed it off with a napkin.”
Dennis Had a Fiery Confrontation With Olindo at the End of the Premiere Episode
Dennis revealed that she invited Olindo to the party to start her 30s with a clean slate. When her co-star arrived at the event, she greeted Dennis and then moved into the room; however, Dennis revealed in her confessional that she had expected Olindo to apologize and acknowledge what had happened.
As the evening progressed, Dennis mentioned to her boyfriend Chleb Ravenell that Venita Aspen and Olindo hadn’t made eye contact since their arrival and also said she was tired and wanted to go home. As she was leaving, she stopped by Olindo’s table and told her co-star that she should be ashamed of how she treated her.
Olindo told Dennis that she tried to “ruin a good person’s family.” Olindo also told Dennis that she thought Dennis always fought “dirty,” to which Dennis accused Olindo of being “condescending.” The conversation ended with Dennis calling her co-star a “f****** petty little b****” and storming out of her party.
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