Daisy Toye is a perfect addition to the Bravo family. Toye, alongside fellow newbies Hailey Glassman and Erika Hammond, is mixing it up with franchise veterans Sai De Silva, Erin Lichy, Jesse Taank and Carole Radziwill in The Real Housewives Of New York City Season 16. Makeup artist to the stars, Toye’s biggest client (and cherished friend) is Martha Stewart, who regularly gets her glam done at Toye’s rent-controlled NYC apartment. While Taank and some of the other ladies take umbrage at Toye’s popcorn ceiling, Stewart doesn’t even notice. “She doesn’t care at all,” said Toye. “The one thing she hates is that black-and-white checkered teapot.”
Coming into the Bravo franchise, Toye admits she was “intimidated,” but she was comforted by the fact that she knew De Silva, Lichy, and Hammond. Toye and De Silva used to work together at SCORES, the infamous NYC nightclub, back in the early 2000s. “Oh my god, those were the days,” remembered Toye. “We used to have so much cash when we walked out after a shift. We didn’t know where to put it all.” The two friends used to go out all the time “during the week, never the weekend,” according to Toye. “It was just really wild.”
Even though Toye has had a few hiccups on the show—referring to Moskito Island as a “dump” during Hammond’s trip and repeating hurtful comments back to Lichy—she remains undeterred. As someone with a “very big social life,” Toye is used to navigating all the little friendship bumps and misunderstandings that may occur this season. “Why not have fun with a bunch of fun girls?” asked Toye when questioned about why she wanted to become a Real Housewife. That’s as good a reason as any!
Toye stopped by the Decider studio to talk about her inaugural season, dish on her feelings about the women, and more.
DECIDER: Daisy, you’re a makeup artist to the stars with a beautiful family. What made you decide that being a Real Housewife was the next step for you?
DAISY TOYE: I love entertaining. I have a very big social life. I love getting dressed up, and I like my friends, so why not have fun with a bunch of fun girls?
The Real Housewives is an iconic franchise that just celebrated its 20-year benchmark. How do you feel about joining its legendary ranks, and were you intimidated at all going into it?
Yeah, it was very intimidating [laughs]. I had good friendships with Sai, Erin, and Erika though, and that made things a bit easier. I felt comfortable from the beginning.
We get to see you and your boss and friend Martha Stewart interact a lot this season. Did she give you any advice about being on TV ahead of filming?
Yeah, she was like, “Don’t say anything you don’t want to be repeated or heard.”
Has she given you any feedback about your being on the show so far?
Yeah, she loves it! She’s really, really supportive.
There’s been a lot of discourse about your rent-controlled apartment, and even Martha was quick to judge your kitchen decor. We have to know: What does she think about the popcorn ceiling?
She loves it! [Laughs] No, she doesn’t care at all. The one thing she hates is that black-and-white checkered teapot. She also couldn’t get over that I bought a store-made pie. She comes to my apartment a lot. We glam there; she comes to all my dinner parties. She’s very comfortable in my home and with the popcorn ceiling.
You seem to be getting closer with Carole Radziwill, who rejoins the cast as the season goes on.
Carole and I definitely became closer after we started filming. She’s a great friend. She’s definitely a fun girl’s girl.
During the trip to Moskito Island, you had some thoughts about the accommodations, comparing the experience to staying at the Marriott and saying that Martha would call the island a “dump.” Do you regret making any of those comments?
Yeah, I was wrong, but I was hungry. It took, like, four days to get there. I was just cranky and bitchy. It’s not a dump; it’s a beautiful place.
Have you spoken to Erika at all since the show came out?
Yeah, we’ve seen each other [laughs].
We saw Erin get emotional after you passed along the comments Jessel and Erika made about her home flooding. Were you surprised at Erin’s reaction?
Yes. After I told her what they had said, I immediately asked myself: “Why did I just do that?” It was so totally out of character. I should not have said repeated what they said. That was just stupid on my part.
Your longtime friend Sai is going through a lot this season. What was your reaction to finding out about David filing for divorce from Sai?
I was sad for her. I know that they have only each other. They share two beautiful kids together. I really feel for her children as well.
You and Sai know each other from working together at SCORES back in the day. Can you tell us a little bit about what those days were like?
Oh my god, those were the days. We used to have so much cash when we walked out after a shift. We didn’t know where to put it all. We were shoving hundred-dollar bills into random pocketbooks; we were making so much money. It was a different time then. We were just footloose and fancy-free. It was just really wild.
What were your go-to New York City party spots?
We would go out during the week, never the weekend. Our go-to places were Butter on Mondays, Lot 61… all the cool clubs.
As a professional makeup artist, what are the beauty tricks everyone should be doing right now?
I think everybody should always wash their face [laughs]. I’m not just saying this, but Martha Stewart’s Elm Bioscience serum is unbelievable. It drastically changed my skin. I use it twice a day. People should invest in their skincare. That’s really important because then your makeup will look good. I also just got the best Softwave facial yesterday. It’s for people who are almost ready to get a facelift but are not quite there yet [laughs].
Lastly, what can you tease about the rest of the season?
Woo! It just keeps getting better and better.