"It's the Greatest Joy of My Life": Kris Jenner on Motherhood, Self-Care, and Being a Boss

Kris Jenner needs little introduction. The matriarch of the Kardashian clan; the woman who birthed and raised Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie; the reason we shout, “You’re doing great, sweetie!” to our friends in any given moment; the momager we all wish we had. Of the latter, Jenner knows no equal, simultaneously managing all of her daughters’ careers while also being the first one they turn to for the things you’d normally speed-dial your mom for—from flight anxieties to relationship advice. Thus, it makes it especially poignant that she would be launching a new collection with her daughter Kylie, just in time for Mother’s Day, and aptly named the Momager Kit. The collection features a 12-pan palette emblazoned with Jenner’s face (wearing sunglasses that say “10%,” because that's how much she makes from each of her daughters' earnings, and also just because she's a boss) with a range of wearable, shimmery and matte shades for all of your smoky-eye goals, along with a Kylie Lip Kit in the peachy-nude shade Todd Kraines.

We got the exclusive opportunity to speak with Kris herself about the new collection, and she was every bit as warm, calming and open as you'd imagine, frequently peppering her sentences with aw's and oh, gosh's, just like, well, a mom. Keep scrolling to find out her secret to staying organized, and the most important beauty lesson she ever taught Kylie (it involves a bikini wax). And Kris—call us if you're ever looking to adopt, okay?

BYRDIE: Congrats on the collection! Tell us how it came about.

Kris Jenner: It was really cute. Last year—I didn’t know she was doing it—Kylie surprised me with the prototype. She goes, “Come to this meeting, it’s really important.” She had everybody there and she had this whole entire line for me as a surprise for Mother’s Day. It actually made me cry. It was so good. She named every shade. She had it all planned out. We ended up doing some together at the end and changed a few shade names—we just got so carried away, it was so funny. Once we’ve launched and everything, it was so exciting. Now I’m super proud and really excited it’s going to be at Ulta.

B: What do you feel like is the most important beauty lesson you’ve shared with Kylie? 

KJ: Wow. Well, I think the most important lesson that I taught Kylie is just self-care. Know how to take care of yourself. Know how to get a great bikini wax…[laughs]; how to moisturize. And really get enough sleep, eat healthy, relax, do what you love. And just keep the stress levels down. They’ve all been working since they were really young. Taking care of yourself and learning how to micro-manage your own personal self-care is really important. Kim’s actually really good at that and has taught us all. It’s taught me to spread it out—don’t try to do it all in one day.

B: Has Kylie taught you any beauty tips?

KJ: Kylie’s kind of a walking beauty tip. She is so creative. She taught me how to do my makeup, really. Kim used to give me a lot of tips and the other girls, but Kylie has taught me a lot about how to apply makeup. Because of all the time she spent developing all her products and being in her creative head and just digging in and rolling up her sleeves, she’s able to give me tips on stuff she’s discovered for herself.

B: What do you think is the best beauty tip you learned from your mom, MaryJo?

KJ: My mom was always about having a clean face. She didn’t dunk me in the bathtub before bed—she would scrub me. Everyone had to go to bed clean, and especially your face. She would always be washing and moisturizing. My mom, at 84 years old, has the most beautiful skin. We would ask, what’s your secret? She’s just always taking care of it. That was such a good lesson to me. You want to emulate someone who’s a few years older than you, and what they’re doing that’s so great.

B: We have to know—what's your secret to juggling all your different roles so efficiently?

KJ: I think the key is staying organized. Organization is really important to me. I think that it’s the key to having a settled mind. If I go to my office and I leave my house and it’s a mess for some reason, I can’t even clear my head. My car has to be spotless and my workspace has to be a reflection of what’s going at home and everything in its place. If you can get to a place where you’re so organized, where everything does have a place, where you continually go through and give things away and recycle clothing and things we get as gifts that we can’t use, to try and just stay where everything is neat and tidy…then, I can be creative in my head. It’s only when I know everything else is in its proper place. Isn’t that wild?

B: Is there a beauty look you’d never try?

KJ: I think I am most comfortable in a really great smoky eye and just playing with the intensity of that. A light smoky eye, a natural smoky eye, or a crazy smoky eye. But Kylie does look so great in the crazy-colorful looks. I just don’t think I can pull that off. I stick to safe, probably a little too much.

B: What is the one thing you love the most about Kylie?

KJ: Aw. Kylie is so confident. She’s so beautiful inside and out. She’s got the best heart. Her heart and her confidence and her inner and outer beauty. I love how creative she is. She inspires me every single day. I’ve learned to trust her so much. The moment I question a decision, I know she’s going to have the best answer and why she wants to do it this way or that way. And she’s 100% right all the time. [Laughs.]

B: If we were to ask Kylie her favorite thing about you, what do you think she’d say?

KJ: She would probably say that I’m there for her all the time and I help her and organize things at her house. We have so much fun putting her house together and shopping for things for her home and doing all of that. We’re very a lot alike. She’s also got such a great sense of humor. I love her sense of humor and I think she loves mine—cuz I’m a little crazy. She used to love it when she was little when I would go into her room and dance for her.

B: Your current favorite skincare products—go.

KJ: Gosh. I love a great mask. They didn’t have as many masks when I was younger. I love a great sheet mask. There are some that are like a gel that you paint on and they get hard and you rinse off. There are masks that you leave on all day long if you’re not going anywhere. I’ve just had a really great time trying all these great masks everyone has. And I love a great serum. I mean, who doesn’t?

B: Is there another mother-daughter duo who inspires you? 

KJ: My mom and my grandmother. When I was growing up, they had a candle store in La Jolla, California. I thought it was so amazing they were such amazing, strong working moms that set such a great example for me that I was able to pass onto my kids. My grandmother worked really hard and she helped my mom, and my mom worked really hard…they just really were a shining example of what it was like to get up in the morning…my mom would get us ready for school and go to work all day and at the end of the day, we’d end up at her store and I’d be wrapping gifts for her customers. It was such a great example. Talk about multi-tasking! They really taught us what it was like to work hard.

B: Do you have a favorite Mother’s Day memory?

KJ: There’s always a new Mother’s Day memory because I feel like every year someone has a baby! And sometimes two or three a year. [Laughs.] It really has been so amazing. Mother’s Day is such a blessing because we’ve got so many little ones in the family—it’s just been one thing after another. I think the girls are doing such a good job and they’re such good mommies and it’s a joy to watch. They prioritize their lives and the amazing life that they have with their kid…their kids come first before anything else. I’m really proud of them.

B: What, in your opinion, is the most fulfilling prat of being a mother?

KJ: Oh gosh. Every single part of it. I feel like I’ve had this incredible journey being a mom. Kourtney was born in 1979 and here we are, 40 years later. It’s my biggest joy of my life. I really feel like my purpose in my life is raising my kids and being able to work with them and grow with them and watch them have kids.

You can shop the Kylie Cosmetics Momager Kit at Ulta for $49.