Crystal Kung Minkoff on wearing PJs in public, marriage tips and those 'ugly leather pants'

In a new series, USA TODAY’s The Essentials, celebrities share what fuels their lives.

Crystal Kung Minkoff is perhaps best known for her "ugly leather pants" that her "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" co-star Sutton Stracke screamed at her about.

But you won't find her in those on most days. In fact, she's in pajamas during a critical fashion moment for some high-profile parents: school drop-off with her kids.

"It's really embarrassing but I don't really care," Kung Minkoff says over an often laugh-filled video call from her Los Angeles library. "The teachers, when they open the door, I'm in flannel pajamas with dogs on it and they're like, 'that's Crystal.'"

She joined "Real Housewives" in 2021 during Season 11 of "Beverly Hills" in 2021 as the first full-time Asian American cast member. Now that the reality star is settling in for her third season with her diamond, she isn't holding back.

Kung Minkoff chatted with USA TODAY about all dietary habits, wellness routines and tips for a healthy marriage.

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Crystal Kung Minkoff's love for Costco croissants

She wakes up at 6:30 a.m. every day and is out the door by 7:30 a.m. with her children Max, 11, and Zoe, 9. Her husband Rob Minkoff, the 61-year-old director of Disney animated classic "The Lion King," was never a morning person until they had kids. Now he's up and at 'em early, too, making the coffee. Specifically: drip coffee, with a lot of coconut milk – Kung Minkoff co-founded company Real Coco, after all – plus a splash of caramel sweetener. Only one cup a day, she insists, despite her friends' caffeine-all-day habits.

Kung Minkoff usually skips breakfast – she's not hungry! – but will have a croissant by 10 a.m. And maybe not the kind you'd expect from a Real Housewife.

"I buy Costco croissants, like the 12-pack for $6," she says. "And I eat one almost every day." Her lunches vary from a Chinese chicken salad to sushi to pasta.

Off-camera, 'I'm not wearing makeup ever'

But a perfect day for Kung Minkoff? "Waking up not groggy, and getting the kids to school on time. That's a great start. And not having so much on my plate," she says. Definitely, all her emails are done too.

"I consider myself a prideful, lazy person," she says. "So if I could just lay in bed all day, I would."

That said: She loves to play tennis and golf and maintains a spick-and-span house. Golf and dinner as a family is her ideal.

Wellness-wise, she keeps it simple. Lots of face washing and sunscreen, frequently using MDSUN Skin Care. You may be used to seeing her in makeup on TV. Don't expect it otherwise.

"If I don't have to be on camera, I'm not wearing makeup ever, ever, ever," she says.

She goes hiking with her friends a few times a week, up to Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles and works with a trainer. "But I'm so busy, I actually live in the Hills, so it's nice, I just take my dog walking here," she says.

'Don't tell my kids' about her social media habits

Kung Minkoff spends a lot of time – maybe too much – on social media. More than her cast mates for sure.

"The girls constantly tell me, 'Get off. Don't read it. It's bad for you.' I go through terrible rabbit holes," she says.

More from our conversation:Crystal Kung Minkoff talks 'up-and-down roller coaster' of her eating disorder

Crystal Kung Minkoff's husband has an obsession with those 'ugly leather pants'

Her secrets to a happy, healthy marriage? The pair share that ideal, core combination of similar-but-different interests.

"We can come together and have a million things to talk about, and then we can go to our own spaces and have a million things to talk about too," she says.

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"It's hard work. I've been together 20 years, but you come back together if you have respect for each other. You constantly remind yourself about why you love the person and respect the person."

One reason she loves him, perhaps? His die-hard love for those "ugly leather pants."

"My husband won't let me wear them because he is so protective of them," she says. "He's like, 'Don't ruin them.' So he randomly checks in like, 'Do you have the pants?' They're folded. He thinks they should be at the Smithsonian or something. He's so obsessed."

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.