From South County to Orange County

Whether you’re a reality TV junkie or not, you’ve likely heard of The Real Housewives of Orange County on Bravo. Amidst all the drama played out on screen, you might find yourself wondering, how do they manage to look so great all the time? Well, there’s a simple answer: They have a team of hair stylists, makeup artists, and clothing experts to make sure they look almost (ironically) unrealistically beautiful.

One of those experts is Emily Andre-Murphy of Salon 240 in Westerly. She bought and opened the salon under that name when she was just 21 in 2013, after spending two years as an apprentice and two more years as a licensed cosmetologist there. Then, through happy coincidence, Emily’s “hair bestie” Andrea Harbison, a Nashville resident, got a job working as a hair stylist and extension expert on RHOC.

“After going out there a few times on her own to perform some maintenance on [cast members] Emily Simpson and Gina Kirschenheiter’s hair, she asked me to join in because it’s much easier to do these services with two stylists involved, and we work seamlessly together,” Emily explains. “We call ourselves the ‘Glam Squad’. We go out to LA about every six weeks to maintain their extensions – all from Andrea’s line – and perform color services as well. We usually stay at Gina’s casita, which you can see on the show. Yes, it’s that cute and yes, there are that many pillows!”

Occasionally, she’ll even get invited to one of their famous parties; her favorite was Emily Simpson’s birthday bash.

“You can imagine my turmoil over what to wear!” Emily jokes. “It was so amazing because it was the night before [Executive Producer] Andy Cohen’s baby shower, so there were lots of housewives in town, including former RHOC cast member Gretchen Rossi and RHOD [Real Housewives of Dallas] cast member D’Andra Simmons, who attended [the] party. mily introduced us to everyone and they were all so nice!”

According to Emily, it feels less like work and more like having fun with friends when she and Andrea go out to LA to work on the show.

“We’ve had so many fun adventures with them,” Emily gushes. She lists some, like photoshoots in vintage-deco Beverly Hills hotels, eating sushi in the back of Gina’s minivan, and sipping wine during an Italian lunch. “We always have a fun time when we’re out there.”