“There is great irony in the fact that the moment you become comfortable in your skin, it begins to sag,” shares Knocking on Forty founder, brand strategist, and creative director, Cayli Cavaco Reck with her trademark wit.  Spending her summers barefoot on the beach, and at home in the  seaside hamlet of Sag Harbor with her family plays an integral part of Cayli’s current lifestyle. Having been listed on the mastheads of magazines including: Seventeen, Teen Vogue, Elle Accessories and Elle Decor, and Allure, to name a few, KDHamptons chats with Cayli about shifting into a beautiful new chapter on the East End, below.

KDHamptons: You come from one of the most impressive legacies in the world of high fashion. Please share a bit of your background with our readers?
Cayli Cavaco Reck: I have been surrounded by fashion and beauty since I was in utero. Not only do I have the unique distinction of being born to two former Vogue fashion editors, but, together, my father Paul Cavaco—an iconic stylist—and my mother Kezia Keeble—a style visionary—formed what is now fashion public relations powerhouse KCD [Keeble Cavaco & Duka] while my mother was pregnant with me. Quite literally, I have been “on set” since the day I was conceived. As a result, aesthetics are my mother tongue. I count some of the most well-known names in fashion, home, beauty, media and entertainment as not just friends, but as family; and my life has been spent behind the scenes, from editorial shoots to fashion shows.

KDHamptons: How long have you been coming to the Hamptons, and what do you love most about the East End?
Cayli Cavaco Reck: I have lived in Sag Harbor for 18 years [below]. I spent my first summer in the Hamptons in Amagansett in 1977, and then my parents rented a little cottage right on the beach in Southampton for two years before buying a house on Shelter Island. I lived on Shelter Island until I was 17.  I have spent every summer of my life out in the Hamptons.

KDHamptons: Tell us about your brand, Knocking On Forty, whose Instagram account has developed a cult following of beauty fanatics who rely on your vetted picks?
Cayli Cavaco Reck: Knocking On Forty was born as my passion project. It’s an outlet for all my beauty, style and culture-related discoveries. But it’s also a destination for women, like me—with hectic schedules and limited time. I experiment and review so that I can share my findings and hopefully inspire women. I finally feel at peace with who I am. I want to radiate that contentment and encourage that in women. It’s all about feeling good in the skin you are in.

KDHamptons: You wear so many hats Cayli, is there one you are most happy in?
Cayli Cavaco Reck:  I am a mom and a wife to my husband Mike, first. Nothing is more important to me than taking care of myself and the people I love. I lost my mother at the young, formative age of thirteen. At that time, I felt so unbelievably at sea. One thing that gave me some comfort was self-care. There is a comfort for me in the regimen: The act of applying, experimenting and discovering amazing new formulas helps me relax and feel joy.

KDHamptons: Who are your Hamptons go-to beauty gurus?
Cayli Cavaco Reck: I decamp on the East End for the entire summer every year, and it has made me a very good esthetician. I love that there are blow-dry bars here now, but for so many years I had to go it alone, so all I need for a salon style is my Harry Josh Hairdryer and a great round brush. My hair tends to get a green tinge when I am in the Hamptons so I end up at 27 Hampton Salon [above] every few weeks for a Pre-Art treatment. I am also totally obsessed with My Buckskill Tennis hat [below] for keeping my face out of the sun.

KDHamptons: We’re hearing there is some exciting Hamptons news for Knocking On Forty?
Cayli Cavaco Reck: Yes! I’m in the process of opening a Knocking On Forty pop-up shop in Bridgehampton which will offer great beauty products, and the best part is that I will be bringing amazing people out for services! Brows, lashes, spray tan, facials.

KDHamptons: What are two NEW products you can’t live without right now?
Cayli Cavaco Reck: I am totally obsessed with Sunday Riley Face Oils (my favorite is Artemis) and Sunday Riley Good Genes.

I just bought the Givenchy Phenomen’ Eyes Mascara and I am in love. It has a spherical brush that allows me to get every little lash, it isn’t the fastest, but it is the most beautiful. I had eyelash extensions two summers ago and without someone to care for them properly out East I ended up losing most of my lashes. I started to use Revitalash that summer and this new mascara really capitalizes on my new-found,real, lashes.

KDHamptons: Which signature products will we always find in your makeup bag?
Cayli Reck: Here are my five favs!

1. The Kjaer Weis cream blush in Abundance is my current cheek must.
2. I ALWAYS have Chanel brown eyeliner in my purse, sometimes even loose in my bag…eyeliner changes my whole face.
3. Benefit Boing cover up has been in my beauty bag for longer than I can remember. The coverage is incomparable.
4. A spoolie to tame my brows and comb my lashes.
5. YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in #8