This Week In Beauty
BEAUTY IRL is a newsletter publication run by @darian that covers beauty at the intersection of politics and pop culture. If you’re passionate about this world (and value journalism!), consider a yearly or monthly subscription 🧠⚡️💄
Hey everyone! This edition has a few stories from late March as well that I thought were still important to note.
Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards took place virtually on Saturday; 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' and 'Birds of Prey' each collected two awards. Here are the rest of the winners.
Also: Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson became the first Black women to be Oscar-nominated for hairstyling and makeup for their work in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The award show takes place on April 25th.
In a super informal Instagram post, and in a way only she can, Cardi B announced she would be coming out with a hairline this year. At this point it's no surprise another celebrity is launching another haircare line, but I was more intrigued with how Cardi presented the announcement.
I think is time for people to educate themselves on nationality, race and ethnicity. Being Hispanic/Latina don’t make your hair long, don’t make your skin light or don’t make your face features slim, [especially if you’re from] Latin countries from the Caribbean islands.
Right now, so many Afro Latinx folks are at different parts in their personal identity journeys. The concept of “Latinidad” is complicated and many people are leaning into honoring these nuances or completely denouncing it altogether. Colonialism and slavery have destroyed families and altered lineages in the Caribbean, as well. Conversations taking place today are painful and long overdue, but essential — and a practice in embracing different realities under a common detractor: colorism in Latin countries. So it’s less of an “if” Cardi will address these topics through her hairline, but “how.” This isn’t the first time she’s talked about her hair or hair care as a Black woman from the Dominican Republic raised in The Bronx.
In the collab and partnership world:
In continuation with her Revlon partnership, Megan Thee Stallion is the new face of the Reign On fragrance.
Lizzie McGuire x ColourPop collab is here (the lip glosses are sold out).
The Chipotle x e.l.f. collection sold out in minutes on Chipotlegoods.com, according to Yahoo Finance.
Members of the K-pop group ITZY are now the first musical group to represent the Maybelline brand. In March, it was also announced that Storm Reid is the new, global face on Maybelline. (I’m still waiting on Euphoria brand makeup, though?)
Chloe x Halle are Neutrogena’s newest ambassador, becoming the brand’s first sister-duo brand.
This week, Gwenyth Paltrow shared some products on Vogue’s YouTube channel. It wasn’t really a routine, but the setting made it seem as such. She puts an exfoliator on her face without showing us a cleansing step and dabbing sunscreen on her cheekbones versus applying it all over her face. It was giving more, QVC. It sent the skincare world on every social platform up in arms; the perfect material for a community known for its judginess.
I go back and forth about how much I want to talk about her, case in point, including this section. Gwenyth Paltrow has her own media cycle. She says a thing, and because she’s positioned as a wellness authority → her personal routines and product choices become buzzworthy → experts weigh in → articles caution following her advice → she continues to be discredited, she unabashedly continues to share and the cycle continues. I haven’t fully decided how much energy I want to spend covering it. I have a hard time staying engaged, and I wonder what that instinct means.
Myanmar is currently under a coup. Model Han Lay brought awareness of it to the global stage during her speech as a contestant of the Miss Grand International beauty pageant. The coup began on February 1st and has killed hundreds of people, including children.
In the UK, beauty shops, salons, and services are waiting in anticipation for April 12th, the day they can reopen. Skin expert and influencer Caroline Hirons founded Beauty Backed Trust, an organization helping industry professionals to prepare.
In a 15 minute video, 21-year-old beauty YouTuber James Charles, addressed allegations that he sexted with two minors, explaining that he didn’t know they were 16-years-old at the time.
Unilever (Dove, Vaseline, Axe, etc.) is dropping the world ‘normal’ from more than 200 products after conducting research that confirms most people do not consider themselves ‘normal.’ The move is part of its Body Positive initiative, which includes a list of other acts.
Also related: Last June, after the death of George Floyd, Unilever said it would rename its popular skin-lightening product Fair & Lovely. It was changed to Glow & Lovely.
MEDIA DROPS
🎤 This week, I’m on beauty editor Funmi Fetto’s podcast One Reflection Beauty, and in this WWD article on the beauty community on Clubhouse.
The Beauty of 78.5 Million Followers: How social media stars like Addison Rae gave the cosmetics industry a makeover by Vanessa Grigoriadis. Brilliant story by a brilliant author. Vanessa Grigoriadis sets the scene for how Addison Rae became America’s girl next door. I have a feeling (but it’s only a feeling) that Rae’s team probably isn’t 100% thrilled with every part of this story, but really none of this is just about her. It’s about you too. I love writing that reminds us of what’s at stake.
Very Good Light Expands From Content To Skincare With The Launch Of Gender Barrier-Busting Brand Good Light by Claire McCormack. Good Light is positioning itself as a skincare brand exploring gender. In my personal conversations, I’ve been railing about how boring beauty is when it comes to gender. The conversation is still male and female, women and men. As much as beauty is championed for acting quicker than fashion with diversity, that applies to racial diversity. Some brands seem to have taken the idea that there are various genders as an opportunity to be gender-neutral. Minimalism. White lines. Simple design. Androgyny. But wouldn’t it be far more interesting to explore gender? The brand is founded by David Yi and Michael Engert of Very Good Light.
Did Sharon Chuter’s Pull Up For Change Initiative Change The Beauty Industry? By Michael-Michelle Pratt. Most stories on Sharon Chuter tend to focus squarely on her. Approaching a year since brands started apologizing, this story examines the various factors around her; Pull Up for Change, the beauty industry at large, her own brand, and Sharon’s quotes point more toward how she thinks about business.
The Zig Zag Parting Is Zig Zagging Across Generational Divides by Alex Peters. In the midst of side part and middle part discourse, zig-zag parts feel like a compromise I’m down to settle on.
SAINt JHN is a recording artist. His nighttime routine video came across my Twitter timeline as a promoted Harper’s Bazaar tweet. It wasn’t until I sat down to write that I realized it’s from October. But I love this video and wanted to leave it with you. In it, SAINt JHN shares his point of view. He shrugs off toxic masculinity, spits basic skincare knowledge, interjects advice from his Jamaican mother. He’s expressive and confident. It’s very easy to forget the fact he put on oil before his serum. Let that boy vibe out, he’ll be okay 🤣