This Week in Beauty: Netflix
Hollywood is embracing beauty in new ways, and they don’t even realize it.
BEAUTY IRL is a newsletter run by @darian that covers beauty at the intersection of politics and pop culture. If you’re passionate about this world, consider a yearly or monthly subscription to support the everyday operation of this newsletter 🧠⚡️💄
PAYING ATTENTION
On Friday, a Florida man was arrested after painting “KKK” on the side of a van that belongs to the Black-owned beauty service Fancy Hair Collection. On June 18th, owner Aniyah Williams posted photos of the damage on Facebook:
The van was vandalized outside of a graphics shop that had just completed adding photos of Black women to the service truck. The culprit, Victor Buttermoore, works at another graphics shop in the area.
Allure’s Editor-In-Chief Michelle Lee is leaving the magazine to be the global VP of editorial and publishing at Netflix. Anyone who is an avid reader of Allure knows how interesting and inclusive their beauty coverage aims to be. I totally know who I think should be the next Editor-In-Chief!
OWN and Hulu are teaming together for The Hair Tales, a docuseries that will be executive produced by Tracee Ellis Ross and Michaela Angela Davis.
In the latest beauty and tech partnership, LVMH has teamed up with Google Cloud to develop new cloud artificial intelligence solutions. According to the press release, this will entail giving LVMH’s brands access to technology that will help them forecast trends and optimize inventory. Additionally, both companies will be launching a Data and AI Academy in Paris to promote innovation in these areas.
In more beauty and tech news, two huge names in beauty are hoping on the NFT train. E.l.f Cosmetics announced their plan to sell ‘‘N.e.l.f.Ts’’, which are NFT collectible versions of the brand’s most popular products. In the world of luxury, Givenchy Parfums has patterned with artists Amar Singh and artists of the Rewind collective to sell NFTs in honor of Pride month.
If you have a hard time understanding NFTs, the essence of one is clout; the idea of ownership versus physical ownership of an object. NFTs are about having the ability to say that you possess something, and the spirit of what it represents, versus its value in physical form. When NFTs represent the idea of something, its value, and its story, they have a better chance of being successful. Don’t say I never put you up on game.
From Netflix comes another dating show, but this time with a twist. Similar to Love is Blind, Netflix’s Sexy Beasts aims to take the superficialities out of dating by dressing its contestants in ‘‘elaborate makeup and prosthetics to put true blind-date chemistry to the test.” Essentially, the show asks the question: when looks are stripped away, how far are you willing to go in pursuing someone? It’s set to premiere on July 21st.
Skincare brand Aesop has cleared the shelves of shop locations in Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto to make room for books written by LGBTQIA+ authors. The books, which are free of charge to all visitors, were sourced from queer-owned bookstores, as well as publishing houses like Penguin Random House. Related, beauty reporter Arabelle Sicardi is the author of Queer Heroes.
The Miss Florida competition says it’s no longer a beauty pageant. After it was canceled last year due to COVID-19 the competition is back, and contestants will now be judged on “poise, intelligence, talent, and how they are trying to make the world a better place,” according to Fox 13.
NYX Cosmetics has entered the gaming sphere as the ‘Official Beauty Partner’ of Dignitas, the professional esports organization owned by New Meta Entertainment. Dignitas is home to some of the most accomplished female gamers, and this partnership will highlight women in gaming as they get ready for game days. E.l.f. Cosmetics recently launched an official Twitch channel.
Black-owned beauty retailer Thirteen Lune has launched a new beauty podcast, The Beauty Vanguard. It'll be hosted by Thirteen Lune’s co-founder Nyakio Grieco and journalist Melissa Magsaysay.
Celebs:
The music duo Surfaces teamed up with Snif to create a fragrance inspired by their fourth album, Pacifico. The fragrance is inspired by Malibu, the sites, smells, and sounds of the town that inspired the album — and I can confirm that the fragrance matches the vibe. It arrives July 15th.
Another set of photos of Halle Bailey as The Little Mermaid in red hair have been published by Just Jared. Earlier this month, the Daily Mail published a photo. The photos are FUZZY, but I think we get it the picture! We wait in anticipation.
Speaking of, saw Chloe Bailey at Doja Cat’s “Planet Het” album release in Los Angeles with Normani, Ryan Destiny, Saweetie, and Yung Baby Tate. I love seeing the girls together.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade are launching a babycare line called Proudly that will specifically cater to melanated babies! cute af. This line is expected to be released direct to consumers at the end of 2021. Union also has a hair care line.
Vanessa Hudgens and Madison Beer have teamed to launch a skincare brand called Know Beauty, and honestly, it sounds like what would happen if Ancestry.com and Function of Beauty had a love child. The brand, which was released this week, is unique in that it offers an optional DNA kit.
I took a spin through the site’s FAQ to see what they had to say about how the data of the DNA tests would be used, or not used. It says Known Beauty will “never be shared or sold to a third party” and “you can request to have your data deleted at any time by submitting a request using our contact form.”
Singer Becky G is launching her own beauty line called Treslúce Beauty, which will pay homage to her Latinx heritage as a Mexican woman. The packaging is designed by Mexico City artist Monica Loya, and the brand plans on including Latinx activists and models in its campaigns. The products will be available on June 25th.
MEDIA DROPS
Keep Your Respectability Bullshit Away From My Bonnet — Darian Symoné Harvin
Britney Spears's Conservatorship Is a Disability Rights Issue That Deserves More Attention — Haley Moss. From Moss, a lawyer who talks about being autistic in her op-ed:
[Britney’s] struggle to end a conservatorship puts into focus how impossible it may be for multiply-marginalized disabled people who, in addition to ableism and sexism, experience racism, classism, and other harmful prejudices and stereotypes.
But it was Britney's testimony that really showcased how little disabled people are truly heard, even in matters of their own life.
How Chanel Porchia-Albert, Doula and Mother of Six, Is Advocating for Black Maternal Health — Cassandra Pintro
Strength, Fragility, and Beauty in the WNBA — Devin Blacksher
California’s yoga, wellness and spirituality community has a QAnon problem — Laura J. Nelson
Mistress Iris, Dominatrix — Into The Gloss
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