#DamnGood Special! The Best (And Worst?!) Beauty Innovations of All Time Featuring Guest Editor Brooke DeVard. Plus, Is Clarisonic Back?

Summary

Breaking Beauty Podcast Summary Episode: #DamnGood Special! The Best (And Worst?!) Beauty Innovations of All Time Featuring Guest Editor Brooke Devard. Plus, Is Clarisonic Back?
Release Date: May 21, 2025
Hosts: Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins
Guest Editor: Brooke Devard

---

Introduction and Guest Welcome

The episode kicks off with hosts Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins welcoming their special guest, Brooke Devard, a renowned beauty podcaster known for her "Naked Beauty Podcast." Brooke has been a significant presence in the beauty podcasting world since 2016, producing over 350 episodes that delve deep into beauty rituals, self-care journeys, and cultural explorations through a beauty lens.

Brooke Devard: "When I first started Naked Beauty, it was talking to women I admired about beauty and self-care. This is now expanded to men." ([13:32])

Brooke shares her journey from a full-time role at Meta/Instagram to becoming a full-time podcaster and beauty entrepreneur with her own fine fragrance.

Top Beauty Innovations Discussed

1. Botox: A Game-Changer in Beauty

Carlene Higgins highlights Botox as one of the most significant innovations in the beauty industry over the past 25 years. Botox has introduced choice into the aging process, making cosmetic treatments more accessible and versatile for both men and women.

Carlene Higgins: "I truly do think it has changed the game in beauty. It is a breakthrough. There's no question about it." ([23:21])

Brooke Devard shares her personal stance on Botox, noting that despite its popularity, she hasn't opted for it yet.

Brooke Devard: "I have not gotten Botox, which is, I feel like you're in the minority." ([23:36])

2. The Impact of Social Media, Specifically Instagram

Brooke emphasizes the transformative role Instagram has played in shaping beauty trends globally. The platform has enabled beauty creators worldwide to inspire each other, share trends, and collaborate, breaking down regional silos.

Brooke Devard: "I think from a global perspective... it's almost unimaginable to think about where the beauty industry would be without Instagram." ([26:54])

3. Hair Dye: Empowering Personal Choice

Hair dye has provided individuals with the autonomy to change their appearance, moving beyond the necessity of hats as a primary method for altering hair color.

Carlene Higgins: "We only had hats and Dead serious." ([32:37])

The discussion touches on the advancements in hair dye, including more sustainable and diverse options, as well as the ongoing search for solutions like the pill for gray hair.

4. Natural Hair Products and Braiding Innovations

Brooke discusses the evolution of natural hair products tailored for Black women, highlighting the significant strides made over the past decade. Additionally, innovations in braiding hair, such as the use of banana fibers by brands like Rebundle, offer more sustainable and scalp-friendly options.

Brooke Devard: "10 years ago, 15 years ago, there were just not products for natural hair." ([35:28])

5. Flops in Beauty Innovations

The hosts reflect on beauty trends and products that didn't stand the test of time. Notably, the surge of CBD skincare around 2020 is discussed as a fleeting trend with limited efficacy.

Brooke Devard: "It's like a fever dream. It's like, did that happen?" ([38:27])

Clarisonic's attempted relaunch is another point of contention, with Jill Dunn debunking rumors about its return.

Jill Dunn: "This is a scam. Clarisonic RIP is staying RIP." ([40:29])

6. Technological Advancements in Beauty

The conversation explores the integration of technology in beauty routines, such as AI for personalized skincare recommendations and automated beauty services like robot massages and nail machines. While innovative, there are concerns about job displacement and the loss of human touch in beauty services.

Brooke Devard: "AI can give you a solid skincare routine like that." ([57:18])

7. Sustainability and Waterless Products

Sustainability is a recurring theme, with a focus on waterless beauty products that reduce environmental impact. Brands like Everest and Retro Ve offer concentrated formulas for body wash and skincare, emphasizing potency and eco-friendliness.

Brooke Devard: "I think that the rise of waterless products is really interesting." ([51:03])

8. Fragrance Innovations

Brooke introduces Future Society, a niche fragrance brand that resurrects extinct plants and flowers through bioidentical synthetic processes. This innovation not only preserves rare botanical scents but also supports environmental sustainability.

Brooke Devard: "Future Society... create them in a lab and they're bioidentical to what this rare flower would have been." ([52:38])

Reviewed Products and Partnerships

Braun Silk Expert Pro 5 IPL Device

Carlene provides an in-depth review of the Braun Silk Expert Pro 5 IPL device, highlighting its effectiveness as an at-home alternative to professional laser hair removal. The device uses Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) technology to reduce hair growth, offering a cost-effective and convenient solution compared to salon treatments.

Carlene Higgins: "It's an at-home alternative to permanent laser hair removal with results that last up to one and a half years." ([05:08])

Strivectin's Peptide Plump Collagen Cushion Cream

Carlene introduces Strivectin's latest innovation, the Peptide Plump Collagen Cushion Cream, which boasts an impressive 97% of users preferring it over injectable fillers after four weeks of use. The product leverages Alpha 3 peptide technology to enhance collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid production, delivering plump and smooth skin.

Carlene Higgins: "It's got a cushiony bounce back texture that really hints at those springy, youthful results." ([12:30])

Guest Editor Brooke Devard's Contributions

Fragrance Line: Naked Beauty

Brooke discusses her fragrance line, "Naked Beauty," available at Credo Beauty, Anthropologie, and directly on the Modern Magic Fragrances website. The fragrance is designed to be sophisticated, unisex, and under $100, incorporating notes like bergamot, neroli, green tea, matcha, sandalwood, amber, and musk. The inclusion of ISO E Super allows the scent to adapt uniquely to each individual's body chemistry.

Brooke Devard: "I wanted something that felt elevated and sophisticated... it made you feel more grounded and calm and beautiful." ([17:16])

AI Character: Vivian Vogue

Brooke introduces Vivian Vogue, an AI character designed to provide personalized beauty and fashion recommendations. While embracing AI's potential for enhancing beauty routines, Brooke emphasizes the irreplaceable value of human touch in content creation and recommendations.

Brooke Devard: "I think that AI is going to be really powerful for beauty recommendations." ([57:18])

Conclusion and Future Outlook

The episode wraps up with the hosts expressing excitement about future beauty innovations and the continuous evolution of the industry. Brooke Devard invites listeners to check out her "Naked Beauty Podcast," while Jill and Carlene encourage audience engagement through their website and social media platforms.

Jill Dunn: "We can't wait for y' all to hear this conversation." ([03:24])

---

Notable Quotes

• Carlene Higgins: "I truly do think it has changed the game in beauty. It is a breakthrough. There's no question about it." ([23:21])
• Brooke Devard: "I wanted something that felt elevated and sophisticated... it made you feel more grounded and calm and beautiful." ([17:16])
• Brooke Devard: "I think that AI is going to be really powerful for beauty recommendations." ([57:18])

Key Takeaways

• Botox remains a pivotal innovation, expanding choices in cosmetic treatments.
• Instagram has revolutionized the beauty industry by fostering global collaboration and trend dissemination.
• Hair dye continues to empower personal expression and choice in aging.
• Natural hair products and sustainable braiding innovations have significantly advanced, catering to diverse hair needs.
• Technological integrations like AI and automated beauty services present both opportunities and challenges.
• Sustainability through waterless products and synthetic fragrances aligns with environmental consciousness in beauty.
• Product reviews highlight effective at-home beauty solutions that offer convenience and value.

For more detailed discussions and product links, visit breakingbeautypodcast.com.

Transcript

[Jill Dunn]

The following podcast is a dear media production.

[Carlene Higgins]

Welcome to Breaking Beauty the podcast.

[Jill Dunn]

All about the breakthrough people, products and moments in beauty.

[Carlene Higgins]

We're your hosts, Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins. Welcome back to Breaking Beauty Podcast, everyone. It's Jill and Carlene back in your feeds on this fine Wednesday. Hey, Carlene.

[Jill Dunn]

Hey, Jill.

[Brooke Devard]

Hey.

[Jill Dunn]

We are two longtime beauty editors turn beauty podcasters and this week we're welcoming a special guest editor to join us. Brooke Devard is back. Brooke is a fellow beauty podcaster and you might know her from her show Naked Beauty Podcast. It's so great. It's been around since 2016 and she's produced more than 350 episodes. Just like us, Jill. She talks about intimate conversations around beauty rituals, self care journeys. She really kind of goes deep on the whole ethos behind beauty and it's more like sit down chats with the people that she admires. I know last year as well. She had Sir John as a co host for a limited run last year. Like he's such a great makeup artist. He's been on our show as well. So I'm just so thrilled that she's back on our show.

[Brooke Devard]

Yeah.

[Carlene Higgins]

And she had some killer looks for the Met Gala this year. She went to like some events around the Met Gala and like she was just turning at the look. She's so stylish, she's so beautiful. And in my opinion, Brooke has one of the best podcast voices in the game. She's like soothing to listen to. And it's her sophomore appearance on our show. We first did a pod swap way back in September of 2020 and since then Brooke's become a mom of two. She moved from New York to Los Angeles and she left her full time gig at Meta Slash Instagram to pursue her creative passions as a full time podcaster and creator. And recently she became a beauty entrepreneur with her first fine fragrance.

[Jill Dunn]

Oh yes. We were spritzing it all in Austin. We were, we had a meetup at the iHeartRadio podcast awards back in March of this year and we were collectively, we were in the best beauty and fashion podcast category. Brooke took home the hardware. So congratulations to Brooke. But that's where we, we kind of met up at the after party, we had a chat and this is where we cooked up this idea to do a pod swap.

[Brooke Devard]

Yeah.

[Carlene Higgins]

And so please do check us out on the Naked Beauty podcast feed this week. We're sharing some juicy insights about price transparency. Carlene's a beauty founder now, so she was dropping all of these acronyms Cogs and which is like cost of goods sold. And so she probably said too much. So it's juicy. Go listen. And we also discussed Pat McGrath's new role at Louis Vuitton. Like, is that a recession indicator? And why we believe Haley Bieber's road will continue to rain.

[Jill Dunn]

Yes. And in our episode just ahead, we thought it would be fun to bring Brooke in as a guest editor for this week's damn good themed episode. It's all about the best and worst beauty innovations of all time. From Botox to hair dye and makeup mixing gadgets, we are dishing on it all. Plus, of course, we cover some of the biggest multi million dollar flops in beauty history. We can't wait for y' all to hear this conversation.

[Brooke Devard]

Yeah.

[Carlene Higgins]

Before we dive in, and in partnership with our friends at Braun, I do think it's one of the greatest beauty invention ever. That's laser hair removal, everyone. And the freedom of not having to shave your legs or go to waxing appointments. It just makes the summer and your life so much better.

[Jill Dunn]

Honestly, this is right up there with shellac. Like, life changing. I'm telling you, I am turning 50 this year and I, I basically have a list of the things that I will not do anymore and one of them is going on all fours and getting wax. Like, I'm done with that for the rest of my life, you know. So, yeah, I made the investment to do the professional laser hair REM a couple of years ago. My local spot is C Paris. And you know, we did pay, by the way. So I did like five sessions. Spaced out over six months, I think it was. And I was just like yahooing my way out of there. I felt like I probably spent what I might spend in like two years of waxing.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Jill Dunn]

You know, my bikini area and my upper thighs is like what I invested in the laser hair removal to be done with it for life. You know, just have to do a couple of touch ups. So I'm telling you, when you get that money in your bank account, forget waxing. Like, stop the madness.

[Carlene Higgins]

You know, my only regret is that I didn't do it earlier. As you said, though, like, it wasn't cheap. I believe I spent around twenty two hundred dollars for five sessions.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah.

[Carlene Higgins]

And so I was, I was excited when Braun asked us to partner on this hashtag damn good review of their Braun Silk Expert Pro 5 IPL device. Because I do want silky underarms, but I'd rather do it at home while I'm watching BR Bravo shows. And this device really is the at home alternative, Carlene to laser hair removal.

[Jill Dunn]

So what's the difference between IPL and laser?

[Carlene Higgins]

So the main difference between ipl, which stands for intense pulse light, the difference between that and laser hair removal lies in the type of light used. So IPL uses a broad spectrum of light while laser hair removal uses a single focused wavelength of light allowing for deeper penetration. So Carlene, this is basically an at home alternative to permanent laser hair removal with results that last up to one and a half years of not having to deal with body hair. Now I will say that even at the spa when we did that, they tell you that you need to touch up to maintain the results.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah, I'd be interested to know if you could do the touch ups at home with the ipl. Cuz that's where I felt like it was good value spent to go in and get the laser hair removal. But when I did the touch ups they charged about half the price. But I was like, that was literally like three little zaps, you know what I mean? It felt like that's where I was losing the money, you know.

[Carlene Higgins]

So for me I wanted to target my underarms and my thighs, honestly my toes. Because even though I did the spa treatment on my toes a couple years ago, the hair there is so stubborn. So how am I, how am I supposed to wear like the row inspired flip flops when I have hairy toes? Like absolutely not.

[Jill Dunn]

No, Mary Kate and Ashley would not approve.

[Carlene Higgins]

So it comes in a box and then it has a little carrying case and they actually also give you a Venus Gillette razor because you do need to shave before you do this. And then there's the handheld wand and it comes with two different heads. There's one head that's can target a wider area and then there's like a precision head as well.

[Jill Dunn]

So finer areas like if your mustache or something.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah, or like around the bikini line where you know, if you wanted to be more precise and just to give.

[Jill Dunn]

You guys a visual, it looks kind of like if you go and do self checkout like at the drugstore, the grocery store, it's like the handheld scanner, you know, like yeah, it looks like.

[Carlene Higgins]

That and it's so easy to use right out of the box. I love a beauty gadget, but I don't like when I have to read a thesis to like figure out how to, how to use it.

[Jill Dunn]

So hell no.

[Carlene Higgins]

It's just three steps. You shave the area that you want to treat and then you turn on the device and then you place the device you click the button and it zaps. A little light emits and then you keep going on the area.

[Jill Dunn]

Like a little red light.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah. Like you can do your whole body in 10 minutes.

[Jill Dunn]

And now how do the results last and can anybody use it?

[Carlene Higgins]

The device works best on those. If you have fairer skin and dark hair, that's like the perfect candidate, the contrast. And if you have more melanated skin, you might want to ask your dermatologist. And they do have a safety chart. Like a legend on the box.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah.

[Carlene Higgins]

Where you can double check, you know, is this going to work for me?

[Jill Dunn]

See if it's right for you.

[Brooke Devard]

Yeah.

[Jill Dunn]

So how did you find, Was it painful? Like, what else do we need to know?

[Carlene Higgins]

There's 10 intensity levels and there's two sensitive modes. So if you really want to work your way up week after week, you can do that. But I just put it right to 10 and I was fine. I thought it was, I thought it was totally tolerable. And there's a little fan that goes the whole time you have the device on. So it's not too warm. It just feels like a, a rubber band lightly snapping your skin.

[Jill Dunn]

So like a gentler version of what, what you experience with the professional treatment. Because that definitely I would say is up there with like a bikini wax in terms of the pain level. Tell me about the results. That's what we really want to know.

[Carlene Higgins]

So I've used it for four weeks. Full disclosure, I haven't done it the full 12 weeks, but I definitely noticed the hair reduction and they say that to 95% hair reduction in one month. So, you know, I think that that's really good. Back in the day I would have to shave my legs basically every day in the summer if I really wanted that super smooth result.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah, no, that's true. So how much is it? How would you, how much savings did you get versus going in for a professional treatment?

[Carlene Higgins]

This is cheaper than one of those laser treatments for sure. Definitely cheaper than like a year's worth of waxing for sure. So depending on the retailer, of course the price can vary. You can find the Braun IPL Silk Expert Pro 5 at local shoppers Drug Mart, Best Buy and online at Walmart CA. I believe at Walmart it's around 495 Canadian dollars and Shoppers Drug Mart it's around $617. And if you're in the US you can visit braun.com so dolphin skin Summer.

[Jill Dunn]

Here we go. Now it's time to move on to our chat with Brooke. And a friendly reminder that everything that we chat about today we're going to link to over on our website, which is breaking beautypodcast.com and you can watch this conversation with Brooke over on our YouTube channel, which is also beauty podcast. So please watch, subscribe. And we're also on Substack now too.

[Carlene Higgins]

Can't get rid of us. We're everywhere.

[Jill Dunn]

Welcome to the show, Brooke Devart. This episode is brought to you in part by Beam. So I don't know how many moms are listening. And maybe you have a kid who's super picky like mine. I cannot get him to eat anything that's not white these days. And that's why I'm so excited to introduce you to Beam Kids all in one super powder. It just launched and you need to get your hands on it today. It has been a game changer in our household. My son loves the taste of it and I love that it has more than 40 essential ingredients to help fuel his healthy growth, including greens, pre and probiotics, fruits and vitamins. And what's even better, it comes in this chocolate milk flavor that, trust me, kids love it. It's also co created by Olympic gold medalist and mom, Sean Johnson. That's so cool. She created it because she wanted to find a simple way for parents to feel confident about giving their kids the nutrition that they need. And it's so easy to use. Like Ryan, my son, he comes home from school and he just makes it for himself. Like, I have no part in it. He just mixes a scoop of Beam Kids with ounces of milk and he shakes it, he stirs it, or I think he frosts it with the little frother we got with the introductory package. And he enjoys it, making it a convenient addition to any meal or drink. Beam Kids is now available [e-mail] beauty. And because you're a listener of our show, you can take advantage of their limited time pricing of up to 35 off plus two free gifts using code BEAUTY. So get your Beam kids and your free gifts by heading over to shop and B E A M dot com Beauty and enter the code BEAUTY. That's shop B E A M dot com BEAUTY and use code BEAUTY for up to 35 off. And now back to the show. Are you single and struggling with dating or in a long term relationship and want to take that next step? Or maybe you've been together with your partner forever and you want to see spice things up. We met at Acme is a dating.

[Brooke Devard]

Podcast for you and I really hope you come check it out.

[Jill Dunn]

I'm Lindsay Metzilar and we have so much to talk about together.

[Brooke Devard]

So check out.

[Jill Dunn]

We met at Acme, wherever you listen to podcasts. And I can't wait to meet you.

[Brooke Devard]

Brooke.

[Carlene Higgins]

You have an incredible beauty podcast, Naked Beauty Podcast. And you were on our show. I think it was 2020 or 2021. Since then, so much has happened.

[Brooke Devard]

So much.

[Carlene Higgins]

Let's have a quick little catch up. If people aren't familiar with you.

[Brooke Devard]

Well, now I'm doing podcasting full time.

[Carlene Higgins]

Amazing.

[Brooke Devard]

Which is so great. And I also have my product line, so Naked Beauty, which is a fragrance that we have here in studio. I've had another child since we've last spoken. I've moved to Los Angeles.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

My life has changed a lot. I do miss New York City, but I'm loving life in la. It's just so nice here. Right? The weather.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah.

[Carlene Higgins]

So great.

[Jill Dunn]

Absolutely.

[Brooke Devard]

Energy.

[Jill Dunn]

And how are you? A weekly. Still.

[Brooke Devard]

Still weekly. Every Monday.

[Jill Dunn]

Every Monday.

[Carlene Higgins]

Okay.

[Brooke Devard]

Every Monday. Naked Beauty. When I first started, it was talking to women I admired about beauty and self care. This is now expanded to men. I think so much of our cultural identity is tied to the way we approach beauty. So much of the way we were raised, what we learned from our mothers, our grandmothers, where in the world you are. I also just think as a black woman, when I started Naked Beauty, I couldn't find, like, long form, deep conversations about beauty and identity with women that looked like me.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

So I was like, let me just create the show that I want to hear.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Carlene Higgins]

If people haven't checked out your show before and of course they're gonna listen to us on your show. But what would you say is, like, the entree that you're like, this is like the best representation of my show, maybe.

[Brooke Devard]

Oh, gosh, that's such a hard question.

[Carlene Higgins]

Because you know what?

[Brooke Devard]

Because I have guests that are all so incredibly different. Every episode is so different. So Sir John and I, who I know he's been on your podcast, we got to do a series of interviews together. Last year, we interviewed Ms. Tina Knowles, which was incredible.

[Jill Dunn]

Oh, yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

And you know, like, you can understand why Sacred is as good as it is when you hear about her legacy with hair and how she really understands the science and just even talking about, like, making the outfits for Destiny's Child back in the day, I loved hearing that. But then I also loved interviewing Dita Von Teese, who is someone who, if you don't know, she's like a burlesque performer. But she is such an incredibly self created image. Like she was from a small town and she just decided like, I'm going to make myself this idealized vintage pinup girl. And she did it, you know, using beauty as this tool to get to where she wanted to go.

[Carlene Higgins]

All the way to a Taylor Swift video.

[Brooke Devard]

Which Taylor Swift video.

[Carlene Higgins]

She's. She's in Bejeweled, I do believe. And she's. Or Taylor. She teaches Taylor how to be in the like martini glass. The giant martini glasses they're in like bathing in. Yeah.

[Jill Dunn]

The encyclopedia of Taylor Swift is here. Yeah. That's amazing. I totally agree with that too. How you can just like craft an identity. And even you look at like Chapel Roan these days who's like, has such a distinct look and has like stood. Stood out. I want to ask you about your fragrance because I was thinking back to the first episode we did together and we're gonna link to it in our show notes and on our website. But I feel like you at that time anyway and you know, things may have evolved, but you were very into like natural beauty, like almost like concoctions, like very products that are almost like slow, slow beauty. Like they've been made maybe by hand or the person can really tell you like exactly what the ingredients are. And. And you were even like making some of your own. Oh my go. I remember that vividly remember that. And so I love that you kind of took that a step further into, into your fragrance. So tell us about it. What do we need to know?

[Brooke Devard]

Well, you're taking me back because I was making so many of my own fragrances in those like glass roller balls. And I was taking a carrier oil like a jojoba or an argan oil or apricot kernel seed oil. And then I was mixing in different essential oils. So that's like where I educated my nose on, you know, vanilla essential vanilla oil, which is very different than most of the vanilla that you experience. Or palo santo oil or tangerine oil. It was basically this whole education I was giving myself in how to create fragrances that I was just, it was like kind of fun in the hobby. And I started making my own fragrances. I would give them to friends. Fast forward to today now having a fragrance available. It's. It's at Credo Beauty, it's at Anthropologie, which is something that I'm really excited about. And then directly on the Modern Magic fragrances website. Yeah, please give it a smell. The name of the fragrance is Naked Beauty. And it was really inspired by my much slower.

[Jill Dunn]

It's so nice, you guys.

[Brooke Devard]

Thank you.

[Jill Dunn]

It's a beautiful tangerine kind of slightly Hermes bottle with red writing.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes.

[Jill Dunn]

And it's gorge.

[Brooke Devard]

It was also very important. I mean, the scent took so long. I did 17 iterations of this, but I wanted something that looked beautiful on, you know, your nightstand, your dresser. I feel like that's so important for a fragrance. But I also wanted it to be under $100. It's an $88 fragrance, but it is. I mean, I love Birado. I love Le Labo. I love really fine fragrances. So I was, like, really challenging the team I was working with. Like, we need to make this super sophisticated with, like, really beautiful, complex notes. But I don't want it to be more than $100 so that it can really be an everyday fragrance. I feel like the market is flooded with date night. You know those fragrances that you only reach for?

[Carlene Higgins]

Wedding ones. No.

[Brooke Devard]

I wanted this to be like, you come out of the shower, you spray on naked beauty. It has bergamot, neroli, green tea. So Matcha was something that I kind of folded in at the end. Sandalwood, amber, musk. It also has ISO E Super in it. Do you know eccentric molecules?

[Carlene Higgins]

Yes.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay.

[Carlene Higgins]

Wow.

[Jill Dunn]

I love that fragrance.

[Brooke Devard]

I love that fragrance. And it smells different on everyone.

[Carlene Higgins]

Right.

[Brooke Devard]

Because that's how ISO E Super works. It kind of adapts to your own body chemistry, and it gives this very, like, clean note. So the dry down on this is, like, the way that it smells on you, Carly. It will smell different on you.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Jill Dunn]

It kind of works with your ph. It's almost like the way those, like, Dior lip balm. It works with your ph and it changes. This is, like, the fragrance version of that.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes. And a lot of fragrances just were, like, overly sweet or, like, they gave me headaches. Like, I just. I really wanted something that felt elevated and sophisticated and something that you, like, reached for, and it made you feel more grounded and calm and beautiful. It is unisex as well.

[Carlene Higgins]

Oh, okay. Brilliant. I love it.

[Jill Dunn]

Do you think there will be more?

[Brooke Devard]

Yes, I hope so. I have an idea for my second scent that's, like, been brewing, so we'll see.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah, that's great. I love the creativity in developing, personally. Do you love it? Are you loving this experience?

[Brooke Devard]

I'm. I'm loving it. My, like, the nose and the perfumers were. I know that I drove them crazy because.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

I mean, a lot of people just get something off the shelf, like, you work with a big fragrance house and they kind of have like these pre existing pornographic formulas.

[Carlene Higgins]

Cords or whatever they call.

[Brooke Devard]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. I really pushed it. I really pushed it to get to something that I felt really proud of.

[Carlene Higgins]

Well, your name is on it. Your cameo is on. Is that your camera?

[Brooke Devard]

Yes, it is.

[Jill Dunn]

It is amazing.

[Carlene Higgins]

If everybody is listening but not watching, it's. You shot amazing cover art for your podcast a couple years ago and you're wearing.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes, my towel.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yes, yes. And it's like your cam. That cameo is on the box.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes, My side profile.

[Jill Dunn]

Beautiful.

[Brooke Devard]

I had the little Vivienne Westwood earring. That's like the planet. Because the community for naked beauty is naked beauty planet.

[Carlene Higgins]

Right, right.

[Brooke Devard]

So it all, it all works together. It's been really fun, like building a brand.

[Carlene Higgins]

That's.

[Jill Dunn]

Love it.

[Carlene Higgins]

Strivectin is one of our show partners. So this week we're chatting all about top innovations and I've got the inside scoop on another game changer. It's the new Peptide Plump collagen cushion cream from Stry Trivectin. So this is a next generation formula that was tested on women considering getting injectable fillers. And the results might surprise you because after just four weeks, a jaw dropping 97% said that they choose this cream over fillers. And this was actually based on a self assessment questionnaire of 35 subjects after four weeks of use as directed. And the secret is really in Strivectin formula because they have an exclusive Alpha 3 peptide technology. Think smart science that targets those crucial building blocks of your skin, collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. Plus it's boosted with argylene to smooth out lines, wrinkles and bring back that lost volume. And with daily use, it's clinically proven to improve the look of fine lines, laugh lines, those pesky 11 lines kind of between your eyebrows and forehead wrinkles. And that's based on expert grading evaluation of 35 subjects after four weeks of use as directed. And the texture is really what hooked me. It's got a cushiony bounce back texture that really hints at those springy, youthful results that you'll see in your skin. I really love how it applies under makeup. It absorbs right away, it's not greasy at all. And it kind of reminds me almost of like a K beauty texture, very smoothing. So if you're ready for plump, smooth skin that feels and looks incredible, you can discover the science behind great skin with the new Peptide Plump collagen cushion cream from Strivectin. You can find out [e-mail] we'll link to the new Peptide Plump collagen cushion cream from strivectin in our show notes and on our website. Now back to the show. So today we're going to be talking all about the best innovations in beauty. Like that really stands out and really stands the test of time. And since the beginning of our show, I think we've really tried to do that, you know, cutting through the clutter and sometimes you just to need, do need to revisit some of these things that maybe aren't in the headlines all the time, but people are using them and there would be riots in the street if they went away, you know.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah.

[Carlene Higgins]

I'm gonna kick it off, everybody with talking about Botox.

[Jill Dunn]

Oh, yeah.

[Carlene Higgins]

So I don't think that there's been a bigger breakthrough in innovation in the beauty biz in terms of, for the last 25 years, for the first time basically in history, it has kind of introduced choice into the aging process. You can choose to do it or not do it. Of course there's plastic surgery, but just how well it works, how relatively affordable it is, how you can get Botox and use Olay and you will look fantastic. Men can use it. You can use it in so many different ways. And I truly do think it has changed the game in beauty. It is a breakthrough. There's no question about it.

[Jill Dunn]

No question.

[Brooke Devard]

I feel like such an outsider because at 35, I have not gotten Botox, which is, I feel like you, but I feel like that's the minority. Like Most people by 35 now have delved into the Botox waters.

[Jill Dunn]

Yes.

[Brooke Devard]

And I'm not against it.

[Carlene Higgins]

I think I was maybe 39 when I got it done.

[Brooke Devard]

Like, yeah, it was later, but now it's like 25 year olds.

[Jill Dunn]

It's changed now.

[Carlene Higgins]

This is how, like, pervasive it has become. Yes. When we first started out as beauty editors, it was like, oh, that seems wild, you know, like.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. It was like, wait, that. Isn't that poison? It's a toxin, guys. Like, that really was the mentality. Although interestingly enough, I do think that's what's starting to happen with plastic surgery, where it's like just becoming more and more accessible. Mini facelift, younger and younger. And you do hear in like, like some cultures where it's like a rite of passage when they're 18, they're gonna get this, they're gonna get that. And I don't know, I just think we're kind of going in that direction. And we actually, we interviewed Dr. Carruthers, who's the co founder her. She and her husband, her late husband.

[Carlene Higgins]

Pioneered, pioneered, pioneered Botox for cosmetic use.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes.

[Jill Dunn]

And basically got it approved. But there's so many different ways that you can use Botox even for health purposes. If people who want to dig in the crates and go back to that episode, it's like migraines, people with cerebral palsy, like, there's actual medical uses that are incredibly powerful.

[Brooke Devard]

So TMJ as well, right?

[Jill Dunn]

Yes, yes, absolutely.

[Brooke Devard]

My Botox story is I went to my dermatologist and I was like, when I raise my eyebrows, I have some like lines here. Yeah. And she was like, make that face again. And I didn't. She was like, how often do you make that face? And I was like, never. Like, really? And she was like, it's fine. Like, just, just, you don't need to do this, you know, I think I love that. Yeah. It was like, it was very nice to be talked down from it. And I'm not, I'm not against it. It's just not fillers and Botox and all that has not been part of my self care routine. The thing that I find fascinating, have you seen in Korea where they do this all over face Botox?

[Carlene Higgins]

Yes.

[Brooke Devard]

They just get Botox injections all over their face skin, like on the surface of their skin. And it kind of gives your skin this like glass.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah, it's interesting.

[Brooke Devard]

Yeah.

[Jill Dunn]

I haven't. But you know Dr. Sam Ellis, who's the founder of prequel and dermatologist, she was on our show and I had asked her what I could do about the orange peel effect on my chin. So that's that like really fine dimpling texture. And she recommended Botox.

[Brooke Devard]

Interesting.

[Jill Dunn]

And she actually is the one who said she does one here and one here. If you go to her Instagram, there's photos of where she does black marker and shows you exactly where she injects herself. And so it is actually for texture.

[Brooke Devard]

Interesting. You have me wanting to try Botox.

[Jill Dunn]

You can notice a side by side. You can notice.

[Carlene Higgins]

One thing I will say is what I. What sticks out from interviewing Dr. Carruthers, by the way, she did give me Botox once and it was the best, most effective Botox placement ever. No surprise. But she just said when you see a line at rest, then you can like check it out. If the line is not at rest, you don't need it. Don't spend your money on preventative Botox. It's too expensive. Don't just wait until you get the cre. The coin slot, like me. You know, we could just do a whole episode just on Botox. What's on the tip of your tongue, Brooke?

[Brooke Devard]

So when you first asked this question about the biggest innovations in beauty, my first thought was something actually outside of beauty, which is social media, specifically Instagram.

[Jill Dunn]

Okay.

[Brooke Devard]

I actually.

[Jill Dunn]

Fair enough. Since you came from Instagram, which we didn't even discuss.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes. I spent nearly five years working at Instagram and definitely saw the way that the platform influenced trends, but I think from a global perspective. And I just done an interview with Tembe, who wrote this book about nail art around the world. And one of the things they did was for every nail artist they interviewed, whether it was a nail artist in Colombia or Tokyo or France, they would say, who. Who are you inspired by? And then they would name someone in a totally different country just that they followed on Instagra. And I think about how it used to be you would have these, like, regional trends, and everything was very siloed. But now, because of Instagram, so many beauty creators are able to be inspired by each other, share trends. There are people. I just interviewed, Dochi's makeup artist. She was like, I was just doing my makeup online, and, like, I got a DM from Dochi being like, you're great. Like, let's work together. Like, wow.

[Jill Dunn]

I feel like, wow, can you name drop? Then people can follow your makeup. The makeup artist.

[Brooke Devard]

Oh, yes. Makeup by Chelsea.

[Jill Dunn]

Okay.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes. And she's on this week's episode of Naked Beauty. But, yeah, it's like people are finding makeup artists. They're finding hairstylists through Instagram. Artists are being inspired by one another. Like, I feel like. I don't know if we. It's almost unimaginable to think about where the beauty industry would be without Instagram.

[Carlene Higgins]

That's so true.

[Jill Dunn]

Yes.

[Carlene Higgins]

And even Instagram face was a thing.

[Brooke Devard]

Right? Right.

[Carlene Higgins]

You know, it had an aesthetic. And we knew what you were talking about when you would say Instagram face. Like, 2016.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes. No, I remember. I remember, and I think, think. And some of that is harmful, right? Like the filters and, like, the homogenization of. Of the beauty standard.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

But I do think young people today don't realize, like, when we were growing up, for me, there was, like, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera. Like, everyone was like, there was no Lizzo.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

There was no, like, Lil Nas X. Like, an openly queer black man that was a pop star. Like, we didn't have Tyler the creator wearing nail polish. We didn't Have Chapel Roan, like, we did not have. Have different standards of beauty to like look up to.

[Carlene Higgins]

You're right. We would not be where we are in beauty at all without sharing these ideas and the inspiration and yeah, the Instagram eyebrow, you know, the Instagram Eyebrow alone is 26. So influential.

[Brooke Devard]

Yeah, 2016 was a rough year.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

For beauty. It was like very matte. Matte. Matte products.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

The cut crease, the. Remember the Becca highlighter.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah. These things were. These things were. Yeah, legendary.

[Jill Dunn]

They really legendary.

[Carlene Higgins]

They were. They just kind of like define that era.

[Jill Dunn]

And also I would say the launch pad, like the. In terms of the industry, the launch pad that Instagram has been for so many brands now, like, just in terms of influencer LED brands and, and all of that is pretty incredible.

[Carlene Higgins]

Carlene, what do you think?

[Brooke Devard]

What's your.

[Carlene Higgins]

What are you, like, dying to talk about?

[Brooke Devard]

Okay.

[Carlene Higgins]

Change your life.

[Jill Dunn]

I would say there was a time when I bleached my hair. I decided that I wanted to be bleach blonde. And so I went for. It was like after I had my kids and I was having this rebellious streak and I was like, I want my hair to be like ear length and bleach blonde. So that's what I did. And it killed my hair. Like, it murdered it.

[Brooke Devard]

It's hard.

[Jill Dunn]

And for a few years I. It was like kind of embarrassing because we were hosting this show and I was. And I was like, my hair is just absolutely fried. So bond builders came along and of course OG got to give the credit to the OG which was Olaplex. Yeah, I really like K18 as well. I think that they. I mean, we had the founders on our show and it just actually works like it really. I remember the defining moment when I tried it. And of course. So this is that thing where you use it instead of conditioner on damp hair. You kind of blend it into a paste, run it through your hair and like the.

[Carlene Higgins]

Before you don't rinse it out.

[Jill Dunn]

And after, when I blow dried, it was just like, what is this stuff? And sure enough, it caught on like wildfire. And then now there's a whole category around bond repair. Now how many of them are actually legit, I think is questionable. I think there's a lot of like stamping on a bottle that I don't know if it's actually the real deal.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

But.

[Jill Dunn]

But I do want to point out because this potentially could be a big thing, but I will say I haven't tried it yet. So I've talked before about Apres.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Jill Dunn]

E P R E S. And it is a bond repair treatment that you spray in your hair and it comes like super concentrated in a vial. You pour it in this, this bigger container, you add water, you spray it in. I also love that product. And it was actually created by the original chemist behind Olaplex.

[Brooke Devard]

Interesting.

[Jill Dunn]

So it was like, okay, 20 years later, 10 years later, what is this guy going to create? It's obviously going to be like the next generation. And of course it's like clinically proven. There's a patented formula, all of that. And he's now launching ephd, which is for your nails. Okay. It's this. I have it here.

[Carlene Higgins]

So it's like the idea is like bond building for your nails.

[Jill Dunn]

Yes. So it's a nail treatment, patented bond repair.

[Carlene Higgins]

Okay, I'm gonna talk about another no brainer. And that's hair dye. Okay, I do think again. That has like sort of introduced quote unquote choice into aging. Because before we had hair dye, it was just hats. We only had hats and Dead serious.

[Jill Dunn]

We only had hats. Quote her on that.

[Carlene Higgins]

That's why in like the UK it was like.

[Jill Dunn]

Is that why they all wore fascinators and hats all the time?

[Carlene Higgins]

That's my own historical interpretation.

[Brooke Devard]

I love this beauty angle. On the revisionist history.

[Jill Dunn]

Do you think it could have been because they didn't have heat? It's so damn chilly there that they had to warm their heads?

[Carlene Higgins]

That could have also been it. But it's interesting because it was founded in France in like, or I think it was like 1908 hair dye was first founded. So like in just in the last hundred years. But what I also find interesting about it too is like, like we've really, they pioneered it, but it's like we've not really moved beyond it that much. It's less damaging now. But give me, where is the pill for gray hair interesting?

[Jill Dunn]

Well, they are trying to come out.

[Carlene Higgins]

With that, but come on.

[Jill Dunn]

I think there's an actual pill that I've gotten the press release, but I, I have to take it. I bend it so fast.

[Carlene Higgins]

Called array.

[Jill Dunn]

Oh, yeah. So I bend that one. Because you're supposed to take it as a preventative.

[Brooke Devard]

Oh, of course. Yeah.

[Carlene Higgins]

Forget it.

[Jill Dunn]

So it's just like you may never have even grade and you're gonna buy this monthly, get on a subscription like.

[Brooke Devard]

No, I know, I know. I just watched the episode of Sex and the City where Samantha discovers a gray pubic hair and it causes a whole unraveling meltdown because she's dating Smith, who of course is much younger, and she dies. Her pubic. It's just. It's a whole thing. But, yeah, I mean, you're right, it does introduce. Introduce choice into aging.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

And there are some people that go gray in a way that is so beautiful and, like, multi dimensional. I'm like, how, like, how does your gray hair even do that? But that's rare. Right. When you go, like, all silver. But I do think that's so.

[Carlene Higgins]

I love it. I love that people are embracing it. But I think most people are still going the route of being in the chair every four weeks, every six weeks, whatever it is. And even when, you know, we're in Paris and the whole thing is, like, effortless. This girl's chic. You know, try. Try to find a French woman with gray hair. It doesn't exist because they are all using box dye from the, you know, drugstore or whatever it is there. I can't remember the name of Monopri, but yeah, I think it's. It's very interesting.

[Jill Dunn]

Also color. Wow. I will give credit to color. Wow.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yes. Huge innovation.

[Jill Dunn]

Obviously, there's been so many knocked off since then, but I still. I still stand the original.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah, it's really good color.

[Jill Dunn]

Wow. It's like, it does not come off. And it. There's like, so many different colors now. I mean, it's amazing.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah, it's. It's like I can't be without it.

[Jill Dunn]

It is a shift. Right? Like, to. Because I've contemplated that going gray, and I was like, I just don't think I'm ready.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Jill Dunn]

Very personal choice, but very personal. Yeah, some people look great, and I just don't think I'd be one of them.

[Brooke Devard]

I also had a hair innovation category, but specifically around black women and natural hair, because.

[Jill Dunn]

Tell us more.

[Brooke Devard]

10 years ago, 15 years ago, there were just not. There were not products for natural hair. Like, everyone was making their own concoctions on YouTube, mixing yogurt and bananas. And there were just so many things that you had to do at home. Melting shea butter. I mean, I have literally done it all. Because companies like Shea Moisture didn't exist. I mean, there really were not products formulated for black natural hair, which, like, now you hear that in 2025, that feels like. Yeah, unbelievable. Yeah. But they're just. There really weren't. So that's a space that I feel like has come so, so far. Another exciting innovation in the hair braiding space. A lot of braiding hair is synthetic, so it's. You Know, made in the lab, and a lot of it is very harmful to people's scalps. They find they have a lot of irritation. Some people wash their hair and apple cider vinegar before they put it in.

[Jill Dunn]

Okay.

[Brooke Devard]

But now there's this whole, like, realm of natural fibers that are being used for synthetic braiding hair. So, like, rebundle is one of them. They use banana fibers for braiding hair, which is really interesting, and it's more expensive. So, like, a pack of braiding hair is usually like $5, and this is like $30. I think now they've bumped it down to $22. It's a big markup.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

But you're paying for something that's much more sustainable, that's going to be better for your scalp. Braids are in a long time.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

So it's interesting to see all this innovation happening for braiding hair. But then even just. Yeah. Thinking about the natural hairspace 10 years ago.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

Yeah. So different.

[Carlene Higgins]

So you're wearing right now micro braids.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes. I love micro braids and. But I didn't want to do micro braids all over my whole head because it would take literally three or four days. Like, it would.

[Carlene Higgins]

Wow.

[Brooke Devard]

Be insane. So I have a sew in, like a traditional sew in with tracks in the back, and then micro braids in the front.

[Jill Dunn]

Is there someone we can give credit to who.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes.

[Jill Dunn]

On your hair.

[Brooke Devard]

Janae. Je Nee Sais Quoi Braids by Je Ne Sais Quoi is her Instagram handle. Sandal. She's incredible. And then the sew in, I went to Corey Moreno, who's also incredible. He does Zendaya's hair. He does Lil Nas X. He does Natasha Lyon.

[Carlene Higgins]

Okay.

[Brooke Devard]

He does everything. Cut, color, sew, ins. But I had them basically work together to create.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

Style.

[Carlene Higgins]

Look at it. It looks great. Carlin and I were just talking earlier today about how Carol's daughter was brought. Bought back by Lisa.

[Brooke Devard]

She's bringing it back, which I think is exciting.

[Carlene Higgins]

That is. Did you ever try her product products?

[Brooke Devard]

Oh, yes, I've tried the moisture milk. I've tried. I remember very early on when she was still, like, doing the products out of Harlem, like, early, early days. She had this almond cookie scrub that was, like, incredible. I don't even know if they still make it.

[Carlene Higgins]

Okay.

[Brooke Devard]

But I. Carol's daughter has been kind of like a staple in the beauty community for a while, so I'm excited that she's kind of taking the reins.

[Carlene Higgins]

Should we talk a little bit about a flop? Oh, let's talk about something that maybe was supposed to be the next greatest thing and it just turned out to be a total flop.

[Brooke Devard]

You know what comes to mind? For me, this was like around 2020, remember when everything was CBD skincare.

[Jill Dunn]

Oh, yes. Goodbye.

[Carlene Higgins]

I'm so glad you're bringing this.

[Brooke Devard]

Yeah, it's like. It's like a fever dream. It's like, did that happen?

[Carlene Higgins]

Yes.

[Brooke Devard]

But even like. And St. Jane is still around. But I remember their. Their positioning now has nothing to do with cbd. But it was like every email you were. Everything was just like, cbd skin care is gonna like revolutionize the industry. And now it's crickets. Like, I don't even hear CBD mentioned in the.

[Jill Dunn]

Originally, like dipped their toe in that and probably not a lot of people don't know is the de skin.

[Brooke Devard]

Oh, interesting.

[Carlene Higgins]

Oh, really?

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah.

[Carlene Higgins]

I'm happy because I could never pronounce the main ingredient. It was cannabinol or something.

[Brooke Devard]

Cannabinoids.

[Jill Dunn]

It's so buried now, but I think if you look at the actual ingredients, they're interesting.

[Brooke Devard]

Interesting. Well, you know, Paula's choice released a. It was like two seconds. They had a line that used cannabis oil in it. It was like in a light green bottle. And it was so I actually really liked it. It was very calming for the skin. And I reached out to them and they were like, oh, that's come and gone. Like, we don't even make that anymore. But yeah, CBD was like everything.

[Carlene Higgins]

It was. It absolutely was. And I remember we always. People were like waiting in the wings for weed to become legal. And then it was just like, inbox full. And there was zero credit. There was zero real evidence that it did anything for the skin. Because they couldn't really, like test it it in the market before it was like, legal. You know what I mean? And I know Carlene said it a lot. She was like, we need a dermatologist backed CBD brand. Then I will be on board. For me, I think a flop is. Well, specifically the Opulus, which just shuttered in December 2024. So that was meant to be the Nespresso of skincare. Oh, and it was founded by the same founder as Clarisonic, Dr. Rob Ackridge, I believe is his name.

[Brooke Devard]

Filling landfills everywhere with his creations. Right. Does anyone use the Clarisonic spin brush anymore?

[Carlene Higgins]

There might be some brush heads on ebay somewhere.

[Brooke Devard]

Right.

[Carlene Higgins]

But like, that was such a moment. It was like, yeah, the 2010-2015 window, everyone had a Clarisonic.

[Jill Dunn]

Okay. This is crazy though. I just saw a post from a very prominent dermatologist the other day talking about how excited she was that Clarisonic's coming back. So found a random article online that said that Dr. Rob had basically bought back the company. He was relaunching Clarisonic and really excited that this would expand into like light skin devices as well. So obviously I was excited to contacted the PR for Dr. Rob and found out it's totally a sham. It is not happening. And so I just couldn't believe like dermatologists so excited did not fact check this at all. So don't believe the hype. You guys. Don't go searching and buying online. This is a scam. Clarisonic RIP is staying RIP. It is not relaunching in 2025. But I, you know, I do believe people would be very excited about it. I think it was a bit before its time and I think people would be all over this now.

[Brooke Devard]

I would believe that though, because I think a lot of people don't wash their face as effect as they think they're like. Especially when I see people wash their face, I'm like, what was that like that little splash of water you did?

[Jill Dunn]

Exactly. I remember going to these events. They've done like imaging of the face where they can tell where you've often it's in the folds of your nose.

[Brooke Devard]

Yep.

[Jill Dunn]

And in the creases where you're. Where it's left. So they. They did all kinds of imaging to show that when you use the Clarisonic it the actual penetration and effectiveness of your skin care after increased by a ton. And he actually worked in like HIV studies before he went off created Clarisonic.

[Carlene Higgins]

Dr. Rob.

[Jill Dunn]

Dr.

[Carlene Higgins]

Rob, he's a really sweet man and he sold so many Clarisonics on qvc. Like this man and QVC were like this. It was crazy. That was just that era.

[Brooke Devard]

Yeah.

[Carlene Higgins]

So the Nespresso of skincare was basically like you had to. It was on your countertop. It was like going to custom mix or. Sorry. They had these little pods that were your custom mix skin care. It like spun around, warmed it up. And I just think anything like that that's taking. You just have to change your routine so much. And I even feel that way about like YSL has a custom. Yes, I've seen makeup device where you can custom curate your own lipstick shade.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes, I've seen that.

[Carlene Higgins]

And it's like that's going to be in a landfill. I don't care. It says YSL on It, you know.

[Brooke Devard]

Who has the time? Like, who does. Who has the. I feel that way about, like, the airbrush foundation as well.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

Like, I'm just not going to do all of that.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah, yeah. I think it just is asking too much of women to take. Take them out of the routine that they already know and may probably love and just changing the gestures. It's like, it's not that insanely innovative unless it was like Botox, you know, melting your own Botox, putting it on your face. Like, the results just aren't that. Yes, right.

[Jill Dunn]

But I will say I'm. I am curious about the Bold Hue one that Sir John worked on.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes, yes.

[Jill Dunn]

Because he's sort of the face of it, the makeup artist behind it, and it's essentially like the YSL one. 40,000 people are on the wait list, apparently.

[Brooke Devard]

And so what I will say about the Bold Hue one, which I think is interesting, is because I think so many women of color, specifically, and it's a problem that a lot of women have actually, but, like, figuring out your exact shade and, like.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah, foundation is different. I think it's different.

[Brooke Devard]

Right. You know, and, like, the summer versus the winter, like, being able to customize that, I do feel like is speaking to, like, an unmet need.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jill Dunn]

This is why, what I was going to say, Prescriptives, was so far ahead of its time. Like, honestly, if Estee Lauder was smart or whoever, somebody. Somebody make it happen. But, like, bring Prescriptives back.

[Brooke Devard]

Yeah, true.

[Jill Dunn]

Because that's exactly what we're talking about.

[Brooke Devard]

Yeah.

[Jill Dunn]

You know, and I. I think it. I really think it might have been ahead of its time.

[Carlene Higgins]

Maybe. I'm not sure. I don't know about this, guys. I just think for a person to own this, do you need a $300 machine sitting on your counter? I just don't know. Jury is out. But I haven't tried it myself, so I can't. I can't really say.

[Brooke Devard]

But you know what? Here's the thing that I've also realized by talking to listeners that listen all over the world. You all live in Toronto, right? I'm here in Los Angeles. Like, we think like New York, Louisiana.

[Carlene Higgins]

True, true.

[Brooke Devard]

People don't have a counter they can walk into. You know, that's true. People don't live in places where they have access, so, like, they need things delivered to them.

[Carlene Higgins]

That's true.

[Jill Dunn]

True. Yes, it's true. But actually, funny enough, you know, who's doing decently? Well, I'm not saying off the charts, but Lip Lab So bite.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes.

[Jill Dunn]

Rip.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes. I. I remember going to their soho.

[Jill Dunn]

Location making my own lipstick, but that they're actually growing.

[Brooke Devard]

Interesting.

[Jill Dunn]

They just opened a location in Austin in the fall and I think they opened their second location, I hear, in D.C. in February. Yeah. And like that people are into it. They go, it's like an activity party and. But you can reorder if you really like it. So I don't know.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Jill Dunn]

Kind of interesting.

[Brooke Devard]

It's.

[Carlene Higgins]

It is. But what I do want to say about someone like a Dr. Rob or these people at Bold Hue, like, we really do need these scrappy startups to be taking these big swings because the truth is l' Oreal's never probably really going to do it. Or if you look at png, they came out with that Opti a few years ago. It's a device. Do you remember it? I talked about it on the show and it took them like 15 years to create it. And it was supposed to take over and you wouldn't need foundation anymore because it basically could.

[Jill Dunn]

Oh yeah, the printer, 3D printer.

[Carlene Higgins]

It could read your face and it would just deliver foundation or coverage where you had like a pimple or a brown spot or what have you. And so you were literally getting hyper targeted seamless coverage of any redness, any little bits and bobs. And it worked extremely well.

[Brooke Devard]

Did you get to try it?

[Carlene Higgins]

I did.

[Brooke Devard]

I would love to try something like that.

[Carlene Higgins]

But it flopped because again, it's. Two people didn't understand.

[Jill Dunn]

Too high tech.

[Carlene Higgins]

They did much work. It. But. And the other thing was when the makeup was on your face, let's say it was a dark spot. It had. It had like niacinamide in the coverage. So over time it was making your skin even better. So. But I think those big swings by PNGs and L' oreals are like not happening as much anymore.

[Brooke Devard]

Have you all seen the machines at the airport where you can get your nails done?

[Carlene Higgins]

No, I have. I've never tried it though.

[Brooke Devard]

See, I. People, a lot of people were like, no, this is awful. I'm like, I'm open to it.

[Carlene Higgins]

I would try it.

[Brooke Devard]

I would try it too. And it seems to be very effective. I mean, it takes like an image of your nail and you pick the color and then it just does the coats and it's. I mean, some nail techs are distracted and like, maybe this is even better. I mean, I do dislike taking jobs away from people.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes. But I'm like, I'm open to machines.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

Administering beauty with a.

[Jill Dunn]

With like A really great, like Bettina Goldstein or something to do. Like, maybe you push a button like a pop machine and you're like, I'll take the martini manicure or whatever. And it's like all her designs.

[Brooke Devard]

That would be cool.

[Jill Dunn]

That would be cool.

[Carlene Higgins]

It is.

[Jill Dunn]

But I do think that part of the issue with all of this, this is that devices are expensive and they're hard. There's a lot of different, little different moving parts. It's a hard goods thing that you buy once and not again. So how do you get people coming back? Yes, I think people lose their shirts because it sounds like a good idea, but it's like in the long term, it is a bit problematic. And like the shipping, the returns, it's. It's like you kind of need like a Dyson that no, you know, has this stuff on lock and like engineers who are gonna. As opposed to like startups. Startups and beauty brands, you know.

[Carlene Higgins]

Well, I could see the frustration being just like printers. It's like you go to make your foundation with the bowl to you, and you're out of the black figment.

[Jill Dunn]

That's what's gonna happen.

[Carlene Higgins]

And then you're like, and then I'll get my Armani. I'll get my Armani, right?

[Jill Dunn]

Like, my printer in the basement has been sitting there for two years with no toner. I don't know where to order it from. I don't remember what it's called, like.

[Carlene Higgins]

Right off, but we could be eating our words. I mean, I would try the bowl to you. I would try it.

[Jill Dunn]

40,000 people apparently want to, but prices, price will be another thing.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah. Quince is one of our show partners this week. So when summer comes around, I just want to be cool. I want to be comfortable. And that's why I love Quince because they offer so many amazing staples for the summer that make you look put together, but you don't have to break the bank. Like, they have 100% European, European linen shorts and dresses from just $30. Like, I'm on the Quint's website right now, and I'm looking at this 100% European linen button front dress. It comes in so many colors. You could dress it up, you could dress it down. It has a tie on the front. It's just like summer's perfect dress. And I would wear it Everywhere. And it's 59.90 plus. They have luxe swimwear at Quints. They have Italian leather platform sandals and so much more accessories, button downs, everything. And the best part is that with Quint is priced 50 to 80% less than what you would find at similar brands. And they're able to do this because they work directly with top artisans and they just cut out the middleman. So Quint gives you luxury without the markup. And Quint only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. And I definitely noticed that anything that I've tried from Quint, I feel like it just is so much more elevated and it feels very luxurious. So treat your closet to a little summer glow. Up with quince. Go to quince.combeauty for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's qui nce.combeauty to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Once again, quince.combeauty we'll link to this offer in our show notes and on our website. Now back to the show.

[Brooke Devard]

Another one I have, and this is, I think sustainability is coming a long way. But waterless products, I'm sure you all have seen a lot of these two, like concentrates. There was, I think the name of the brand is Everest. You guys familiar with?

[Jill Dunn]

Yes. Canadian.

[Brooke Devard]

Oh, they're Canadian. Okay, well shout out to them. And they were talking about body wash and they were basically explaining like you are paying for the transport. You're basically, if you have a body wash, it is 70% water that you were using in the shower where there's already water. So a concentrate, you can just lather with the water that's there. Their shampoo is a concentrate, their conditioner. It's like you realize how many of these products have water in them. And then there's some really high end skincare. Like I love retro venue. Tried the retro VE products.

[Jill Dunn]

I haven't, but they're beautiful. I've heard good things.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes, yes. Jamie Heidegger, whose family founded Kiehl's.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah, yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

But her products are super highly concentrated because they're waterless. And so a little bit goes a long way.

[Jill Dunn]

They don't add water. They're just, just super active.

[Brooke Devard]

Super active and super concentrated. So you just do like one little pump and like your whole face like feels amazing. And you just realize how many products have water as like filler.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

And I think that the rise of waterless products is really interesting. Now. I, I do love a good body wash. I, I try to just be like a bar soap girly, because I know that it's better for the planet. I do find that I like some body washes, but, but I think that we will see more and more shampoo bars, more and more waterless products. I think it just makes sense from a sustainability standpoint.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah. As long as the performance is there. I agree with you. And Deal Bodies, which is a Canadian skincare brand. Shout out to Chris. She's amazing. She's her. Her packaging, well, her branding is so good. But her products are waterless as well. They're more, like, meant to be more potent. But any other innovations.

[Brooke Devard]

Fragrance, I think, is an area where there's been so much innovation, specifically in synthetic fragrances. You know the brand Fusion Nutri Society.

[Carlene Higgins]

No, no.

[Brooke Devard]

It's like a very, like, niche fragrance brand, but basically their whole thing is that they resurrect extinct plants and flowers that, like, used to exist.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

And they basically, like, create them in a lab and they're, like, bioidentical to what this, like, rare flower would have been. But there are things like rose oil where, like, you would need, like, a room, this room filled with roses to get, like, this much rose oil. And now they can make rose oil in a lab. And I think that especially because my fragrance journey started with, like, making my own essential oils, and it was all, like, natural and holistic. I always thought that that was, like, the better way to approach fragrance. But as I've learned more and more, it's like actually synthetic fragrances or some synthetic. Synthetic notes are better for the environment because you're not, like, foraging and taking.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Jill Dunn]

Yes.

[Brooke Devard]

Things from the environment.

[Jill Dunn]

This has been an interesting conversation, though. We were talking about this. Is that in the fragrance industry and potentially in other areas as well, like skin care. There's some, like, farmers who. Around the world who are like, that's the whole living. Right. Like, there's economies that are. That are wrapped around this. So if they take one little rose petal and then make it in a lab, it's like, those people are out of business. Chanel works with these small farmers, like, in areas in south of France where they're actually helping to preserve certain breeds of flowers so that they don't become extinct.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes.

[Jill Dunn]

So they're actually. It's like. And Guerlain does this and they. And they work so hard to. To keep these. To keep these flowers in existence because they're also part of an ecosystem. And, you know, this feeds the bees and that. Again, it's back to, like. It's actually more of a holistic system. And we are even talking about vegan beauty and, like, beeswax in beauty products. I'm a big. I love Beeswax, but then it's not vegan. So it goes to that idea though that there are some brands that are preserving bee colonies and they're actually helping, so. And bees are part of the ecosystem, yada yada. So it's complicated, you know.

[Brooke Devard]

Such a good point. And it's such a delicate balance. I think future society stood out to me because of this idea of like resurrecting these. Yeah. Like we don't, we just don't think about flowers that have gone extinct. You know, like that's so interesting. Right. So that you can use science to like create a new scent profile that used to exist but doesn't exist anymore.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah, no, I, I think it's so cool. And it's better to have that like on file and be able to resurrect that than not have it at all.

[Brooke Devard]

Than not have it at all.

[Jill Dunn]

It's more just like where will this go in terms of like, like palm oil or whatever it is.

[Brooke Devard]

Technology always takes jobs away from humans.

[Jill Dunn]

Right.

[Brooke Devard]

Chat GPT means there are fewer copywriters. AI models means fewer working models. Like Right. There's so much. I don't know if you saw H and M just released this campaign where the like models co signed their AI models and they had these quotes like I can be in Paris and in Spain at the same time. And like it was basically showing that the models were like, had agency over their AI models. But then of course people in the comment section were like, well what about the hair stylists and makeup artists and photographers and lighting people that are now out of a job because the AI model is working?

[Carlene Higgins]

Well, there's a really high end spa in Manhattan and I'm, I don't have the name of it right in front of me, but they just put on their menu a robot massage.

[Brooke Devard]

See, I would try that 100%.

[Carlene Higgins]

I would do.

[Brooke Devard]

I would not.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah, so it's like, it is interesting because people are like, I'll feel safer, I'll feel more comfortable, whatever. But to your point, it's maybe taking an esthetician.

[Jill Dunn]

Is it that different than where I get my pedicure?

[Carlene Higgins]

Like the chair, you know, I know.

[Jill Dunn]

It'S like chair is massaging me, right?

[Carlene Higgins]

No, it's like robot.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carlene Higgins]

Massaging you.

[Brooke Devard]

And are people saying that they feel safer from like a like sexual assault standpoint?

[Carlene Higgins]

I think that it's just like maybe some people are just not comfortable with strangers touching them, so. And probably also, you know, there's some people that don't want like A male therapist, but what have you. Yeah, yeah. It's just like they can relax into it more.

[Brooke Devard]

Interesting. Yeah. I, I would feel less safe because if it malfunctions and you're on the table, where's the robot arms on you?

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah, I don't. It's, it's an interesting thing, but I do think AI and beauty, like, where do you think that's gonna go? Have you thought about that?

[Brooke Devard]

Well, I. So I'm like in. I feel like the minority in that. I love AI. I'm very interested in it. I actually made an AI character. Her name is Vivian Vogue. You can like DM with her from my Instagram.

[Carlene Higgins]

Okay. Yeah. Meta's always trying to make me be a, like, do it. I'm like, what is this? I don't want it.

[Brooke Devard]

I promise. I'm not like a still like undercover meta agent, but I do really think she's like a beauty and fashion expert and you can literally like DM her and be like, I want like a semi nude sheer nail polish. Like, what do you recommend? And like, she'll respond. And I like, basically picked like sources to like inform her voice.

[Carlene Higgins]

Oh, wow.

[Brooke Devard]

So I think that AI is going to be really powerful for beauty recommendations. So if you're like, I want a vanilla fragrance that's not too sweet, like, what do you recommend? It would take so long to like Google around and like find that information or skincare routine.

[Carlene Higgins]

I see a lot of people doing that.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes. I have, I'm this age, I live in this climate. I have this type of skin, like make a skincare routine for me and I, and I don't want to spend more than a hundred dollars on any product. Right. Like AI can give you a solid skincare routine like that.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

So I think that it's good for product recommendations, but I don't like text based ones. But I don't think it can replace like creators. I don't think you can replace human recommendations. I don't think, think. I think content. Every single piece of generated AI content I see is for me, like soulless.

[Carlene Higgins]

Yeah.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah. You know, you can kind of tell when it's been written by chat GPT.

[Carlene Higgins]

Also that like five.

[Jill Dunn]

Yeah.

[Carlene Higgins]

Press releases.

[Jill Dunn]

We've got all those press emails, communications in the, in my inbox where I'm just like, oh, okay. This is, this is chat GPT for sure.

[Carlene Higgins]

So thank you so much, Brooke, for guest editing with us today.

[Brooke Devard]

This was so fun.

[Carlene Higgins]

This was so fun. And we really appreciate your time and can't wait to do it again in the future.

[Brooke Devard]

Thank you and I hope some of your listeners come over to Naked Beauty to listen on Mondays. I I feel like there should be even more beauty podcasts, but I love the community amongst the beauty podcasters and the listenership.

[Carlene Higgins]

Awesome. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you.

[Jill Dunn]

Thanks for listening. You can find details on every product mentioned in today's episode, along with our exclusive promo codes on our blog @breaking beauty podcast.com While you're there, be sure.

[Carlene Higgins]

To sign up for our newsletter. Every episode will be delivered directly to your inbox so you won't miss a.

[Jill Dunn]

Single thing and get social with us. Let us know what you think of the episode. You can follow us on Instagram at Breaking Beauty Podcast.

[Carlene Higgins]

And did you know we also have a private Facebook group? Just search Breaking Beauty Podcast chat room.

[Jill Dunn]

You can even leave us a voicemail at any time with questions or feedback at 1-844-227-0302.

[Carlene Higgins]

And don't forget to subscribe to us wherever you get your podcast fix. Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts where you can show us some love by writing a review.

[Jill Dunn]

See you next.

[Carlene Higgins]

Bomb. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.