Breaking Beauty Podcast Episode: Our #DamnGood Best of Spring 2026 Edit is Here! Hosts: Jill Dunn & Carlene Higgins Air Date: March 18, 2026

Episode Overview

In this dynamic edition of their #DamnGood series, beauty editors-turned-podcasters Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins celebrate their podcast’s ninth anniversary and break down their curated picks for the best, buzziest, and most innovative launches for Spring 2026. With the onslaught of new beauty products showing no signs of stopping, Jill and Carlene use their expertise to help listeners cut through the clutter, spotlighting notable launches in color cosmetics, fragrance, lips, and skincare. The episode also highlights key industry news, insider insights, and the rise of Canadian beauty entrepreneurs.

Episode Highlights & Key Discussion Points

1. Podcast Anniversary & Personal Updates (00:21–04:35)

• Jill and Carlene mark their ninth podcast anniversary, reminiscing about their journey and bonding as co-hosts and friends-for-life (“We are pretty much married now.” – Jill, 00:39).
• Upcoming live event announced with Neutral at the American Academy of Dermatology in Denver (March 28, 2026). They promise trend reporting and interviews directly from the event floor (02:08–02:39).
• Carlene plugs an Instagram Live Q&A with her chemist for Cassatt Beauty’s hero product “La Pomade,” a retinoid slugging balm (03:27–04:35).

2. The #DamnGood Spring 2026 Edit (05:08+)

A. Leaked Lab by the Lipstick Lesbians (10:08–16:25)

• The “Lipstick Lesbians,” Alexis & partner, launch Leaked Lab, a brand built on bringing unique, innovative lab-sourced formulas directly to beauty obsessives.
• Concept: Drops of experimental products, often too unconventional for big beauty to pursue, are released in limited quantities for real-world feedback and iterative development.
• First Product: “Flexi Powder” — a flexible, panless, shape-shifting pigment disc for eyes/cheeks/lips, water-activated for versatile use. “It is absolutely bonkers.” – Jill (12:54)
• Price: $34 per lab sample.
• Both admire the “big swing” concept, catering to the superfan beauty hobbyist. (15:33, Carlene: “You have to be a real beauty hobbyist to want to kind of join this club.”)

B. Fragrance Innovations – “Milk Perfume” Explosion (16:25–21:31)

• “Body care and fragrance is THE category right now,” Carlene reports, with retailers prioritizing innovative launches (16:25).
• Noise launches “Milk de Parfum,” a pourable fragrance milk with skincare ingredients and high scent payoff.
  • Jill: “This is not a spray. You pour it out – like a skincare milk…has 15 times the scent power of a body lotion.” (17:12–19:51)
  • Scent: “Only Human” – a sweet, gourmand skin scent ($95 US, 5 oz).
  • Application: Although marketed as a layering “primer,” they argue it works best alone due to intensity.
  • Memorable Moment: Comparing skin-first lotions to this “fragrance-first, skin-second” formula (20:59).
• Carlene calls this “very cool, like Gen Z brand—all the girlies are talking about it.” (21:24)

C. Summer Fridays Enters Fragrance (25:47–29:38)

• Summer Fridays launches “Sunlit Vanilla Eau de Parfum”: Two sizes, $85 US (50 mL) and $40 US (10 mL).
  • Notes: Bergamot, caramel, coconut, vanilla, creamy musk, tonka, amber.
  • Jill: “It feels very vintage. The bottle…could have been on my mom’s vanity in the 80s.” (28:11)
  • Compared to Sol de Janeiro’s perfumes but as a “more sophisticated version” (28:49).
• Predictions: “I bet body care in that fragrance is coming out.” (29:19)
• Inside insight: “The Summer Fridays Butterbomb was the number one SKI at Sephora last year—insane.” (25:48)

D. Lip Category: Breakout Launches & Innovations (29:48–43:56)

• The “Marker” Lip Stain Dilemma:
  • Marker-style, longwear lip stains (Summer Fridays, NYX) often turn hot pink as they wear (30:09, Carlene).
• Kulfi Lassie Lips Staining Lip Liner (31:10–32:48)
  • A hybrid crayon-lipstain ($24 US): “All lip liners should be this—a longwear crayon lip liner.” (32:48)
  • Shoutout for inclusivity: “Very brown skin/black skin friendly, mostly beigey tones.” (31:36)
• Canadian Beauty Standouts:
  • Hung Van Gogh Beauty Glossy Lip Hue ($26 US): Gloss-lipstick-balm hybrid with a cooling tip (33:45–34:14).
  • Lixer by Suzanne Langmuir (Bite Beauty founder): New “Napa Cherry” tinted lip mask, reformulated lanolin-based, launching at Sephora. “She formulates like nobody else.” – Jill (36:20)
    • Notable story: Suzanne called Sephora herself to promise her best formulas ever (37:42).
  • Merit Signature Lip Lightweight Lipstick Blush ($28 US): A love-it-or-hate-it “balm plus matte,” sheer, with a soft, blurred wash (39:43–43:55).
    • Memorable quote: “It gives you pigment without the pow!...your lips aren’t walking into a room before you.” (43:30, Carlene)
    • Application tip: Exfoliate first for a smoother finish.

E. Skincare: The #1 Must-Try—Sophie Pavitt Screen Time SPF 30 (44:09–48:02)

• Screen Time Non-Comedogenic Hydrating Sunscreen, $38 US.
  • Key Claim: First sunscreen “clinically proven to be acne safe,” with “acne safe” right on the label.
  • “To be able to say definitively that this is not going to break you out is bold.” (45:57, Carlene)
• Engaging note: Jill’s test for face sunscreens—whether it stings her eyes; this one didn’t.
• Skincare Mist Pick: U Beauty Bio Barrier Mist—spray-on serum ideal for travel (48:07).

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “We are pretty much married now.” – Jill (00:39)
• “The onslaught of new launches in beauty—it never stops. It never sleeps.” – Jill (05:08)
• “It is absolutely bonkers.” – Jill, unboxing the Leaked Lab Flexi Powder (12:54)
• “All lip liners should be this—a longwear crayon lip liner. And they probably all will be now!” – Carlene on Kulfi (32:48)
• “She [Suzanne Langmuir] formulates like nobody else... She called up Sephora and said, ‘These are my best formulas yet, and I would regret not showing them to you.’” – Jill (37:42)
• “I think Canadian beauty is just making its reputation right now.” – Carlene (36:04)
• “To be able to say definitively that this is not going to break you out is bold.” – Carlene, on Sophie Pavitt sunscreen (45:57)
• “It gives you pigment without the pow!...your lips aren’t walking into a room before you.” – Carlene on Merit Matte Lip Blush (43:30)

Timestamps for Must-Listen Segments

• Intro/Anniversary & Cassatt Update: 00:21–04:35
• Leaked Lab by The Lipstick Lesbians: 10:08–16:25
• Noise “Milk de Parfum” Discussion: 16:25–21:31
• Summer Fridays Fragrance Launch: 25:47–29:38
• Kulfi & Lip Trends: 31:10–32:48
• Canadian Lip Launches: 33:14–38:34
• Merit “Matte + Balm” Lipstick Debate: 39:43–43:55
• Sophie Pavitt SPF Review: 44:09–48:02

Episode Tone & Takeaways

Casual, witty, and deeply knowledgeable, Jill and Carlene deliver an engaging, jargon-free review with tangible product details, relatable anecdotes, and plenty of Canadian pride. Their transparency about personal preferences and product performance (“love it or hate it” candidness) makes the edit extra trustworthy for listeners who want more than PR spin.

If you want a fast track to Spring 2026’s most innovative, buzzed-about, and editor-approved beauty launches—especially if you’re SPF-obsessed, experimental with color, or fragrance-curious—this episode is a must-listen. For visuals and shopping links, check their site and new YouTube channel for the #DamnGood deep dive.