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- [00:00]
A
This episode of Fat Mascara is presented by Milani Cosmetics, a brand who believes that what's inside matters. Hey, everyone. Welcome to Fat Mascara. If you were here last week, welcome back. Did you make it to the premiere? The premiere of the relaunch? What did you think? If you are here now for our first ever newsroom, welcome, we have the most amazing guest. Her name is Andrea Laventhal. Andi Lavs to friends and fam. Or if you follow her at People, where she is executive director of I have to Take a Breath special integrated projects. She was previously style and beauty director. I mean, Andi Labs is sort of a legend. And I've been thinking about this because, listen, I went to this beauty breakfast today. I was doing a little hosting, a little schmoozing, a little, you know, doing what I do, and the table was filled with beauty editors past and present, and I was thinking about the beauty community, and I got a little verklempt. Now, if you don't know me well, I can veer a little bit on the earnest side, and I'm trying to, like, temper that a little bit because it could be a little, like, annoying and embarrassing. But I got very emotional. Thankfully, not on the mic at the event, but I was talking to one of the editors, and I was like, there are so many great editors here who I've known for a long time, and sort of the longer I get in my career, I'm like, these are great people who I want to introduce our listeners to and who have been on the road with me. And the longer you've been on the road, it's like you sort of see things in context, and Andrea Laventhal is one of them. She's a great editor. She's a great commentator. I just think you're gonna love her. And that's what Fat Mascara is all about. It's about bringing you guys into the fold. The beauty industry has so many good eggs and smart people and fun people, and that is what fat mascara is all about. So without further ado, let's talk to Andi Lavs live from Greenwich, Connecticut. Okay, Andy. Andrea, it was so good. See you the other week. I know.
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B
That was so fun. We look the same.
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A
I. That. That's what I keep telling myself. That's what I keep telling myself.
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B
It's like time stands still.
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A
For those who don't know, Andrea and I have known each other a very long time. Nothing very long time. Felt like a long time. Like, my entire career, we were in, like, I would say the same, like, when people, like, grade, like the same. Like, almost the same grade.
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B
Yeah.
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A
Of being a beauty editor. And I went to the People, Inc. Offices, and you guys listening, you might. I don't know. People dip in and dip out. I don't know what episode they're listening to. But Fat Mascara is now in partnership with People, Inc. And when I went to the office, it felt like I had this great. To be around editorial folks is like a different kind of feeling.
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B
The nerd herd. The cute nerd. Her. Like, we have nice hair and glowing skin and. But we're nerds.
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A
I mean, I do like to nerd out. I mean, how many 500 plus podcasts about beauty?
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B
It's pretty nerdy.
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A
But, you know, I feel like I've seen your career go from when we met. Where were you when we met?
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B
Cosmo. Cosmo.
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A
You were at Cosmo.
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B
Yeah.
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A
Right. And then, you know, you didn't work with Leah at Cosmo, did you? Leah.
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B
For a minute.
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A
Okay, a minute. Right. And then you've gone onto, you know, leaps and bounds, and now you're at People. And what do you do at People?
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B
It's a great question. My mom wonders every day. So I've been there 14 years. I was originally hired as the style and beauty director for the site, and then I became the style and beauty director for, like, the People brand. So, like, print, too. And then about a year and a half ago, they were like, we're making you the wait for it. Executive director of special integrated projects. And I said, that's amazing. What is that?
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A
I mean, it has.
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B
What's the punctuation?
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A
Big words in there. Yeah.
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B
Are you important? A comma, a dash? Like, where are we?
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A
You can't fit it in a nice little. There's a lot of.
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B
But it basically means that I, with a wonderful team, oversee what I call other. All in other. So anything that's outside of the day to day news cycle or the week to week magazine cycle. So Sexiest Man Alive, World's Most Beautiful Year end.
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A
Right.
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B
Best of America. Big packages, big programs, as well as digital covers and digital issues.
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A
Okay. All right. World's Most Beautiful. I mean, that used to be called Most Beautiful People, but then they switched it, right?
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B
Yes.
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A
Why they switch it?
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B
I think they've been changing the name. I would say it's more evolved. And we're back to World's Most Beautiful. Whereas for a while was the Beautiful issue. And I think that was like on brand for the Times.
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A
Right, right.
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B
There was a period of time around the MeToo movement. And I was at People and supported this change. When it didn't feel right and no one was excited to be the world's most beautiful.
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A
It felt reductive. It felt. Yeah.
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B
But I think we're at a place now where the pendulum has almost swung the other way. Where it feels wrong to not let a woman be world's most beautiful. When we have Sexiest Man Alive. And that's never changed.
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A
Do you remember, like, the first, like, I feel like People such a. It's such an established brand. Like, I can. Peoples around my house, like People magazines around my house. Growing up, I could picture people, like, when certain events happen, what the COVID was, what was one of the sexiest men that sticks out in your mind.
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B
One of my favorites is probably like a sleeper hit is Paul Rudd. Because I love a sexy man who's not obvious.
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A
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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B
But hits nonetheless. And he didn't even have social media when we named him. It was like, not that long ago. He just doesn't have social media. He's that cool. And yet it was still so well received. And he did the most hilarious skit with Stephen Colbert. If you guys have never seen it, where he is like, like casting or, like, it's like an audition for sexyman. Google it. It is a freaking riot. And I love him. And he's hot.
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A
He's very sexy. He's very sexy. Okay, well, you are fully immersed in the world of pop culture every single day. So I wanted to talk to you about for this first episode of Newsroom, which is me just shooting the breeze with one of the folks from the editorial community, the nerd herd, as Andrea so lovingly called it. We're gonna break down some of the headlines and understand exactly what is going on here. And getting your pop cultural take. So, Andrea, I saw Cindy Crawford, former fat mascara guest legend, legend on time. I mean, of course she was on time. Of course. Just professional to a T, as you know she'd be. I saw her recent Instagram, and it was her morning routine. I've seen a million morning routine videos, but this one got a little more attention. What happened?
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B
People were somehow surprised and then upset that a supermodel who. Who lives in a mansion in Malibu, that her morning routine was perhaps not the most relatable. They were shocked. Shocked up in arms.
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A
So what did she do? Let's. Let's go through it. I have some timestamps if you. If you're. If you're interested, because I was she
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B
wake up 5:30 or 5:45.
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A
It was, I think it was before 6.
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B
I stopped before 6.
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A
I, my, my, I started taking notes when I saw she was guashing at 6:30. And I'm like, my gouache is for like special occasions when I have two hours to myself.
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B
Okay, I have. So I just want you to know I took a lot of notes on.
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A
I love a well prepared guest, by
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B
the way, because I really like, I, I went the gamut, right. Like I watched it first as just a regular person watching this and being like, what in God's name? Starting with the moment she wakes up in a pink nightgown. Beautiful. A slip.
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A
I've, I've got something else to say about just the waking up because that actually that part is the thing that shocked me the most. There was nothing underneath her bed. Like no under the bed storage units. There were no like, you know, winter sweaters. There was no slippers. And on her side table, nothing.
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B
Well, I have like before they filmed it, they probably did like a suite and put it all into like, you know, a box.
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A
I've got crafts, I've got like, you know,
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B
parties. I have a city to have a red light mask dangling off my bed that I always am. Like tonight's the night that everything changes and I become a person who uses my red light mask every night because otherwise it just hangs from the outlet.
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A
Those devices can really depress you if you don't use them.
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B
Well, we'll talk about that. I always say if you keep it just next to your bed, unfortunately doesn't work. You have to use it. But anyway, so yeah, she doesn't. She wakes up with her hair down in a really pretty pink nightgown, which already I'm upset, right? Like I'm like I'm. This is not relatable. And then she proceeds to do a bunch of other unrelatable things, including drinking a shot of vinegar, which I know people do, but at 7am and she's like, you know. And then she does something truly wild. She touches grass with her feet. Like she actually touches grass. And it's just, she says it's grounding. So that's her first touch, grass. And that's on her way, I believe to the hot tub to just marinate a bit.
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A
I don't recommend this for like New York City dwellers. Yeah.
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B
And she, she does some other stuff. You know, there's the gouaching and the red light and the, of course, her skin care and her workout. She hangs upside down for a bit and that's all before like 8:30 so between about 5:30 and 8:30, she's done a lot of stuff in the, in the wellness world.
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A
But you've done a lot of stuff before. Like we've all done, you know, multitaskers. You know, we all do a lot before 8:30.
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B
It just doesn't work.
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A
Yeah. An entire. By the time I sit down, I'm exhausted, but it just doesn't look like that. But guess what? I'm not Cindy Crawford, you know, like
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B
so that's the thing, Jess. Like so I watched it the first time. I laughed at the touching grass and the vinegar and the hanging upside down. And also the song choice, I Am Woman, it was like that song Woman, not I Am Woman here, but the other.
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A
But it's another version. Yeah.
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B
And I thought, okay, here, here are a few things I thought. Number one, what do we want Cindy Crawford to be doing in the hours of 5:30 and 8:30? What, what do we envision for her? What do we think would be better for her to be doing that would make us feel okay? Okay, number one. Number two, this woman is 60. She turned 60 this year.
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A
Incredible.
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B
This is actually the most relatable video because it's a 60 year old woman fighting for her life to stay relevant, to keep her.
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A
That. That was a bit blunder, but yes. Yeah. To keep her to be Cindy Crawford. What does it take to be Cindy Crawford? I'll never forget, I believe it was Amanda Seyfried. And Amanda, if you didn't say this, I'm sorry, but I, like, I feel it in my core. You were talking about when she was like Mean Girls or, you know, maybe. Or maybe it's a little bit after Mean Girls because she was a little bit older. But she said that you do have to restrict yourself. You do have. Basically, it takes work to look a certain way in Hollywood. She seems very down to earth, by the way. But like I. Even Julianne Moore has said it, like just being honest about the work it takes to be in certain. Yeah. Famous.
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B
There's two. It's a twofold thing. When I say stay relevant, I actually mean. So the first part is.
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A
Oh, I think I know where you're
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B
at making the video in the first place.
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A
Yes. Yeah.
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B
Cindy freaking Crawford is a top supermodel of our time. She's brilliant. She has a gorgeous supermodel daughter. She's like, she's done it all. Like, you don't really need her.
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A
She's the first businesswoman. Like the first supermodel businesswoman too.
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B
She had a mole. She did it with a mole that she refused to remove. Okay. And we're still making her do stuff. We're still someone in a room in a business meeting was like, you know what we're gonna need from you, Sin? We're gonna need you to film your morning routine. And don't worry, we'll edit it and we'll set it to music and we'll script the whole thing so it looks good. And she was probably like, what? And then they were like, well, can you gua sha? Yeah, can you. Can you. Do you have the red light thing? Can you get your hot tub?
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A
I also feel like it was purposeful, the things that were in there. It wasn't Spawn, but she used the Karen Bertov led thing. It's not available in the US yet, but it was a shout out to her facialist. She had the Lisa Rinna book on the table.
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B
I noticed that.
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A
That right Little Easter egg. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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B
I was like, really? You're reading that one? Is that from 8:30 to 9? You're reading the chapter for your book club?
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A
But, like, she kind of made it her own in her own little way.
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B
I don't know. Who knows? I just feel like somebody somewhere forced her to do this because this is how she stays relevant and keeps her brand going. Fine. But number two was what she's doing to stay looking like Cindy Crawford. Which. Imagine if she didn't do all that stuff and kept. What would happen? We would be like, have you seen her?
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A
There's no winning. There's no winning.
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B
She's a hideous beast. Our supermodel. What happened? So you can't win. And I think had she shown, I don't know, like, anything, people would be upset. Like, you really can't do anything.
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A
No, you can't do anything. And I think that's a great call out. Just like, by participating, it's like, you know, you kind of can't sit out if you. I mean, maybe Paul Rudd can sit out, but he's one of the very few.
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B
Well, he's a man. And I hate to take it there, but it's true. Like, he's just a man. He gets to be adorable and funny and charming and. And it's like. Funny.
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A
Yeah.
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B
She has to set a video to I am Woman and be empowering, inspiring, educational, and somehow relatable.
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A
I know.
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B
What has ever been relatable other than the fact that she had brown hair and a mole?
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A
Totally.
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B
That's it. I know where it starts and ends.
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A
Okay, so taking it from. Well, we're we're kind of. We're staying in the fashion space. Cindy is certainly fashion with a capital F. Fashion Month has just wrapped, and the Miu Miu show is always very directional, both in fashion, but also beauty. There's always lots of trends that come out of it. Everything's very quirky, very spirited, very fun, very flirty. Miu Miu is Prada's younger sister brand. Like, I mean, they came out, they made, like, diamond diamante, like, underwear thing. One of their beauty moments was the headband. And looking at the headband made me. No, not the Carolyn Bassett headband. It made the back of my ears hurt just looking at it. It was the zigzag headband from the 90s.
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B
Here's the problem with this. No one looks good in a zigzag headband. And I'm not counting the models or, like, any gorgeous young person wearing it. None of us should have been wearing it then, and no one should be wearing it now. It's like I went through a period where I did the slick a lot this, like, back, because I was like, look, everybody looks so modern and fresh faced, and it's such a lazy girl's hairstyle. And I look chic. And then one day I was like, I don't know that I have the face and the lifestyle to support this hair.
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A
No, I could not do it. Yeah, right. I tried, and I looked like a cue ball.
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B
You kind of have to be stunning, and you kind of have to be wearing a matching set all the time.
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A
The other elements have to be one
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B
of the people who, like, clicks on stuff in a video. So if. If we pick this thing back up and slide it on right now, trust
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A
me, you know, it's. You know, it's getting caught. It's poking my skin.
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B
So not only is it uncomfortable, but we look ugly. Like, I'm sorry. Like, this isn't even. Do you wear it if you love it? No, it's a no feet bangs to me.
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A
It's just.
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B
Don't even.
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A
It goes in the. Okay. That. Now we understand where it sits in is in the baby bangs bucket. Okay.
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B
Never gonna look good.
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A
Mew Mew had great casting. They always have some kind of cool casting that makes you go, oh, my God. So they had Chloe Sevigny, who is a Face of Mew Mew fragrance right now, and they had Gillian Anderson. Now I really like Gillian Anderson. I was not like an X Files person, but after the movies that she did after or the interviews, I interviewed her once. I was like, she is like, she is just a force. And she is actually, around the same time, she's in a social campaign for l' Oreal Paris called Lessons of Worth. And she alludes to. I'm going to recap, she said that there's this big problem in the world. She's like, there's a lot of problems, but there's one we could do about. I'm going to paraphrase here. She says, women over 50 are disappearing, becoming invisible. It's like a Hollywood plot twist. You're noticed, you're needed, you're whistled at, and then, poof, a few years later, you don't exist. In the same way, they wonder what the hell you're still doing there. And then she says, before you dismiss me as this angry menopausal feminist, by the way, I thought this was, like, you know, really quite bold for a l' Oreal video. She says, I feel like I've gained perspective, confidence, wisdom indefinitely, if not more. More than ever. The desire to say f off, I mean, that's quite powerful coming from Gillian Anderson, especially for a company like l'. Oreal.
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B
To put that out, that was my initial reaction. Knowing what we know about how the celebrity ambassador world works and how it's, like, so scripted and press release and talking points. To have someone go off that way in such a real and, like, specific. Yeah, I thought, like, either someone at l' Oreal is freaking out right now, or someone at l' Oreal was like, let her rip.
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A
I think it's fantastic because it feels really authentic. It's not just, like, kind of airy fairy words, like, you know, in my own confidence, own your story. Like, love took the words out of me. Right.
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B
There's nothing more annoying to take it back to World's Most Beautiful. Yeah, I. When I took it over, I was like, I just don't want it to be a package where every woman feels like the only thing she can say is, with age, I've gained wisdom, a confidence I know myself. Like, that's just not sexy, fun, interesting, or, to be honest, real. Because there's a real flip side.
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A
Yeah. Yeah.
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B
To it. You should be able to be like, I feel really pretty. Like, I'm surprised at how pretty I am at this age. Or, I don't give a shit about looking pretty.
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A
Like, I stopped caring or. Yeah. Or it is what it is what it is. You know, like.
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B
Yeah. Or, you know, I'll do Botox for this wrinkle, but I'm not ready to get a full facelift. That's what I want to hear.
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A
You are surrounded by a lot of powerful, accomplished, vital women. And that's not just in your career. I understand you're part of this community. This community. You've trademarked it.
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B
Well, I've trademarked it on Instagram.
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A
On Instagram.
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B
No, no, no. Not like, legally.
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A
Not like Pepsi Cola. No, no. But Greenwich mom, what is a Green tm. Yeah. Greenwich mom. Tm. Help me understand what a Greenwich mom is.
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B
Greenwich mom was really just a way for me to.
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A
What's the shorthand?
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B
Make peace with the fact that I am a Greenwich mom now.
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A
Okay. How long have you been a Greenwich mom?
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B
Six years. And moving to Greenwich during the pandemic was the most off brand thing to happen to me until I realized I liked being a Greenwich mom.
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A
Okay.
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B
And then I was like, wow. It's just funny because it's like I.
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A
Greenwich is in Connecticut.
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B
Yeah. It's like, it's a lifestyle, but it could be anywhere. It's not. It's not like, specific to Greenwich, Connecticut. It's literally, I would say, any place where you have moms who are, like, a little neurotic about all the things and the sports and the camps and the doing all the things and trying to be all the things and also trying to still look good and be cool and have a cute sweater or good hair.
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A
That's a lot of things. And I'm glad you clarified that Greenwich mom has nothing. Actually. It doesn't belong to Greenwich.
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B
It's a mindset.
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A
It's a mindset. And honestly, I think when I think about my mom and the other moms growing up, they were a little bit more relaxed about this stuff. Right. My mom wasn't making a Botox appointment or worrying about her nails she was wearing or Jean styles going in and out. It was like she wore the same style of jeans her entire life.
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B
Yeah. But if you look at a picture of our moms at our age, I mean, no disrespect, my mom is beautiful, but I feel like 46 looked a lot different 46 years ago than it does now.
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A
So what are the Greenwich moms talking about on the beauty circuit? Because they're pretty plugged in.
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B
Well, it's interesting. I think they're much more so. Look, it all starts with just disposable income. Right. You have to be able to pay for a lot of stuff, whether it's Botox and fillers, which I feel like is baseline now for a lot of people. But then there's like, the next tier Right. So we're. I'm in the age and stage where people are doing the mommy makeover, the boobs and the. And the stomach.
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A
Okay. Mommy makeover is a breast augmentation or it is a reduction. It is a. Like a sculpting. Get those. Get your boobs back where you wanted them. Or maybe new boobs. Okay. And then your stomach, which changes, obviously, in childbirth.
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B
Right. So a lot of these moms are like, I've been working out forever. I eat one almond, and yet I still have this shelf that they always refer to. They're like, you know this shelf? And I'm like, yes. You know, Stephanie, we all talk about your shelf. You can never see it, by the way. But that's not the point.
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A
It's like, that's where the neurotic comes in.
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B
Yeah, but you shouldn't feel bad about yourself. Right? And if something drives you crazy and every time you look in the mirror, you hate it, and you have the money and the wherewithal to change it, fine. So, you know, they go get. It's like the diastasis recti.
- [23:21]
A
They, like, pull it together, Right? Yeah, that's the. That, by the way, I didn't know what that was until, like, seven months after I gave birth.
- [23:27]
B
Well, usually that's when you find out. No one tells you beforehand. Why would they?
- [23:32]
A
If anyone told me anything beforehand about childbirth, I get a dog.
- [23:38]
B
You're like, I'm good. But yeah, they, like, pull it back together, and then they, like, remake your belly button because they have to, like, pull your skin up or down or left or right, and then your belly button, like, gets distorted. So you have to remake it.
- [23:56]
A
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- [25:28]
B
Fries and chicken nuggets.
- [25:29]
A
Yeah, yeah.
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B
So you know, it just works together.
- [25:31]
A
Right, right, right. So if you say a mommy makeover, it's not like it's this distinct thing. It's those two things together. But they're going to start tracking mommy makeovers because it is becoming such a burgeoning thing. But it has, you know, abdominal work, breast reductions and augmentations. The complication rate isn't that bad. But we, there has been some big stories recently about mommy makeover issues.
- [25:54]
B
Yeah, I mean that's the thing like on the least end is people will say, oh, the boobs weren't that bad, but the stomach nearly took me out. Like that is a serious, serious surgery. It requires major healing. You get the drains like you're really, you're really like down for the count with the stomach. But just like any other medical procedure or operation, there's real risks. And there was just this headline, I saw it on people.com, where all great headlines are about a 37 year old mom who was documenting her mommy makeover journey on TikTok and she died. And they, they haven't really said what happened.
- [26:33]
A
No, it's not clear.
- [26:34]
B
And look, who knows, it could always be one of these things where it's a undiagnosed, you know, underlying medical condition that she didn't even know she had. But the point is, it's like elective surgery is still surgery.
- [26:48]
A
Yeah, it's like the casual, I don't know if that's a word, but the casualization of surgery is a little concerning to me. You know, I've gone into a dentist office and then they, you see, or a gyno office and you see a little card, like talk to me. About, you know, they're like, cross selling. And it's. It's just become so casual, and I'm not sure how comfortable I am with it. You mentioned to me that people are also talking about bluffs. Bluffs. People say that word is talking about bluffs.
- [27:14]
B
Bluffs are so, so exciting to talk about. I love the way they're discussed because it's like. And what is a bleasiest one? So the upper bl. Is the eyelids where they cut. It should be like a tiny bit of skin, and then it, like, lifts, and then the lower is this extra skin down here.
- [27:33]
A
I saw a few people at the Oscars looking a little refreshed.
- [27:36]
B
Bluffy.
- [27:36]
A
That's all I gotta say. A little bluffy.
- [27:39]
B
The blephs in Hollywood, it's like the new buccal fat. Remember, there was, like, that year when everyone's cheeks went from like this to.
- [27:46]
A
I thought that was terrible, by the way. Terrible. I've seen a few cases buckle.
- [27:51]
B
Fat's a tough one because it's like, sure, we all wanna look like a Slavic supermodel, but, like, back to my slick back. Do you have the face and the lifestyle to support that? Probably not. You know, there's a reason we have that fat in our face. But that was weird because it's like, overnight, everyone's face just hollowed, and now everyone's eye sockets are hollowing. And when someone gets it done in a way that's not super, super subtle, it's so obvious, jarring. And I will not name names, but we all know when you see a celebrity now, and all of a sudden they have this, like, very different. We all say they look different.
- [28:31]
A
Right?
- [28:31]
B
Like, how did that happen? You have access to the best people. How do they screw you up like that?
- [28:38]
A
It's. It's uncomfortable, it's unsettling. And, yeah, it's something. And it's just like, even just 1 or 2 millimeters can be the difference between looking like yourself or looking like, you know, a puppet of yourself. So, yeah. But bluffs since the pandemic have grown exponentially. And, you know, that's attributed a lot to zoom culture, too, I think it's
- [28:57]
B
just, like, once people are comfortable talking about what they get done, all of a sudden it's like everyone's doing it because especially with social media, it's like, there's, like, a few things people are comfortable admitting they do on social media. Right. And blephs have become one of them because it's like a light cosmetic surgery.
- [29:17]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [29:18]
B
So you have a lot of influencers showing their blephs, which then other people are like, well, you know, maybe. And then that's it. That's all it takes.
- [29:28]
A
I'm not anti bleph, but like, yeah, we shouldn't be jumping for a bleph just because you're feeling a little tired. Get a good concealer or something. All right?
- [29:34]
B
Yeah. Or just find the best doctor.
- [29:37]
A
What about red light? Because that is. Red light has increased insanely again. Another since like post pandemic, people were taking pictures of them. It was on social media.
- [29:48]
B
Red light therapy, I feel like, is one of those things where you're like, first of all, it's like the number one question I get asked now by like the Greenwich Moms trademark, like, should I be using a red light device? And it's like, the answer is, honestly, I don't know. I finally got one this year. I got a higher dose mask. Probably not even like considered the. If you're going to do it right, like get the Rolls Royce, get like the ones at the studies and the. But here's the thing. None of these work if you don't use them. And you gotta use them every day
- [30:21]
A
for it works if you work it kind of thing.
- [30:24]
B
And if it does work, how much of a difference am I really gonna see day to day if I put in the time? Is that, as I say, lemon worth the squeeze? Like, who's gonna tell that I look instead of 46, 44 and a half.
- [30:41]
A
Right, right. You know, I talked to Rinella Hirsch about this. So she's Dr. Rinnella Hirsch. She's been on the show before. She's been on the show a couple of times. She's such a straigh. You know, she doesn't have an agenda. She's just like, here's. You know, it's almost like what she would. I'm saying this like what she would tell her kid. You know, it's just like just facts. She was saying, you know, all these masks, they're very TikTok friendly. You get great video. Scaring the husband, scaring other airline passengers. They're a lot of fun. And I personally. This is Mino talking. I think there's something really nice about setting a ritual aside for yourself as you try to do what putting it in your bedside. We all have the best of intentions, but she also made a point. You're seeing them a lot on TikTok and other social media because you know, influencers are putting them. Because they're getting a Cut of it. Would you rather get, you know, x percent of a device or would you rather, you know, or a lipstick? So you do the math. There's a lot of data on red light as part of photodynamic therapy, which like a medical procedure. But when it comes to, in, you know, these at home devices, it's not apples to apples. You're missing the. In office, you know, the potency. You can continue to use it and feel good and maybe see an incremental difference. But this is me now. Like, do you want how, you know, how much do you want to invest? Does this work with your lifestyle? Does this work with your budget? So just use good sense.
- [32:05]
B
It's funny because when I do wear it, I'm like, it's like when you eat a salad, when you order the salad at the restaurant instead of the fries.
- [32:12]
A
Yeah.
- [32:13]
B
You're like, I am a wellness influencer. I am health.
- [32:17]
A
Your gp. You're Gwyneth Paltrow.
- [32:19]
B
Yeah, that's how I feel when I use mine. I take it off and I'm like, you know, and I'm sure if you measured my skin, it would be such a nominal difference in like inflammation, whatever. But to your point, the ritual, the way I feel good about myself and I'm checking some old lady box to like slow it all down and be a Greenwich mom and do my part.
- [32:44]
A
I think it's like an anchor to a routine and a mentality as much as it is getting that benefit. So I would say you do you for everyone who wants to have one. Okay, last thing. Give Beauty close last month. Now, if you don't know what Give Beauty is, that was Gwen Stefani's line. I feel like it closed quite quietly. But there were also some other closures in the past, like year, like Flower Beauty, Drew Barrymore and like Drew Behemer is so out there, she's so, you know, in the public eye. I was kind of surprised by that. Another brand that closed was Kate Moss Cosmos. She had fragrance, she had teas. People were a little surprised when that one came out. What, from your opinion? Like, you can't say celebrity brands don't work. You look at road, you look at rare, you look at pattern, they do work. What do you think is the difference between a successful celebrity brand and one that is going to be at the, at the Bargain Center? Well, first of all, Bargain Center, I don't know what that is, but Bargain Center. I was going to Bargain Bin. Yeah, I was going to, I was going to say a brand name and I decided not to.
- [33:48]
B
No, we're too good. We're too smart for that. So here's the thing. People have to know it exists. I can't believe that I did not even know Kate Moss had a line. That's how unknown it was that me, who considers myself super tapped into the beauty world and pop culture, I really don't think I knew that.
- [34:04]
A
I think she wasn't. Do. I think she wasn't doing press? That's my. That's my. My only.
- [34:08]
B
That's the problem.
- [34:09]
A
No, but, like, I think she did some stuff, but it wasn't like she was out there the way, like, Selena Gomez is. Right. She wasn't doing what Cindy Crawford's doing.
- [34:18]
B
Right. Using it in her videos, for better or worse.
- [34:22]
A
Yeah.
- [34:22]
B
Okay. So the thing is, is that I. I thinking specifically about. About Gwen's from the moment it launched. And I was a huge Gwen Stefani fan from all of my years until, I would say, more recently when she launched it. First of all, she launched it late for her because she already. Very early before a lot of other stars had such a signature look. And if you remember, she was a l' Oreal spokes for like, a minute. And I always felt like she'd be the one to have the. The beauty line. The makeup line, like, first.
- [35:01]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [35:01]
B
And it came kind of late on the. On the tail end of the celeb beauty thing. The other thing is the name. I'm a big person about names. It. The way she styled the name, like the font, the design was very Gwen, but the name Give was not.
- [35:17]
A
Yeah.
- [35:18]
B
And it didn't connect automatically. What is the give? Who are you giving to? That was never clear, by the way. There was no huge charity initiative, so they named a brand.
- [35:29]
A
That's interesting.
- [35:29]
B
Give with no give back. That was obvious instead of just calling it Gwen.
- [35:36]
A
Yeah.
- [35:37]
B
So that was number one, two, and three. I guess I just. I wasn't very clear on why give. And it bothered me from the beginning. It's the same thing with Sydney Sweeney's line, Siren. S, Y, R, N. Don't make me think about it.
- [35:50]
A
Yeah.
- [35:50]
B
I couldn't figure out Srinivas. I couldn't say it. And then when they told me it was Siren, I. Oh, yeah.
- [35:58]
A
People get really cute with names. And either once in a while it works, but you're creating, like, friction.
- [36:05]
B
There can't be any question, why is it like. It has to make sense. And then there's always the. Everyone loves to use the word authenticity, which I think is the most Overused word. However, there's certain launches that celebrities do where you're just like, you've never used your own product outside of a get ready video. Like, you wouldn't use that. That's not what you used.
- [36:27]
A
Yeah.
- [36:28]
B
And it doesn't. You're just like, I'm not a dummy. Like, I just don't believe you.
- [36:33]
A
You don't believe it. Yeah.
- [36:34]
B
And it feels silly, and it feels like you're making us. You're assuming we're stupid.
- [36:39]
A
But you would believe that, like, Hailey Bieber's using Rhode. You'd believe that Selena is using rare, Tracy's using rare.
- [36:45]
B
And then they're really good products.
- [36:47]
A
Yeah.
- [36:47]
B
If you took the name off of them now, would they ever break through the beauty noise without. That's a tougher question.
- [36:54]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [36:55]
B
But quality wise.
- [36:56]
A
Okay. No, I. I feel you. All right, let's take a break, and I want to hear. Talking about makeup, some of your favorite products. All right, Andrea, you know, like I said, we've worked together a very long time. We've seen so many different product launches come and go. Like, when I think about, like, brands that have come, trends that we've live through, I'm curious. Let's go and find what the OG products are that are in your makeup bag. That, like, you're. You're on the road, you're buying it. You're like, this is. This is something you need. All right, number one, obvious. Let's start with mascara.
- [37:34]
B
It's Tarte Tartlet tubing mascara. And I feel very young and fresh saying that because I do all the things.
- [37:42]
A
You got the red light. You've got to.
- [37:44]
B
I mean, I'm basically 26 in a.
- [37:47]
A
She also told us offline that she's, like, reading a dragon. Dragon novels, too.
- [37:52]
B
Yeah. I mean, I'm a tween.
- [37:53]
A
Yeah, you really are hip.
- [37:54]
B
Tween. Basically a tween. I always used Maybelline. Full and soft was my number one. And it. You, like, can barely find it anymore. And it's a really good, no frills, basic mascara. But when I was testing products for the People Beauty Awards, I used the Tarte Tartlet tubing mascara, and it blew me away. I was like, okay, I get the hype. And then I tried some other ones.
- [38:18]
A
I'm never saying that. Tarte Tart. That's enough.
- [38:21]
B
This is when I get mad. Don't even get. That's a whole nother episode, Jess, on the names of products, it's mean. But this one, I mean, there's other great tubing mascaras out there. I know. You don't have to.
- [38:32]
A
Me.
- [38:33]
B
I know what they are. This one is my favorite.
- [38:35]
A
And do you like it also? Just because it's easy. Like, at the end of the day, you don't look like crap because, like, my. I like a really thick, chunky mascara. Surprise, surprise. But by the end of the day, I look like. Like a zombie. I look like.
- [38:47]
B
It's been a real compromise for me because I am someone who, when I need a lift, I literally curl my eyelashes and apply a fresh coat of mascara. And with tubing mascara, you can't. It doesn't.
- [39:00]
A
You can't do that.
- [39:01]
B
No, no, no. So I always feel weird when I'm, like, judging at my desk and I can't apply a fresh coat.
- [39:07]
A
Yeah.
- [39:07]
B
It goes against who I am. So that's been. It does.
- [39:11]
A
You really made compromises in your life,
- [39:13]
B
but that's how good it is. I'm willing to not do a crucial step in my desk to date night routine that Cosmo taught me many years ago. And I don't have to, to be honest. It's still on.
- [39:24]
A
Oh, my God. Okay. Do you have, like. You always have, like, a. Like, a nice glow? You're not, like, pacing.
- [39:29]
B
This is my ring light. Let's turn off and see how good it is without. Okay.
- [39:32]
A
So good. Still good? Yeah. Use, like, a bronzer or tanner.
- [39:36]
B
Yes.
- [39:36]
A
Okay, So I knew it. I knew it.
- [39:38]
B
Of course. I mean, that's the 90s, like, millennial adjacent, right? You always want to be a little tan.
- [39:45]
A
Yeah.
- [39:46]
B
So the one that I discovered most recently that I really like is the James Reed's new line.
- [39:51]
A
Yes.
- [39:51]
B
And it's Self Glow. I have to be honest, he gave me, like, six products, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why I would use one over the other. So I just picked one, and it's drops, and I mix it into a moisturizer. It smells good. It's got a nice consistency. It's very easy to use. I've never once looked orange. I wake up, and I feel like I just have to wear less makeup.
- [40:15]
A
That's what I want. That's what I want. Yeah.
- [40:17]
B
I like it. I really like. Sure. The other five are great. I just can't make heads or tails of why I need all of them. And I also like the Armani luminous silk creamy bronzing powder because it's the big pan.
- [40:31]
A
Oh, you need a big pan, and
- [40:33]
B
people don't make those anymore. With the Guerlain when it was like the size of your head.
- [40:38]
A
Marc Jacobs did a huge one. Yes.
- [40:40]
B
His square.
- [40:41]
A
Yeah. It was like a size of a CD case. Yeah, I love it.
- [40:44]
B
I mean, it's like so decadent to have a big ass pan.
- [40:49]
A
Charlotte Tilbury does a pretty big pan.
- [40:51]
B
She does her big pans, people.
- [40:54]
A
Yeah, make them bigger. Okay. We need them easy. Easy to kind of swish around. Okay. Skincare product. I know it's pretty broad, but like there's gotta be a skincare product.
- [41:02]
B
I have a great answer.
- [41:03]
A
What is it?
- [41:04]
B
It's a brand that I guarantee most of you have not heard of. And that is the kind of energy I want to bring to fat mascaras. Imagine if I just said discovery, you know, it's called, Listen, the name's a toughie. Virgin Skin is the brand, but the product is Daily Glo Active Hydrator.
- [41:22]
A
Where'd you find this?
- [41:24]
B
So the guy who used to make it, it was made by a dermatologist originally who was one of the pioneers in like the 2000s in lasers. And he was in the city and he was like the go to guy for lasers. And he sadly passed away. And his daughter in law, she's a Greenwich mom.
- [41:45]
A
Tm like a real one or like in like spiritually?
- [41:48]
B
Greenwich mom, real physical and spiritually.
- [41:50]
A
Okay.
- [41:51]
B
She said he made this, his own like kind of moisturizer just for his patients for their post laser treatment. And when he passed away, she's like, I can't let this coat product that all of his patients and she loved. So she who worked in education, educated herself on skin care, updated the formula with all more modern peptides and niacinamides and all the stuff we would want now, but kept what made it like special, which was like botanicals and some stuff, and kept the name. Hence Virgin Skin. And so we, we met for coffee. And I'm gonna be honest, when my friend of a friend, we had a mutual friend was like, this girl wants to meet you. She has a moisturizer. I was like, no, sorry.
- [42:39]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [42:39]
B
My dance card is full for moisturizers. Everyone has a moisturizer. I'm not interested. And finally my friend was like, just, she's really nice. Just come to coffee. And I was ready to be like, you know, thanks. And like, I don't know what, she told me the whole story. I, I went home, I like dabs it on. I love it.
- [42:58]
A
Virgin. Where can we buy it? Like on her own website.
- [43:01]
B
They have a website? Yeah, Virgin Skin. But she sells it in some spas. Too virginskin beauty.
- [43:09]
A
I have to try it. I have. I mean, I know the face that you have. Like, that face. You're like, okay, thank you. And you're like, okay, I've seen all the moisturizers I need to, you know,
- [43:18]
B
Literally, I cringe because everything is like. Every celeb brand founder is like, oh, his name, by the way, the dermatologist was Dr. Albert Lefkowitz and he was a big time derm. But every celeb is like, there was a white space in this skincare and I wanted something clean and efficacious that looked good on my vanity. And you're like, no shit. I've literally never heard that before. And this was like, I was ready for that.
- [43:49]
A
Yeah.
- [43:50]
B
Where she's like, I made this moisturizer.
- [43:53]
A
Yeah. Nothing worked but grandma's tonic. So I read.
- [43:56]
B
Yeah, right.
- [43:57]
A
Yeah, right.
- [43:58]
B
So I still try other things, but I always come back to this. Mostly when she sends me a bottle because listen, it's $110.
- [44:06]
A
Okay. Yeah, yeah.
- [44:07]
B
And as someone who gets a lot of products for free, that feels like a lot. But I gotta tell you, it is an excellent product. I always shout it out.
- [44:16]
A
That is a goodie. Thank you, Andrea. Okay. Yeah. Fragrance.
- [44:21]
B
Okay. I really want to ask you this question because I feel like fragrance is not my strongest suit, but I. I'm going to try. I wear Ellis Brooklyn salt as, like an everyday.
- [44:33]
A
Yeah.
- [44:33]
B
I think it's a very cool, light fragrance. I've recently discovered Floor Honeymoon, which is kind of nice for like evenings out. It's sweet.
- [44:42]
A
Wait, that's hers too. Ellis Brooklyn.
- [44:44]
B
No. Oh, I don't know.
- [44:45]
A
Floor Honeymoon.
- [44:45]
B
Floor. The P H L U R. Oh, Fleur.
- [44:48]
A
Fleur. Fleur. Yeah, Honeymoon.
- [44:51]
B
And I want to shout out my wedding perfume because I feel like everybody said that because it's my fanciest by Killian. Can't stop loving you.
- [44:59]
A
Oh, I love that. That's wonderful.
- [45:01]
B
So wait, but can you tell me what cool perfumes I need to get now? Oh, because I know there's like all these brands, like dead cool, and I'm just like, I'm not hip to the scene, so I'm going to need you to.
- [45:12]
A
I can send you some stuff offline. Well, we always talk about fragrance on fat mascara, so expect more.
- [45:17]
B
Okay, I'll be listening.
- [45:18]
A
You know what I'm trying to do. It's funny, I'm not like a marine scent person. I've talked about that on the show a lot. But the salt one that you mentioned, Ellis Brooklyn Salt is really nice. And I'm trying right now this lure fragrance, and this one is called. It's the More like aquatic. Sublimity. Sublimity.
- [45:35]
B
I love fragrances.
- [45:36]
A
Yeah, it's really.
- [45:37]
B
They're so ridiculous. I love it. Sublimity.
- [45:39]
A
Sublimity. And it's like a. It's marine with coconut, so it feels very creamy. It doesn't have that kind of like, hit you right in the back of the nostrils, like marine scent that a lot can. Okay. And then finally, do you have a favorite tool? I feel like we kind of talked about tool. Should I switch it up?
- [45:55]
B
I talked about the higher dose red light mask. That's the one I've been using. And like I said, I think it took me from 46 to 44.5. I'll take it.
- [46:04]
A
You know what? We'll take it. We'll take it. Thank you so much, Andrea.
- [46:07]
B
Dream, dream. The nerd herd rides again. Oh, my God, you're so funny. I love it. This was so fun.
- [46:26]
A
All right, so Andi Labs. I'm just calling her Andi Labs now. That is her Instagram. Please follow her if you don't already. She is a good talker. Oh, my God. My producer and I were saying I felt like I stepped away for a second, and my producer was like, do you want a show? She is so freaking good. So if I fall sick one day, Andy's taking over. Andi Labs talked about a lot of product, and I realized it is time to raise a wand. If you're new here. If you're new here. Thank you. We raise a wand on the show. So we've been doing this since the dawn of time. Raise a wand means, like, what are you loving? What is like, a product where you're like, oh, I got to tell you about this lip gloss that I've been loving. The brand is called Orsay. I found out about Orsay a while ago when they were just doing, like, foundations, really, foundations catering to Asian skin that has a different undertone. You know, it has, like, more of, like, kind of a golden undertone, but they make a lot of different color shades, like, you know, eyeshadows, highlighters, lip gloss, which is what I'm going to tell you about. I met the founder at Daniel Martin's amazing, like, Chinese New Year celebration a few weeks ago, and she gave me this lip tint. And the lip tint is called 90s R&B, and it's kind of this brownish berry color, and it has this really juicy, delicious, almost like a Lancome I said Lancome. Lancome Juicy tubes. Really thick translucent tint, but like a little bit more watery and has a nice fat doe foot applicator. I popped it on really luscious, really juicy. And it has that beautiful brownish berry color where I can see where it has that 90s R&B reference. So actually wore it to the event that I was hosting and I just felt like it's a little bit, like a little bit sassy, a little bit sexy, but not too much. Still really sophisticated. So. Or say 90s R B. All right, it's 36 bucks. I think you're gonna love it. And you know what? Tell me if you do. Let me know what your razor wands are. Email me infoatmascara.com and we will see you next week. Thank you for listening to Fat Mascara. If you like the show, consider giving us a rating and review on itunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to the podcast. This helps other people find the show. Follow us on social at Mascara and email me at Infoat Mascara. I would love to hear from you and to shop the products heard on the episode, check out Fat Mascara on Shop My Shelf. This show is produced by Red Rock Music. I'll see you next time.