Fool Coverage Podcast: "We EXPOSED beauty guru reddit... This is crazy!"
Hosts: Manny MUA & Laura Lee
Release Date: August 29, 2025

Overview

In this playful, candid episode, OG beauty gurus and besties Manny MUA and Laura Lee dive into the wild world of beauty guru Reddit threads—where passionate fans, critics, and lurkers spill tea, voice judgments, and spark drama about influencers. Witty banter, vulnerable moments, and signature glam energy take center stage as Manny and Laura tackle popular forum opinions, trends, industry scandals, and their own experiences with internet scrutiny. Alongside the Reddit segment, they speak on manifestation and fear, self-worth in dating, age, and being content creators in a rapidly changing beauty landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Manifestation & Managing Fears

00:51 – 09:59

• Manny introduces “serendipity” and how manifestation keeps popping up in his reading/listening.
• The importance of identifying and naming your fears and doubts before starting something new.
  • Strategy: List all your anxieties on paper, let them marinate, come back, and re-examine.
  • "Part of the battle is admitting and finding your fears and doubts." – Manny MUA (08:00)
• Rewiring negative self-talk: Catch the negative, acknowledge it's normal, and replace with a positive or at least a willingness to act despite discomfort.
  • "Don't bash yourself for negative thoughts. We're only human." – Manny MUA (05:49)
  • Laura shares how naming the fear (like fear of rejection in dating) can help her move past it.
• Human brains are wired for survival, so we tend to approach new, non-dangerous situations (like job interviews or workout classes) with outsized caution.
• Assignment for listeners: "As Britney would say, get to work, b---h." (10:01)

2. Love, Dating, and Being Content Alone

10:11 – 22:41

• Laura opens up about a new romantic connection and the rarity of feeling a spark after a long dry spell.
  • “I have this problem where if I haven't liked someone in a long time, I think I'll never, like, again.” (11:07)
• Discussing the pain of heartbreak but finding the risk of vulnerability worth it.
  • “It's better to have loved and lost than to not loved at all. That's what I'm saying is true.” – Manny (12:02)
• Frustrations about “starting over” in dating, and the exhaustion of reliving your story on new dates.
• Negotiating long-distance logistics and Laura’s excitement about potentially flying to meet the new guy.
  • Manny encourages embracing change: “If you ever ask me, should I book the plane ticket?... Yes, go.” (14:09)
• Acknowledgement of self-sufficiency—happiness doesn’t require partnership, especially as you age.
  • “If being with you is not better than my alone time…that is just peak.” – Manny (17:20)
  • “My life is illustrious, amazing. I don't need someone there to feel happy…If you're gonna be there for me, you need to fill my cup.” – Laura (16:38)

3. Prioritizing Peace & Energy (Growing Up and Outgrowing Drama)

18:53 – 22:20

• How friendship dynamics evolve—valuing energized, rejuvenating friendships instead of ones that drain.
  • “If I hang out with people and afterwards I feel drained...we’re probably not meant to be friends.” – Laura (19:06)
• The transition from fearing solitude when young to cherishing it as you grow older.
  • “When you’re young you’ll date for entertainment because you don’t know how to be by yourself yet.” – Manny (16:59)
  • “As you get older, you don’t forfeit peace for the sake of being around someone.” – Laura (20:40)
• “Time is so finite—you’re either going to waste it or utilize it.” – Laura (22:01)

4. Travel Blunders, Local Culture & Hawaii Insights

22:59 – 32:07

• Manny’s “pit”: Accidentally tossing $300 worth of local, handmade Hawaiian jewelry in the trash and learning about waste, regret, and local customs.
  • “I just threw $300 away. It was very Kim K of you.” – Laura (26:49)
• Horseback riding tour fun facts about Hawaii: strict native islands, local sovereignty, and how certain trees/plants (pine trees!) were brought in by early settlers for ship repairs.
• Discussion about Hawaiian culture’s complicated balance between needing tourism and wanting to maintain local control over land and property.
  • “It’s called keep Hawaii in Hawaiians’ hands.” – Manny (28:49)
  • “There’s just too many people moving to Hawaii…it’s not tourism, it’s moving that’s the problem.” – Manny (29:05)
• Shout-out to Jason Momoa’s Hawaiian-language Apple TV show, “Chief of War,” spotlighting indigenous history and culture.

5. Beauty Guru Reddit: Responding to Gossip, Trends & Scandal

35:26 – 63:09

a. Reddit’s Influence & “Beauty Guru Gossip” Culture

• Introduction to beauty YouTuber/Reddit intersection: “Reddit is like this forum, right?…it can be a really sick place.” – Laura (36:10)
• Both agree: “Back in the day, I never, not one time, looked at my name on Reddit.” (36:25-36:32)
• Coping with drama: Avoiding drama videos for the sake of mental health, not ego.
  • “It was me being like…I need to stay alive right now.” – Manny (37:01)

b. Critiquing Influencer Trends

• Reddit trend: Influencers holding products in their mouths.
  • Both see it as a creative, attention-grabbing tactic in short-form content ("Y’all don’t watch us put on makeup regularly anymore…now we have to have the bottle shooting out of an ear and an eyeball for people to watch." – Manny (38:08)
  • But understand why viewers might find it gimmicky or odd.

c. Topic: “Influencers Become Unrelatable”

• Referring to a Hannah Alonzo video: As influencers achieve financial success, audiences find them less relatable ("No one’s going to stay in their two bedroom apartment when they can afford a four bedroom home." – Manny (41:02))
• Both sides: It’s natural to level up in life, but relatability can suffer.
  • “I for sure think there are aspects of it being unrelatable. But who cares if it’s not relatable anymore? I just like the person.” – Laura (42:05)

d. Influencer Two-Facedness/Hypocrisy

• Quoting Angelica Nyqvist’s call out on "mean-girl" behavior, especially among small/medium creators:
  • “Don’t think we don’t see you. We do.” (45:34)
• Both agree small creators can act worse, but with less accountability due to fewer eyes.
  • “You don’t get big by acting like that. No, you really don’t.” – Manny (47:39)

e. Brand Scandals: Youthforia Closure

• Youthforia makes headlines for tone-deaf foundation shades—a pitch-black “deep” shade called out as performative and offensive.
  • Poor apology, retailer pull-outs led to brand’s demise.
  • “There’s just too many makeup brands…one mistake, one fuck up like that…we don’t really need your brand anymore.” – Manny (50:03, 50:18)
• Brands with no legacy or unique founder face less incentive to recover from major controversies.

f. Do Beauty Gurus Make Big Money?

• “Do not let them pull the Shane Dawson, be like, ‘I’m just fucking poor’…you’re not.” – Laura (51:46)
• Divide between YouTube success (which pays well via AdSense and brand deals) and TikTok (where 2 million views might earn you $100).
  • “Any YouTuber that’s big is rich.” – Manny (52:10)
  • “On TikTok, not everyone is making money. It depends if you can monetize your content and if it appeals to brands.” – Laura (52:36)

g. Brands Choosing Non-Beauty Influencer Spokespeople

• Urban Decay’s campaign featuring non-beauty model Ari Kitzia sparks debate.
• Brands want to tap new markets—not just established beauty fans—by working with diverse creators.
  • “It’s an endorsement…they want someone whose audience might buy the product, regardless of their niche.” – Laura (57:02)
  • “You can use anyone with popularity to market.” – Manny (56:52)
• Brands may get backlash or praise; success of these campaigns varies and shapes future marketing.

h. Men in Makeup and Representation

• Some Redditors claim men with large followings in beauty “don’t contribute to the space.”
• Manny pushes back: Men in makeup are a small slice, and the beauty community (and influencing in general) is fiercely woman-dominated.
  • “Influencing as a total is a woman-dominated space.” – Manny (60:41)
  • “It sounds like you’re a fucking homophobe.” – Laura (61:09)

Notable Quotes

On Dealing with Fear:

“Part of the battle is admitting and finding your fears and doubts.”
— Manny MUA (08:00)

On Taking Risks in Love:

“It's better to have loved and lost than to not loved at all. That's what I'm saying is true.”
— Manny MUA (12:02)

On Success & Relatability:

“No one's going to stay in their two bedroom apartment when they can afford a four bedroom home.”
— Manny MUA (41:02)

On Influencer Money:

“Any YouTuber that's big is rich…Don't let them lie to you either.”
— Manny MUA (52:10)

On Industry Saturation:

“There’s too many makeup brands…one mistake, one fuck up like that…we don’t really need your brand anymore.”
— Manny MUA (50:03, 50:18)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Manifestation & Fear Handling: 01:14 – 09:59
• Laura’s Dating Adventure & Relationship Talk: 10:11 – 17:40
• Friendship Energy and Aging: 18:53 – 22:20
• Travel, Hawaii Culture, and Learning from Locals: 22:59 – 32:07
• Reddit & Beauty Guru Gossip: 35:26 – 63:09
  • Reddit Culture: 36:10 – 37:35
  • Influencer Trends: 38:06 – 39:52
  • Unrelatable Influencers: 40:04 – 44:41
  • Two-Faced Creators: 45:34 – 47:46
  • Youthforia Scandal: 47:57 – 51:10
  • Influencer Pay Transparency: 51:43 – 54:41
  • Brands & Non-Beauty Influencers: 54:45 – 58:49
  • Men in Beauty Representation: 58:50 – 63:09

Tone & Style

Manny and Laura keep their trademark blend of honesty, humor, and real talk—bantering playfully, cursing freely, but also pausing for vulnerability and relatability. They offer both insider influencer insights and the perspective of fans-turned-industry moguls, making the episode accessible to new listeners and longtime beauty community members alike.

In short: This episode offers a behind-the-scenes view on how beauty influencers manage fear, fame, failure, and fandom with candor and wit—unpacking both Reddit’s harshest takes and the realities of life in the digital beauty spotlight.