Nobody Wants This’ Egregious Ad Placements, MAC Enters Sephora & ULTA Beauty’s New Invite-Only Marketplace

Summary

---

Gloss Angeles Podcast Summary

Episode: "Nobody Wants This’ Egregious Ad Placements, MAC Enters Sephora & ULTA Beauty’s New Invite-Only Marketplace"
Date: November 4, 2025
Hosts: Kirbie Johnson & Sara Tan

---

Episode Overview

This episode is jam-packed with beauty industry news, cultural observations, and the hosts’ trademark candid takes. Kirbie and Sara dive into the controversial product placement in Netflix’s "Nobody Wants This," discuss ULTA Beauty’s new curated marketplace, unpack MAC’s entry into Sephora, and address pressing consumer and legal issues in the beauty space. As always, their conversation weaves in social issues, industry insider knowledge, and plenty of humor.

---

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Civic Announcements and Social Responsibility (00:33–06:33)

• California Special Election (Prop 50):

  • Kirbie urges California listeners to vote, especially regarding temporary changes to congressional districts ("If you're in line, you get to vote." – Kirbie, 01:15).
  • Both are voting YES on Prop 50 to support fair redistricting ("Sarah and I will be voting yes on Prop 50 if you want to support the redistricting..." – Kirbie, 02:17).

• SNAP Benefits & Food Insecurity:

  • 42 million Americans affected by the SNAP funding holdup due to the government shutdown.
  • They stress food is a human right regardless of circumstance ("I don't care what side of the party line you are on. Everyone deserves food." – Kirbie, 03:26).
  • Suggestions to help: Donate to local food banks, use Mutual Aid Hub and Fridge Finder, participate in “Grocery Buddy” programs.
  • Kirbie shares impactful commentary from TikTok rebuffing the idea of drug-testing for food stamps and emphasizing dignity for all (03:26).

2. In-Depth Breakdown: Product Placement in "Nobody Wants This" (06:44–17:24)

• Rampant and Blatant Product Placement:

  • Both hosts criticize the “egregious” and obvious branding moments ("It is so blatant and obvious and that is what is getting people riled up." – Kirby, 06:47).
  • Examples include: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair (Kristen Bell’s character even applies it over makeup, which is unusual), Spindrift, Airbnb, and Dunkin Donuts – the latter described as highly implausible for the show’s LA-based characters.
  • Memorable moment: "Welcome to your Airbnb experience at Moza. I went to Murder." (Kirby like a cringey line from Netflix, 09:27)

• Discussion on Authenticity:

  • Sara and Kirbie question the effectiveness and audience immersion of overt placements versus subtle brand references ("The best ones are the ones you don't even realize are influencing you." – Sarah, 07:56).

• Mechanics of Product Placement:

  • Kirbie explains, via a TV writer contact, that product placement varies in price and intensity depending on how directly the brand is shown or mentioned (11:27).
  • Speculation that some brands, like Fly By Jing or Jennifer Meyer, may be included for authenticity, not payment.

• Effect on Show Quality:

  • Hosts feel product placement disrupts storytelling and immersion ("It made me sick... It's real bad. It's like taking me out of the show." – Kirbie, 16:02).

• Industry Insight:

  • Placement fees typically go into show budgets for things like music rights or hiring guest stars.
  • Sara asks, “Who is making the money off it?” – to which Kirbie explains it funds the show directly (13:42).
  • Noted irony that influencers must disclose sponsorships, but TV shows evade such requirements.

Notable Quotes

• “Bucks would have been more believable... Especially one in Los Angeles.” – Sarah, 10:05
• “When I worked at Popsugar... this is how you hold a product for these product shots so that you don’t cover the label." – Kirbie, 12:34

---

3. Ulta’s New Invite-Only Marketplace (18:34–21:41)

• Ulta Marketplace:

  • is curated and invite-only, counter to the Amazon/Walmart/Target model ("No third party sellers are allowed." – Kirbie, 19:17).
  • Shoppers can use Ulta points and, in some cases, make returns—adds to customer incentives.

• Ulta’s Strategic Competition:

  • Hosts infer Ulta now sees Amazon, not Sephora, as its main competitor (20:03).
  • Heavy focus on K-Beauty is part of this new direction (“They want to be like the K Beauty site and retailer.” – Kirby, 21:37).

---

4. Industry Moves: LVMH Reportedly Selling Fenty Beauty Stake; Impact on Kendo (21:42–26:52)

• LVMH and Fenty:

  • LVMH is rumored to seek buyers for its half of Fenty Beauty (22:41).
  • Discuss what this means for Kendo, LVMH’s brand incubator, which now has only three brands: Fenty, Ole Henriksen, and Lip Lab (24:16).
  • Concerns about the future and sustainability of Kendo and its brands.
  • Speculation on Fenty’s brand value and challenges of staying fresh in a crowded celebrity beauty market.

• Rihanna’s Place in Beauty and Culture:

  • Sara muses on Rihanna’s transformation from pop star to business mogul.
  • "Maybe she just takes it over and then she's like, surprise, bitch." – Kirbie, 26:04

---

5. MAC Arrives at Sephora (26:25–28:46)

• Discussion on Retail Shift:

  • MAC, a longtime fixture at department stores and Ulta, is entering US Sephora locations.
  • They muse on what Sephora MAC counters/services could look like and if MAC artists will staff them.

• Reaction from MAC Community:

  • Hosts and audience express trust in MAC’s makeup artistry, which is differentiated from Sephora cast members ("I only really trust a MAC person to be doing my makeup." – Kirbie, 28:01).
  • The move is hailed as big news and possibly a recession indicator (per fan comments).

---

6. Ulta’s Clean Beauty Lawsuit (28:46–32:51)

• Background:

  • A plaintiff claims Ulta’s “Conscious Beauty” label misleads, as some products contain ingredients on the ‘made without’ list.

• Kirbie’s Legal Take:

  • She explains the five-pillar model: products may be labeled as “conscious beauty” if they’re clean, cruelty-free, vegan, sustainable, or charitable—but not necessarily all five (31:14).
  • Kirbie and Sara dismantle the plaintiff’s reasoning, arguing there is no actual case.
  • “Take us to court. Ulta, we're here.” – Kirbie, 32:09

---

7. FDA’s Warning on RF Microneedling (32:52–37:43)

• Safety Concerns:

  • FDA issues communication about risks: fat loss, burns, scarring, nerve damage.
  • Hosts cite Dr. Amir Karam’s caution: depth and proper use of the device is critical (33:29).
  • Only trustworthy, experienced providers should perform RF Microneedling.
  • Sara’s advice: "Ask how long they've been using this device." (36:16)

• Red Flags:

  • Watch for practices where the device is new or staff are poorly trained.
  • Be wary of non-doctors offering the service in California and check for appropriate licensing (37:43).

---

8. Quick Fire: News & Cultural Notes

• Neutrogena Makeup Wipes Recall:

  • Brief mention of contamination/risk for bacterial infection. Neutrogena's batch numbers are key to identifying affected products (38:23).

• A Teaser for Next Episode:

  • Top-searched beauty treatments – to be covered next time.

---

Notable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

• "I think when I was at the height of my addiction, I still deserve to eat." – Kirbie recounting a TikTok, (03:26)
• "It is egregious this season." – Sara on product placement in "Nobody Wants This" (06:44)
• "Welcome to your Airbnb experience at Moza. I went to Murder." – Paraphrasing the show’s forced dialogue, (09:27)
• “Nobody goes to Dunkin… Especially one in Los Angeles." – Kirbie, (09:45)
• "The best ones are the ones that you don't even realize are influencing you." – Sara, (07:56)
• "This is how you hold a product for these product shots so that you don’t cover the label." – Kirbie, (12:34)
• "There needs to be...more disclosures." – Sarah on product placement transparency, (16:44)
• "MAC is all about artistry. The people...are trained...they can do your makeup. They can talk about the product." – Sara, (28:05)
• "Take us to court. Ulta, we're here." – Kirbie, (32:09)
• "Ask how long they've been using this device." – Sara, (36:16)
• "If you were to take a shot [each time there’s a product placement], you might be on your ass at the end of the episode.” – Sarah, closing joke, (39:23)

---

Key Takeaways

• Product placement is under greater scrutiny for undermining viewer experiences—and may need more regulation like influencer disclosures.
• Ulta is doubling down on curated, quality-first e-commerce to compete with Amazon, not just Sephora.
• LVMH’s mooted sale of Fenty could signal turbulence for their incubator model and exposes the challenges of maturing celebrity beauty brands.
• MAC’s arrival at Sephora marks a major shift in prestige beauty retail.
• Legal actions over clean beauty claims reflect ongoing consumer confusion—and need for transparency.
• FDA microneedling warning serves as a strong reminder to research both the procedure and providers.
• Kirbie and Sara continue to balance beauty journalism with real-world advocacy and humor.

---

Transcript

[Capital One Bank Guy]

Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Ah, really?

[Kirby]

Thanks.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Term supply. See capitalone.com bank capital1na member FDIC.

[Sarah]

Los Angeles hi Kirby. Hi Sarah. Welcome to Los Angeles. If you are listening to this is Tuesday, November 4th and I am manifesting that the Dodgers are planning their parade. Yes, that is why I'm wearing my Ohtani shirt if you're watching. So we are in a bit of a slump, but I'm hoping for the best. I'm just going to say that. Putting it out there, putting it out there.

[Kirby]

Okay, go L. A.

[Sarah]

We have lots to cover.

[Kirby]

There's so much, there's so much news to cover and I feel like it all came out at the exact same. I was just scrolling this morning. It was one thing after the other after the other after the other after the other. So we want to get into that. It's a very news heavy episode. But first, there are a few things that we feel are important to put out there. There is a special election taking place in California today, November 4th. If you've already voted, good on you. But if you haven't, please go vote. If you are standing in line to vote and the whole voting yeah, voting center close, stay in line. They cannot make you leave. You can stay in line. If you're in line, you get to vote. But you need to. You need to vote. And this vote is to authorize temporary changes to the congressional district maps in response to tex partisan redistricting, legislative constitutional amendment. Yes, that was a mouthful.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

But if you haven't been keeping up. Texas redistricted and Gavin Newsom said, oh hell no, we're not going to let this slide. So the big guns over here in California, we're also going to redistrict so that we can have a fair and balanced election.

[Sarah]

Yep.

[Kirby]

This would be through 2030, so it's not a permanent change. And Sarah and I will be voting yes on Prop 50 if you want to support the redistricting in order to make sure we have a fair and balanced election as it should be in this country. Because the man who shall not be named has just decided to cause more chaos than he initially did. Go ahead and vote yes on Prop 50. That's how we'll be voting.

[Sarah]

Please.

[Kirby]

And then I think the most important thing here that we want to talk about is there are 42 million Americans who have lost SNAP benefits due to the government shutdown. Every human being deserves to eat and to feed their children. SNAP participants receive only $187 a month in benefits or food stamps. And because of the government shutdown, they are not receiving those funds on their SNAP benefit cards. It's important to note that 39% of these people that benefit from SNAP or wic are children. 20% are elderly. 10% are non elderly individuals with a disability.

[Sarah]

I think it's like one in five children, right?

[Kirby]

Yes. I don't care what side of the party line you are on. Everyone deserves food. And I saw a TikTok that I thought needed to be shared. There was a guy who posted and it was a quote and they were like, people should have to take drug tests to get food stamps. And he responded and said, I think when I was at the height of my addiction, I still deserve to eat. And that's exactly right. It doesn't matter who you are, where you live, what you do, you deserve the human right to eat food. And it's unconscionable that our government is still shut down and this is being allowing.

[Sarah]

Yeah. From these people.

[Kirby]

That some of the legislation that they've tried to put in place to allow SNAP benefits to be funded. Oh, that they've shot it down.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Kirby]

Unconscionable.

[Sarah]

It's crazy. It's absolutely nuts.

[Kirby]

So here's how you can help. Contact your local food bank and ask what they need. Sometimes they may be like, okay, we got enough canned food.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Kirby]

But actually we need tampons.

[Sarah]

Right. But I did hear yesterday on the news that canned goods like ran out so quickly or have been running out so quickly. So yes, this is a really good point though. Like call your local food bank and see what they need. I was listening to and they were saying how like, if one food bank is like has run out of food, there's a really good chance that like the next one is also run out. So it is so important to be supporting them right now.

[Kirby]

Yep. Also look up mutual aid groups at Mutual Aid Hub and local community fridges at Fridge Finder to help provide for them. And then you can do this thing called Grocery Buddy. This is kind of like a grassroots social media thing that I think is really kind. But you can get on your local community site. I know like certain neighborhoods have sites that they partake in. There's nextdoor as well, you can post and say, hey, if you need a grocery buddy, I'm willing to go with you to the grocery store or help fund your next grocery run. Please, private message me. You can keep it completely behind the scenes. You don't have to publicly announce that you are in need of these benefits. But I think for me, I talk to people and they think, they don't know people that are on these benefits. And chances are there are way more people in your life that are benefiting from SNAP or WIC than you can even imagine.

[Sarah]

100.

[Kirby]

There were a lot of people I saw on social media talking about how they're skipping meals in order to make sure that their kids have something to eat and they work full time jobs. Multiple so. And they have a nice, presumably nice looking car as well. A lot of people in this country are struggling. Please do your part and try to help. Sarah and I are talking right now about how we can best help in terms of donations and making sure that we can provide something to our local food banks and community fridges as well. But beauty is political. If you've been listening long enough, you know that, you know, we don't like to get too into it because we try to like make this an escape for people. But these are two very important things. Prop 50 and these snap benefits that we wanted to make sure that all of you, especially if you live in Los Angeles, are aware of.

[Sarah]

Yes, absolutely.

[Kirby]

Okay, let's get into the news. There's just so much. There's just a lot. There's just a lot. Can I please talk about the product placement? And nobody wants this.

[Sarah]

Oh my gosh. It's. It is egregious this season.

[Kirby]

It is so blatant and obvious and that is what is getting people riled up. Because there are different ways to do product placement. 100%.

[Sarah]

Product placement has existed forever since the beginning of time.

[Kirby]

One very popular product placement, American Idol, in its heyday, sponsored by Coca Cola. So not only did you get the ads as commercials, but all the judges had a big fat Coke on their judging desk. And they didn't mention, I'm drinking my Coke. They just had the Coke there. It maybe wasn't even Coke in their cup. It was maybe a water.

[Sarah]

Exactly.

[Kirby]

But Coke had branding there. I'm not sure if this is actually product placement, but it was a very good moment for this brand. In the original Scream when Casey Becker Drew Barrymore opens up the film. She's cooking Jiffy Pop on the stove. Yep. I had never seen popcorn cooked that way. I was begging my mom to take me to the store to get a Jiffy Pop and figure out the exact situation so that I could. I mean, I love horror movies. I love Drew Barrymore as well, but 10 years old wanted that on the stove. Jiffy Pop.

[Sarah]

And the best ones are the ones that you don't even realize are influencing you. Yes. That's the best work of product placement.

[Kirby]

Yes. I don't know if that Jiffy Pop was an actual product placement, but that's an example that pops out to me. That really worked in its favor, even if it wasn't totally. I have to imagine Mentos and Clueless was a product placement.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

And I actually spoke to one of your friends, Sarah, who is a television writer, and she explained to me this product placement process, which kind of illuminated the story that I had written for my substack. So I was kind of like, this product placement is sinful. I've watched two episodes, and within the first 30 seconds of the first episode of Nobody Wants this.

[Sarah]

Kristen Bell is holding the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair.

[Kirby]

Yes.

[Sarah]

But she's also applying it over makeup.

[Kirby]

She applies it over makeup in episode.

[Sarah]

Five, which I haven't gotten there yet, but I saw, because everyone is talking about this.

[Kirby]

She goes into a bathroom that's not hers.

[Sarah]

Sees it.

[Kirby]

I think she sees it. I can't remember because I was, like, doing other things. She either sees it or brings it with her and then puts it on her face over makeup.

[Sarah]

Also, she is the ambassador for Estee Lauder. She is the face of this product when it launched, I think maybe earlier this year. Yes, earlier this year.

[Kirby]

I mean, but it's like, it's been around. Like, she. When they reinvigorated it with this campaign, she was the face of it.

[Sarah]

Yes, yes.

[Kirby]

There's also a Spin Drift moment. Kristen Bell ambassador. There is Airbnb.

[Sarah]

That was the worst one to me. I. I really cringe.

[Kirby]

Welcome to your Airbnb experience at Moza. I went to Murder. Yeah. I feel horrible for whoever had to write that into the script.

[Sarah]

Like, also, why. Why do you need to do that? Why do you need to take.

[Kirby]

Cause there was a Netflix Airbnb partnership.

[Sarah]

Oh, my God. So what was Dunkin Donuts?

[Kirby]

Oh, the Dunkin Donuts kills me. Because nobody goes to Dunkin.

[Sarah]

Kristen Bell, her character, they're not going to Dunkin Donuts. I'm sorry.

[Kirby]

Based off the Foster sisters. I'm sorry, Sarah and Aaron Foster, Be so for real. Y' all have never been to a Dunkin Donuts. Especially one in Los Angeles.

[Sarah]

You're going to Community Goods, you're making your coffee at home. You are not going to Dunkin Donuts. You're not eating a donut.

[Kirby]

Bucks would have been more believable. Yeah. Truly. And if, for, if you really wanted donuts, windshields or sidecar.

[Sarah]

Yeah. The only product placement I think that I thought was really cute, but I didn't really feel like it was product placement because it was merch was the Fly By Jing. When Kristen Bell is wearing the sweatshirt or the shirt and she's talking to Adam Brody, that because it wasn't the noodles, it wasn't the chili, you know, oil, it was just the merch. And then you're like, I'm a fly, by Jing. And some people might be like, what is that? That to me was fine.

[Kirby]

Yes. So speaking to your friend, who I'm not naming for obvious reasons, but she. I made her explain this to me. I made her explain this to me because Sarah and I know a lot about product placement and working with brands and client funded content, but it's very.

[Sarah]

Obviously saying like, sponsored by, brought to you by.

[Kirby]

It's very different. And I've always wondered about this for television and film. And what she said was she felt that Fly by Jing and also the Jennifer Meyer mentioned.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

Was probably just a creative decision.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Kirby]

Which makes sense. Yeah.

[Sarah]

Because Sarah is good friends with. They're, they're, they're best friends with Jen Meyer.

[Kirby]

Yeah. Yes.

[Sarah]

And if you live in la, like all of the women wear Jen Meyer jewelry.

[Kirby]

Yes. Yeah. Also LA loves Fly By Jean.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Kirby]

You introduced me to it.

[Sarah]

Yeah. It's just. Yeah.

[Kirby]

When she came out wearing it, I was like, I want that.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

Right. It was cute. It was a really effective use of like promotion. But that was not paid for.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

We don't think.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

Also, I don't think Jen Meyer and Flyby Jing have the studio budgets needed to be able to integrate into something like this. Yeah. But what was explained to me is that there are different tiers. So if a product, you see a product in the label, but it's not even acknowledged, that's, you know, a certain price point. Okay. If the character is holding it and doing something with it and it gets promoted, placement, that's another tier. And then if it's like I love my Jennifer Meyer or my Dunkin Donuts or whatever, if they say the name of whatever, that's like the gold standard.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

So in my opinion, I kept thinking, I don't think Fly by Jing even Though I love Fly by Jing and they're very successful, I don't think that they're able are capable to be paying the amount of money they would need to get that type of placement and a Netflix show.

[Sarah]

You're right. And actually, I do think Jing made a real or a TikTok about it. I need to go back and watch it. So let's check on that. But the way that they. She was talking about her promoting on her Instagram, didn't feel like it was like product place, product placement, but the.

[Kirby]

Advanced night repair, My God. I think it works against them. Unless it's truly just a brand awareness play. But you can see Kristen Bell. It's like when I worked at Popsugar, I was taught this is how you hold a product for these product shots so that you don't cover the label. And this is how you twist it and this is how you lift it. The shot where she's on FaceTime. Yeah. And it's just the phone.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

And the product.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

That looks like a 30 second spot that looks airing on Bravo.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

It was egregious.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

Yes. And I mean, everybody picked it up. I was laughing because I posted my story and then the New York Times came out with a very similar one and we had almost identical headlines like, nobody wants this product placement. Yeah. And someone was like, wow, look. Looks like the New York Times ripped your story. And I was like, babe, everybody's talking about this. And it's like a very obvious headline. Totally. But I don't know. And then the other thing that I learned was that, you know, these brands, they basically send pitches or briefs to these studios and then it's up to the showrunner to be like, okay, this is how much we want.

[Sarah]

Who is making the money off of it.

[Kirby]

It goes directly into the budget of the show.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Kirby]

So let's say, for example, the they needed more money so they could book Leighton Meester. Yeah. Or they want to have that Selena Gomez song or that Taylor Swift needle drop or whatever it is, which they.

[Sarah]

Have an incredible in. The music on the show is amazing. And I'm always like, how can they afford to use all the songs?

[Kirby]

I thought. I will. I will say, I think the music first season was way better. Okay.

[Sarah]

I haven't finished.

[Kirby]

It wasn't just like in your face, like notable pop songs. I loved that. It was Francis and the Lights.

[Sarah]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Kirby]

Like that Francis and the Lights moment from season one.

[Sarah]

Very memorable. And you'll connect to that moment.

[Kirby]

Yes. But just on a creative Note. I gotta say, Noah is giving me the ick because I haven't finished it yet.

[Sarah]

No, I haven't. I also am really annoyed by the sister's relationship.

[Kirby]

No, they. They pissed me off.

[Sarah]

I'm like, are you guys not friends?

[Kirby]

No, it's too.

[Sarah]

It's like, why are you not rooting for each other? It's really weird.

[Kirby]

I feel like Aaron and Sarah. Honestly, maybe Aaron and Sarah.

[Sarah]

And maybe that's true, but I just was like, at this point, I don't even know why you guys are talking to each other, because you seem like your enemies for real. It's just. It's absolutely, like, too much. It's too much.

[Kirby]

Yeah. Joanne is pissing me off, and Noah is giving me the ick. The only people I'm really rooting for are Esther. Yes, we do. And Sasha's my favorite. Yeah. If I. If I were on that show, my man would be Sasha. I love Sasha. And goofy and funny and, like, clearly terrified of Esther.

[Sarah]

Yes, yes.

[Kirby]

But still, like, loves her.

[Sarah]

Right, right, right.

[Kirby]

So help me God. I haven't finished it yet. If he does something with Morgan, I will.

[Sarah]

Don't tell me.

[Kirby]

I don't know.

[Sarah]

I don't know how many.

[Kirby]

I will riot. I will riot.

[Sarah]

You know who would be a good person to talk to to is Caroline Rogers. She also works on, like, product placement for beauty products. Because she'd be like, oh, in this episode of Curb youb Enthusiasm, which you're like, curb your enthusiasm. In the bathroom, there was, like, outset products.

[Kirby]

Oh, we need to talk to her. Yeah. That would be so much fun.

[Sarah]

Yeah. But I'm so clearly though, Kristen Bell is getting paid for.

[Kirby]

I'm sure.

[Sarah]

Right. She has a contract.

[Kirby]

She probably got it in. She got a finder's fee for it. Like, whatever. Like it. But it all goes to that studio budget. So it helps with paying actors more. It helps with getting guest stars, the music, all of the things we're doing.

[Sarah]

Too much, guys.

[Kirby]

Is it.

[Sarah]

It's not working. It's not effective. I don't think it's effective. Maybe it is because we're talking about it.

[Kirby]

Yes. But, like, I.

[Sarah]

Do I.

[Kirby]

But this is the other thing. When I see people talking about the advanced night repair moments, which were just truly so obvious, it made me sick. People are like, why is Joanne using advanced night repair? Isn't that for, like, old women?

[Sarah]

Oh, God. That makes me mad, too. I don't talk about this anymore.

[Kirby]

Yeah. I was just like, okay, here we go. So anyways, it's real Bad. It's real bad. It's like taking me out of the show. I feel like we are sold every day, all day, and we even do it on this podcast. So, like, we're not, you know, above it, but, like, television is different. And someone else brought up a great point. Why are they allowed to, like, not disclose it? And, yeah, I guess it's because influencers.

[Sarah]

Editorial. When we're on this podcast, we have to say it.

[Kirby]

Yeah, there has. There needs to be. I mean, I feel like maybe there were more disclosures.

[Sarah]

Is it in the credits or something?

[Kirby]

Kristen Bell drinking a spin drift and then across the screen.

[Sarah]

It's like, I know that that would be the end of. The end of time.

[Kirby]

I think that. But that's a valid point. And now I'm kind of like, okay, is there a workaround for us content creators where we're like, okay, we won't even mention the product, but it's just everywhere in our content.

[Sarah]

Yeah, let's.

[Kirby]

We got to. I would love to figure out a way to, like, not have to be, like, brought to you, but, yeah, I was.

[Sarah]

Hold on, I have to take a phone call.

[Kirby]

I almost considered wearing, like, a branded beauty shirt today to be like, don't know what y' all are talking about. Anyway, love Kelly Rae's. Great.

[Sarah]

Love your little love.

[Kirby]

And. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So that's. That was an important piece in cultural news that I felt was important to chat about.

[Sarah]

Glams. You know how much Kirby and I love Tatcha and the founder, Vicky Tsai. If you haven't heard our interviews with her, do that after this. On the show, she's shared how Tatcha is all about building tiny rituals that restore joy, which is very much needed in the year that is 2025. The dewy skin cream is that feeling in a jar. It's a luxuriously comforting moisturizer that plumps fine lines and seals in moisture for Tatcha's signature dewy glow. Fun fact. It is the brand's bestseller. A dewy skin cream is sold every 30 seconds. In a clinical study, 100% of the panelists showed immediate improvement. Plumpness, suppleness, and radiance in just two weeks. It is transformative Japanese skincare that nurtures the skin and the mind, and it's why we love it so, so much. The best part is you can enjoy 15 off your first purchase at tatcha.com with code GLOSSANGELIS15.

[Kirby]

Okay, we got this question in our Slack channel, and so I looked into It Ulta launched a marketplace this month. There was a question in our Slack channel about how Ulta was able to bring all of these new brands in. Like it was just every day there was a new brand being featured either at Ulta or the Ultra website, the Ulta app. And someone was like, oh, it kind of seems like what Amazon does or what Walmart does and Amazon, as you know, brands can be on there and they're verified, but then there's third party sellers and that's why there's a lot of confusion around like.

[Sarah]

Well, Target does it too.

[Kirby]

Exactly. Yeah.

[Sarah]

Yes, Walmart. Target.

[Kirby]

Yeah, Walmart and Target as well. And that's why we did that episode to be like, this is how you can tell.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

What's verified on Amazon and what they're doing to kind of help with counterfeits and things like that. So this Ulta marketplace is different than Amazon, Walmart or Target because they curate the brands that are available on their site and app and they have to be invited. So no third party sellers are allowed. It's not like anybody can apply and then just be able to be distributed on Ulta's marketplace. It's an invite only platform. And I thought it was interesting because you can use your Ulta points on those purchases as well. And for some of them they can even be returned, which I think is a big upside to that. But Ulta wants to compete with these other platforms.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

And it makes me think that perhaps Ulta does not see Sephora as their biggest competitor anymore.

[Sarah]

Totally. They're seeing Amazon.

[Kirby]

Yes, Amazon for sure. I it kind of at first when I heard about this I was like, oh, is this like when Walmart. Do you remember I told you that story about how I got an email from the Tom Ford team back in the day at Popsugar when they were.

[Sarah]

Like, are you linking to Walmart? Yes.

[Kirby]

Have to take this out of this branded sponsored post from Walmart because it was like a post that somebody on the E Commerce team wrote that was like 16 luxury brands you can buy at Walmart.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

And Tom Ford.

[Sarah]

I'm like, over Tom Ford's dead body.

[Kirby]

Yeah. Right. And also like what? Like did none of you consult editorial about.

[Sarah]

Right, right.

[Kirby]

Crazy.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

So at first I was like, oh God, is it one of those situations? It's not. Okay. It's not Ulta.

[Sarah]

Much more legit.

[Kirby]

Yeah. They vet the brands and then they are invited based off of how they think they'll work on the site.

[Sarah]

And then shopping wise, does it look the same?

[Kirby]

I Actually, don't know. I didn't have time to really have.

[Sarah]

They launched it. They launched it.

[Kirby]

Yes, I believe it's launched. So if you go on, you'll see a ton of K Beauty brands. Oh, and that's kind of where the conversation started in our slack. Yes. So I feel like you can feel safe shopping from the Ulta Marketplace. Yes. These. These products may not be available in your stores, Right. They are available through the app and on their website.

[Sarah]

That would be a great question for Michelle Lee, because I do know that Ulta went really, really hard on K Beauty.

[Kirby]

Oh, yeah. They want to be like the K Beauty site and retailer.

[Sarah]

Totally.

[Kirby]

All right, this is big news. Lvmh, parent company to Fenty Beauty, reportedly looking to sell their share of it. So if you don't know, Rihanna and LVMH launched Fenty Beauty in 2017 and both respectively own half. LVMH wants to sell their portion. So Business of Fashion is reporting that LVMH wants to sell their steak, according to sources that told Reuters. Okay, so through the grapevine, and it says that the company is working with investment bank Evercore on the sale. Three people said. All four asked not to be identified because the process is confidential. There was a story about how Fenty has kind of lost its luster over the years now that we have an influx of, like, these major celebrity beauty brands coming into play that they used to really set the tone, but recently they seem to have been following suit. So, for example, they launched Body Care and Ulta Beauty.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Kirby]

It was also here. Right. Well, hair. Hair. Last year.

[Sarah]

Yeah, last year. And the body.

[Kirby]

Okay, I think like a month ago. Body Care.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

But that they were reportedly valued, I think like 2 to 3 billion, and now they're reportedly at like 1 to 2 billion.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

So they've taken a little cut on that. But, I mean, it doesn't sound like they're lacking in sales. It says Fenty Beauty, which generated around $450 million of net sales in 2024, could be valued at somewhere between 1 billion to 2 billion. Two of the people said that's all that's really stated in this business of fashion story. And I think that for me, the big question is if they sell, if LVMH sells their portion of Fenty Beauty, what happens to Kendo? Kendo is their incubator. Kendo is a part of Sephora. And the only brands that Kendo currently has are Fenty Beauty, Ula Henriksen and Lip Lab, which is an offshoot of Bite which has shuttered. And this used to be a very vivacious brand incubator. It had hot brands like Marc Jacobs, Beauty and Bite and Kat Von D. And now it's just these three. So without Fenty, it's just Oola and Lip Lab. And Oola was acquired by LVMH in 2011. So are they also seeking to sell that brand off as well?

[Sarah]

Interesting.

[Kirby]

And will Kendo ultimately just shut it all together? I don't know.

[Sarah]

Wow, that's so sad.

[Kirby]

I just don't get it. Like, I get that there's a lot to compete with when it comes to celebrity beauty, and maybe they're looking to invigorate the brand.

[Sarah]

I think so, because I think at this point, it's like, this is about the long game. Like, I think that Rihanna and Fenty, they are like, household names now.

[Kirby]

Totally.

[Sarah]

And that is the hope for every celebrity beauty brand that launches or has launched in the last five years. And I think that even though maybe they're not as shiny and new as the others and they're not launching new products, like, every month, I think that's a good thing. Like, I think. But I do think they need to figure out their strategy for the long run if they want to be a legacy brand.

[Kirby]

Yeah. Because, I mean, I think they're at eight years. And people often tell us, you know, once a brand gets closer to, like, a decade, it can be harder, a harder sell.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

And which is kind of funny to me because I'm like, well, don't you want to know that a brand is. I mean.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

Those numbers at year eight are really great.

[Sarah]

Totally. And I do think, like, what we have seen recently with all these, like, very baby brands being acquired is, like, not. That's unique, Unusual.

[Kirby]

Totally. I think the thing that I would be careful of if I were RE is making sure you're not getting sold to a company that's going to destroy.

[Sarah]

That doesn't know what they're doing, because.

[Kirby]

Some of these legacy conglomerates have really just killed a bunch of brands that were incredible.

[Sarah]

So I don't see her. Where does she go letting that happen? But she does have so much on her plate, so. But she has a great team.

[Kirby]

And maybe she just takes it over and then she's like, surprise, bitch. Yeah. Thought you saw the last of me. I'm going to own the whole thing.

[Sarah]

I would love that.

[Kirby]

I would actually love that for her and see what she has to do. I mean, people see RE as a business. I know.

[Sarah]

Not even a musician anymore.

[Kirby]

The replay recently, I'm like, oh, my God. This song is like, what a different.

[Sarah]

I know.

[Kirby]

Like, this is crazy.

[Sarah]

I do miss. I do miss. I do miss Perfect.

[Kirby]

Shake my ass to re. Yeah. If you want to.

[Sarah]

Like. I was like, I would love to see her at the Sphere.

[Kirby]

Oh, my God. Can you imagine? Everyone would be smoking a blunt.

[Sarah]

I would love that. I do.

[Kirby]

I love Rihanna. I'm sorry. I do. And I love her products. I. I think she'll be fine, But I do think. I'm not worried about them being fine. I just. I'm actually more like. Well, it's gonna be amazing. Kendo, like, Kendo, like. This is like this Bad News Bears for you guys. Yeah.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

Yikes.

[Sarah]

Who was talking? The lovely Stranger Things makeup artists or. Sorry, hairstylist Sarah Hinsgold.

[Kirby]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

Who is she with? Was she with the makeup artist or just her friend?

[Kirby]

I think she was just with one.

[Sarah]

Of her friends, but they were talk. Talking about. They were talking to Shiva about L. Henriksen and how he is literally, like, the most famous person from where they're from.

[Kirby]

Yes. Yeah. You know he has, like, a biopic coming out.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

He's like.

[Sarah]

He is like royalty there.

[Kirby]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

Yeah. It's amazing.

[Kirby]

I'm actually hysterical. I did not realize that. I love that for ula.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

Okay.

[Sarah]

Oh, my gosh. Mac is coming to Sephora. Hallelujah.

[Kirby]

Gigablock bash with my Sephora point. But what is it gonna look like? Oh, my God.

[Sarah]

I gotta, like, someone in the comments, they were like, is this a recession indicator?

[Kirby]

You know what? I have no real insight to this, except it would be bomb if Mac just took over where you can get your makeup done. Oh, say, fuck it. Say. Say, this is Mac branded. If you want your makeup done, it's all Mac.

[Sarah]

Yeah. And it's already black.

[Kirby]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

It already is on brand.

[Kirby]

And I only really trust a Mac person to be doing my makeup.

[Sarah]

Well, that's what some of the comments were saying. Like, they were like. Like, Mac is all about artistry. The people who are selling the makeup, they are trained. Like, they can do your makeup. They can talk about the product. And then, not to, you know, for lack of a better term, on the Sephora employees, cast members, but it's not the same level. And so that's what some people were worried about.

[Kirby]

Yeah. I think that if Mac, maybe they're gonna do this. I don't know. I was trying to read into it. I couldn't really find much more information, except that Mac is going into select Sephoras they want to broaden their reach. They're like, they're on a high this year. They're constantly being talked about, like whether good or bad.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

They have interesting faces. They have new launches. They're doing a lot of really cool stuff.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

And I think that this is what. Remember, like, was it earlier this year I was like, is Matt coming to Sephora?

[Sarah]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, you're little fortune teller here.

[Kirby]

But they were already in Sephora Canada.

[Sarah]

Yeah, right, right.

[Kirby]

Like that was what we originally saw.

[Sarah]

Right. That is so interesting. Maybe it's going to be like a Costco situation where they have like the associates, like the experts, so they'll have the Mac artists, like working at the Sephora in the select locations.

[Kirby]

Interesting. You know, Interesting.

[Sarah]

I love that. I'm referring to Costco.

[Kirby]

Yeah, same. I love that you. Like, that was a reference for you. Okay, Ulta back. Back with another Ulta piece of news. There is an Ulta clean beauty lawsuit.

[Sarah]

What do you know? What do you know?

[Kirby]

Shocking, Shocking, shocking. Okay.

[Sarah]

Is it the same person that sued Sephora, basically?

[Kirby]

Is it? No, no, it's not. It's not. I mean, it could be. I'm not sure. I didn't double check. But so here's the deal. If you recall, the Sephora clean lawsuit was thrown out by the judge because it had no merit. Yep. And that was because that person claimed that they bought the product and then the product had ingredients in it that they didn't feel were clean. But they didn't check the website or any of the, any of the indications that Sephora gives you of what they consider clean or not. Okay. So it was a stupid, stupid lawsuit and some lawyer thought he was going to get his day in court and he didn't. Okay. And I guarantee you as a man, this is also probably being brought on by a man. And as we very much express all the time on this podcast, just because there's a class action lawsuit does not verify anything.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

It's just a bunch of people got on board and want. And want money and. And they may have a case, but they also very well may not. So this one is under the Conscious Beauty banner. This person claims that under that banner they say that they do not include certain ingredients on the made without list. Okay. But she bought products that had ingredients in them that were on the made without list. Are you following?

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Kirby]

Are you?

[Sarah]

Yeah, sort of. I'm. Yeah, I'm reading it as you read.

[Kirby]

Okay, okay. Because it took me a minute to wrap my head around this, however, what this person that's leading the charge on it maybe is choosing to actively be ignorant about is that there are five pillars of conscious beauty at Ulta. Okay, so when you say conscious beauty at Ulta, it's not just that the products are clean.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Kirby]

It means the products could be clean, but they could also just be cruelty free. They could also just be vegan or just be sustainable or just be a brand that gives back. Ulta does have a list on their website of brands that fall under all five of those pillars, but not all.

[Sarah]

Brands fall under every single one.

[Kirby]

Correct, Sarah. You got it. And that's not what this woman is getting. So she probably picked up a product that said conscious beauty, and it was probably sustainable packaging or vegan.

[Sarah]

And she thought, I checked all the.

[Kirby]

Boxes, checks, and sees the made without list and says, what the hell? This ingredient was on the made without list and it's in this product. Yeah, but that was not considered a clean product at Ulta Beauty.

[Sarah]

Okay?

[Kirby]

This.

[Sarah]

This woman has no case. This man or woman. These people.

[Kirby]

Take it to the courts. Ulta. We're here. We. We're.

[Sarah]

You could clip. Clip this, Clip it, use it, clip.

[Kirby]

It and put in court. Yeah, I think that's pretty much common sense, right? I think we just figured it out. I think we did. We're geniuses, actually. Take us to court. I want to go. I would love to see a really cute, like, blazer, totally skirt moment. Yeah. Maybe a Gale Weathers suit.

[Sarah]

Love that. Or upcoming Kim Kardashian looks.

[Kirby]

Johnson and Tan. We do what we can. Look in the camera. Johnson and Tan.

[Sarah]

We do what we can.

[Kirby]

Thank you. Okay, moving on. I love that we just solved that, basically.

[Sarah]

Yeah. I mean, you're welcome.

[Kirby]

You're welcome.

[Sarah]

Saved you thousands of dollars.

[Kirby]

All right. And I think this is also a big one. So last week, the fda, or maybe two weeks ago at this point, the FDA released an RF micro needling communication. And a communication is simply just like a press release informing people that there could be issues with RF micro needling when. Dr. Amir Karam. Hello, Dr. Karam, we love you so much.

[Sarah]

Do our faces.

[Kirby]

Oh, we do love Dr. Karam because he's incredibly intelligent and he's been making the rounds.

[Sarah]

He's been doing, like, all the podcasts.

[Kirby]

He's so handsome. We had him first. We had him first.

[Sarah]

Yes, you did, Kirby. And Kirby's watched him open up a face.

[Kirby]

He is our number one. We were number one for him. Don't get it twisted. Okay. But he warned of the potential risks of RF microneedling. And he put it on his. I would never do this list. Yeah. Reason being, RF microneedling, the way it works is that there's heat that penetrates deep into the dermis to help stimulate things like collagen and all of that stuff. But there are devices in which you can't tell how deep you're going.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

And so instead of kind of like regenerating things, you're actually depleting very important fat that you need in your face for volume.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

And so that's. That was his point of view. He also said that there are technicians who don't know what they're doing administering this, and they could potentially burn you because of that. And this has gotten really rampant in the aesthetic community. So I guess the FDA was like, maybe we should say something. So I read the communication, and it warns a potential risk. Risks of getting the treatment, including fat loss, which, you know, not the end of the world, but, like, still something you should know. And also the potential for burns, scarring, disfigurement, and even nerve damage.

[Sarah]

Yikes.

[Kirby]

This is really. Those last ones, I think, are a result of technician error.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

And people not being advanced enough to understand how these devices work. But at the same time, there could be devices where it's almost, if not totally impossible to see how deep you're going.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

This is a medical device. In case y' all aren't aware, it's used for cosmetic benefit, but it's still a medical device.

[Sarah]

Yeah. So why it's so important we say this every time. You need to trust who you are going to.

[Kirby]

Yes. You really need to make sure that you are 150% confident. This is something where I would start by going to a provider if they have this in office, but it's not with them.

[Sarah]

Not for that treatment at first.

[Kirby]

Right.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

You're. You're going maybe to try a little boba, which will wear off.

[Sarah]

Yeah. Getting a facial or something.

[Kirby]

A facial?

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

Even just a console.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

And someone that you've been to see that you are. You trust their work. You trust their work in your face. You know, injectables wise, whatever.

[Sarah]

Ask how long they've been using this device.

[Kirby]

Yes. Also, maybe this person will be like, I would never do RF micro needling on you, period. Maybe this is better. Maybe appeal is better. Maybe just regular micro needling. Maybe you need a facelift. Like, there are so many other things.

[Sarah]

Sorry, micro needling is not going to help you.

[Kirby]

You need a facelift. But I Would rather someone be real.

[Sarah]

Right, right, right, right.

[Kirby]

Yeah. So that's why you truly just need to be confident in your provider and you need to ask them, how often are you administering this treatment?

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

If it's been like, oh, we got this a year ago. Sorry, Charlie. It's not. This needs to be like five years or more.

[Sarah]

They're like, I do this 10 times a day.

[Kirby]

Yeah. And also, like, ask questions like.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

Have you heard of other versions of this?

[Sarah]

Right.

[Kirby]

If they haven't and they're stumbling, this person does not know enough about RF microneedles.

[Sarah]

Bring up this communication.

[Kirby]

Right.

[Sarah]

What are your thoughts on this?

[Kirby]

Right, exactly. You. You need somebody that actually knows about the treatment and not just the device.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

Because a lot of times these companies that sell these devices, they come in, they sell the device to these people, and then these people upcharge in order to pay off the large expense for having the device.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Kirby]

And. And they're just trying to. They're just trying to get you through and buy it.

[Sarah]

And, like, maybe the person that bought it did the training, but, like, did the other people do the training?

[Kirby]

Right.

[Sarah]

Did they just train them?

[Kirby]

Like, they just trained the person really quickly. Right.

[Sarah]

You just never know.

[Kirby]

Exactly.

[Sarah]

You never know.

[Kirby]

You really need somebody that understands like. Like, what is radio frequency? Oh, by the way, I don't think we said it out loud. Radio. Radio frequency. Radio frequency. Do they understand micro needling? And also maybe they have look at some before and afters on their page.

[Sarah]

And again, like, maybe you don't need it.

[Kirby]

I just would not be getting this from anybody that's not.

[Sarah]

Not a doctor.

[Kirby]

Right. Anybody that's not licensed? I don't think I would be one.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

I don't think I'd want to get this treatment.

[Sarah]

Are you even allowed to use it if you're not in California? You certainly aren't. I don't think.

[Kirby]

I think that.

[Sarah]

Can you be an rn?

[Kirby]

Oh, God. There's like a whole. I know. It's a whole thing because it's like you have to ask.

[Sarah]

Be like, are you lucky to use this?

[Kirby]

You could be in a doctor's office but not be a doctor.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Kirby]

There's so many elements to it.

[Sarah]

I'm always like, can I see the doctor? Can I please see the doctor?

[Kirby]

Yeah, yeah. Yes. Oh, my gosh.

[Sarah]

We haven't even. We didn't even talk about the Neutrogena wipes. There's just too much. Too much news.

[Kirby]

Yeah, but didn't they. They've done a good job. I Think of, like, being like, is your. Are your wipes? I was like, I never have to worry about this.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

I haven't used a makeup wipe and God knows how.

[Sarah]

Well, yeah, yeah.

[Kirby]

But the Neutrogena makeup wipes are being recalled for a bacterial infection you could potentially get. Yeah, but they've been very commute. I've been seeing on their Instagram, like, yeah, this is how you know.

[Sarah]

Right, Right.

[Kirby]

Look at this batch number. Whatever.

[Sarah]

Totally.

[Kirby]

And I didn't look into it. Do we know why?

[Sarah]

No, I don't. I didn't look into it.

[Kirby]

I know. There was just too much other shit going on. I was like, another day, another bacterial infection.

[Sarah]

We had too many costumes to put on last week.

[Kirby]

We did. Also, I wanted to data girl you on the top search treatments, which I found to be really interesting. There, there. I got this email being like, these are the top search beauty treatments.

[Sarah]

Oh, wait, I think I saw it.

[Kirby]

Don't look at it, because I'm gonna.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Kirby]

Next time. Okay, okay. But I looked into how they figured it out, and I was like, oh, this is actually legit.

[Sarah]

Okay, great. We'll do next time.

[Kirby]

Okay. So stay tuned. Let us know what you think of all of these. Los Angeles communications. And go watch. Nobody wants this. And tell us how you would have integrated a brand into it.

[Sarah]

Or take a shot every time. There is a very obvious product placement. Shot of water is fine, but I don't want to get anyone in trouble. If you were to take Al. If you were to take a shot of alcohol, you might be on your ass at the end of the episode.

[Kirby]

Ready to order? Yes. We're earning unlimited 3% cash back on dining and entertainment with a capital One saver card. So let's just get one of everything. Everything.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

Fire everything. The Capital One saver card is at table 27, and they're earning unlimited 3% cash back.

[Sarah]

Yes, sir.

[Kirby]

This is so nice.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

Had a feeling you'd want 3% cash back on dessert.

[Kirby]

Ooh, tiramisu.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining and entertainment with the Capital One saver card. Capital One what's in your wallet?

[Kirby]

Terms apply. See capitalone.com for details.