C (2:32)

I got there late, so I was kind of just speed racing through the first floor. And there were three floors. It was bonkers. And I ended up staying a little bit after Sarah and then revisiting things, but. But what was your favorite booth?

B (2:47)

Oh, okay. I really enjoyed the Touchland booth because there were, like, lots of fun games. I love an interactive moment. And they were really highlighting their new body hair mists, which I love. The booth that I think I saw with my own eyes that had the most people was the Summer Fridays booth.

C (3:06)

Summer Fridays did have the longest line out of every. Shocked the entire time, though. It wasn't just. Oh, really? Yes. Because after you left, I went downstairs, I went back upstairs. That line was consistently long, wrapped around the corner. Yes.

B (3:21)

What about you? What was your favorite booth?

C (3:23)

I'm glad that you mentioned Touchland, because while we thought it was really cute and, like, had a good time, it was one of the booths that had the most complaints online.

B (3:31)

Were they not working?

C (3:32)

The game was working. The games weren't working. And also, in order to get that full size product, you had to do the vending machine, which kept shutting down. And so people were saying they were waiting in line for 45 minutes.

B (3:41)

Oh, no.

C (3:42)

And. And then I think it was a traffic flow issue. I think the way that their booth had to be set up was a traffic flow issue.

B (3:48)

Yeah.

C (3:49)

And then they were also saying that because they waited so long in that line to get that full size product, which, by the way, they were one of the only brands giving out a full size product at their booth.

B (3:59)

Yes.

C (3:59)

Besides, like Mario and a few select others. Then they weren't able to hit the other booths that they wanted to get to.

B (4:05)

Right. Did you stop by the Glow recipe booth? No. Oh, my God. They gave away three full size pads. Three packs of full size pads, the toner pads in a big pink Glow recipe bag. And then like some other product in it.

C (4:21)

It was crazy.

B (4:21)

I was like, whoa.

C (4:23)

The other booths that I saw that had long lines were the K Beauty. This sold Sephora setup.

B (4:30)

Okay.

C (4:30)

There was a really long line that was weaving back and forth. And then I think people were getting decent samples there. And then the Fenty Beauty line. But I don't know if everybody walked away with something from Fen. Fenty Beauty. My favorite booths. I'm trying to think of the ones.

B (4:43)

There were so many cute ones.

C (4:45)

I know, I know.

B (4:45)

Which one?

C (4:46)

Paula's Choice.

B (4:47)

Oh, I know.

C (4:48)

Why I thought the BHA Cafe was such a cute idea and concept. You would go. They had three of their BHA products, including their new 4% BHA product that wasn't released yet. So you could pick one of those samples and then you could get a coffee there. And they gave out this merch, which was a wristlet that you could put your coffee in to free up your hands. Yeah. It made the entire experience 10 times better for me because I wasn't having to hold on to my Starbies.

B (5:15)

Oh, my Gosh.

C (5:16)

Which I was a little confused. I asked some Gen Zers.

B (5:19)

I know.

C (5:20)

And even some Gen Alpha. Do y' all call it Starbies? And even Gen Alpha was like, no, it was a little weird.

B (5:25)

Oh, really?

C (5:26)

So someone in the brand marketing side of Starbucks needs to just kill the Starbies thing. It's kind of weird.

B (5:33)

I will say it was amazing to be able to get a free full size drink at the beginning. I got my Matcha. That was delightful.

C (5:39)

Same. I got a. A cold brew or something like that. It was really set up. Well. Sarah and I often talk about two venues that we cannot stand in this city. One being Magic Box, where this was held. The other being the Mondrian, which by the way, do you know that they have changed the name of the Mondrian.

B (5:56)

What is it called?

C (5:57)

The Valerian.

B (5:58)

Don't try to trick me like that. I'm not coming back.

C (6:00)

Listen, if they wanted to do something good, they should just demolish that hotel. You cannot get in and out of there in a reasonable manner.

B (6:08)

Literally the last time we were there, I can't remember what the event was

C (6:11)

for it sexy hair.

B (6:13)

It was a sexy hair event. An hour to get the car.

C (6:16)

Whenever I get invited to anything, there I go. I don't. I will no longer go. That's the one venue I'm not going to anymore. I'm not doing it. So when I heard this was at Magic Box, I was like, kill me now. This is going to be a nightmare.

B (6:28)

Downtown is hard, but it's also just like so big and it's like a blank space. But they totally transformed it.

C (6:35)

They did. They did an amazing job transforming it. It didn't feel like you were in Warehouse. Yeah, it really did feel like they were building different brand experiences, brand worlds that you want to step into. And I thought that the way they had it, where the master classes were on the lower level and then the two upper floors were the, you know, where you would see all the booths was very smart.

B (6:58)

I want to know how they determined like what brand was going to be where, where, like what floor next to who. Also like square footage wise.

C (7:09)

I also want to know how they chose which brands got invited. Because one thing I pointed out in my newsletter, Kayali was there. Not Huda, Charlotte Tilbury not there, but Pat McGrath Labs was.

B (7:20)

And we heard from a brand, they were like, it's an honor to be asked to be a part of Sephora, because not everyone does.

C (7:28)

I was most surprised that Road was not there because you would think the darling of their 2025 moment was road entering Sephora.

B (7:37)

I have to imagine they said no.

C (7:39)

I think they were probably a brand that was straight up, like, no.

B (7:44)

Yeah.

C (7:44)

And I was laughing because somebody we were talking to was like, rhode is too cool for Sephora. They're not doing Sephora. And I started laughing. I'm like, I think that they have the power to say no. Because every other brand, when you're asked, you have to do it. You have to do it because it's such a huge honor. Yes.

B (8:02)

Thousands and thousands of dollars. And you have to give samples or full sizes for the VIP gift bag. But you have to say yes.

C (8:09)

You have to say yes, you have to do it because otherwise it could affect your standing within the retailer, which I thought was really interesting. But, I mean, people come out of the woodwork since this event to tell me, like, what was up, because there are so many complaints on Tik Tok where they deemed the event sample for you where they weren't getting, like, full size or even like travel size products. And then some booths weren't giving out. Like, a lot of people were upset with Tower 28 because you would wait in line to play a game, and then if you didn't win the game, you didn't get anything, which was hard.

B (8:42)

It was a ring toss.

C (8:43)

It was. It was very hard. But it's not that different from other places. Other places had games, but those games, you at least got something.

B (8:51)

The consolation price.

C (8:52)

One thing that people need to consider about when you're buying into these experiences is the ticket that people purchased. They got a gift bag that was three times the amount of what they paid for the ticket.

B (9:03)

Yeah.

C (9:04)

So you're really going just for these gift bags, not necessarily, like, for the experience. Unless you want a fun photo op. I do think that's. Maybe some of the brands took too much credence into the photo op thing and thought people would be happy with that. At the end of the day, they

B (9:18)

just want free stuff.

C (9:20)

They want the free product. And I think that for next year, the brands need to consider. Not only do you need to be able to provide the samples for. For those gift bags or the full size products, whatever they are. The VIP gift bag was.

B (9:31)

Oh, my God. Heavy.

C (9:32)

Incredible heavy. I. I found a lot of new products that I had not even tried yet, so I was very excited about that. And I think if you're gonna go to Sephora, you just have to invest in the biggest.

B (9:42)

How much was the VIP?

C (9:44)

It was almost 500.

B (9:45)

Okay.

C (9:45)

But that bag had way more you're getting $1500. I mean, I was counting myself cuz I know you know the prices of a lot of these products. And I'm like, oh my God, this is crazy. So I do think if you want to go to Sephora and be happy with the experience experience, you have to do the VIP gift bag.

B (10:00)

I agree.

C (10:01)

I think also now people are so privy to seeing everyone getting free stuff online sent to them, whether they're an influencer or not, that they're kind of expecting something. So when they get a sample, they're like, where's my full size product? And I'm like, but nowhere on the site did Sephora say that you're gonna go and get these brand experiences plus more product.

B (10:22)

Right.

C (10:23)

You're going and you're getting the brand experiences and. And then you're leaving with a gift bag of product.

B (10:27)

Because how much was the general admission ticket?

C (10:30)

It was 180.

B (10:31)

Okay.

C (10:31)

So it was significantly less. And also I watched people unbox the general admission bag and they got some good stuff. There was a lot of travel and a lot of sample sizes, but people were not happy with the samples. Yeah. And what I tried, I didn't explain this anyone. I was just thinking in my head. But when I'm thinking about this, these brands are investing so much money in this setup in these gift bags that also they have to consider the fact that like there's so much waste that comes with these gift bags. If you do not like a fragrance totally, you might just throw it out. You may not have somebody to give it to the foundation. The fact that House Labs was matching everybody and giving them a sample foundation. Oh my gosh.

B (11:10)

I didn't realize that.

C (11:11)

That's.

B (11:11)

I wouldn't do that.

C (11:12)

That seems like the logistical nightmare that is of making sure that you're. You have enough of every foundation shade that they carry for over two days of people.

B (11:23)

Yeah. I mean, imagine how much Left over they have.

C (11:25)

100%. And then rare did something similar where they shade matched with their new foundation, the true to myself natural matte foundation, which is out tomorrow. When you're listening to this, they shade matched everybody. But then people walked away with $67 worth of rare product. So they didn't go home with the foundation, but they got like, you know, a pinched blush or whatever. Soft pinch blush.

B (11:48)

They were able to try it though, right? Correct.

C (11:51)

Yes. Because they had them all there. But that's how they shade match.

B (11:54)

Yeah.

C (11:55)

But we had in our group chat, our slack people asking us what we wore to Sephora. And so we figured, why not? Let's do a little wife Sephora edition. Going back to rare. We both wore the true to myself natural matte foundation look.

B (12:14)

Mine's dirty because I. I really have been using this.

C (12:16)

I love this foundation. Sarah and I have been testing it for months now. Months before 2026. I love it personally because I have combo skin. It says natural matte. This is a matte foundation, baby. It's matte, but it's a three in one.

B (12:33)

Yeah.

C (12:33)

So it's supposed to cut your time in half because it primes the skin, it gives you that coverage, and then it also sets it so you don't need powder. I do not have powder on my face right now. And I feel like I still look glowy. My pores. If you see me up close, I feel like it just blurs the areas that I need it to gives me the coverage I need for my melasma and my. I have a little breakout going on around my lips. So the coverage is great.

B (13:02)

Yeah.

C (13:03)

And you do have to play with it. I think that a lot of people are not used to matte foundations anymore, which is so funny because I feel like we grew up with Matte foundation. But a lot of the people that tested this through Gloss Angeles Confident Confidential. One of the most common questions was, how do I apply this? Because I feel like I'm getting streaks. What we would say is you need to work it into a brush or a damp beauty blender, and you need to pounce it on your skin.

B (13:27)

Yeah.

C (13:27)

And you start from the center of your face, blend it out, and then you're going to get this really beautiful coverage. You can also build it in areas. I like it specifically for my forehead for that reason. But I have been using this non stop. I wore it to Sephora, so it makes a lot of claims. It says that it's. It is weightless and breathable, which I totally agree with. It has a really nice whipped texture. It doesn't crease on me, and it minimizes shine. It also says that it's humidity proof and smudge proof. This stuff does not move and I do not have to apply powder on my face. You guys know that I'm obsessed with the Charlotte Tilbury airbrush powder. It has not been used in a minute.

B (14:07)

So I'm. Obviously, I'm drier. And I was really worried when I first tried this because I do like a dewy or more radiant finish. But I do get oily and shiny and I love that I don't have to even think about that. No, I really. I don't have to set it. I don't have to, like, worry about, you know, three hours later. Take, like, a blotting paper or anything like that. But I also love that it really still feels like my skin. It's not heavy. It really does blend beautifully. I prefer a damp sponge. The sponge that comes with it, or that they're selling along with it. The rare one is really nice, Is very big. I only need one pump, and then I'm done.

C (14:47)

Yes. That was the other thing. So we got to meet with Selena and talk to her a little bit about this, and she said she wanted it so that when you're pumping it out, that's just as much as you need. She says sometimes if she needs a little bit more coverage, she'll do a pump and a half, but one pump will really. It'll dabble. Do ya? Yes. You do not need to go crazy with this. That would be my other tip with it, is do not apply it directly to your face.

B (15:10)

No one really does that. Guys, that's like, first.

C (15:13)

That's the Internet. That is the Internet.

B (15:15)

I know that you guys know that.

C (15:17)

Pump it onto your hand, pump it onto a plate, work it into a brush, or pounce it onto your sponge, and then buff it onto your skin. That is going to be the best way to use this. And truly, one pump does it for me. I do not need more than that. Otherwise, I feel like you will look like a mannequin because this gives such great coverage.

B (15:34)

Yeah, it would be too much.

C (15:36)

It'd be way too much. What shade are you today? I'm wearing shade 15 because I'm more tan, but typically I'm a shade nine.

B (15:44)

Interesting. I'm shade 23.

A (15:47)

Whoa.

C (15:47)

That is one thing that we did want to call out about this specific launch. It's not going to be the same as their original foundation, which, by the way, is being discontinued. It was never their hero product.

B (15:59)

People sort of forgot about it. Yes.

C (16:01)

So they still have their tinted moisturizer, but they will be discontinuing the original foundation. This is going to be Rare's foundation of choice. And when it comes to finding your perfect shade match, I feel like we were able to figure ours out. But with our testing group, they had used the original shade matcher from the original foundation, and it was off.

B (16:22)

Yeah.

C (16:22)

So you really have to kind of go back to the drawing board with this particular launch.

B (16:27)

And there's 48 shades.

C (16:28)

Yes. There's a lot to choose from, but, yeah, I'm a 15 when I'm tan and then a nine when I'm not.

B (16:34)

Yeah, you really gotta go to Sephora and, like, test it out. Like, don't take any guesses.

C (16:39)

Yes.

B (16:39)

Try it out first.

C (16:41)

That's going to be the best way to do it. They also said they are working on a shade match tool to help you if you're going to buy online. I don't know if that's ready yet, but all I'm saying is don't use the shade matcher from the original foundation because it's not going to line up for you.

A (16:56)

Yeah.

C (16:56)

And we had asked Joyce, who previously was on the podcast talking about the fragrance as well as Selena at their offices, and they were both upfront about the fact that they're still working on that shade matcher.

B (17:07)

Yeah. I will say the 23 perfect match. Totally nine. That's Selena's shade, too.

C (17:12)

Yeah, me and Selena. I know with the Latina girls over here. You know. What, what did she say? She was like, sometimes I'm like, defrosting. Yes.

B (17:22)

Yeah.

C (17:22)

It's like Latina defrosting. Latina defrosting. So she's a nine when she's, like, you know, frozen. And then when she's defrosted, it was.

B (17:30)

She's, you all know, she's the sweetest. And we got to go visit Rare Beauty hq, which is beautiful. It's like out of a movie of what you would think, like a beauty brand's headquarters would look like. And her office was so cute. And she had, like, little Tahin bottles from their collab from the.

C (17:48)

Yeah.

B (17:48)

And, like, displayed on her bookshelf and everything. But she was just so lovely and so, so sweet.

C (17:53)

So we have a few reviews from gloss Angeles Confidential. 200 of our listeners were able to test this foundation ahead of time. This one says they had shade 23 medium neutral. They said. I found that this worked well over my sunscreen and having a good moisturized base worked best. The coverage was great. I found that one to one and a half pumps was more than enough for me. I worked in small sections, first blending with my fingers and then patting it in with a damp spin sponge. It did not budge at all when piling my other products on it, but I did find I needed to use a setting spray so it wouldn't transfer. Okay. This product does not transfer. Proof smudging and transfer is a completely different thing. So that's one caveat I would make to this particular review. Smudging on your face does not happen, but it's makeup. Yeah, it's not.

B (18:43)

It's gonna get a dryer white paint.

C (18:45)

It's probably going to get on your white pillowcase or T shirt 100 she said it has a very light texture, almost like a mousse. And it lasted me through 90 degree weather without having to do touch ups. And I found that if it did look dull, a little spritz of some facial mist would bring it back to life.

B (19:00)

It's great. Great review.

C (19:02)

Totally.

B (19:02)

Okay. This person said, this wears beautifully on me on day one. I'll use a little less tomorrow. It's a little more coverage than I normally wear, but it settles in quite nicely without highlighting my pores or drier spots. The damp beauty blender was a must for me on this. I didn't use any powder and don't feel shiny at all. I do feel like I have to keep up with the deep dermaplaning more, but I feel that way anytime I have something more matte on. Overall, I'm impressed. I tried the rare beauty foundation back in the day and I liked it. But this one is an improvement.

C (19:33)

Okay, this one I loved. This person had six fair neutral, which is a neutral olive. She says Real life test. I accidentally fell asleep with it on while putting my daughter to bed. I know, not ideal, but it happened. But it didn't smudge or transfer onto my white pillowcase at. I wouldn't recommend doing that regularly, but it was impressive to see how well it held up. Okay, so maybe it won't transfer, but it doesn't claim to be transfer proof. It just says smudge proof. So we just wanted to clarify that. Yes, you can now get rare beauties. True to myself. Natural matte foundation at sephora or sephora.com and thank you for being a partner of Gloss Angeles Confidential Rare.

B (20:09)

Thanks, Seleners.

C (20:10)

Okay, what else did you wear to Sephora? Because that's what people are asking.

B (20:15)

So nice. Okay, so Anastasia has this new brow pencil. It's called the archibrow pencil. Archie brow pencil. I had to call it in. They only sent me one because I know it's very coveted. It was the medium brown and it is chef's kiss. I am obsessed. It's so small and it has, you know, with all these tiny, like brow pencils, it always breaks because they're so tiny. It has a little protective shield around it so it won't break even though it's really, really tiny.

C (20:43)

Nice.

B (20:44)

And I just feel like when I'm creating these like little hair strokes, it's so Light and gentle and really, really thin. And I'm like, where has this product been in your. In your line?

C (20:54)

Totally. Okay, I'm going to request that because I need it desperately for my brows. I used this new eyebrow stilo from Chanel, and I am fully obsessed with it. After Jimena Garcia did my brows a couple weeks ago, she taught me how to fill in my brows properly. The key, babes, is not to go underneath. Just do the top, fill in the sparse spots, brush them down, fill them in, and absolutely obsessed. I have been using this blush from Bite. Oh, I didn't realize they still made products, but they had sent me some a couple months ago. And to this day, I'm still just going in with my Mary Phillips blush brush, which, by the way, was in the VIP bag.

B (21:35)

And it's a good one.

C (21:36)

Went ahead and put it on, and I just. It gives me a nice glow. It's kind of like a blush highlighter hybrid. There's no shimmer to it. Just makes my skin. Skin look really nice and has a. Has a good sheen to it.

B (21:47)

Yes.

C (21:48)

And then for my lips, I know I was wearing Sizzle from Mary Phillips and Ph. And then my lip, I was wearing the Violette FR Lip product. I never remember the name of it, but the more neutral, toned matte. You know what I'm talking about?

B (22:05)

Yes. Yeah, yeah.

C (22:06)

I can't remember the name. It's not Bisu Balm, Right?

B (22:08)

It's Bisou Jelly.

C (22:09)

No, no, it's not the jelly. It's. Maybe it is the Bisu Bomb.

B (22:12)

It's the Bisou Bomb. The one that it's kind of matte and then. But it's.

C (22:14)

Yeah, yes.

B (22:15)

That you can, like, tap in.

C (22:16)

Don't know what the sh.

B (22:17)

Was.

C (22:17)

It's the one that literally Violet picked out for me.

B (22:19)

Yes.

C (22:20)

And then Flex on top. Flex. And then on top of that, I had vacations collab with Cherry Pepsi.

B (22:27)

Does it taste like Cherry Pepsi?

C (22:29)

It does. It's amazing. And then it gives you this little tiny tint of red with the gloss. It's. It's fabulous. I also like the applicator on it. It's really small.

B (22:37)

So cute. Okay, I need to try that. Okay. I can't remember everything that I was wearing, but I was wearing the Danessa Myrick blush in Jubilee. I found it at the bottom of my makeup bag, which I'm sure that happens to you all the time, where

C (22:49)

I'm like, oh, my God, where have you been?

B (22:50)

It's just so good. And she was there, and she's just such a ray of sunshine.

C (22:55)

We love her so much, Vanessa.

B (22:56)

And then lastly, I've been trying out Westman Atelier's new lipstick. Have you tried this? I called it in because I'm like, I never get anything from you guys, and I really want.

C (23:06)

I asked for it. I wrote and said I never get anything from Westman. I would absolutely love to try a bunch of their stuff. Still haven't gotten it.

B (23:12)

The new lipstick is so good. It's kind of like a tinted lip balm meets lipstick, which is like, very much my jam. It's very sheer, comfortable, but has just, like, the perfect amount of color. And I actually really like the Bullet. It's just so chic. She's so chic.

C (23:27)

She is.

B (23:27)

She really needs to come on. Anyways, I'm obsessed with it, so that's what I was wearing, too. I can't remember the exact color. I'll look it up, but it was like, the more brown one.

C (23:35)

Okay, so that is what is on our Sephora face. Let us know if you've tried any of these products. And also if you plan on trying out Rare's new foundation,

A (24:00)

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