Sarah (1:47)

Yeah.

Kirby (1:48)

What if I get invited to an NSYNC world tour? That pops up.

Sarah (1:52)

Truly, Truly.

Kirby (1:54)

Send a month out.

Sarah (1:55)

So much can happen.

Kirby (1:56)

Send a month out. 4 weeks max. Call it a day, please. But, yeah, you never know. You never know. But this is the last news episode. Yeah, not new, but News episode of 2025. I cannot believe we made it to this point. Every year we say that though, so we're. We're clearly trucking along, I guess.

Sarah (2:18)

But this year in particular is like.

Kirby (2:21)

And to.

Sarah (2:22)

To quote. What? Like something from two years ago. Dumpster fire. Every year. This has to be the biggest one.

Kirby (2:28)

I mean, every month there's been something crazy kicking it off in January with the fires.

Sarah (2:34)

Literal fire.

Kirby (2:35)

Everything was on actual fire.

Sarah (2:37)

Everything was on actual fire. And yet we have made it to December, and so much has happened. We have so much to reflect on. The good, the bad, the ugly. And in true Los Angeles fashion, we do this every year. We do our little end of year report. A time for us to look back on the biggest moments of the year in the industry. But I want to do something different this year with Kirby. And I wanted to just do, like. I want us to just, like, blurt out key words or buzzwords when you think of Beauty in 2025. Like, what comes to mind? And let's see how long we can go, and then we'll rank based on what we think were, like, the biggest of the year.

Kirby (3:24)

Okay.

Sarah (3:25)

So you go first.

Kirby (3:26)

Okay. My first one on here is children.

Sarah (3:31)

Yeah, children.

Kirby (3:32)

Children. Okay. There were plenty of childlike news stories in the beauty industry.

Sarah (3:38)

I'll match. I'll match you and say, toddler skin care.

Kirby (3:40)

Okay.

Sarah (3:41)

That was on my list.

Kirby (3:42)

Okay. I got kind of more of a overall thing that I saw.

Sarah (3:48)

Okay.

Kirby (3:49)

Nitpicky.

Sarah (3:50)

Ooh.

Kirby (3:51)

From Ariana Grande's lashes in Wicked to was Sabrina Carpenter wearing a wig on her tour?

Sarah (3:59)

Everyone is an investigative journalist on the Internet.

Kirby (4:01)

Everyone, like. Everyone, like, really wanted answers.

Sarah (4:04)

Yep.

Kirby (4:05)

And I just thought, why does it matter?

Sarah (4:08)

It's like BTS to the max. It's too much.

Kirby (4:10)

Right.

Sarah (4:11)

They expect, like, they want to be in Sabrina's wig.

Kirby (4:16)

No, there. There was. They needed a GoPro in the wig to be like. Like, I think now. And I'm saying this as someone that literally has a column about behind the scenes beauty. So maybe I'm part of the problem.

Sarah (4:27)

Yeah.

Kirby (4:28)

But people want the setup in the trailer or backstage of them getting ready for whatever they're getting ready for. They want to see it.

Sarah (4:37)

It's because we've given them too much. We've given them too much access.

Kirby (4:40)

If I'm a star, I just. I'm not a star. But if I was, if I could offer any stars advice out there, do not do it. Do not put up. There was something last year that the person was like, I straight up just said, no, we're not doing this. Like, I really wanted. I was talking to somebody's team or somebody's like, some studio about, like, oh, this look is going to be so incredible. I can't wait to cover it. And they were like, you're not getting anything that that particular person said straight up, where's the magic?

Sarah (5:10)

I love?

Kirby (5:10)

And I said, you know what? I gotta respect it, because where is the magic?

Sarah (5:13)

Where's magic?

Kirby (5:15)

Keep a little to the imagination to my own detriment. But, like, where is the magic? Keep it. It's, you know, it's why I like that Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence are not on Instagram.

Sarah (5:25)

Yep. Exactly. They may lurk.

Kirby (5:26)

They might be little turkey lurkeys. We heard Jennifer Lawrence has a tick tock that.

Sarah (5:30)

She's like, they definitely have burner, but keep.

Kirby (5:33)

Yeah, keep the burners. Yeah, keep the burner and keep everything else to yourself. That's how a true star is made.

Sarah (5:38)

Privacy, privacy, privacy. I think this was from this year. Cunty Bob.

Kirby (5:43)

Country Bob was from this year. Wow. Okay, so you. Really. Different direction. I was thinking overall themes, you're going like.

Sarah (5:49)

I'm just going like Cunty Bob, Chris McMillan, Leslie Bibb, White Lotus. That was still this year. And I feel like that really took over the. The hairstyles.

Kirby (6:00)

Okay. I did DEI drama. From retailers dropping DEI initiatives to bigger conversations around DEI investments.

Sarah (6:09)

Yep.

Kirby (6:09)

In minority owned brands.

Sarah (6:11)

Yep.

Kirby (6:12)

We saw a lot of different headlines this year that revolve specifically around that.

Sarah (6:17)

Yep. Totally agree.

Kirby (6:18)

Please stop writing us to say beauty isn't political. Thank you.

Sarah (6:22)

Wrong podcast friends. If that's what you're doing, that's how you feel. Okay. Ozempic.

Kirby (6:27)

Ozempic. Ozempic.

Sarah (6:30)

Feel like she won Ozempica.

Kirby (6:33)

There was Ozempic face. Ozempic vulva. Oh, I got that pitch too. We got a pitch about Ozempic vulva. What happens to your vulva on Ozempic?

Sarah (6:40)

I literally had no idea. And then I had no idea that there were. I had no idea that there were other. There were like, led.

Kirby (6:53)

Like, for your vulva, not your vault.

Sarah (6:55)

But you wear it around your, like your vagina, like around your waist. So there's also something someone sent me. It looks like a literal lightsaber. And I was like, I. Oh, and.

Kirby (7:05)

They'Re sticking it up there. Yes, I have heard of this. I have.

Sarah (7:10)

Not for pleasure, but for, like, firmness.

Kirby (7:13)

Tightening.

Sarah (7:14)

Tightening.

Kirby (7:14)

Yes. My counter to that is. Why not just take your Omnilux and stick it on your Volvo and call it a day?

Sarah (7:20)

Yeah, right. Totally.

Kirby (7:22)

I'll just see how it goes.

Sarah (7:24)

Yeah. Seems like the same.

Kirby (7:26)

So on that note, Ozempic face, Ozempic vulva. There's also been all of these brands launching for GLP1s in terms like anti aging, kind of getting a facelift, if you will.

Sarah (7:41)

A new marketing strategy. So, yeah, curious to see how that goes next year, but that was a big buzzword.

Kirby (7:50)

Okay. Speaking of facelifts. Facelifts.

Sarah (7:52)

That was my next one.

Kirby (7:53)

On my list, facelifts Kris Jenner.

Sarah (7:55)

She was also on my list.

Kirby (7:57)

She did the damn thing by naming her surgeon transparency former surgeon, which I think we knew her former surgeon, Dr. Garth Fisher, who also did Kylie's boob job, which she also revealed this year. But Chris went to Dr. Steven Levine. And I to this day still get multiple comments on my Kris Jenner video. Because people either love it, hate it, they can't figure it out. They don't understand, they want it. They don't want it. They think it's like the downfall of society. They think that it's the best thing ever, wish they could afford it. It's the craziest thing ever.

Sarah (8:30)

Yeah.

Kirby (8:30)

But on that note too, the Guadalajara facelift. Oh, yeah, there was a. I mean, I'm still getting served Guadalajara facelift.

Sarah (8:38)

Has she updated?

Kirby (8:39)

I haven't seen her specifically, but there is a huge trend of people going to Mexico and getting their facelift.

Sarah (8:46)

Wow.

Kirby (8:47)

And even younger people getting facelift. I just got served a video of a 38 year old who got a facelift and she's like, day 72, facelift recovery. And people were like, well, you don't look young. And then I'm like, but maybe she's not trying to look young, she's trying to look younger than she did. And then you go look at photos of her before and then all the comments are like, okay, now I understand why you did this. So people are horrible. No, I'm like, you want to stigmatize.

Sarah (9:15)

Yeah, you can't.

Kirby (9:16)

The fact that you can't please anyone. And then when she, if she had enough, you've been like, you're old.

Sarah (9:21)

You're like, oh, you could, you could have gone a little bit younger.

Kirby (9:23)

That's the thing that kills me about the Kris Jenner comments is people are like, yeah, but look at her hands. They're still old. You're still old on the inside. I'm like, do you understand that you're contributing to the problem? If that's, if that's a problem to you, because why is old the four letter word?

Sarah (9:38)

Like, I cannot believe people are saying that.

Kirby (9:40)

I do not blame her for doing it when these are the responses. That's so you know what I'm saying? It is actually crazy, I think now.

Sarah (9:49)

When you know how it's like, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Now it's like, if you wouldn't say that comment to a person's face, don't say it at all. Like, I would love to see any of these people walk up to Kris Jenner, be like, but your hands still look old.

Kirby (10:06)

No, literally, I would actually pay good money to see that stuff. I also think people need to take a beat and think to themselves before they comment or post any piece of content online. How would I feel if this was done or said to me? Because I am always appalled when I get on Instagram or TikTok and I see the content people are making. Because I think to myself, what makes me perfect that I can throw stones in this manner?

Sarah (10:36)

Totally.

Kirby (10:37)

Just for content.

Sarah (10:38)

Yeah.

Kirby (10:39)

Like, on a very minimal level, the conversation around Ariana Grande's lashes and wicked.

Sarah (10:44)

Like, walk up to Ariana Grande and be like, your strip lashes were really distracting and wicked.

Kirby (10:50)

No, literally. Would you ever say that? First of all, I would laugh. I'd be like, you cared that much, right? And second, I would be like, I don't give a flying. Yeah. By the way. And then I see makeup artists who have a large following on TikTok, but are, quite frankly, nobody in the real world. I'll be completely honest with you, and I'm so sorry to say that, but, like, you're getting jobs, but, like, to. To what extent? And they are criticizing an Academy Award winning hair and makeup designer that's been doing this for decades about her work in a film they've never been on set for.

Sarah (11:25)

Yeah, no, totally. What if you met the love of your life, like, so hot, so handsome, but then you found out he was leaving, like, really mean comments.

Kirby (11:35)

I think about this all the time, Sarah. I think about this all the time. As a single woman in L. A, I'm like, what are the non negotiables for me? It's like, I cannot be with a man. I think that makes content. Like, if I, like, went on a date with a guy, knew nothing about him, and then I followed him on Instagram and he had like a million followers and he was like, yeah, come with me. I. I'd be like, I can't do this, I can't do this. Because all I'd be thinking about is he's gonna be filming every thing.

Sarah (12:04)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Kirby (12:05)

I can't live that way.

Sarah (12:06)

Right.

Kirby (12:07)

But then also then you find out, I think even worse, though, is this, why are you always on your phone and he's leaving?

Sarah (12:14)

Like, leaving.

Kirby (12:15)

Horrendous.

Sarah (12:15)

Yeah.

Kirby (12:16)

Comments on women's profiles.

Sarah (12:20)

No, no.

Kirby (12:21)

It's like, it's like the crazy red pill, scary stuff that you're like, you never really know.

Sarah (12:27)

I'M late.

Kirby (12:27)

I just want a man with absolutely no social media. Social media presence. I really think if you told me you didn't believe in social media, I'd be like, thank God. Because then you just would have never seen any of the. That I've done. No, totally.

Sarah (12:41)

100. No. I think about every day that Matt's not on Instagram. God.

Kirby (12:45)

No.

Sarah (12:46)

The Lord.

Kirby (12:46)

That's why Matt's the perfect husband. That is.

Sarah (12:50)

Wow. I don't know about that.

Kirby (12:51)

Okay, look this out for future use.

Sarah (12:55)

Bluffs. I don't know if it was my turn. Bluffs.

Kirby (12:57)

Bluffs were big. It was facelift and bluffs for sure.

Sarah (13:01)

And lower. I feel like lower. Really had like a big moment. Had the.

Kirby (13:05)

Had the up. The up and up over the upper bl.

Sarah (13:08)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.

Kirby (13:09)

I put boycott. And then this is what I wrote. I said, seems like you had to be super careful where you said you shop this year. From Target and Amazon to Ulta and Sephora for a variety of reasons.

Sarah (13:20)

Totally.

Kirby (13:20)

It was like at any given point, Sephora was canceled and boycotted. I think all four or five Sephora boycotts. I don't know if it actually made an impact at all.

Sarah (13:28)

Right.

Kirby (13:28)

I know that the Target boycott has impacted Target in some way, but if you've listened to this podcast long enough, you know that Sarah and I feel like if you can vote with your dollar, do what you please. But my whole standpoint is I'm not going to shame anybody else for where they decide to shop.

Sarah (13:46)

Yep.

Kirby (13:47)

And make their life easier and more convenient.

Sarah (13:50)

Right.

Kirby (13:51)

I also think there's plenty of brands that deserve to be supported and shopped at Target for.

Sarah (13:57)

Exactly.

Kirby (13:57)

And could potentially lose their livelihood if those units aren't moved. So it's actually more of a detriment to the cause that's being 100% served in this case. In my humble opinion. It's only my opinion, but I agree. I think that at any given point I felt like I was getting a comment about, oh, you shop at Target still. I'm like, well, first of all, we don't have Walmarts in LA proper. Yeah. I like to get a good deal. They have really great produce at Target. It's like the closest thing to me.

Sarah (14:30)

The CVS pharmacies inside, they've got like, you know, all of the beauty brands that we love and support.

Kirby (14:37)

Yes. Like, it's minority owned beauty brands. Very important to us. So, yeah, I, I, But I always felt like it was a minefield. Like, yeah, especially then I'm like, okay, well, I can't shop at Target. Okay. I'll order groceries from Amazon. Nope, can't do that either.

Sarah (14:53)

Yep.

Kirby (14:53)

I'm like, for fuck's sake. Yeah. Like, I'm just trying to live my life. We're all just trying to survive day to day. Yeah.

Sarah (15:01)

Day to day.

Kirby (15:02)

We're not the enemy. Blame the. Blame the other people.

Sarah (15:05)

Seriously, K Beauty 2.0 or just K Beauty in general? Yeah, like, everyone was just like, K Beauty. Second Wave. K Beauty. K Beauty. Sephora is like growing their K Beauty. So is Ulta. It's everywhere. Everyone's going to Korea.

Kirby (15:20)

Everyone's going to Korea for treatments. All of Young's coming to the U.S. yep.

Sarah (15:24)

So I think it's going to be even bigger next year. But I felt like they ever. It was like on everyone's lips. I will say. Okay, I'll just go through the rest. I have a few more.

Kirby (15:33)

Okay.

Sarah (15:33)

Tariffs.

Kirby (15:34)

Yeah.

Sarah (15:35)

Obviously, if you listen, you know, AI, that's just like a bit overarching theme for everything.

Kirby (15:41)

I think AI was a conversation, but it wasn't a trend yet. Or. Yeah, like the big conversation. Getting there. Yeah.

Sarah (15:50)

I think people haven't quite figured out in Beauty how they're going to use it, but we. They know that they are.

Kirby (15:56)

Yes.

Sarah (15:56)

They just don't know how. Yeah, yeah, I have pdrn the same.

Kirby (16:00)

PRN was a big one this year.

Sarah (16:02)

For sure Road because of the big acquisition. And then Nina Park. Yes.

Kirby (16:08)

Okay, so we're going to cover a lot of these actually in our biggest news stories or moments of 2025. We asked for your input in our Slack channel and on our Instagram. And a lot of what you guys had to say aligned with what Sarah and I thought were the big moments. And we narrowed it down to seven. You may recall that we had Tatcha's founder, Vicki Sy on the show a little bit earlier this year for the second time. And I'm still think about how she builds rituals of daily self love, little pauses that restore calm and joy.

Sarah (16:42)

And honestly, the product that nails that feeling for moi is the Dewy Skin Cream. It is this decadently rich moisturizer that plumps the look of fine lines and seals in moisture for that signature dewy glow.

Kirby (16:55)

I gotta say, when you said moi, you said plump, you said glow. There was someone that came to mind. There was someone that came to mind. And I'll let y' all figure out who that is. It literally cocoons my skin in a comforting replenishing feeling. And the glow lasts, like even under makeup.

Sarah (17:15)

It's truly the best. And no wonder. It is. Their best selling moisturizer, a Dewy skin cream, is sold every 30 seconds.

Kirby (17:24)

Not surprised though. Ready to join the dewy side? Enjoy. 15 off your first purchase at tatcha.com with code GLOSSANGELAS15.

Sarah (17:33)

That's GLOSSANGELIS15 for 15% off your first order@tatcha.com.

Kirby (17:43)

7 might seem like a lot, but in 12 months a whole bunch of stuff went on. And we have documents upon documents of news and headlines that we aggregated over the past 12 months. And these were the standouts. Number one, which many of you may have guessed, Rhode gets acquired for 1.2 billion by Elf in May, Elf did its big one. And despite rumors to the contrary, they proved Rhodes business was a smart acquisition with Hailey as the behemoth marketer behind it.

Sarah (18:15)

I was thinking about this and I was like, it's like, you know, I remember exactly where I was when like Michael Jackson died. And then I remember exactly where it was when you called me about Hailey and Rhode.

Kirby (18:30)

I was at the hair salon. A little behind the scenes. Tea was. We just got this email.

Sarah (18:37)

Yeah.

Kirby (18:38)

And we got the email from ELF and from Road and they said, do you agree to this embargo? Yeah, it was the same day. And we said, yes. What? And then they told us the news and that it was going to be going live in like Business of Fashion Hour or something. And we. I was like, you've got to be kidding. Like crazy. I just. It was so unexpected because of how old ROAD is.

Sarah (19:06)

And then also the whole conversation about this year, everyone was like, oh, the beauty industry.

Kirby (19:12)

No one's going to get acquired like things like that. Especially not huge acquisitions on this level. And also the ELF of it all.

Sarah (19:22)

Yeah.

Kirby (19:22)

Was so interesting to us because they hadn't really acquired a large property like this within the beauty world before.

Sarah (19:31)

And I think that that billion dollar word that really like, I think it broke the Internet. Okay, the next one, which we totally agree with. And so many of you said this. Experts are in charge. So we saw so many of our favorite artists launch their own brands. So we had Mary Phillips, obviously she was on to talk about MPH, hung with his line. Chris McMillan, who I was with someone yesterday and we were both just talking about how we Both had Chris McMillan's hair products in our hair because it's just so good.

Kirby (20:08)

He's fabulous.

Sarah (20:08)

We still have to have that. Absolutely.

Kirby (20:09)

Love Chris. He is truly an icon. He did so many Britney Spears looks.

Sarah (20:14)

My gosh, Totally.

Kirby (20:15)

Did you see the carousel he posted. Yes.

Sarah (20:17)

And I was like, wow, so many of those. Like, I truly tried to recreate.

Kirby (20:21)

No, literally, I'm like, I'm actually gonna force you to recreate. I have Mark Townsend for, like, my Dakota Johnson moments. And then when I want to do Britney, I to Chris, make it happen.

Sarah (20:30)

Oh, yeah. And then Mark has to do the.

Kirby (20:32)

Mary Kate and Ashley on me, 100%.

Sarah (20:34)

The beach wave.

Kirby (20:35)

But then we also have these favorites as well. Sarah Creel, who we've had on the podcast, and Essa Myricks. Both of them made waves this year. And then, as Sarah mentioned earlier, Nina park has really had her star moment in 2025. If you get on TikTok, you can find hundreds of videos of girls, boys, men, women, whoever recreating the Nina park aesthetic. And they talk about her lips. Alex French, you know, another makeup artist we love. She talks about how Nina park is your makeup artist's favorite makeup artist.

Sarah (21:08)

Yeah.

Kirby (21:08)

And Sarah and I have actually talked about this, and we would love to. We want Nina on the podcast. But we.

Sarah (21:13)

She's coming. She's coming.

Kirby (21:14)

Yes. But we also would love to have her and Bryce Scarlett on the podcast together because they are often a glam duo and they have a lot of the same clients. And one thing that we've noticed is when a celebrity really wants to take it to the next level and be seen in a specific, elevated way, they hire Nina and Bryce to do the hair and makeup.

Sarah (21:38)

Yeah.

Kirby (21:38)

And you can go through her Instagram. His Instagram, and you can see exactly who it is. It's like the Lily Rose Depp. It's the Kaia Gerber's. They did Charlie XCX at one point for Valentino.

Sarah (21:52)

I was talking to a hairstylist about this, and they were saying that, like, you can have your, you know, favorite go to makeup artist that you travel with all the time, who works on you most of the time. But then if there is a specific campaign, a specific event, they most likely are calling Nina park to do it. Even, like, Haley, like, you know, she was like, marry everyone. And not to say that, you know, one is better than the other, but it's like, when you want, like, a specific look, you call Nina.

Kirby (22:26)

Totally. Yeah. So she's had her moment of everyone recreating her looks. And I mean, she's also just stunningly beautiful. Totally.

Sarah (22:34)

And very humble and just like, no drama, you know, she is just like a true makeup artist. She's like, I'm here to do my work, and I'm gonna post you know, this fabulous look that I'm doing, and then I'm just gonna go off line.

Kirby (22:47)

I don't think I ever even see her post products.

Sarah (22:51)

She only, I think if it's sponsored. And like, she was with Chanel for a while as their ambassador, but now was she their ambassador? I just think she worked with them a lot. But now I see her supporting a lot of K beauty brands. She's Korean, obviously, but I'm like, she could use literally Wet n Wild.

Kirby (23:10)

Yeah.

Sarah (23:10)

And she will make you look fabulous. It is the technique.

Kirby (23:14)

Yeah. I really want her lip technique for sure.

Sarah (23:16)

Yeah.

Kirby (23:17)

Speaking of Korean beauty, there was a Korean beauty boom. All of Young is coming to Southern California, which we are very excited about. We also talked to the lipstick lesbians about this. But many brands are starting to offer, quote, unquote, Korean inspired products, or they are launching on that premise. One really big example is POV Beauty by Michaela Naguera, where she has the lip ampule and then she has all these skincare prep products that are very heavily inspired by, like, milky toners that originated in Korea. Also, there was a huge tourism boom in Korea. We all know that people were going there to get treatments anyways. But this year, I think we just saw it more on our feeds of people going to Korea to get PDRN or get some kind of laser or some kind of cosmetic surgery.

Sarah (24:06)

Yeah. I was thinking about this and how K beauty has just like, exploded so much to the point where people are saying, like, this line, this product is K beauty inspired. And I was like, comparing it to when we were, you know, younger and everything was inspired by French beauty.

Kirby (24:23)

Yes.

Sarah (24:23)

But I feel like for that, I was like, what was it? And I think it was literally just that the name of the brand was like a French word.

Kirby (24:31)

Yeah.

Sarah (24:31)

You know what I mean? Or it was like trying to capture, like a French girl, French woman aesthetic. The je ne sais quoi. But then with K Beauty, when it's inspired, it's truly like the formulas, the textures, like the innovation. So it is like, really. It's just. It's so different.

Kirby (24:46)

Like the cushion compact or milky toner.

Sarah (24:50)

The sunscreens.

Kirby (24:51)

Yes.

Sarah (24:52)

It's just they're like, so far ahead of us.

Kirby (24:54)

The blurring lips.

Sarah (24:56)

Yep, yep.

Kirby (24:56)

Stuff like that. I remember when I first became a beauty editor right out of college, my editor wanted to do a French beauty video. And I picked stuff because I thought it was French. And she's like, actually, this is not a French brand. And I remember being shocked. Yeah. And she was Just like, yeah, they market everything around French, but it was started by like some random white dude in Michigan or whatever. Totally. It's so very much not like a true French brand. You would not find it in a French pharmacy.

Sarah (25:29)

Right, right.

Kirby (25:30)

So it's kind of crazy.

Sarah (25:31)

Yeah.

Kirby (25:32)

We have some feedback from the glams. Kristen Harris says K Beauty brands being available at places like Ulta never thought it was worth the hassle of overseas ordering and. But now I'm trying brands and getting on the K beauty train. Christy Roy said, I was so happy that K Beauty expanded their shade ranges such that I can use and experience their formulas too. I am also on the spectrum and have sensory issues and wanted to do a full face that felt comfortable but was never able to because at the end of all these layers it felt so heavy and very suffocating. But with the Korean cushions, you basically, basically use next to nothing to get the desired coverage. Especially with the tier tier cushions that made a full beat accessible to me and I was so happy about that. Amazing.

Sarah (26:10)

I love that.

Kirby (26:10)

I mean we're really seeing that.

Sarah (26:12)

I still have to find my tear tier shade. Someone could shade match me. That'd be great. Children are the present and the future. So last year we talked about the Sephora tweens and then it just continues to grow and then also get younger. So we saw the launch of brands like Sincerely Yours and ST Cru that are targeting teens specifically. Obviously we talked about Shay Mitchell's Reni brand which suffered a huge backlash. But did you know that they sold out?

Kirby (26:43)

Yeah, I'm not surprised. Yeah, like it was press presses.

Sarah (26:46)

Press baby. I also, as you know, like to pull the youths and they really like brands like Supportois is another one that just launched and it's very, very cute. But Ever Eden, have you heard of Ever Eden?

Kirby (27:01)

It sounds familiar.

Sarah (27:02)

So they launched as like when they launched, I, I think I did a partnership with them and it was focused mostly on like baby care. But now they make or they've basically sort of changed the strategy and marketing so it's much more targeted towards tweens and so many people ask me about it. They're like my daughter wants Ever Eden. Like they're in Sephora and they're really, really cute. It's like very cute, cute, colorful branding. They've got, you know, a kids multivitamin face cream. They have hair and body fragrance mist. But it's like in the twenty twenty five dollar range. So it's like a lot more. Well, I won't say a lot more but it is, you know, affordable.

Kirby (27:44)

Wow.

Sarah (27:45)

And it's just. Yeah, like, look how cute that is.

Kirby (27:47)

It is really cute.

Sarah (27:48)

So anyways, I. The. It's just growing. It's exploding and I wonder if it's.

Kirby (27:52)

In store or just online.

Sarah (27:54)

Yeah, I actually am not sure. I think we'll just continue to see that space grow. I know it's like just an ongoing conversation around, like, whether it's good or bad. We will. We will see. We will see. In 2026.

Kirby (28:07)

Maha makes an impact. This was undeniable. We covered the purely primal sunscreen advertising that was totally based on fear mongering. We saw the rise in beef tallow and a lot of people debunking that as, you know, sunscreen or whatever else they wanted to use it for. There was also a bunch of sunscreen scares that kind of tied back to the Maha movement. And also this is somewhat related, but the FDA apparently is now moving forward with approving a new sunscreen filter. So there was some positive movement for us, but then just like a lot of misinformation and fear mongering. To be completely honest, Karen Englar says, I don't think we can deny the impact of Maha on beauty and skin care. Like the anti sunscreen slash beef tallow of it all, though, I don't feel like I've seen quite as much clean beauty marketing, which I think is interesting. And I feel like maybe that's because clean beauty is oversaturated at this point. And if you ask any clean beauty founder what that means now, it kind.

Sarah (29:20)

Of just means nothing at this point.

Kirby (29:21)

I mean, I'm.

Sarah (29:22)

I, I sort of lost its meaning.

Kirby (29:24)

It's funny to see how many pivoted from we're made without all of these things. It's mostly for people with sensitive skin.

Sarah (29:30)

Yeah, yeah, no, for sure.

Kirby (29:32)

It's like they really got like, clean beauty really did get a makeover in terms of what it means to founders specifically.

Sarah (29:39)

Yeah.

Kirby (29:39)

And I think that maybe is probably a directive from their marketing teams to be like, hey, like, people are. There's also lawsuits around the world.

Sarah (29:48)

So, I mean, there's still just no regulation around it. So it really doesn't mean anything.

Kirby (29:52)

Yeah.

Sarah (29:53)

Blush overload. So not only did everyone seem to launch a Blush, so we have rare glossier. Ilia say it was just like so many different types and then everyone wanted just more, more, more on your face. Myself included, Kirby included. Like, I literally feel like it's like the Coco Chanel, like, quote, whatever. It's like, you know, when you Walk out of the house, take one thing off, like an accessory or something. For me, it's like I have to look in the mirror and be like, I'm a little bit too. Blush too much, or I have a little bit too much blush on.

Kirby (30:31)

You have to cut it off.

Sarah (30:33)

Or like, I do my makeup in the. In the house, and then I step out and I'm like, oh, well, that's a little bit too much. But I love it. I love it. I. I think it's fun, and I think that we. It is signaling that we are, like, headed back into, like, having more fun with color in makeup.

Kirby (30:50)

Yeah. And it was definitely the number one beauty color cosmetic.

Sarah (30:53)

Yeah.

Kirby (30:54)

It was a constant conversation. It overtook any other category, in my opinion.

Sarah (31:00)

Yeah.

Kirby (31:01)

And then lastly, we do have the facelift. You could not get on TikTok without seeing somebody of some sort getting some type of facelift. People are now curious of what a deep plane facelift is versus trademarked vertical restores versus neck lifts, versus mini facelifts. I mean, there are countless search terms that you could find. And of course, Kris Jenner was really the queen of that one.

Sarah (31:25)

You know what is kind of. I wouldn't say annoying, but I do think now that everyone is aware that, like, everyone is getting facelifts. People see a picture of someone and they're like, oh, she's. She got a facelift. She totally got a facelift. It drives me kind of crazy.

Kirby (31:40)

Allure wrote an article about this recently, and I was so glad they did. They were like, not everybody that looks different got cosmetic surgery. It's kind of like when people see a bright smile, they're like, she got veneers.

Sarah (31:54)

Yeah.

Kirby (31:55)

I interviewed Jessica Simpson. There is this thread right now where they're fighting over whether Jessica got veneers or not. Because in the video, she's like, I love the bump on my nose, and I love my teeth, and I'm so glad I never got veneers. And then someone's like, didn't she say she got veneers a few years ago? And then they're like, these are actually veneers meant to look like her actual teeth. And I'm like, no, they're not.

Sarah (32:14)

Why would she say that?

Kirby (32:15)

She has the exact same teeth that she's had for two decades in the public spotlight. A b. One of their arguments was, nobody's teeth are that white. I begged to motherfucking differ. Like, I am sorry. You can bleach your teeth and get them extremely white. And there is something that you can Tell when a tooth. Well, I mean, good veneers look like a real tooth. They have some translucency to them.

Sarah (32:40)

Right. And it's not. It's not completely white white. Like, they do a little bit of the, like, yellow shading. Yes, yes.

Kirby (32:46)

But if you want to know if something's truly veneers, they're all the same size, and they're all, like, opaquely white where it looks like a cartoon. Good veneers can look natural. So I understand what this person may be trying to say, but I'm like, I. I even looked it up. Nowhere had she ever said she ever gotten veneers. So I'm like, you're sorely mistaken. But it's. It's one of those things where now everybody knows what the term veneers is. They know what a facelift is. They know what a bluff is. And I'm seeing medical professionals get online and speculate or talk about what they thought. So. And so did. And I hate to break it to you guys, but 80% of the time, when you see somebody older, let's say midlife, and they look different, they have just gotten older. They have lost fat in their face.

Sarah (33:37)

I was gonna say, especially with, like, a lot of people being on a GLP1.

Kirby (33:41)

Yep.

Sarah (33:41)

You just look different when you lose.

Kirby (33:43)

Weight, you lose fat in your face. Your face sags. And I think people now, when they don't like the way somebody looks, they attribute it to bad filler or bad plastic surgery because they don't know the difference. And I'm like, you don't like the way they look because they look older. And that's a personal problem.

Sarah (34:03)

Yeah. We never talked about this, and I don't really know if we should, but I just want to say everyone should just leave Mandy Moore alone.

Kirby (34:09)

Y' all have got to leave Mandy Moore alone.

Sarah (34:11)

And I need a Disney princess alone.

Kirby (34:14)

Yeah.

Sarah (34:15)

Like, she's done so much for us, Kandy.

Kirby (34:18)

I'm just Rapunzel. I hate even mentioning it, because I don't even want to draw attention. I know that's such a negative thing that people are saying about her, but I'm like.

Sarah (34:26)

And again, people just like, creating content around taking her down. And professionals, like, doctors.

Kirby (34:33)

Yep. They're like, she got a bad bleph. She's probably on Ozempic. And I'm like, she lost her house in the fire. So did her family.

Sarah (34:41)

Like, she's also in her 40s now. Like, leave this woman alone.

Kirby (34:46)

If you have a hooded lid. Anyone with a hooded lid. That's gotten older knows that your fat on your orbital area decreases over time. Like, I'm not going to sit here and pretend like maybe she didn't get anything done.

Sarah (34:59)

Right.

Kirby (35:00)

But I also think it's so crazy that people think they know everything because in large part due to these actual medical professionals. Doctors. Yes. That have clients. I tell you one thing. Any of these plastic surgeons or cosmetic derms doing these. This is what so and so did. There's one in particular on Tik Tok that I'm like, this man has never had a celebrity client in his life.

Sarah (35:26)

Yeah.

Kirby (35:26)

But he makes his money by calling him.

Sarah (35:30)

By taking them down.

Kirby (35:31)

Yes. And I'm like, he's not even a plastic surgeon. He's a cosmetic dermatologist. So all that to say we really gotta just chill. And honestly, I think it's more of a commentary on like how you view women getting older when you have to push upon them that they got some sort of bad surgery or bad filler or whatever and you're not just accepting the fact that they're not gonna look the same as they did 20 years ago. Yeah.

Sarah (35:59)

But then when someone does something like Kris Jenner, then you're like, okay, but your hands still look old.

Kirby (36:06)

Mm. That. That. Okay. And then Joanna Wiley chimed in on this and said, honestly, I think it's the resurgence of the facelift. Not that it ever went away, but it's back in the conversation again after seeming like a dated procedure. I also think we're seeing a lot of skin care that is all about lifting and plumping in large part due to the number of people losing volume in their face due to GLP1s, I think peptides, growth factors, et cetera. The language around, quote unquote, anti aging seems less focused on wrinkles and more on lifting. And yes, I agree, firming as well.

Sarah (36:35)

Do we have anything like positive that happens this year, would you say?

Kirby (36:40)

I mean, what are. I think there's a lot of positivity in here. Okay, okay. Lush was okay. Korean beauty, boom. The experts for sure.

Sarah (36:48)

Okay, thank you. I need a little bit of. I need a little uplifting there.

Kirby (36:51)

Yeah, I think the last ones were a little. But most of it I think was positive.

Sarah (36:57)

Yeah.

Kirby (36:57)

Now there are a few that I did want to call out that these are not full fledged takeovers by any means. Like I wouldn't associate them with 2025 specifically, but we are starting to see these ramp up and we may see a lot more of it in 2026. So AI usage from undertones to skin analysis to even AI influencers. No, I have seen the AI influencers and it is extremely, extremely scary. It's. We've seen it in entertainment where they have this AI actor that people are up in arms about. The fact that brands may be utilizing AI influencers that look like real people is actually disturbing to me.

Sarah (37:36)

I saw someone post, I don't know if you saw this. They bought a magazine. I can't remember what it was, but I think it was a beauty like magazine and they were awarding, you know, brands and, and people and whatnot. And there was like a photo shoot and then in the small print it said that the photos and the models and everything were generated by AI. Isn't that crazy? I can't remember who was on the COVID because they like commented on the video and they're like, oh my God, I can't believe that because I'm on the COVID of this magazine.

Kirby (38:04)

Wow.

Sarah (38:04)

But yeah, I feel like, I mean we know as two people who used to work in traditional media and editorial, the teams are just getting smaller and you know, people are leaning on technology like this to replace real professionals. So that's actually pretty concerning.

Kirby (38:23)

Yeah. But you know what, there were some comments from some glam jelenas that I thought were interesting. So Yvonne G says AI is being used for everything from detailed skin analysis to creating custom product formulations, custom makeup application techniques and virtual try ons allowing for highly tailored routines that address individual needs and concerns. We are for sure seeing this and it's only gonna get more and more popular next year. And then Olivia Lovejoy said, I understand the worries with AI and I'm usually on the slow it down train, but I think it was in this group where someone mentioned using chat GPT to find your undertones and help with better matches on your complexion products. Or it was TikTok. So I did it and for the first time I think I'm figuring out my undertones and hitting the mark. I do think it can be used for good. I do.

Sarah (39:07)

I actually used it once because I was looking for my shade match in a different brand and I was like, I'm usually, you know, 2.5 N and Dior, blah blah blah, like what would I be here? And it helped, it worked.

Kirby (39:18)

And is Amaya French mentioned how they're utilizing AI for swatching and things of that nature?

Sarah (39:25)

Yeah, I do. You're right, it can be used for good.

Kirby (39:28)

And then we have just two quick ones. Anti aging gets a facelift itself. So longevity serums have hit the Market. We saw them from Tatcha, BareMinerals, Sisley One Skin, and it's kind of anti aging, repackaged in a way. And then we had several brands. Shut downs. Not necessarily a trend, but there were a lot of them that made waves. So Ami Cole being the most important. Honestly, Flower Beauty Drew Barrymore's brand quietly shut down. Ren was a big one for people. And then Youth Foria, which I think people saw the writing on the wall for.

Sarah (40:04)

Yep.

Kirby (40:04)

Okay, Sarah, before we go.

Sarah (40:06)

Yes.

Kirby (40:06)

My question to you, and I'm gonna make it easy.

Sarah (40:09)

Thank you.

Kirby (40:10)

What were three products that defined 2025 for you?

Sarah (40:14)

Oh, my gosh. I was gonna ask you that question, and then I was like, I don't know. That's kind of hard. Okay. The first, I would say, is the Mary Phillips MPH beauty contour palette. I have used that every day since I received it. The l' Or Disruta, I am almost empty. All of the fragrances from that brand, I always get complimented. I have sold some people on disfruta, too. It's just a beautiful, beautiful fragrance. Can you go and then come back to me?

Kirby (40:42)

Yes.

Sarah (40:42)

Okay.

Kirby (40:43)

My first one, Prada Paradox, discovered it this year. Definitely not created this year, but I discovered it this year. I can't get enough. Sell it to me in a gallon refill. This is a perfume that I smelled on someone else. Started using the one I had at home, which was Virtual Flower, then got a travel size of the original, and then have now ever since. I just bought another refill. I have every size imaginable. If they sent me one that was as tall as me, I would cry. I'm not kidding. I'm so obsessed with this fragrance. It is perfect for me, and I wear it every single day, and I always get compliments. I should make a super cut. Of the amount of people that have asked me what I'm wearing, the second would be too faced Pillow balm, Banana Kiss. This was one that we tested on the podcast. I already knew I loved pillow balm, but I had never tried Banana Kiss. I turned on so many people to Banana Kiss.

Sarah (41:40)

I did.

Kirby (41:41)

I'm fully obsessed with this. If you have not tried pillow balm, you are missing out. It's unlike any other balm on the market. It looks like a gloss in its packaging, and it truly does cushion and hydrate your lips in a way unlike any of these other balms on the market. I'll just put it that way. And then lastly, I'm going to say dibs. Double standard mascara. Duo. They totally did their big one with that mascara. I'm fully obsessed with it. And the brown tubing primer needs to be sold as an individual product because that, by far and away, was the standout from that duo. And our listeners were just as obsessed as I was. Yeah.

Sarah (42:25)

Okay, I'm gonna call out. It was a big year for blush, as we know. I loved so many. I used so many. But one that I have used ever since that it has come out. And we just talked about this recently. The summer Fridays blush butter bomb. I just remember opening it up and being like, oh, my God, this is so exciting, because I just was, like, so bored by so many things, you know, I mean, and I say that, like, coming from a place of privilege, Kirby and I get to try so many cool new products. But oftentimes things can be repetitive. And as you know, people like to do people, and so a lot of things are, like, sort of the same. And I really felt like this was really innovative and fun, and it felt very much like the brand, like, Mariana and Lauren. Like, it was easy to, you know, it looked nice and glowy, but it was very pigmented. It stayed on your face throughout the day. It came in so many gorgeous colors, and I just. I truly love it so much. What was your favorite shade, Kirby?

Kirby (43:25)

The terracotta, which is like a deeper. Like, it's like a bronze. Yeah, yeah. Bronzy red, like, blush.

Sarah (43:34)

My favorite is the dusty rose, which is like, like, cool, like. Yeah. Rose pink. But they're all really good.

Kirby (43:41)

I love the packaging of those. And I love the double ended blush brush.

Sarah (43:46)

It's the best. It's the best.

Kirby (43:47)

Even if you don't buy the actual blushes, which you should buy the brush. It's worth every penny. I use it every single day. I'm obsessed and going back to mph. I also use it every day. Although I've hit pan on the contour on my contour. They need to make refillable. They do contours for these palettes. But I'm obsessed. And her brushes are also.

Sarah (44:11)

And I just want to say, in terms of packaging, both the contour palette and the blush, I appreciate that there's a mirror.

Kirby (44:18)

Yeah.

Sarah (44:18)

Because, like, so many blushes, obviously, like, you know, they're here, they look cute, but they don't have a mirror. So I. I need to see myself when I'm reapplying.

Kirby (44:27)

It would be great if both brands made those refillable, by the way. Check it out. All right, let us know what products made the biggest impact for you. What what products define 2025 for you? I always love asking people this because you get a look inside their beauty routines and we will be back with one final episode of 2025 and then back the 6th, hopefully of January. Sarah's birthday.

Sarah (44:54)

Fingers crossed.

Kirby (44:55)

Sarah's birthday January 6th. We'll see you then. Psoriatic arthritis symptoms can be unpredictable. I had joint pain and I couldn't move like I used to.

Sarah (45:15)

I needed relief.

Kirby (45:18)

I got Cosentyx. It helped me move better.

Ryan Reynolds (45:22)

Cosentyx Secukenumab is prescribed for people 2 years of age and older with active psoriatic arthritis. Don't use if you're allergic to Cosentyx. Before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur like tuberculosis or other serious bacterial, fungal or viral infections. Some were fatal. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough, had a vaccine or planned to, or if inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen serious allergic reactions and severe eczema like skin reactions may occur. Learn more at 1-844-cosentics or cosentics.com.

Kirby (46:03)

Ask your rheumatologist about Cosentix.