Why Sonya Dakar's Career Is Over, Sephora's Quiet Hours & Beyoncé's Brilliant Cécred Marketing Play

Summary

Podcast Summary: Gloss Angeles

Episode: "Why Sonya Dakar's Career Is Over, Sephora's Quiet Hours & Beyoncé's Brilliant Cécred Marketing Play"
Hosts: Kirbie Johnson & Sara Tan
Release Date: June 30, 2026

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Overview

In this episode, beauty journalists Kirbie Johnson and Sara Tan break down trending beauty headlines, sharing insider insight and candid opinions on:

• The end of celebrity aesthetician Sonya Dakar’s career following legal issues,
• Bath & Body Works’ surprising retail partnership with Ulta,
• Beyoncé’s deeply personal and strategically brilliant Cécred campaign,
• Sephora’s rollout of “quiet hours” and its impact on the beauty retail experience.

As always, the show blends industry expertise with relatable banter, making it a must-listen for beauty enthusiasts navigating pop culture and product trends.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mini Product Obsessions & Sephora Shopping Struggles

Timestamps: 01:22–05:20

• Mini One/Size Powder Melt Launch: Kirbie gifts a travel-size One/Size Powder Melt to Sara, sparking a conversation about the popularity of mini products and the pervasive out-of-stock issues at Sephora Century City.
• Consumer Experience: Both hosts lament Sephora’s perennial lack of stock, joking about “consumerism final boss” energy. Miniatures are celebrated for travel-friendliness and as impulse buys.
• Product Shoutouts: The “Do Instant Angel Moisturizer” is lauded as the most mentioned product among podcast guests, demonstrating trends via influencer chatter.

“I’m not leaving here without buying something. Consumerism final boss, okay?” —Kirbie (02:58)

“I really do like that it’s the exact same component as the big one, just small.” —Kirbie (05:07)

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2. Bath & Body Works Partners with Ulta

Timestamps: 05:20–11:19

• Partnership Details: Bath & Body Works will offer a curated range of body care and home fragrance products at over 600 Ulta stores and Ulta.com, beginning July.
• Industry Impact: Hosts debate the business logic, noting retail proximity (Ulta and Bath & Body Works often coexist in suburban areas) and how this move mirrors the Ulta/Target “shop-in-shop” alliance.
• Product Range: Only select iconic scents and bestsellers (e.g., fragrance mists, body creams, soaps, candles) will appear at Ulta.
• Consumer Perspective: Hosts highlight the appeal for zillennial and millennial shoppers, and recount the viral “Appleton” Bath & Body Works story for nostalgia and humor.

“I feel like every single day Sephora and Ulta are trying to one-up each other.” —Kirbie (05:51)

“All traffic to Cécred. And it documented Jay Z’s hair journey…with the help of Cécred’s hair products.” —Sara (19:01)

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3. Sonya Dakar’s License Revoked: Legal Fallout

Timestamps: 11:20–18:49

• Background Recap: Sonya Dakar, famed Beverly Hills aesthetician, was sued after irreparably burning client Victoria Nelson’s face. The Attorney General and State Board filed against Dakar, with legal proceedings being widely covered in beauty media.
• Outcome: Instead of a public administrative hearing, a settlement resulted in Dakar surrendering her esthetician and establishment licenses. The surrender is equivalent to revocation—a “scarlet A” in the industry.
• Future Prospects: Dakar can never practice again in California. Her clinic is closed, and the hosts ponder the fate of her branded facility.
• Restitution: Dakar must pay $17,000 for investigation costs and $70,000 to the injured client, covering medical treatments and damages.
• Industry Reflection: Hosts reference numerous horror stories from past employees and question why she was allowed to resume practice after previous misconduct.

“She essentially settled by giving her estheticians and establishment license over. This is a Scarlet A on an esthetician to the board.” —Kirbie (14:35)

“She will never be able to practice in the state of California ever again.” —Kirbie (14:59)

“Justice has been served. Congratulations, Victoria.” —Sara (18:49)

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4. Beyoncé’s Cécred “Blueprint” Campaign — Strategic Brilliance

Timestamps: 18:54–27:42

• The Campaign: Beyoncé releases a heartfelt YouTube video (on Cécred’s channel only) documenting Jay Z’s transformation from locs back to an afro, with Beyoncé narrating and appearing alongside Blue Ivy.
• Marketing Genius: Hosts note the exclusivity (not shared on her personal channels), the emotional narrative (Jay Z’s hair journey motivated by Blue Ivy’s self-confidence), and the subtle but effective product demo of Cécred’s detangling and conditioning products.
• Personal Touch: The campaign featured Leticia Ravello (Jay’s stylist), Beyoncé’s direct involvement, and showcased the importance of Black hair care, highlighting authenticity and emotional resonance.
• Celebrity Branding Critique: The hosts compare Beyoncé’s subtle approach to hands-on founders like Rihanna or Selena Gomez. They speculate she doesn’t enjoy “selling” and prefers performing or letting the products speak for themselves.

“It’s like hearing God speak.” —Kirbie (20:00)

“We want to see her. And we want to see her... She attracts. She doesn’t force.” —Kirbie (24:33, 27:39)

“Only Beyoncé and her team could do this... First we got to hear her, then we got to see her, like, relationship with Jay. Then we got to see Blue.” —Sara (21:53)

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5. Sephora Rolls Out “Quiet Hours”

Timestamps: 27:44–32:04

• The Problem: Sephora stores are often crowded, loud, and overstimulating (for neurodiverse shoppers and others). Both hosts express frustration with the in-store environment, especially during peak hours.
• Initiative Details: Sephora is launching designated “quiet hours,” reducing music, bright screens, and harsh lighting for a calmer atmosphere. Hours vary by location (typically 1 hour blocks, e.g., Tuesdays/Thursdays 12–1).
• Broader Retail Context: Inspired by neurodiversity feedback and similar to senior hours in supermarkets.
• Host Take: Both applaud the move as progressive and inclusive. Kirbie jokes about banning teens before noon for ultimate peace; Sara notes the risks of lost revenue.
• The Social Experience: Despite the chaos, the hosts love the community aspect and people-watching in Sephora, but wish for fewer disruptions.

“Sephora has announced that they are rolling out quiet hours. This is a quote inclusive initiative aimed at anyone who enjoys a more peaceful and calmer shopping environment.” —Kirbie (28:47)

“Why don’t we do some quiet hours, like, I don’t know, 10 to 12... and from like 4 to 8?” —Kirbie (30:20)

“If you struggle to focus, it is really a lot to deal with.” —Kirbie (29:49)

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6. Closing Thoughts & Community Questions

Timestamps: 32:04–32:42

• Listener Qs: The hosts invite feedback on the Cécred video, Sonya Dakar news, Bath & Body Works at Ulta, and preferences for Sephora’s quiet hours.
• Retail Realness: Quick tales of Sephora store chaos (“DJ on Saturdays!”), stolen/damaged inventory, and the social scene—hinting at future episodes.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Sonya Dakar’s downfall: “This is a Scarlet A on an esthetician to the board.” —Kirbie (14:35)
• On Beyoncé’s campaign: “It’s like hearing God speak.” —Kirbie (20:00)
• On shopping at Sephora: “Consumerism final boss, okay?” —Kirbie (02:58)
• On Cécred, Beyoncé, and personal branding: “She attracts. She doesn’t force. She attracts.” —Sara (27:40)

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Timestamps of Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|--------------| | Mini Powder Melt & Sephora Stock Woes | 01:22–05:20 | | Ulta + Bath & Body Works Partnership | 05:20–11:19 | | Sonya Dakar’s License Revocation | 11:20–18:49 | | Beyoncé’s Cécred Campaign Breakdown | 18:54–27:42 | | Sephora “Quiet Hours” Explained | 27:44–32:04 |

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Tone & Language

• Conversational and insider-y: Equal parts expert industry analysis and candid friendship banter.
• Witty and irreverent, often poking fun at themselves and the industry.
• Genuine, with admiration for beauty retail’s progress and concern for consumer and worker experience.

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Recap

This Gloss Angeles episode unpacks seismic moments and subtle shifts in the beauty retail landscape—from legal reckonings and retail collabs to celebrity marketing masterstrokes and much-needed inclusion efforts in stores. At every turn, Kirbie and Sara deliver insight, humor, and heart, inviting listeners to join their ongoing beauty conversation.

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For beauty lovers, industry insiders, and pop culture watchers alike, this episode delivers must-know news and plenty to discuss—whether or not you caught it firsthand.

Transcript

[Kirby]

ACAST powers the world's best podcasts.

[Sarah]

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[Chris Guillebeau]

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[Sarah]

acast helps creators launch, grow, and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com. G l a m los angeles hi, kirby. Hi, sarah. Welcome to los angeles.

[Kirby]

Sarah.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

Hold out your hands. I have something. No, you have to put it together. I have something that's going to make your life so much better. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. She got it. She got it. She's gonna fall over. It is.

[Chris Guillebeau]

Oh, my God.

[Kirby]

You don't even know.

[Sarah]

I lost my big one packet.

[Kirby]

No, no, stop. You have to tell the people what you're looking at.

[Sarah]

Sorry, I forgot that not all of you are watching. Why aren't you watching? Okay, for the listeners, Kirby just threw

[Kirby]

a baby mini powder melt. She's so little. Okay, powder melt is in travel size. I don't know if this is a new development, but I had searched long and far for a travel size powder melt.

[Sarah]

Did you purchase this?

[Kirby]

Yes, I bought it. I went to a Sephora because I was looking for the Prada lip gloss in banana.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

Which I need to.

[Sarah]

Nowhere to be found.

[Kirby]

Nowhere to be found. But also, the Century City Sephora never has anything in stock that I need. Every single time I go there, I'm not kidding. I'm like, oh, just like go in and see if they have it. Nope. Never.

[Sarah]

It's the one flaw.

[Kirby]

It is literally the one flaw. I don't know if it's so busy that they just don't keep stuff in stock or their stock that they have for the day is gone by the time I get there. Literally has nothing in stock. Figure it out. Please, I'm begging you. Like, and I've been in there twice. No banana gloss.

[Sarah]

Really?

[Kirby]

No.

[Sarah]

That's so crazy.

[Kirby]

Like the Universal and the Banana both at my a. Is Prada at Nordstrom? So I went to Nordstrom and was like, where's your product counter? And they were like, we don't have it yet. It's coming.

[Sarah]

Oh, it's coming. Okay.

[Kirby]

Yes.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Kirby]

Anyways, so when I was in Sephora, I said, I'm not leaving here without buying something. Consumerism final boss. Okay. And then I like. I'm like, you know what? Always love a mini. Let's see what they got. And these were fully stuck stocked. Wow.

[Sarah]

I'm surprised you didn't buy the whole

[Kirby]

suite of them, if I'm being honest. I bought two for me and then said, no, I must give away.

[Sarah]

So.

[Kirby]

So that is my gift to me, but also your gift for you.

[Sarah]

Thank you. I really have been like. Because I will not go to Sephora and buy myself it. I will wait until someone sends it to me. But I haven't asked for it. And I lost my big one. And I really have been, like, very stressed.

[Kirby]

1s did me a huge solid and sent me four large ones after hearing me obsess over it. And now I'm just like, I need the travel size. Yes. Yes. This is. I think this is the number one most talked about product, not only for us, but for guests on this podcast.

[Sarah]

It is.

[Kirby]

It is brought up every single time we ask someone what's on their face. That and the do Instant angel moisturizer.

[Sarah]

Yeah. We're not even like, prompting anyone.

[Kirby]

No, no. Every single time we're like, yeah, we talked about that last week. Yeah. We brought it. Like, I was going through our shop. My. And I think the most mentions is due.

[Sarah]

Yeah. Oh, interesting.

[Kirby]

Yes.

[Sarah]

Good for you.

[Kirby]

Do all of our guests. We've talked about do a lot, but all of our guests are like, love Instant Angel.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

Or the Serum.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Kirby]

And then this guy, this little babe. One size powder melt. It's the powder melt. It's the powder melt.

[Sarah]

It is the powder.

[Kirby]

I know. Like, some people are obsessed with the setting spray.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

For me, personally, I just stick to Scandinavia. That's my jam.

[Sarah]

Yep.

[Kirby]

But one size powder melt, man, I don't know what is in this. I don't care what's in this.

[Sarah]

I also just love that it's small. We can bring it everywhere now.

[Kirby]

I know you can fit it.

[Sarah]

This is such a game changer for us.

[Kirby]

I know.

[Sarah]

Because you can't bring the big one everywhere. It's too big. To throw into your purse Travel.

[Kirby]

I really do like that. It's the exact same component as the big one, just small.

[Sarah]

Thank you so much. While you made my day, actually thank

[Kirby]

yourself because I purchased this with company money.

[Sarah]

Thank you.

[Kirby]

When I was a cash register, I was like, you know what? We're going to build Los Angeles for this one. Here you go. So thank you. Welcome to yourself. Yes. Okay. There's some huge news and that is that you can start buying Bath and Body works products at Ulta Beauty.

[Sarah]

That is crazy to me.

[Kirby]

I am so fascinated with this information. I feel like every single day Sephora and Ulta are trying to one up each other.

[Sarah]

Totally.

[Kirby]

Like every single day there is some kind of news. We're like, oh, well, you went to TikTok shop. Well, we did this. Oh yeah. Well, now we're gonna sell Bath and Body works.

[Sarah]

This is so interesting to me though, because I, as someone who lives like in an area that has a lot more like strip malls and like it's a little bit more suburban, I feel like every Ulta I see there's not a Bath and Body Works too far away.

[Kirby]

So you make a very valid point. This is something that was brought up online a lot. Like, was it, Was this going to work? Where I live, an Ulta is literally right next to a Bath and Body Work.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

And this is kind of the same conversation that happened with the Ultas in Target.

[Sarah]

Yes. The shop and shop.

[Kirby]

Yes. So I'm really curious to see how this works. A lot of people got worried that their Bath and Body works may be shut down because of this new format of it being available at an Ulta. I don't think that's happening. I think Bath and Body Works is such a huge money maker. I think this is actually a better opportunity for Ulta than it maybe is for Bath and Body Works. Maybe Bath and Body Works sees Ulta as a more sophisticated beauty consumer and wants to get them with the fragrances of it all.

[Sarah]

Yeah, well, that's my question. Obviously you cannot fit a whole Bath and Body Works store in an Ulta. So what is going to be carried at an Ulta?

[Kirby]

Okay, so this is according to the Bath and Body Works website. They have an official press release. It says that it's expanding its reach through a new strategic partnership with Ulta Beauty, bringing a curated assortment of body care and home furniture Fragrance products to 600 plus stores nationwide and Ulta.com beginning in July. And it says that the partnership advances Bath and Body Works consumer first formula, expanding access and it's designed specifically for the Ulta beauty consumer, which means things like their iconic signature scents and fine fragrance mists, body creams, hand soaps, etc, will be available. Things like their three wick candles, their wallflowers. So I feel like this is not competitive with what Ulta has to offer, because Ulta really isn't in the home fragrance, but there is that crossover with fragrance.

[Sarah]

Right, right.

[Kirby]

So it's kind of like, okay, we're gonna meet people where they're at. We're gonna try to latch onto that Ulta consumer and convert them to Bath and Body Works. Make them want to actually maybe visit a Bath and Body Works store or shop online.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Kirby]

Or if you have Ulta Points, everybody loves the Ulta Rewards program. You're now going to be able to purchase some of the more popular fragrances on Ulta.com.

[Sarah]

totally. Oh, my gosh, that's so crazy. And then also, like the millennial Gen X consumers boomers who love Bath and Body. When you go into an Ulta now, you can just throw it in your cart, too.

[Kirby]

Yeah, I think. I mean, I truly think that is like the biggest benefit here is these zillennial millennial women. Who remembers Appleton? Does anybody does that?

[Sarah]

Yes. Recall, it wasn't my favorite.

[Kirby]

Okay, well, no, no, no, no, no, no. Appleton. No.

[Sarah]

Was it not. Not the fragrance. It.

[Kirby]

Appleton was this place in Wisconsin. I'm talking about a viral video.

[Sarah]

Oh, sorry, I thought you were talking about the apple scented one.

[Kirby]

No, okay. No, no. There is this viral video. I'm not even going to get into it. You all know what I'm talking. If you know, you know, look up Appleton. I will send you this video. It was extremely viral. When?

[Sarah]

Been on you guys for a week to try to get these candles.

[Kirby]

And with you telling me that they

[Sarah]

were here, and I came and I

[Kirby]

carted myself and my mother all the way to Appleton to get these mother effing candles. You know what this goddamn Jen says to me?

[Sarah]

I can give you some coupons and put these in your bag.

[Kirby]

And I said, jen, I have every single coupon that Bath and Body Works has. It was a woman basically going apeshit on Bath and Body Works for not carrying a specific fragrance that she had wanted, and she had to drive to Appleton to get it from her home. I mean, it was a big deal.

[Sarah]

Cucumber mint?

[Kirby]

No, no, I can't remember. It was something like Cherry Orchard. I don't even remember. But it was a time. It was a time. And I really think about them I. I actually think Bath and Body Works did something with her recently.

[Sarah]

Wow. They found her. They tracked her down.

[Kirby]

I mean, she was really like, the face of Bath and Body Works women for a minute. So.

[Sarah]

Wow. Can you imagine if you went ape shit in the Sephora Century City for not having.

[Kirby]

And then Sephora's like, we have no other option but to pay her to stay on her good side.

[Sarah]

Exactly.

[Kirby]

Maybe.

[Sarah]

Maybe she was on something.

[Kirby]

Maybe we should do that. Anyways, you can shop Bath and body works@ Ulta and Ulta.com beginning this July.

[Sarah]

I wonder if they'll have their fun, you know, collaborations that they do, like, with Disney Croc. Or wait, did they do a Croc?

[Kirby]

I think they did a Crocsman.

[Sarah]

Okay. Yeah. They've just. They do so many fun ones. The Halloween one with, like, the villains, the Disney villains. That one was so good.

[Kirby]

I know. I have so many of those, and I literally have to tell Bath and Body Works to please stop sending them to me unsolicited, because I. I have nowhere to put word. I'm like, only so much room in my house.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

Like, you're like, it only at some point.

[Chris Guillebeau]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

Like, we. I have nowhere else to put all of this stuff.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

I'm like, maybe I should put that. Put it on, like, Facebook. Marketplace.

[Sarah]

Oh, my God. People would go.

[Kirby]

People would be like, way.

[Sarah]

That Appleton lady, she'd buy it from you.

[Kirby]

Appleton. Okay. Legal news. You may recall we talked about this last year because it was a huge news story. It was covered by everybody. It was about Sonia Dakar and how she irreparably burned a client's face in her practice in Beverly Hills. That client, Victoria Nelson, ended up suing Sonia Dakar as well as her former attorney, and got the State Board involved. So the Attorney General of California and the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology in the state of California filed a suit against Sonia Dakar. And they were supposed to go to court last week or the week before. And Victoria Nelson, the client, was going to be a witness in this. Not trial, but it was essentially like a hearing, administrative hearing.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Kirby]

Yes. She was going to be there to provide witness support. And, I mean, all you have to do is look at her face.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

And know that something terrible happened. Well, then a week later, Victoria's like, the administrative hearing was no longer. The State Board and the Attorney General settled out of court with Sonia Dakar, which was kind of a blow to everyone because we were all kind of like, justice needs to be served. What happened here? This is Crazy. Also, I personally wanted to hear from Sonia her explanation for all of these shenanigans, to be quite frank. And then the day before we filmed this, which it was Wednesday, Victoria got on Instagram and relayed the decision. And what happened to Sonia in terms of discipline? Her license has been revoked and so has her establishment's license.

[Sarah]

Were they not revoked already or had they been?

[Kirby]

No. So, okay, yes and no. As you may recall, Sonia Dakar bit a state board inspector in 2008.

[Sarah]

Right, right, right, right, right.

[Kirby]

Her license was essentially revoked pending. If she followed, you know, three years of being on probation, she could potentially get it back. I guess that she did what she had to do and then she ended up getting it back. Last year when all this drama was happening, her license wasn't revoked. It just wasn't up to date. They forgot to pay the fee, and so they paid the fee and they got it brought back up to date. The way that this was worded was interesting to me because it said she, quote unquote, surrendered not only her esthetician's license, but also her establishment license. And I'm like, okay, so they like left it up to her to do it. And that's exactly what happened. So instead of going through all this litigation and all this legal back and forth, which costs a lot of time and money and also probably has a bunch of unsavory things that she's not going to want to have in the public eye, she essentially settled by giving her estheticians and establishment license over. This is a Scarlet A on an esthetician to the board.

[Chris Guillebeau]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

If you surrender these things, if you ever want to try to petition to get reinstated, it's never going to happen. Yeah, there's just no way. It's. It, it's not a revocation, but it's very. It's essentially the same thing, except they gave her the opportunity to do it herself versus it being a disciplinary thing where they just took it away. She will. The. The bottom line is she will never be able to practice in the state of California ever again.

[Sarah]

And her clinic is closed as well,

[Kirby]

so she doesn't have an establishment license anymore.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Kirby]

So I don't really know what she could do.

[Sarah]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Was she still working?

[Kirby]

I don't know. I don't know the details of that. Like, once this lawsuit was brought against her, I don't know.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Kirby]

She had a up to date license.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Kirby]

But I don't know if she was. I mean, I know her Instagram page was actively posting stuff like nothing happened.

[Sarah]

Yes. Okay.

[Kirby]

But at this point, I think that Sonia is going to have to pour all of her efforts into this skincare brand because she is no longer going to be practicing. And I have no idea what they're going to do with that large triangular facility at the corner of Century City in Beverly Hills anymore that has her name all over it. Because, I mean, Google this woman and every headline from the New York Times to the cut talks about the fact that she irreparably burned somebody by using a treatment that she was not authorized to use.

[Sarah]

Right. And now all of the estheticians that currently work there will no longer have a place to work out of.

[Kirby]

That would be the right way to think of it, but who knows?

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

Where is anybody employed there?

[Sarah]

Okay. Okay.

[Kirby]

This woman has so many legal issues. I mean, not. First of all, she never should have been able to practice again after biting a state board inspector. I'm just saying, like, the state board was way too lenient. Like, okay, give it three years, and then you can reapply and then you're like, back into the fold. I think that they're insane for that. But she had employees that brought suits against her for being, you know, prejudice in certain ways.

[Sarah]

We have friends off the record who have worked for her in some capacity and have shared just horror stories about the way that they.

[Kirby]

That she treated them 100%. There are so many stories from so many different people being like, I don't know how she was still in business. First of all, that place was basically desolate. Like, there was nobody in there ever.

[Sarah]

How old is she?

[Kirby]

I don't know. This is the other thing, too. I'm like, babe, the ship has sailed. Like, like, you're never. Yeah, it's not going to happen. Also, like, she has ongoing litigation with her ex husband and her son.

[Sarah]

Okay. Too. This is too much.

[Kirby]

It's too much. It's too much. It's too much for capitalism. Like, retire. Like, you will be fine. I know you will be fine. And yeah, I mean, the amount of people that were commenting on Victoria's posts being like, it was like Rene Verlo was in there, you know, Candace Marino. It was like Caroline hiring girls. Like, all the girls were in there. Like, thank you. You did the right thing. Like, huge step for, you know, our industry.

[Sarah]

So she could have just given up, but she was like, no.

[Kirby]

Oh, this is the other part. So Sonia not only has to pay the board for the amount it costs to investigate this, which is around $17,000. But then she also has to pay Victoria restitution to the tune of about $70,000, which Victoria claimed was what she had to pay out of pocket for things like the micro needling that Sonia told her that she needed. And then also there had been stories over the years where people would go in and get treatments and then walk out and then be like, okay, your treatment was this. And then here's all the products. It's $2,000. And then they put it on a recurring charge. And then people are calling, being like, stop charging my mother this much. She never signed up for this. So. Yeah.

[Sarah]

Does Victoria also include the money that she has spent to correct.

[Kirby]

Yes.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Kirby]

Yes.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Kirby]

Yeah. I think that's, like, tacked on to it as well. Justice has been served.

[Sarah]

Justice has been served. Congratulations, Victoria.

[Kirby]

Okay. Do you have something that you want to talk about?

[Sarah]

I do. Has anyone else watched the Beyonce Sacred blueprint campaign video?

[Kirby]

Yes.

[Sarah]

Okay. In true Beyonce fashion, she dropped this video on Sacred's YouTube. Not hers, not Jay Z's, only Sacred. You had to go to Sacred's YouTube to watch this? I looked even on her Instagram, and she didn't even, like, have it in her stories or anything. So all traffic to Sacred. And it documented Jay Z's hair journey from locks to an Afro with the help of Sacred's hair products. So earlier this month, Jay Z performed at the roots picnic, and he sported this beautiful, fresh new afro, which was really surprising to a lot of his fans because for almost a decade, he has been wearing locks that were fashioned into wicks. And in an interview with gq, his hairstylist Leticia Ravello shared that it took six days to comb out. And this is what the video documents. It's narrated by Beyonce. And when I sent it to Kirby, she was like, it's like hearing God speaks.

[Kirby]

It really is, because we don't get

[Sarah]

to hear her talk anymore. Like, she does very little press. The only time we ever hear her speak is, like, through very calculated, strategic, like, videos or on her, you know, on tour, like, you know, during her performances. But, like, that's it. That's all you get. So this was, like, such a treat to hear. The video was, like, five, seven minutes long. So it was, like, pretty lengthy. And it just showed how she transformed with, obviously, the help of Leticia, because she didn't do it herself, though there was a lot of video of her, like, doing it on Jay, this hair transformation and what I thought was really special, which, you know, tugs at the heartstrings. She Said that the reason Jay decided to grow his hair out into locs in the first place years and years ago was because when Blue was five, she said that she wasn't confident about her hair, and he grew it to show Blue that her hair was like his hair. And then she said we really wanted her to love and embrace every inch of her gorgeous curls. So throughout the video, you're seeing Leticia and Beyonce comb out the locks using the detangling spray from Sacred, the moisturizing deep conditioner, and the moisture sealing lotion. His hair was, like, so beautiful, even being in locks for that long. Like, apparently he takes really, really good care of his hair. Even, like, just breaking it and brushing it and combing it out. Like, it was just, like, so well taken care of. Then Leticia does a braid down, which then results in this, like, wavy texture for his afro. At the end of it, you're just like, this is such a strong strategic marketing campaign. Only Beyonce and her team could do this. First we got to hear her, then we got to see her, like, relationship with Jay. Then we got to see Blue.

[Kirby]

Yeah, Blue was in there helping, too.

[Sarah]

Yeah. Like, it just felt like, ugh. And, you know, obviously, so beautifully done.

[Kirby]

I also like that Leticia was highlighted, because oftentimes groomers don't get a ton of press.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

Because for men, it's kind of like, okay, I woke up like this. I didn't put a ton of effort into my look. I. I don't wear makeup, I don't do my hair, that type of thing. So it was really nice to give her some shine. Did they also say that there were. There was a hair stylist in Houston that helped out? I thought I heard.

[Sarah]

I think so. Yes.

[Kirby]

Yes. I think Beyonce mentioned, like, a hairstylist. There was someone else, a couple people in Houston that helped as well, which I thought was really cool.

[Sarah]

Yeah, I know. And I think, too, for people who don't understand, like, afros as well, like, how much work actually goes into that to make it look as healthy and beautiful as his. So I just. It was just so beautifully done. Then I was on Instagram today on the way here, and HBO released a video on their Social of a new special with Jay and Rick Rubin. And someone left a comment and said the marketing him and his wife do needs a case study. You get information and insight in a specific and strategic way. We're not here for constant consumption, love. But it is. It's all just, like, very strategic. And I know that they're just trying to Sell things to me. But I love it.

[Kirby]

Listen, we bought. We buy it. We buy it, we buy it.

[Sarah]

And this is exactly what we've been asking for from Beyonce for Sacred. Like, we want to see her using the products, and she really, I feel like, listened and delivered.

[Kirby]

Yeah. Because if there's one thing that we do critique about the brand is, like, it's constantly positioned as if it's Beyonce's brand. But this is really Ms. Tina's brand.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

In my opinion. And in terms of what Beyonce gives as a brand founder, she doesn't give as much as some of the other quote unquote, successful celebrity brand founders.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

Like Re or Selena or Haley or whoever.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Kirby]

Any launch, they are front and center.

[Sarah]

Totally.

[Kirby]

And sometimes I'll be like, oh, there's a new product from Sacred, and it kind of has to be a thing that comes up on my feed almost organically, in a way.

[Sarah]

Yeah. Yeah. And, like, even when we were at Ulta Beauty World, the masterclass was led by Ms. Tina and their CEO. And we've talked about this. It's like, does she really need to do more than what she's doing? No. Like, her fans are still buying the product.

[Kirby]

No.

[Sarah]

But it's really nice to see it.

[Kirby]

Yeah. Because we love her and we want to see her. And we want to see her. Yes.

[Sarah]

And we know that she's passionate about it, so we just want to see how she uses it.

[Kirby]

One of my takes on Beyonce that I don't know if a lot of people will agree with because she is so good at it, because people do want to align with her, is I. I don't think. Okay. It's not that I don't think she's good at selling things. I don't think she likes selling things.

[Sarah]

Yeah. I don't.

[Kirby]

I think it's the Virgo in her, the grounded earth in her. She likes to shine. Right. Like, she likes to perform. That's why she has Sasha Fierce. Like, that's like why she is who she is.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

And then she just disappears.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Kirby]

You don't see her again.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

But there's something about her that I gravitate towards because I'm like, I don't think she actually likes being like. And now use this. Oh, not at all.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

I think she's like, okay, I have other people that can do that for me. My mom worked in the hair salon. This is a natural extension of that. I'll throw my name in there and, like, my face in there when need be. Or in this situation. Jay has this new documentary coming out. Let's put something together and make it worthwhile for the company that we have built. But, yeah, I think that Beyonce, like, yes, she and her husband are like, two of the most rich celebrities in the world. But I. There's something about her that I cling to because I'm like, I know that she actually doesn't like being the Vanna White of, like, buy this product. Yeah.

[Sarah]

I mean, I can't even name, like, any real other partnership she's ever done. She's only ever, like, created the product herself to sell it. Like her. What is her liquor? Is it like a whiskey?

[Kirby]

Oh.

[Sarah]

Or whatever it is.

[Kirby]

Oh, it was Ivy Park. Right.

[Sarah]

That's true. Park.

[Kirby]

And I think that. That. But it went away because she was just like, I don't keep doing this.

[Sarah]

I. I can't. I don't want to.

[Kirby]

Right.

[Sarah]

Like, she just. Again, the strategy behind everything, it's just everything is so intentional and thoughtful. And I know that she has this huge team behind her who's helping her make these decisions. But to your point, like, she doesn't like to be up there spraying the products in her hair, combing her hair. Like, this is. No, I almost think that she liked this because she was doing it on Jay.

[Kirby]

Yes. I agree. I agree. Also, I'm just going to put a little feather in my cap. I wrote about this before the brand launched, that Beyonce does not have to do what every other celebrity brand founder does to have a brand that works.

[Sarah]

She doesn't.

[Kirby]

I. We've been critical of the products in the past in term for me, in terms of the packaging, and I didn't love the smell.

[Sarah]

Yeah. Well, that's like a. I think that's common also. I see people talking about that all the time.

[Kirby]

Right. But I'm obsessed with their scalp scrub. That scalp scrub is so freaking good. And the component it comes in, it's really good stuff. So if you do get an opportunity, which you can. They are at Ulta now, so easy access.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

But yeah, it's such an interesting. You see Beyonce and because she's so famous, you're like, okay, all she does is probably sell. But she really. It's just her being sells.

[Sarah]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kirby]

She doesn't.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

Force.

[Sarah]

She doesn't need to.

[Kirby]

She attracts.

[Sarah]

She attracts.

[Kirby]

She doesn't force. She attracts.

[Sarah]

Yep.

[Kirby]

We gotta love it.

[Sarah]

Way to go, B.

[Kirby]

Okay. The last thing I want to bring up real quick, you know how you walk into a Sephora? I'm really not trying to drag Sephora Okay. I love Sephora. I love Sephora.

[Sarah]

She's literally at Sephora every. Every week.

[Kirby]

So I got my foot on their necks. Yeah, I'm literally always at Sephora. Okay, so you know how you walk into a Sephora at any given point and it's overrun with teenagers screaming and people crowding the walkways? Yes.

[Sarah]

That's why a lot of older women I know do not like to go to Sephora because it's too loud.

[Kirby]

Well, I. Let me just say older women are not immune to being annoying at Sephora because literally, again, walked into Westfield, Century City, Sephora, and grown women probably 30 years my senior, just standing in the walkways as if there were no other human beings running around this place. Get out of the way.

[Sarah]

Oh, my God.

[Kirby]

Get out of the way. Okay, so. And I literally have a note in here.

[Chris Guillebeau]

Note.

[Kirby]

I need to understand why I can never find the products I want.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Kirby]

I'm actually really upset about this.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

So we have reprieve, everyone, because Sephora has announced that they are rolling out quiet hours. This is a quote inclusive initiative aimed at anyone who enjoys a more peaceful and calmer shopping environment, in line with Sephora's commitment to creating a more inclusive and welcoming shopping experience for customers. So at specific times, Sephora stores will turn down the music, adjust the screens, and also the lighting to create a calmer atmosphere with fewer distractions. And the initiative was shaped by listening to the neurodiversity community, including experts such as Open Inclusion and Purposeful Futures, but also internal employee resource groups. They said that a lot of cast members were like, this is chaos. Yeah, we gotta chill it out. Like, it's too much when there's this many people in a store.

[Sarah]

The lights are fluorescent, then the music is blasting.

[Kirby]

If you struggle to focus, it is.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

Really a lot to deal with. So I was looking into it, like, okay, they're rolling this out globally. Is there a set day for everyone? And it really just depends on your store. So I was looking this up on Google and, like, all these different Sephora stores, personal Instagram pages were coming up, like, quiet hours, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 to 1. And I was like, oh, it's just an. It really is just an hour for some people. I don't know if that's standard for all of them.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

But I feel like, why don't we do some quiet hours? Like, I don't know, 10 to 12.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

And then from like 4 to 8.

[Sarah]

Right. That's what. That's what they have at, like, Certain, like, sprouts grocery stores is, like, in the morning for, like, the senior citizens.

[Kirby]

Oh, early birds.

[Sarah]

Early birds. A little bit more quiet. Not so many, like, carts going all

[Kirby]

around, you know, imagine if Sephora was like, no children under the age of 18 in the store before noon. I mean, Your hours are 12 to 4, 30. Otherwise, get the hell out of here.

[Sarah]

That's great.

[Kirby]

I mean, it would be great. But imagine all the money they would be losing. It would be bad. But I really like this. I like this initiative. I think this is really smart, and I think it just. We enjoy going into these retailers and seeing how things are displayed, seeing what people are actually buying, the questions they're actually asking. It takes every fiber of my being

[Sarah]

to not jump in there.

[Kirby]

I want to answer questions so bad. You should literally, like, people will be like, but what's the difference between this? And. They're, like, asking their friend. And I'm like, do not be the weird person that's like, hey. Oh, my God. Overheard you asking about this. You should. You should have this one and go get a product paradox while you're at it over there.

[Sarah]

You should.

[Kirby]

I. I mean, it would literally be so embarrassing for me, but.

[Sarah]

And then at the counter, they're. They'll be like, who helped you today?

[Kirby]

I'm like, get. Can you just discount that from my check? Okay. Thank you. Anyways. Okay, we want to know, did you watch the Sacred Video?

[Sarah]

If you haven't, you should.

[Kirby]

How do you feel about the Sonia Dakar news? What do you think about Ulta and Bath and Body Works? And will you be partaking in Sephora quiet hours?

[Sarah]

Or do you like the party or

[Kirby]

do you just want to go? I swear, go to the one at the Grove. On a Saturday. They have a DJ in there.

[Sarah]

No, I can't.

[Kirby]

Quinn loves it. I'm like, quinn is such a party girl.

[Sarah]

She is. I can't.

[Kirby]

She is such a party girl. No, I freaking loves going in Sephora on a Saturday. Everybody running around. Her tongue's hanging out of her mouth. She's running around. Everyone's like, she's so cute. Music way too loud. Products just.

[Chris Guillebeau]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

Strewn about.

[Sarah]

God. They haven't been destroyed, items stolen. We haven't even talked about that.

[Kirby]

I know.

[Sarah]

Next time.

[Kirby]

Too many items stolen. Okay, let us know and we will see you one. Oh, actually, no, you won't. We don't have an episode. We're going to do a little rewind this Friday, but we're going to be enjoying the Fourth of July holiday, so enjoy your holiday and we will be back next week. Wear your sunscreen. Acast powers the World's best podcasts.

[Sarah]

Here's a show that we recommend.

[Chris Guillebeau]

A photographer in Texas earns an extra $47,000 a year shooting Star wars cosplay portraits. A teacher in Maryland turns her woodworking hobby into a five figure side income without leaving the classroom. And a couple in Pennsylvania will rent you backyard chickens for the season so you can try the egg laying life without commitment. My name is Chris Gillebeau. I'm the host of side Hustle School. I share these kinds of stories every single day in detail, with full transparency about the numbers. The point isn't just to inspire you, it's to show you what's possible. Proof that ordinary people are quietly building extra income in surprising ways, including a few ideas you can borrow less than 10 minutes a day, every day. Subscribe or follow side Hustle School wherever you get your podcasts or find us directly@side hustleschool.com Acast helps creators launch, grow

[Sarah]

and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.