The Truth About Peptides, Plastic Surgery & Skincare Hype with Allure's Linda Wells

Summary

Lipstick on the Rim
Episode: The Truth About Peptides, Plastic Surgery & Skincare Hype with Allure's Linda Wells
Date: March 24, 2026
Host: Molly Sims & Emese Gormley
Guest: Linda Wells (Founding Editor, Allure; Beauty Industry Legend)

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Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Molly and Emese sit down with the iconic Linda Wells, founding editor of Allure and renowned beauty industry expert, to peel back the layers on the latest in beauty—from the real story behind peptides to shifts in plastic surgery trends, the pros and cons of social media beauty culture, and the skincare ingredients worth the hype (and which to skip). Linda’s signature wit, candor, and deep knowledge make for an episode packed with honest advice, myth-busting, and practical tips that cut through the noise.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How Social Media Has Changed Beauty (05:29–08:04)

• Linda Wells reflects on how social media has radically altered the way women view and interact with beauty:

  "We're much more focused on our appearance… Now it's every minute of every day you're looking at yourself. So that is a profound change in the way you see yourself." (05:35 – Linda Wells)

• Pros: Democratization of beauty dialogue, more energy, and accessibility.
• Cons: Proliferation of myths, false information, increased self-criticism, and judgment.

2. Diet Culture Evolves: Peptides, GLP1s, and Openness

• Discussion on how the language and approach to diet culture has shifted—no longer just about fad diets, but now includes peptides and GLP1 medications (like Ozempic) for weight management and beyond.
• Women are more open about procedures they've had (e.g. Emese shares about her lower blepharoplasty), and shame around cosmetic interventions has lessened, enabling better outcomes through informed decision-making.
• Linda on GLP1s:

  “GLP1s are going to change and have already changed the world. The idea that it could eliminate obesity in our culture… it's really something so much bigger than [just losing weight].” (11:45 – Linda Wells)

3. Plastic Surgery Trends: 2026 Edition (15:58–19:48)

• Early plastic surgery as a “preventive” measure is trending—Linda finds it alarming, citing examples like 38-year-olds seeking brow lifts.
• The rise of laypeople telling doctors exactly which procedures to perform is a concern:

  “We're going into doctors and saying, 'I want a deep plane facelift'… We should not be telling doctors what we want. You should find the best doctor…and then say, ‘What do you think I should do?’” (17:17 – Linda Wells)

4. Skincare Science and Ingredient Hype (19:48–26:45)

Peptides: Promise and Pitfalls

• Basics: Peptides are amino acid chains, injectable or topical, that can target everything from muscle mass to skin repair—GLP1s and insulin are peptides.
• Caveats: Not FDA approved, many come from unregulated sources:

  “Many of them come from China… They're not intended to be used in humans… you're injecting these things, you just don't know what's going to happen. And there's no regulation.” (21:44 – Linda Wells)

• Takeaway: Only pursue peptide or prescription treatments under the care of a credentialed medical doctor.

Exciting Ingredients

• Copper peptides – Outstanding clinical results, more effective than retinol and vitamin C per Wells' reporting.
• DNA repair enzymes – Nobel-Prize-winning science, originally for post-sun/pollution damage, not yet mainstream but highly promising.
• Medical-grade Manuka honey – Rave reviews for wound repair and acne; real-world feedback is overwhelmingly positive:

  “I shared the product on my Instagram… people literally just going, this has changed my skin.” (26:09 – Emese Gormley)

Overhyped Trends

• Facials:

  “Most facials are just really, really relaxing...If it's a gua sha, what do you really think that's going to do?...Nothing’s going to lift.” (27:06 – Linda Wells)

• Overly complex cleansing routines—unnecessary steps and products are driven by marketing rather than efficacy.

5. The Dangers of Following Beauty Trends Blindly (16:38–24:02)

• Social media can drive unsafe decisions—like asking for procedures or products seen online without medical consulting.
• The panel warns against medispas and non-doctors performing injections or selling unregulated products.

6. Advances in Hair Loss Treatments (29:50–33:28)

• Discussed modern, minimally invasive treatments including topical minoxidil + finasteride, Nutrafol, and PRP.
• Importance of seeking medical advice and how telemedicine is appropriate for some proven medications.
• Emotional toll of hair loss and validating its impact:

  "It's something that matters and you can care about it and you can do something about it." (31:26 – Linda Wells)

7. Beauty Culture: Judgment, Empowerment, and the “Right” Advice (34:09–42:10)

• Linda’s career ethos: Removing judgment from the conversation, empowering choice, but emphasizing education.
• Importance of not conflating beauty products with confidence; confidence is internal, not sold in a jar:

  "These products don't give you confidence. You've got confidence. That's an internal thing." (39:39 – Linda Wells)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On not personalizing beauty standards:
  “I wasn’t sitting in the front row thinking, ‘Why don’t I look like Linda Evangelista?’ …We’re two different species.” (08:04 – Linda Wells)
• On procedures for everyone:
  "I worked with a woman who got her third and perhaps final facelift when she was in her 90s… the fact that you want to do that just says you've got hope." (41:10 – Linda Wells)
• Best advice to her 10-year-old self:
  “When you get your braces off, please wear your retainer. And you're not going to ever get a suntan, so please don't try...Maybe don’t smoke cigarettes. It doesn’t make you cool.” (42:10 – Linda Wells)
• On beauty routines:
  “It’s not necessary to cleanse your face with three different products.” (40:32 – Linda Wells)
• On overhyped ‘lifting’ treatments:
  "Anything with lifting on it. Nothing’s going to lift." (27:54 – Linda Wells)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 05:29 – Social Media & Beauty Perception
• 10:18 – GLP1s, Peptides, and Modern Diet Culture
• 15:58 – State of Plastic Surgery in 2026
• 19:48 – Peptides and Skincare Ingredient Science
• 26:00 – Manuka Honey & Unusual Skincare
• 27:06 – Overhyped Facials and Beauty Rituals
• 29:50 – The Science (and Emotion) of Hair Care
• 34:09 – Why Beauty is More than “Superficial”
• 39:18 – Rapid Fire: Beauty Culture Critiques
• 41:10 – Embracing Change, Hope, and Empowerment
• 42:10 – Advice to 10-year-old Linda

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Key Takeaways

• Empowerment through information: The democratization of beauty is powerful, but “do your homework” is critical—especially when procedures or new treatments are involved.
• What’s truly innovative: Copper peptides, DNA-repair enzymes, and clinical-grade honey are ingredients with real science and results. Not everything trending online is worth your time (or money).
• No shame in beauty (or inaging): Sharing openly and ditching stigma leads to smarter choices and better outcomes.
• See a DOCTOR: For anything beyond basic products—don’t buy injectables or attempt advanced procedures from non-medical sources.
• Beauty culture, with a grain of salt: Enjoy new trends and products—but know confidence starts within.

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Guest & Resource Links

• Linda Wells on Instagram: @lindawellsny
• Linda's writing: Air Mail, Allure archives
• Recommended brands & experts mentioned: Dr. Marni Nussbaum, Dr. Alexandra Soa, Nutrafol, Au (medical-grade Manuka honey), OneSkin (OS01 peptide)

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This episode artfully balances humor, practical advice, and sharp critique, making it an essential listen for beauty fans seeking both the backstory and the science behind today’s most talked-about trends.

Transcript

[Molly Sims]

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[Emisha Gormley]

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[Molly Sims]

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[Emisha Gormley]

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[Molly Sims]

Hey, I'm Molly Sims.

[Emisha Gormley]

And I'm Emisha Gormley. We're two girls obsessed with one thing.

[Molly Sims]

Beauty and by that, we mean everything that makes you look and feel beautiful.

[Emisha Gormley]

We're calling on our favorite health experts, industry insiders and friends to answer all

[Molly Sims]

your beauty questions with a drink in hand.

[Emisha Gormley]

Definitely with a drink in hand.

[Molly Sims]

You're listening to Lipstick on the Rim with Molly Sims. Well, today's guest is someone I have admired for a few years, maybe a few decades. Not just for her taste, but for the way she thinks about beauty, fashion, wellness.

[Emisha Gormley]

She's one of the people who helped shaped the modern beauty conversation and made beauty feel smart and nuanced and worth taking seriously.

[Molly Sims]

She's seen every era, every trend, every shift. She's always been the one to cut through the noise. She might have put me on the COVID of Allure magazine. Linda Wells in the house. Oh, Linda.

[Emisha Gormley]

Linda's a legend.

[Linda Wells]

Hello. I'm so happy to be here. It makes me sound like I'm a thousand years old. And I'm worried. You're not from it, so that's okay.

[Molly Sims]

Editor in chief of allure for over 25 years, former Food and beauty editor at the New York Times Magazine, former editor at Vogue. I mean, you have been a chief creative officer at Revlon. You were such a powerhouse. You were still a powerhouse. And that's why I just had to have you on.

[Emisha Gormley]

I used to collect Allure magazines when I was younger. It was the single magazine that I would race because I was always a beauty addict. And I collected them and I had them all kept on a shelf in my bedroom as a teenager. Even as a 20 something year old, I stacked them. And I remember Bridget Hall. The COVID was one of my. She was tan and just these lips. And I would read every issue and I would go back to them and I would bookmark them.

[Linda Wells]

And it was.

[Emisha Gormley]

There was nothing like it. Allure was like the beauty bible.

[Linda Wells]

Well, you're so nice to say that. I feel like I should apologize to you because we also had, like, diets and we had other things and it was a narrow definition of beauty, but we were a part of our culture. And that's what the fact that Bridget hall was tan. I'm just killing myself inside right now.

[Molly Sims]

But it was such an era.

[Linda Wells]

It was bronzer.

[Molly Sims]

It was bronzer. Maybe not.

[Emisha Gormley]

I still love a tan, Linda. So don't hate me or judge me.

[Linda Wells]

No, I'm. And I just. I'm just saying it because I'm jealous, frankly, because look at my skin. There's no way I'm getting a tan. And the funny thing is, when I started allure, it was 1991. And everybody that I talked to, whether it was advertisers or whether it was people who were reported on the media industry, said, how are you gonna fill a magazine about beauty every month? And I was like, are you kidding me? There's so much to say. And now you could do daily as people do. You know, you look at Instagram and TikTok, so it's just absolutely exploded as a topic.

[Emisha Gormley]

I mean, how do you think social media has changed the way women receive beauty information and look at beauty?

[Linda Wells]

I mean, it's changed everything. First of all, it's changed the way our relationship to ourself. I mean, we're looking at ourselves all the time and that's a huge difference. So we're much more focused on our appearance. You know, you used to look at yourself in the morning and then leave your house, apartment, and go to work or go to school, whatever, and not look at yourself again pretty much for the rest of the day, maybe once or twice. Now it's every minute of every day you're looking at yourself. So that is a profound change in the way you see yourself. And that has kind of accelerated everything else that goes along with it. It's, you know, the self criticism about how you look, the desire to change the way you look, the desire to buy a lot of products and put them all on your face and to do things like get plastic surgery and get injections and get treatments. And so it's changed by helping the acceleration of beauty and the acceleration of all these treatments. And it's also changed because it's democratized the subject so everybody can have a role and play along. It's given it a lot of energy. So those are really positives. But on the negative side, it's also proliferated a lot of mythology and false information. And you know, there are also lots of judgmental aspects of social media. It's not all a happy, welcoming place. So, you know, it's got its pros and cons.

[Molly Sims]

How do you navigate through that? I mean, you've done it seamlessly for over 30 plus years. You know, at my time growing up with you at Allure, you were just so ahead. Like I remember when the allures would come out and the best of beauty, what you use, when to use it, how to use it, I mean, you built that, you built that base that is still now. And listen, I think, I don't know, I look back and I'm like, oh, there was good moments to our era. I was talking to someone the other Day, I'm like, there was no cameras. We could do whatever we wanted. Yes, there was awful things. The dieting, the grapefruit diet, the Atkins diet, every type of diet that everyone and their mother would cover. But I think what's been so amazing for you is that you've always looked at beauty, wellness, fashion in such a holistic way that you've. Cause I wouldn't say Linda Wells is trendy.

[Linda Wells]

No, no, I'm not. You know, and I try not to personalize this. I think that's a big. I mean, in terms of sort of how do I navigate it? Personally, I don't ever. I rarely personalize it. So I don't look at the fashion shows. You know, I went to fashion shows for 25 years. I wasn't sitting in the front row thinking, wow, why don't I look like Linda Evangelista? I mean, it's. We're two different species as far as I'm concerned. So I never kind of personalized it. And that, I think, is kind. Maybe it's something that when you're not close to being really beautiful, it's like a relief. You don't have to really even play that game. So that was never.

[Emisha Gormley]

I think you're pretty beautiful, by the way.

[Linda Wells]

But I don't even, you know, it's like, it's fine. I don't have that kind of real complex about it, so. But I think that what I felt like at Allure and what I felt like through my whole career was not to make it judgmental, because I think beauty, even the word itself, it feels like it's a judgment about whether you're pretty or not. And so people feel like it's exclusionary that you're not allowed to play in this sandbox because it's only for the pretty girls. It's sort of self realization. And you can sort of do what you want to do and express yourself and feel good about yourself with these tools and not feel like you have to change yourself. And so I just tried to take away the judgment. And so even in the very first issues of Allure, we never talked about, you know, is it bad to do plastic surgery? What we wanted was for our readers to know enough so that they weren't making bad decisions.

[Molly Sims]

You kept people informed in a really good way. That's what I love about your column. The look like it's. It's trendy. You, you know, the doctors, you know, the actors, you know, the entertainment, you know, the fashion, you know, you know the world. And I think that's what also makes it so successful because you kind of have that inside look that hasn't changed since Allure.

[Emisha Gormley]

We're all still looking for the same things we did in the 90s or the early 2000s.

Right.

We're all still looking to. I mean, whether or not it's shameful to say, but diet culture just has a different look to it now. So we're not necessarily looking at the salmon diet that was printed, but we're talking about GLP1s and peptides and peptides. Like it's not protein.

[Linda Wells]

We're still talking about protein. Protein.

[Emisha Gormley]

We're still talking about protein and we're still talking about, you know, how to look younger. It's just, I think that what's changed so much is the way we consume it, the pace with which we consume it. And I think, to your point, the way that we actually now look at ourselves and are having much more open conversations. You talk about having Laura Bluff. I had a Laura Bluff at the end of September, the best decision I ever made. And I was really open about it because I think we now live in this world where we do feel comfortable sharing that information and it doesn't feel

[Molly Sims]

like typewoo or shameful.

[Linda Wells]

Well, and that's the thing. And I think shame, there was so much attached, so much shame attached to pursuing beauty. And so the shame attached to it meant that people were making really bad decisions. You know, you weren't researching doctors properly. There's so many women who would just impulsively go to a doctor and get something done and, you know, you don't. That's not a way to do it. So the elimination of the shame attached to it and the openness to getting procedures done means that we can talk about it and then we can pursue it the right way. I think the big thing that's also changed is the technology. The tools, the lasers, the, you know, injections, if you want them, the procedures, the, you know, everything has really advanced a lot since I started Allure. It's just light years away from where it was.

[Emisha Gormley]

What do you think the best change has been?

[Linda Wells]

You know, I really think that GLP1s are going to change and have already changed the world. The idea that it could eliminate obesity in our culture, it's. That's a huge thing. There's less diabetes there. You know, there are all the health implications, but there are also going to be a lot of implications on the. In the rest of our lives that we can't even think about. So I think that I mean, I think that, you know, I know people who take GLP1s because they have Alzheimer's in their families and their parents have it and they're taking it as a preventive. So there's a lot of that we don't know yet. So I think that's going to be really an extraordinary development. And we look at it now as, oh, you know, I can lose £10 for the Oscars. But it's really, I think it's really something so much bigger than that.

[Molly Sims]

Obviously, it's revolutionary.

[Emisha Gormley]

I couldn't agree.

[Molly Sims]

I mean, I truly agree with you. From sickness to, I mean, addiction, like, they're finding more and more what it can do for longevity. And you're big on longevity foreign.

[Emisha Gormley]

Weight loss right now.

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[Molly Sims]

Let's kind of break it down. Plastic surgery 2026. Where are we? What are you hearing in Hollywood and New York and from your side of being an editor?

[Linda Wells]

You know, everybody's talking about plastic surgery and the way that they used to talk about injections and people are really not getting filler the way they did. But I was just at a party, a Super bowl party, and a 38 year old was like, should I get a brow lift? I was like, oh, my God, stop. You know, this is really out of control. And I think this sort of hunger to do it, hunger to do it early, this notion that it's preventive, I think we're going crazy. You know, I haven't had any facial plastic surgery, any plastic surgery, so I feel like I've kind of missed the boat. I wrote in that, in that story that you read that I feel like now whenever I hang out with, you know, my rich friends, I'm. I look 20 years older because everybody looks so young. The other thing is that we learn all these terminology. You know, people learn about lasers. And so one, somebody else at the party said, I'm going to go get a CO2 laser. And I'm like, oh, my God, you crazy. That is really an intense laser. You're going to be out of commission for probably two weeks. And you're going to feel so terrible. It's such a deep burn. Would you think about getting a Fraxel? But we're not doctors. I'm not a doctor. And no one at that party I don't think was a doctor. And so we're going into doctors and saying, I want a deep plan facelift, or I want to, you know, I want a brow lift. We should not be telling doctors what we want. You should find the best doctor, do the research, get someone who's board certified, and then say, what do you think I should do? You're the doctor, you're the expert.

[Emisha Gormley]

So true.

[Molly Sims]

It's so true. That is such good advice.

[Emisha Gormley]

Going back to what we were saying before. Social media has so much in there that, you know, do I do this? Like, you can easily get swayed into thinking that something is the right thing for you because you see someone who, in that little 60 second clip that you just watched, looks amazing. And so I actually watched this. This girl talk about Sculptra. And I was like, what is Sculptra? I don't know what Sculptra is. So I go to my derm, Dr. Marni Nussbaum. I go, marnie, do I need Sculptra? And I don't know if you know Marnie, but she shrieks with her voice and she's like, oh, my God, no. She is like, absolutely not. And it was so funn because to your point, you go to the wrong person, right? You don't go to a doctor. You go to a Medispa that a lot of these people go to.

[Linda Wells]

Those are dangerous. P.S.

[Emisha Gormley]

dangerous. Dangerous. Some people go to Medispa and they say, hey, I saw this person talking about sculpture on Instagram, so I want it. And they're like, they just see dollar signs. They go, sure, let's do some Sculptra. And to your point, you're not actually getting the right thing done, because from what I understand, sculptors actually like, sculpture isn't.

[Molly Sims]

Is a filler, right?

[Emisha Gormley]

It's a filler that can actually, like, you have to have it surgically removed. So it can be dangerous is what I was told. But again, that's one document.

[Linda Wells]

You know, it's all. I think it's a little unpredictable, but I think it causes the collagen to build up around it. And so it. That's what caused the filler. The filler is kind of the reaction to what the. What is injected. But I don't know how exact it is. And so that would be my concern is, is it very exact? But I think that, you know, that's. I think that's some of my advice is like, the other thing is, who are you following on. On social media? Maybe you should be following Marnie Nussbaum rather than somebody with 2 million followers who is not a doctor but is going to tell you what to do. Call me crazy, but these doctors have really good Instagrams. Follow them.

[Molly Sims]

When it comes to skin science and new ingredients, what are you seeing and where are we going?

[Linda Wells]

There's, of course, a lot, and there's always a lot happening. And I think right now I'm excited about copper as an ingredient. It's a peptide. And I just wrote about peptides. And of course, we know all about the injectable peptides and we're talking about the injectable peptides. Peptides.

[Molly Sims]

Can you talk a little bit for our listeners? Because they are obsessed with do we do it? Do we not? What is it?

[Linda Wells]

Yeah. Okay. So I just wrote about it for a heart bazaar not too long ago, and I really pretty much knew nothing about it. They're amino acids, and amino acids are the building blocks of protein, which you probably remember from your, you know, high school biology. Different peptides can be used to. You can inject them and they cause a reaction in your body. So they can cause your body to produce more stem cells or produce more growth hormones or produce more, you know, mitochondria, or do something that either increases your muscle mass or increases your energy or helps your immunity or helps your recovery from, you know, whether it's from surgery or from, you know, weightlifting. Different peptides have a lot of different various functions. And you get your different peptides and you take them sometimes once a week, sometimes twice a week for a certain period of time. And the GLP1s are a peptide. Insulin is a peptide. But the challenge really is that these are not FDA approved. Many of them come from China, and you do not know which ones come from China and which ones don't. And they come usually from labs in China that are designed for research purposes, which might mean that they are not sanitary and to be used in humans. They're not intended to be used in humans. They're. Then they go to compounding pharmacies. And then you have to wonder, are those compounding pharmacies sanitary? How do you know? You know, you're not going to compound pharmacies to check them. And even if you went, you wouldn't know. And then you're injecting these things, you just don't know what's going to happen. And there's no regulation. And the people who are handing out these peptides, a lot of them aren't doctors.

[Molly Sims]

You need to go to a real doctor. Like, even the GLP one.

[Emisha Gormley]

I mean, I'm on a GLP one. I've been on one for two years. It's been a life changer for me, or a game changer. And I go to Dr. Soa, Dr. Alexandra Soa. She is a weight loss doctor, has been studying GLP1s for 10 years. I mean, she's really been working on it for longer than we've been using it for cosmetic reasons, so to speak. And I think it makes a difference.

I feel like I'm in safer hands.

[Linda Wells]

Telemedicine is great for some things, but this is not the place where you want to start to kind of Google and start to order. And so when I was reporting this, I was like, oh, my God, this is so great. I need to get these peptides. And I finished the story and I'm like, I'm into it. And then I thought, this is insane. I am not doing this. Do you guys. Have you tried it?

[Molly Sims]

I just tried it. Not GOP ones, but I have pocket. Yeah, the pocket.

[Linda Wells]

I talked about it today.

[Emisha Gormley]

We were getting my hair done this morning and I was like, sign me up. You know, the girl who's doing our hair.

[Molly Sims]

Emily.

[Emisha Gormley]

Emily. I was like, this sounds amazing. She was like, yeah, it's like, I

feel I have more energy.

[Linda Wells]

I have this.

[Emisha Gormley]

But then I. So I literally was going to text her later and be like, can you send me the pharmacy? But now, talking to you, Linda, I'm like, well, we're gonna hold off on those peptides from China.

[Linda Wells]

Go to a doctor. Just go to a doctor and make sure that they've checked out where they're getting the sourcing of. Because you just do not want to play around. And that's the thing. You think, oh, my gosh, my hairdresser's had such a good experience. That's enough. Well, no way to snow, but I

[Emisha Gormley]

don't want to be a guinea pig. To your point, we don't know what's happening. And it might take a year or

two years or 10 years to figure

out that that's causing some kind of a chain reaction in your body that we won't know about for years to come.

[Linda Wells]

Yeah. Did you see the substance? You know, exactly. Yeah, totally.

[Molly Sims]

Which ingredients or categories are you genuinely excited about?

[Linda Wells]

You know, I'm always excited about skin care. I just love skincare. I love whatever is new. I love what comes out of real science. I just, to me, that's thrilling. Copper is something that I'm really interested in because copper is a peptide that is, is actually applied topically and it was tested and found to be more effective than retinol and vitamin C. So that to me is really interesting. And I just think there's another thing called DNA repair enzymes. It was originally studied and the scientists who did it won the Nobel Prize for the science. Then someone else got the technology and figured out how to apply it to skin care and combine it with liposomes so it could be absorbed into the skin and it actually repairs DNA damaged by the sun or pollution. So all the dumb stuff that we did when we were teenagers, this fixes it. It's amazing to me that like, why aren't they in really mainstream products? But they aren't yet.

[Emisha Gormley]

And why do you think that is?

[Linda Wells]

I really don't know why. You know what's crazy, it was in a Paris Hilton skincare product and then she reformulated, changed the name and it's not in it anymore.

[Emisha Gormley]

What are your thoughts on Manuka Honey? Cause our mutual friend, I just, I am obsessed, obsessed with this brand, all new and I use their essence and it's Michael, actually Carl is who introduced me to it. And I am obsessed. It's a pure, it's medical grade Manuka honey that's harvested once a year in New Zealand and they use it in hospitals for wound repair.

Yes, and it is, it's the essence

[Linda Wells]

by Au and U Aunu.

[Emisha Gormley]

It's actually on my spring must have list in our episode of Recording.

[Linda Wells]

I've written about it too.

[Emisha Gormley]

It's phenomenal.

[Linda Wells]

I totally agree. And I was going to name that too. And it's so interesting to me that this is, this is not a cutting edge ingredient. I mean, you wouldn't think honey would be a cutting edge ingredient.

[Emisha Gormley]

I mean, I shared the product on my Instagram and I have gotten so many messages from people literally just going, this has changed my skin. I've been using it for like a week. And people with acne people. It really is like one of the products that I've gotten so much feedback on. Not one negative one.

[Linda Wells]

When it was like negative six here and I was dog sitting for my son's dog and it was so I had to go outside otherwise I would never have walked out the door. I was using the salve that all new salve and it's really good.

[Emisha Gormley]

Yeah, the whole line is fantastic. The cleanser is like this rich.

[Linda Wells]

Honey, it's such a good cleanser.

[Emisha Gormley]

What do you think is one right now out there? Overhyped, completely useless ingredient trend that people are. You know, you mentioned plasma, but is there something else that you think is kind of complete bullshit?

[Linda Wells]

You know, I'm going to be struck by lightning. But most facials. Most facials are just really, really relaxing. But I think a lot of them are really about the application of products and. And it's just that you're being pampered and you feel really good and someone's taking care of you. You know, if they're using machines and lasers and, you know, red light and then it's another story. But a lot of them, I mean, if it's a gua shot, that's. I'm sorry, what do you. What do you really think is going to do with that thing going up and down your face? You walk out the door and you're not going to be lifted. Anything with lifting on it. Nothing's going to lift.

[Molly Sims]

Levine is going to lift you possibly.

[Linda Wells]

Do you follow?

[Emisha Gormley]

Do you follow Mrs. Derm on Instagram?

[Linda Wells]

Oh, yes, I do.

[Emisha Gormley]

She's one of those.

[Molly Sims]

She's great.

[Emisha Gormley]

And she talks about it all the time.

She's like, get a facial if you

just want to be pampered. But, like, don't. Don't go thinking you're gonna walk out of there with, like, you know, looking 10 years younger unless they use tools.

[Linda Wells]

I do agree with the tools and machines. And you know, the other thing about facials, they've gotten so expensive.

[Molly Sims]

Oh, my gosh.

[Linda Wells]

I mean, you really kind of can't get out for under $1,000. And then a lot of these people aren't licensed. So once they get in the tools, you kind of want to know if they're licensed or not. Because there are a lot of. We've written a story about it. It's really tricky, especially some of the med SPAs. They're not 100%.

[Molly Sims]

A couple of years ago, CO2, CO2, it went from Fraxel to baby Fraxel to CO2. Now, CO2 has been around for. Mary Alice did a long time. Ten years ago, she went under. She did it. She was out for almost a month. I think what everyone really has to be cautious of, it's these deep, like, burn. And again, I'm not saying don't do it, but now you're not hearing just about the CO2. You're hearing about the baby CO2, you're taking down the level of the burn, you're taking down the level of the intensity. I just think it's a very slippery slope.

[Linda Wells]

I think it's trouble too and it really worries me and I think calling things baby, it's like, I mean it's literally infantilizing but it's sort of cute ifying everything and then I think it stops becoming serious. It's not baby, you know, a baby face. Slow to baby CO2. Yeah. I don't think this is a way to start to or you know, something silly like the ponytail lift.

[Emisha Gormley]

Well, I think we also just, we easily believe what we see without.

[Molly Sims]

We, we want the magic pill. We want, we're speaking about hair, you know, Minoxidil do Testeride. Like there's a lot of things that have come in the past two, three, five plus years that have made true advances.

[Linda Wells]

Yeah.

[Molly Sims]

In hair loss. Nutrafol, there's incredible scientific backed and I think, listen, you have to be careful to go back to Linda's point, go to a real medical doctor.

[Emisha Gormley]

Yeah.

[Linda Wells]

Now to speak to Minoxidil. It's been around for jillions of decades and the dosage is so tiny for you know, this is the pill dosage, not the foam or you know, the topical and the topical is tough for women use because it's really not very attractive and it's, you know, you, we don't want to use this stuff. So I take minoxidil pills and I take a half at night and it is really a proven medication. Now that's something you could get on telemedicine and I do go to a doctor to get it but you know, I don't think it's necessary. I think you can get it from.

[Molly Sims]

You could do it on a Midi

[Linda Wells]

Health on hers, you know. Yeah. Midi Health.

[Molly Sims]

Listen, there's a lot of great telehealth but to alloid there's certain advances that have really made a difference because I know for me through, you know, some medical mishaps. Three children, hormones, pregnancies, children, you know, Synthroid I take because I have a massive. It's my thyroid has affected my hair. It's been such a rollercoaster. You're like today you're like, your hair looks so much better after all these years.

[Emisha Gormley]

Yeah.

[Linda Wells]

The other thing was we didn't, no one women didn't talk about hair loss until very recently because it's masculine and people don't want to feel like they're, you know, they're, they're turning into men. You're losing your femininity and hair. Every doctor who's, you know, every oncologist says that, you know, when women get breast cancer, what really becomes upsetting is when they lose their hair during chemotherapy. And obviously they're upset about the breast cancer and it's a very visible result of having cancer. And so that's becomes very, very upsetting. But it is something that is legitimately disturbing. And rather than try to minimize that and think it's not important, I shouldn't care, accept the fact that it's something that matters and you can care about it and you can do something about it. I had this treatment from someone in the same practice as Andrew timberlake and he, Dr. Paul, Ben Paul. And he put, put this topical mixture that he does with, it's minoxidil and finasterate. And so it's topical so it doesn't cross the blood brain barrier because you don't want finasterate because it has too many side effects. So he puts it on your scalp and then he uses this machine called ted and then it's an ultrasound machine and it sort of goes on your head all around. It's not painful. So it's unlike injections, PRP injections, you know, platelet rich plasma, which also really works. But it's painful. This is not painful. And then you do it once and then you wait six months and do it again. And that has really helped me. So, you know, this is another advancement to do that.

[Emisha Gormley]

Yeah, your hair, you don't need it, right? Your hair is great.

[Linda Wells]

And it takes like 20 minutes. So I mean.

[Molly Sims]

Yeah, I mean I'm.

[Linda Wells]

When you're in the city, go see Dr. Paul. He's really, really nice.

[Molly Sims]

I do think that hair, for me, thinning, shedding through every pregnancy and then ultimately realizing it was my thyroid, like it's, it's, it's been a roller coaster.

[Linda Wells]

Yeah, it's upsetting. And you know, that expression bad hair day was symbolic of, you know, things being terrible. And so as superficial as we know beauty is, it also has connections to things that are very important to our identity and the way we see ourselves and the way we function in the world. And I think that it's okay to recognize that and not to minimize that. And I think that that's one of the things I've always tried to do in my career and in writing and reporting is to not diminish it as a subject, to honor it and honor women and men and people who care

[Molly Sims]

about it and meeting people where they're at. There's so much out there that's not good, right? To weave through. Like, that's what I love about your column. I mean, I love you. Clearly, you have. Have the best taste. I get a lot of women my age saying, I'm effing tired and I feel dull. Is there a spa? Is there a place? Is there something you recommend? I want to go to this place I've always wanted to go. Monica Blunder. It's. It's an Austrian where they do your blood. We're going there one day.

[Linda Wells]

Is that we record. Which one could we record? Lancerhoff.

[Molly Sims]

Lancerhoff.

[Emisha Gormley]

That's it.

[Linda Wells]

Some of those Austrian, German, Swiss spas are very Austrian. German and Swiss. They're not American. Now, I, Molly Sims, used to see you at Soul Cycle, and you were sweating up a storm with me. We like to work out and we like to get things done, and we like to. And it's a lot of lying around. I was laughing because I was looking at the website of a place called the Meyer Clinic.

[Molly Sims]

Oh, my God.

[Linda Wells]

I just looked at that. I called and asked them about it, and they said, just the woman who answered the phone. I said, what are the meals like? And they said, well, you know, you have goat's yogurt in the morning, and then you have a buckwheat roll. And I said, I'd heard that you have to chew it a lot. And they said, yes, every bite. 40 times. 40 times every bite. And she said, you have to eat in silence, alone. And she said, oh, and don't forget, we give you broth. I was like, oh, wow. In the website, there's someone lying on a couch with an oxygen mask on. This is not what I want to do. I want to lie around an oxygen mask. This is not my cup of tea. I would much rather go to the ranch in Hudson Valley or Malibu and work out. And, you know, I'm good, feel good.

[Emisha Gormley]

We can save our money.

[Molly Sims]

Yeah, we can save our money.

[Linda Wells]

It's a hard pass, you know, it's like, do you want to have a buckwheat roll by yourself?

[Molly Sims]

40 cheap.

[Linda Wells]

You won't even talk to your friends.

[Emisha Gormley]

Okay, I have to put you on

[Molly Sims]

to something because I recently discovered cozy, and it has completely changed how I think about furniture. Cozy makes furniture that's comfortable, modern, and actually practical. But the best part is everything is customized by you. It's not one size fits all, from sofas and shelves to rugs, tables, and dining sets. Everything is modular and designed to fit your space, your style and your life. Smart design, adaptable style and comfort that changes with you because choice shouldn't feel like a luxury. And real life at home isn't always picture perfect. It's movie nights, it's grill nights, spilled wine, messy moments and quiet mornings. Cozy is practical by design and personalized by you, with washable fabrics that forgive accidents, hidden storage to tuck away any clutter, and pieces that shift when you need more space. What I love is you don't have to commit to one look forever. Their modular furniture with removable washable covers lets you switch up colors and layouts whenever you want. Plus, they even offer free design consultants to help you make the most out of your own space. It's easy to order, easy to ship, easy to put together, and easy to live with. Transform your living space with cozy visit cozy.com spelled C O Z E Y the home of possibilities made easy before

[Emisha Gormley]

you know it the holidays are going

[Molly Sims]

to sneak up on us.

They always do.

[Emisha Gormley]

So now is the perfect time to

[Molly Sims]

get ahead on your gifting. And I have to say, Jenny Bird has made holiday shopping embarrassingly easy this year. We've been wearing and loving their pieces non stop and as we head into gifting season, they've officially become my go to for those that I want something thoughtful but still cool. Presents for if you're stuck on what to get your sister, your best friend, your mother in law, or honestly, yourself, Jenny Bird is it. Their jewelry hits that sweet spot of elevated but effortless pieces you can wear every day but that still make you feel put together and in the know. And it helps that literally every single

[Emisha Gormley]

time I wear mine, someone asks where it's from.

[Molly Sims]

They make gifting super easy. Everything ships fast, which is a true blessing if you're a last minute holiday shopper like me. The packaging is so chic and feels special right out of the box. No extra wrapping needed and there's genuinely something for everyone.

[Emisha Gormley]

Bracelets, earrings, those gorgeous monogram necklaces. It's one of those brands where you

[Molly Sims]

know the gift is going to land

[Emisha Gormley]

because the pieces are comfortable, wearable and

[Molly Sims]

make you feel instantly polished. Truly, if you want to give a gift that gets compliments, this is the one you can get 20 off your first order with Jenny Bird by visiting jenny-bird.com and using code Lipstick at checkout.

[Craig Melvin]

I'm Craig Melvin. Cheers. Cheers.

[Linda Wells]

Cheers.

[Craig Melvin]

I've always been a glass half full kind of guy, and now I'm talking to some people who look at the the world that way too. Some really fascinating folks who share their defining moments, their triumphs, their challenges, their stories are funny and quite candid. So I hope you'll join me each week. And who knows, you might just come away with your own Glass Half Full

[Linda Wells]

search Glass Half Full with Craig Melvin From Today on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.

[Molly Sims]

Let's do a little rapid fire. Most overrated beauty trend right now.

[Linda Wells]

Oh, God, this is. I'm not being rapid. How about that? I think giving yourself Botox, making Botox, giving it to yourself.

[Emisha Gormley]

A beauty rule that needs to disappear.

[Linda Wells]

Use contour to reshape your face.

[Emisha Gormley]

Oh, I agree.

[Molly Sims]

Oh, God, I agree.

[Linda Wells]

I hate that.

[Emisha Gormley]

I hate contouring.

[Linda Wells]

Oof.

[Molly Sims]

One thing about beauty culture that makes you cringe.

[Linda Wells]

I think that beauty culture itself, you know, it really, the idea of there being a beauty culture and that, I really hate the judgment. I hate the whole notion of the male gaze and preparing for that. One thing that really drives me crazy is when beauty companies say that their products are going to give you confidence. And that is such a common thing. And I worked at a cosmetics company for a couple of years and it was like, we are not allowed to say that. I will not. I forbid that because how dare you. We're not. These products don't give you confidence. You've got confidence. That's an internal thing. And the products are just there. Let's like imbue them with power that they don't have.

[Emisha Gormley]

Agreed a product category. People overthink cleansing. I agree.

[Linda Wells]

I just think it's way over complicated and it just doesn't need to be so many steps and so many hours. I think people do it. Maybe people do it because it feels good. And you know, it's that notion of self care, which is actually something to me, me cringe. But I think that, you know, it's not necessary to cleanse your face with three different products.

[Molly Sims]

Best beauty advice you've ever received.

[Linda Wells]

Look in the best mirror available and then hold that in your head for the rest of the day.

[Emisha Gormley]

I love that.

[Molly Sims]

Just don't look at your neck.

[Emisha Gormley]

One thing you still.

[Linda Wells]

And don't go on facetime.

[Emisha Gormley]

One thing you still genuinely love about

[Linda Wells]

beauty, that it changes all the time, that there's always something new. I worked with a woman who got her third and perhaps final facelift when she was in her 90s. It's like, you know, the fact that, that you want to do that just says you've got hope and you've got.

[Molly Sims]

I love it.

[Linda Wells]

I love it, you know, you can, you can still, you know, you can still want to look good no matter what, no matter how old you are.

[Molly Sims]

Listen, my mother loved a good facelift. I think she did too.

[Emisha Gormley]

She looked amazing.

[Molly Sims]

She looked amazing.

[Emisha Gormley]

She never looked like she had a facelift.

[Molly Sims]

No.

I was trying to think back when she first had it. I think she had it in her late 50s. She never did a lot, but what she did was always phenomenal. She only did Botox, she never did filler.

[Emisha Gormley]

Yeah, she was a good egg. Oh, I mean, she was beautiful.

Beautiful.

[Molly Sims]

We always ask every guest before they go if you could give advice to your 10 year old self. What was 10 year old Linda Wells like?

[Linda Wells]

Oh, I was so happy. I don't think I would give myself any advice. I was having the best time. But the only, maybe like, you know, when you get your braces off, please wear your retainer. And you're not going to ever get a suntan, so please don't try. I tried really hard. And maybe don't smoke cigarettes. It doesn't make you cool.

[Molly Sims]

I'm obsessed with you. We're obsessed with you. You have helped generations of women feel smarter, calmer. I always see you either at a party or from afar, and that's Linda Wells. You're always so elegant and chic and put together and it's just, you're just a fierce.

[Emisha Gormley]

You were always synonymous to me with beauty. I mean, that's just the truth.

[Linda Wells]

Oh, you're very nice, both of you. That's very nice of you. I love what you do and I really, really appreciate. I love being on and having having the chance to talk to you.

[Molly Sims]

And you guys have to follow who.

[Linda Wells]

It's really an honor.

[Molly Sims]

Air mail. It's airmail.

[Linda Wells]

Look.

[Molly Sims]

And you can follow her on Instagram at Linda Wellsny, New York, you're the best.

[Emisha Gormley]

You have to come to lunch the

[Molly Sims]

next time we'll come eat with you. I'd love a drink.

[Linda Wells]

I'd love it.

[Molly Sims]

And have a cocktail or nine.

[Linda Wells]

Excellent.

[Molly Sims]

You're the best. We love you. Thanks for listening to Lipstick on the Rim with Molly Sims and my Ride or Die. Emisha Gormley. We are so excited to bring you guys along on this journey with us. You can find us on Instagram and tick tock at Lipstick on the Rim and at Molly Bcens. Or you can go to my blog where you can dive just a little bit deeper into my favorite products, trends and [e-mail] and don't forget to check out our video episodes on my YouTube channel, Molly Sims. This podcast is production with Sony Music. I wanted to give a special thanks to my team, Rosie Cummings, Ken Orion, Sophie Kevorkin and everyone at Sony Music. Don't forget to listen and follow wherever you get your podcast so you never miss out on the fun.

[Emisha Gormley]

Foreign.

[Corinne]

I want to tell you guys about a podcast that is near and dear to my heart and I cannot believe it already came out a year ago and you can all go listen to it ad free by subscribing to the Binge podcast channel.

[Molly Sims]

What podcast?

[Emisha Gormley]

Corinne?

[Molly Sims]

Tell us.

[Corinne]

Oh, it's called Blink Jig Handle Story. I created it about a man named Jake who I met who is the only survivor of a terminal brain illness brought on by heroin use. But there is a lot of mystery and medical malpractice and true crime elements that are very shocking and surprising and even some supernatural elements.

[Molly Sims]

So this is definitely an amazing story and very unique. Did such an incredible job telling the story and sharing it with the world.

So if you have not listened to it yet, my goodness, where have you been? Because Blink is so freaking good.

[Corinne]

Thank you. Search for Blink wherever you listen and subscribers to the binge will get the entire season ad free. Plus you'll get exclusive access to the over 60 other true crime stories on the Binge Podcast channel. Hit subscribe on Apple Podcasts or head to getthebinge.com.