Welcome back to Haul of Fame, your must-read beauty roundup for new products, new ideas and a giant hug from Elmo.
Included in todayâs issue: Allies of Skin, Beachwaver, Bond No. 9, Cool Girl Brands, Dolly Parton, Gen See, Marc Anthony True Professionals, Maybelline, Neom Wellbeing, Nu Skin, Phlur, Remedy Place, R+Co Bleu, Solawave, Tower28, Wonder Valley, and more.
But firstâ¦
Itâs been 23 years since cosmetics titan Leonard Lauder coined the âLipstick Index,â a theory that makeup sales can predict the economy of a nation, and therefore, a big chunk of its happiness.
But that theory only works if women want to look âpretty,â or at least want to be looked at. If youâre trying to avert, confound or actively thwart the idea that your appearance should be agreeable to those around you â especially strangers, especially men â makeup might not make your Asana task list. And while beauty has always been used as a tool of resistance, so has the âuglinessâ championed in grunge, goth, and punk subcultures, all of which erupted during peak conservative administrations. Anger is also an aesthetic.
Maybe thatâs why on November 6, when I strolled through various beauty retailers in blue-voting Manhattan, the sales floors were surprisingly empty. âNobodyâs feeling it today,â said a young woman manning the skincare lock-down cabinet at an uptown Target, which: fair. Online, Google searches for beautyâs most popular categories (âBest Lipstick,â âBest Foundation,â âBest Mascaraâ) were the lowest theyâd been all month. You know what was ticking along, though? The grunge staple âblack eyeliner,â along with the search term âgrunge makeupâ itself. Black nail polish, which normally craters post-Halloween, is also trending up.
Also trending up: The amber waves of Melania Trumpâs hair, which is experiencing a serious search engine spike nationwide. Ditto Ivankaâs yellow-blonde mane. The curiosity isnât surprising, given the kickline of manicured women at the Republican post-election rally. That look takes a lot of beauty products, along with a hair colourist who knows to use a pint of Bud Light instead of a photo of Gwyneth as the ideal reference point for your specific shade of Heartland Blonde. (I have done this, BTW. It really works.)
It may seem petty to try and gamify some beauty trends in the wake of a bitter, exhausting, and dirty fight for the future of America. But how we want to look is a crucial component of who we want to be. The shadow box of gender, the false protection of privilege, and the fight over who is called âprettyâ? Those things arenât a distraction from American power. They are starter topics for how the beauty industry upholds American power.
Victoria Beckhamâs $34 black eyeliner is âjustâ a makeup splurge, after all⦠until it replaces lipstick as a symbol of what we think is worth wearing tomorrow, even when weâre not sure what âtomorrowâ is going to mean. Letâs figure that part out, together.
What Else Is New
Skincare
Welcome to Soho, Remedy Place! On Nov. 1, the spa chain debuted a new space in downtown NYC, featuring âAI Bodyworkâ to customise your massage. Will report back.
Solawave continues to push into topicals. On Nov. 1, the brand most famous for its electronic skin mask debuted Bye Acne zit stickers, which claim to use microdart technology to press green tea, niacinamide, and salicylic acid directly into blemishes. If youâre still not over Dr. Jart getting rid of its brilliant Focuspot micro-needle patches, this might be a $20 fix.
Allies of Skin introduced a Vitamin C & Omegas cleansing balm on Nov. 1 thatâs $49 and formulated for skin that gets extra-dry or reactive in the winter. Itâs also a nice option to remove your makeup if youâre on a double-cleanse routine.
Nu Skin introduced a Lip Mask on Nov. 5 thatâs meant for overnight pout recovery. Itâs $25 and comes with sunflower seed wax and coconut oil. You can also try a tiny swipe over some lip colour during the day for a super-shiny effect in photos.
Makeup
Cool Girl Brands know the way to our hearts is through shiny, happy lip gloss. On Nov. 1, Topicals launched its Slick Salve Lip Balm in a new maroon Acai hue. Then on Nov. 4, Tower28 introduced its newest shade of Lip Jelly, a sparkly deep pink called Iced XOXO.
LâOréal introduced its Lumi Le Glass highlighter stick for $13 on Nov. 4. It comes in six shades, but my money is on the blushy âPink Balletâ hue, because #balletcore is still a main goal out there.
Dolly Partonâs Dolly Beauty lipstick is probably the closest weâre gonna get to bipartisan beauty. Four new shades debuted on Nov. 5, including a deep matte red and a Barbie pink. They come in bedazzled gold lipstick tubes, because of course they do. $20 each.
Rather do a liquid lip? On Nov. 6, Maybelline introduced its Super Stay Teddy Tint at Ulta Beauty, which features a soft, slightly matte effect in 10 shades.
Haircare
R+Co Bleu launched its Ultra Dry Texture Spray on Nov. 4. Itâs $49 and also works as a dry shampoo thanks to zeolite, a pure white crystal thatâs also said to ârelease toxic energy,â according to a yoga studio I used to live near in Boston. I mean, right now, couldnât hurt.
Also on the zeolite train: Marc Anthony True Professionals. The brand debuted a dry shampoo on Nov. 1 with the mineral; you can buy it at Amazon.
The California olive oil company Wonder Valley has introduced refillable aluminium bottles of sandalwood yuzu shampoo ($36) and conditioner ($38), along with a hinoki body wash ($32). Weâve had vineyard beauty for a while now thanks to Caudalie and Vintnerâs Daughter; olive oil hasnât completely caught up in the space yet, but this feels like an approachable-lux entry.
Beachwaver will introduce a new 1.5 inch-barrel curling iron on Nov. 10. That size corresponds to the type of big, loose curl you see in pageants and drag shows; the tool is $119.
Fragrance
On Nov. 1, Bond No. 9 released Gold Street, a $490 fragrance with top notes of vintage French leather. Iâd be remiss if I didnât say that on Vestiaire Collective, you can buy vintage French leather for less than $490âthis bag from Dior is $317, for instanceâbut then youâd miss the other ingredients like blueberry, pink pepper, and jasmine absolute.
Neom Wellbeing introduced its Perfect Nightâs Sleep range at Ulta Beauty on Nov. 4. The British brand has B-Corp certification; its bedtime formulas include a magnesium bath milk ($48) and body butter ($43), plus a âsleep mistâ for $23.
Smoking is bad for you. Vanilla Smoke is good for you. So declares Phlur, with a first-ever candle trio, which also includes balsam and currant candles. They dropped Nov. 4 and cost $45 each.
And Finally
Have you seen E.l.f. Cosmetics being used as a case study for the Alinea investment app? Makeup as stock trading argument: amazing.