Fat Mascara

Do you like a doe foot, paddle (beaver tail?), or slant-tip as your lip gloss applicator? Let’s discuss. But first: Hourglass Cosmetics’s work with the Nonhuman Rights Project; the booming resale market for ’90s perfume; Rhode’s Juicy Tube-like launch strategy; the H&M X Raoúl Alejandre makeup collaboration; a very surprising workout hack involving Hermès lipstick; a watermelon shower gel fit...

Alexis Androulakis and Christina Basias, the duo behind viral account @thelipsticklesbians and founders of the brand Fempower Beauty, are on a mission to make you a more informed beauty customer! We talked about their relationship, how activism powers their work, and what they want to do with their platform. Plus, they explain how contract manufacturers work; how quickly innovation spreads in the...

We’re doing a live, virtual book club next week (Sept. 27, at 8 PM ET), and you’re invited! We’ll be discussing Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier with author Marisa Meltzer, and we want you to be there. Get all the details and RSVP at fatmascara.com/bookclub . Now, on to this episode, where we’re chatting about why candles may be better than crossword puzzles...

Celebrities should be grateful that makeup artist Kate Lee did not listen to the school counselor who told her to become an optician. Instead, she enrolled in aesthetician school, started doing editorial and backstage makeup, and then began working with Kate Winslet when the actress was just “a wee child.” Today, the CHANEL makeup artist works regularly with clients such as Keira Knightley, Charli...

It’s a grab bag of high-low delights this week: The new François Nars documentary; a product that gets rid of the smell of weed; tips for chapped lips; a South Asian-inspired makeup brand at Sephora; the soon-to-launch Liberty London perfumes; and, yes, the world’s longest mullet. Plus, we raise wands to a sensual and witchy perfume, the drugstore shampoo and conditioner that never fails, and a cr...

Casey Lewis, author of After School, a Substack newsletter about youth culture and Gen Z trends, has made a career of talking to (and about) teens and young adults. She’s here to explain why those ridiculously named beauty trends (pumpkin-spice makeup anyone?) go viral and the larger cultural implications of micro-trends; which brands and products everyone wants this back-to-school season; the spe...

Before we get into the news, we share a few highlights from the past 499 episodes, including proud moments, embarrassing stories, and all-time favorite products. Then, let’s talk about skincare for astronauts, Marc Jacobs Beauty, New York Fashion Week, Paco Rabanne’s makeup line, and the backstory of Chanel’s Lucky Chance diner. After that, it’s time to welcome a very special guest (hint: Buckle U...

Lookism, or looks-based discrimination, doesn’t get society’s attention like sexism and racism, but philosopher Heather Widdows thinks it should. In one of our favorite interviews (originally aired in 2021, presented here with a new September 2023 intro), she explains the ethics of beauty and why beauty companies use moral language (“Be your best self!”) to sell products. This episode will make yo...

Hairstylist Garren transformed models into supermodels (Linda Evangelista, Karlie Kloss), helped celebrities like Victoria Beckham and Madonna create their looks, and co-founded the hair line R+Co during his long and legendary career. In this interview, he tells us everything: the guidance counselor who told him he wasn’t allowed to do hair; the photographers he collaborated with (Irving Penn! Ric...

Bethenny Frankel talks to Jess about the Real Housewives aesthetic (and how it’s changed); how to protect her daughter from the downsides of Beauty Culture; why mocktails are the new margaritas; the beauty brands she’s obsessed with; and the Reality Reckoning. Plus, she names the most iconic Housewives, weighs in on the current RHONY season, and addresses rumors that she’s starting a Bethenny beau...

Actress Tracee Ellis Ross opens up about ageism in Hollywood, experiments with DIY waxing, her hair, your hair, flaky hair gels, red lipstick, Funyuns, and more in this fan-favorite interview (presented with a new intro). If you want to bring joy to your beauty routine and learn how to celebrate yourself authentically, this conversation is a must-listen! Products mentioned in this episode: sh...

Glamorous? Sometimes. Hilarious? Always. For the first time, Carrie Crecca Maitoza steps out from behind her buzzy meme account, @Miss_PR_Piggy, to talk about the PR world she satirizes. If you work in fashion or beauty (or want to know what goes on behind the scenes), this insider episode helps make sense of the notoriously hierarchical industry where every client wants a placement in the New Yor...

Jenn’s off to climb a mountain (she’ll explain in the intro), but we still have a great interview for you: Chemist Balanda Atis, whose pioneering research helped make foundation more inclusive for all skin tones. Balanda is currently the assistant vice president of scientific communications for L’Oréal Paris, and in this interview (originally aired in 2019) she shares industry secrets, like why ch...

We’ve got a new intro and some behind-the-scenes commentary for this classic interview with Miranda Kerr. The model, mom, and “magic girl” sits down to talk about self-love, smart business, and Kora Organics, the skincare line she founded in 2009—way before every other model and actress got into the beauty game. There will be crystals. There will be noni fruit. And we will be getting choked up as...

Before she stepped down as CEO, before she was a mom, and before she led Glossier through three more rounds of funding and a $1.2 billion valuation, Emily Weiss came to the Fat Mascara studio to talk about a gray logo sweatshirt and her plans for world domination. In this refreshing interview (originally recorded in 2017), she opens up in a way we haven’t seen in a long time, talking about her fav...

When did plastic surgery get so trendy? Dr. Jason Diamond, who has been practicing in Beverly Hills for years, is here to discuss it all: the rise of the ethnically ambiguous face; doctors live-streaming their surgeries; the code names he gives his VIP patients; the procedures he won’t perform (hint: thread lifts); and why he’s a fan of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. Plus, we try to get...

We get emotional at the end of the episode, thinking about how much our listeners mean to us! But first, how do we balance the contrasting pull of wanting to look youthful while fighting ageism? That theme kept coming up as we discussed RHONY; Dr. Jenn injecting filler; the Barbie scene with the elderly woman; Manchester United’s partnership with Estée Lauder; the TikTok aging filter; Prada h...

The original celebrity aesthetician has a prescription for better skin that doesn’t require Botox, filler, or lasers: Balance your pH; lean into muscle-stimulating and collagen-boosting therapies (microcurrent, LED); hydrate; and treat your hyperpigmentation. She explains how to do it—and which products to use—in this interview. Plus, she tells us why she helped create Kim Kardashian’s skincare li...

We tried a perfume that evokes a horseback ride through the fields and another that smells like the spice-laden cargo hold of a 17th-century galleon. Perfume storytelling has gotten so extra—and we are here for it! After that: Are water filters and other “passive skincare” devices worth the money? Plus, tanning beds make a comeback (!?); the secret ingredient in Beyoncé’s new perfume; a questionab...

Before we ever interviewed Cindy Crawford, we talked about her on the pod. A lot. You’ve heard us go on about her Meaningful Beauty infomercials and how she made us believe a French melon patch was the secret to he beauty. Well, now she’s in the FM studio to tell us the truth about the melons, and more: how aging has made her a more self-conscious model; how she’s dealt with thinning hair; what it...

Entrepreneur and cookbook author Ayesha Curry says her love languages are food and beauty. In this episode, the wife of NBA star Stephen Curry talks about working the phones at her mom’s hair salon, being a child model, how she found her signature scent, the muscle-sculpting machine she bought on Amazon, and her favorite hair gels. Plus, we chat about her new line, Sweet July Skin, and how it was...

After some deep thoughts on the art-versus-commerce of interviewing celebrities who have skincare lines, we get into the good stuff: a lipstick with a compostable tube that turns into dirt and @wheelchairbarbie’s makeup collaboration. And also the scary stuff: Afghan beauty salons are closing; a plastic surgeon lost her license after live-streaming surgeries; Elon Musk’s “burnt hair” perfume is he...

Poppy King has nothing left to prove. She has created two successful beauty lines, ridden the corporate wave, and done it all with her integrity intact. She's one of the few beauty entrepreneurs with the courage to sit out trends that don't feel right (like founder-as-social-media-star) and speak up on industry issues that feel misguided (the endless obsession with growth at all costs). In th...

It’s a busy beauty week: Jess tells us about her perfume event in Paris; Pat McGrath created a new must-have lip look; Mikayla Nogueira got married and the haters had thoughts; a dermatologist in Oregon broke a Guinness World Record; Jenn has updates on the hair-relaxer class action lawsuit; the Fat Mascara Fam came through with more grown-up golden hour bronzers; and ... we need your help figurin...

Consider this episode Skincare 101…and 201 and 301! Facialist Jordan Samuel Pacitti is here to answer all your skincare questions, from basics to advanced level: How do you know if your products are working? What order should you apply your skincare? Do you *really* need eye cream, and why do some of them sting your eyes? Plus, we chat about Jordan’s ballet background and how it influences his bra...