Fat Mascara

Jenn had an at-home hair color breakthrough, Jess talked to Cher (!), and there's so much more to chat about, including industry news, Kate Hudson’s foray into skincare, and Neen, a subscription-model makeup line from Jeanine Lobell, the founder of Stila. Plus, we Raise A Wand to a foundation that covers the flaky side effects of Accutane (isotretinoin), the German pharmacy foot cream that heals s...

Josie Maran is the only CEO we know who rode a horse bareback (while naked) for work, started a band with Nicole Richie, starred in a vampire movie, and created a multimillion-dollar beauty business after a chance encounter with a dewy-skinned septuagenarian in Saint-Tropez. She’s here to share those stories and more, including how she cured her stepdaughter’s eczema without pharmaceuticals and wh...

Welcome to the future! We’re talking about the most promising beauty finds at the Consumer Electronics Show, including a gadget to make at-home hair coloring easier, a smart fragrance device that packs 100 possible perfumes into one bottle, and a toothbrush with a camera (do we really need that?). Plus, there’s lots of news to catch up on, including a law that requires Tennessee salon workers to g...

Dermatological surgeon Dr. Dendy Engelman is here to demystify topical anti-agers and explain how retinoids, peptides, antioxidants, and acids work. Plus, she offers real talk on which ingredients are truly, scientifically harmful and which are simply vilified by the interwebs. This episode features a new introduction but the interview originally aired in 2018. We’ll be back January 11 with all ne...

Ease into the new year with Shrankhla Holecek, the founder of Uma. She shares how Ayurveda has always been part of her life and offers simple ways we can all make it part of ours, including dry brushing, tongue scraping, and navel therapy oils. This episode features a new introduction but the interview originally aired in June, 2019. We’ll be back January 11 with all new episodes for 2022! Links a...

We’re wrapping up 2021 with the nicest (and naughtiest) moments in the beauty world this year. Pour a glass of your favorite beverage and settle in for our annual tradition, where we cheer the movements, products, people, and brands we loved—and jeer the news, trends, and shenanigans we’d rather not see again in 2022. Links and sponsors:  fatmascara.com/blog Shop the products mentioned on thi...

We’re winding down the year with glowy skin, an Emily in Paris watch party, and a lively week in the beauty world! In the news: beauty takes on And Just Like That (the Sex and the City reboot); Elon Musk’s new haircut; money pieces, the not-so-new hair color trend; camels getting Botox; and new research showing pollution tans your skin just like the sun. Plus, Jenn reviews the DiamonGlow facial an...

Born in Mexico City to a family of aesthetes, Rodrigo Flores-Roux was destined to be a perfumer. He reminisces about his fragrance-loving grandmothers, his training in Versailles, and the more than 500 perfumes he’s created—including Clinique Happy and Arquiste Misfit, the Fragrance Foundation’s 2021 Indie Fragrance of the Year. Plus, we talk about the future of perfumery and how he and his collea...

Journalist Darian Symoné Harvin is Jenn’s guest co-host this week! She shares her beauty philosophy and her analysis of the week’s beauty news: Lush stops advertising on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, citing mental-health concerns; a California man files the first lawsuit based on the CROWN Act; Chrissy Teigen gets eyebrow transplants; bed bugs (!) invade the Science Corner; and more....

Comedian Emma Vernon, host of Perfume Room and one of our favorite #perfumetok follows ( @emma_vern ), shares stories inspired by her scent collection, including her adventures as a late bloomer in love and the seductive perfume that changed it all. We also talk about high-low fragrance dupes; the reason big, white florals don’t belong on tweens; and the $7 scent she’s currently obsessed with. Plu...

Artificial nails have come a long way, from the late Middle Ages (their first appearance) to the Lee Press On Nails of the 1980s. We share their history, then celebrate the current revival and tell you about some of the best press-on nails we’ve tried. Before that, lots of news to discuss, including the Machine Gun Kelly PR blitz for his new nail polish line; big changes at Proactiv; Galderma’s pu...

We went back through all our interviews, called up some of our favorite former guests, and compiled a list of the absolute best bargain beauty buys. We’re sharing the must-have mascaras, hair masks, sunscreens, body lotions, and more from makeup artists like Mario Dedivanovic and Daniel Martin, hair stylists Ashley Streicher, Harry Josh, and Sally Hershberger—and tons of o...

Why do hair brands sell different products to men and women? How can we make the beauty world less intimidating? And why is everyone so scared of styling mousse? Hairstylist David Lopez has answers to those questions and more. Plus, he shares his technique for creating effortless waves on (almost) any hair texture, the best concealer for men and makeup novices, and behind-the-scenes secrets from t...

Dermatologist Iris Rubin, MD, realized hair products were causing her acne, so she created Seen, a line of skin-caring haircare. We discuss that and so much more: her career as a pediatric laser surgeon, whether silicone’s bad reputation is deserved, and how common household and personal care products can cause things like migraines, rashes, and more. Links and sponsors:  fatmascara.com/blog...

There are lots of at-home light therapy gadgets that claim to benefit your skin, but they also raise questions: If red LED light boosts hair growth, what happens when you use it on your face? And if blue light may be problematic when it comes from screens, why are blue LED lights used to treat acne? We’re getting to the bottom of things, with help from dermatologist Blair Murphy-Rose, MD. Plus, Je...

What makes aloe soothing? How does kigelia extract firm skin? Jennifer Hirsch, a botanist who trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has studied ethnobotany and worked with NGOs to research botanical business diversification for communities around the world. Now, she helps beauty brands bring the power of plants to their products. In this episode, she shares stories from her travels and explai...

Jess tells us what Fraxel is really like, and then we chat about the heat-sensitive bottles in Addison Rae’s “science-backed” perfume line; whether makeup value sets are worth their listed prices; the MAC collection from Blackpink’s Lisa; the conclusion of Jay Z’s perfume legal battle; a health warning about biotin supplements; and new scientific research based on Cardi B’s belief that a thottie “...

Hairstylist Mara Roszak booked her first celebrity client when she was just 17 (her mom had to drive her to the job!), and she’s been working steadily ever since, with clients like Emma Stone, Zoe Saldana, Natalie Portman, and Cara Delevingne. In this interview, she shares how she got her start, anecdotes from the set, the story behind her line, Rōz, and the products she stocks in her kit—and at h...

Find out which hair supplement is the most popular in the world, the countries where "wings" are in demand and “The Rachel” still rules, the curly-hair brand that everyone’s obsessed with, and more, as we did into a report on the hottest hair trends of the year. Plus: RFLCT, the blue-light skincare line, is officially cancelled; NFTs continue to invade the beauty space, Lisa Eldridge launches a po...

Pornography has everything to do with sex, but it doesn’t necessarily reflect what people find attractive, says Cindy Gallop, ad executive, brand leader, entrepreneur, and founder of social sextech platform MakeLoveNotPorn. In this conversation, she talks to Jess about the false expectations the adult-film industry has set up in terms of body image; the homogeneous, often surgically altered, look...

If your skin texture is uneven because of acne scars, we can help! Two dermatologists offer their tips and advice—including some things you can do at home. Plus, we’re talking about skincare designed to help with blue light damage: Do you really need it? Streamer and YouTube creator Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter’s fans certainly don’t think so. And there’s lots of other news to discuss: a nail-pai...

What we buy reveals a lot about who we are, says comedian-writer-director Kulap Vilaysack and journalist SuChin Pak, the hosts of the Add to Cart podcast. They talk to Jenn about double-cleansing, the environmental impact (and guilt) of consumerism, why SuChin still has makeup from her MTV days, and what Kulap uses to get skin like a “damp mochi ball.” Plus, Ku shares the reason she decided to gro...

We’ve got a makeup-artist-approved list of the best eyeliners that won’t smudge, smear, transfer, travel, change color, or make you look like a raccoon by lunchtime—along with tips for extra liner longevity from makeup artist Sarah Uslan. Before that, lots of beauty news to chat about: Another benzene recall (and a reminder of what benzene is and why it keeps popping up in personal care products);...

In this special episode, brought to you ad-free by Ulta Beauty, skin therapist Vanessa Copeland explains what’s really going on during a facial, how to get all those complexion benefits at home, and which products will help you unlock your skin’s potential. We discuss LED light therapy, dermaplaning, ultrasonic skin spatulas, how facials can help acne sufferers, the benefits of (gen...

We discuss rusty social skills and how to comment (or not?) on someone’s appearance. Plus, Jenn made a DIY linen spray, we have three “Raise A Wand” suggestions for sensitive skin, and there’s lots of news to chat about: the future of fragrance at Parfums Christian Dior and Estée Lauder Companies; Tula Skincare’s beautiful PSA-style campaign; and changes to California’s training requirements for c...