Fat Mascara

Can you really call particular beauty trends conservative or liberal? Jess & Jenn discuss. Plus: Coachella is a wrap; Revolve faces a class action lawsuit for its handling of influencer endorsements; big hair is back; Jess found a facial device that does it all; and Jenn welcomes a very special 10-year-old to the virtual studio to Raise (or Lower?) A Wand. Episode recap:  fatmascara.com/b...

Kudzi Chikumbu (aka @SirCandleMan), your bougie uncle of fragrance, shares the story of how he became a candle connoisseur. We talk about the $8 candle that he can’t get enough of, wick-trimming, waxes, why he doesn’t believe in a signature scent, the best-smelling hotel in the world, and so much more. Plus: His favorite Bath & Body Works candles and the Loewe candle we agree might be wor...

Garrett joins Jenn in the virtual studio to discuss where beauty culture is headed next: skincare for GLP-1 users; good news in animal testing; the futuristic work of Cornell’s Hybrid Body Lab; the best way to do a “moisture sandwich” to decrease retinoid irritation; and an encapsulated cannabidiol (CBD) cream that prevents UVA-induced damage. We also chat about free tattoos from a hotel chain, ho...

Actress, producer, and founder of Lolavie, Jennifer Aniston, is in the studio for a fun and freewheeling chat with Jess and Jenn. We talk about how beauty culture is portrayed in her movies; her first audition; her best and worst haircuts; the ways her mom influenced her health and beauty choices; her dogs; how she decides which brands she wants to work with; and what’s coming next from Lolavie, h...

We’re on location at Montage Palmetto Bluff, in South Carolina, and sharing tips we learned at our masterclass with facialist Fatma Shaheen, the founder of Skin Design London. Relax with us and learn some techniques for draining your lymphatic fluid and releasing tension in your face. Plus, let’s talk about the beauty products Meghan Markle recommends on her ShopMy page; beauty trends based on pol...

Jess and Jenn get excited about being included as a best podcast nominee in People magazine’s Read Choice Poll, and then there’s lots of beauty news to cover. A new body-diversity report reveals that fashion models are getting skinnier, and the five best-selling perfumes on TikTok may surprise you. Plus, Kim Cattrall’s beauty campaign; changes at Supergroup; the Hairbrained Awards; highlights from...

Why doesn’t natural deodorant always work? How do you prevent bad breath? What’s the best way to clean a mattress? Why do feet get so smelly? Social media sensation Madame Sweat—aka, Mary Further, the founder of Kaia Naturals—is here to answer all those questions. Plus, she explains how she became the internet’s expert on hygiene and etiquette, her favorite ways to fragrance a home, why she uses a...

Jenn and Julee talk about all the brands sponsoring women’s sports leagues this year—and the athletes who bring the best looks. Plus, Jenn’s experience at The Othership bathhouse; Julee’s latest celebrity encounter; the FDA’s voluntary recall of acne products due to elevated levels of benzene; a perfume you can lick (if you want to?); a pelvic wellness brand from Diva Cup; the Shark Beauty LED fac...

Bianca del Rio, aka Roy Haylock, is a comedian, drag queen, and winner of the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race . This is one of Fat Mascara’s first celebrity interviews (it originally aired in 2016) and it’s surprising how relevant it remains today! Bianca talks about how drag culture influences pop and beauty culture, and shares celebrity gossip, beauty tips, and her opinions on everything from...

Garrett joins Jenn to discuss the look of the White Lotus ladies—and what the Thai resort where it’s filmed is really like (yes, Garrett visited). Plus, we’re talking about the latest skincare and sunscreen news from the American Academy of Dermatology meeting; Meghan Trainor’s branded content campaign for a breast implant company; multitasking sunscreens; and a low-key amazing pencil for lips and...

From his Paris atelier, the mastermind behind Baccarat Rouge 540, Narciso Rodriguez for Her, and Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male dishes on his greatest hits and (a few) misses. Francis Kurkdjian, who co-founded Maison Francis Kurkdjian with Marc Chaya, reveals his unexpected path to perfumery, gets real about dupe culture, and explores the delicate balance of being both an artist and entrepreneur....

What would a fragrance inspired by your town or neighborhood smell like? Call and let us know: 646-481-8182. Jess & Jenn got the idea to ask you all after discussing Bond No. 9’s new Gerenpoint perfume. We’re also chatting about Pat McGrath’s appointment to La Beauté Louis Vuitton; the polarizing beauty look at Prada’s runway show; writer Ottessa Moshfegh’s high-fashion collaboration; eye...

Crown Affair’s hair products are in the bathrooms (and kits) of so many people who love and work in the beauty industry. How did that happen? Founder Dianna Cohen is here to explain. She shares lessons she learned working on some of the hottest “millennial” brands of the 2010s (Into The Gloss, Away, Outdoor Voices, Harry’s); why marketing isn’t the most important part of building a brand; the diff...

Lots of new products (Versed, Rhode, Glow Recipe, Naked Sundays, etc.) claim to be your skincare and makeup in one, but do they really live up to the hype? Jenn hashes it out with Julee. Before that, Julee shares the backstory of a recent cover story she wrote and explains how she ended up modeling for InnBeauty Project’s new campaign. Plus, we’re talking about a perfumed computer mouse, essential...

From saunas and jimjilbang to hammams and temazcales, bathing rituals exist in almost every culture around the world—but they’re still not a regular part of many people’s lives. Robert Hammond, the co-founder of New York City’s High Line and president of Therme Group US, wants to change that. He discusses the history of bathhouses in the modern United States, and explains their physical, social, a...

The Fat Mascara family is part of the show this week! Jess & Jenn share listener voicemails discussing Sephora birthday parties and tweens wearing makeup. We also talk about proposed legislation in California to ban the sale of “anti-aging skincare” to children. Plus, why is the FDA insisting that sunscreens in America should be tested on animals? We’ll discuss that, as well as Jess’s recent a...

What do Zendaya, Hailee Bieber, Cardi B, and Sara Sampaio have in common? They’ve all put their faces (and bodies!) in the hands of aesthetician Vanessa Marc, the founder of Vanessa Marc Studio in New York City. She joins us to talk about why models and celebrities love her treatments, the special needs of melanin-rich skin, the benefits of lymphatic massage and Colombian wood therapy tools, and h...

People are distraught about the discontinuation of Biologique Recherche’s P50 Lotion (1970 version), but Jenn & Garrett have some replacement suggestions. We’re also talking about Jenn’s filler (Garrett approves!); how teens feel about celebrity beauty brands; hair trends at New York Fashion Week; why Dr. Bronner’s is no longer a B Corp (and what B Corp status even means); and doctors taking O...

Makeup artist Violette Serrat, the founder of Violette_FR, makes the je ne sais quoi of French Girl beauty and style accessible to everybody. She shares her rebellious approach to makeup, the homeopathic skin drops she uses, why skin needs to rest, the key to good “sex hair,” and why eyeshadow looks better when it’s “slowly dying.” This interview originally aired in 2017 and has been re-edited and...

Jess & Jenn ponder the future this week! We talk more about kids having birthday parties at beauty stores, and then: why beauty shopping at drugstores is so unpleasant; advice for switching hair stylists; layoffs at Estée Lauder Companies; Paulina Porizkova returning to Lauder; navigating trade shows; manicures featuring NFC (Near-Field Communication) chips; glycolic acid as deodorant (and a n...

Are you risking your health at unregulated med spas? Dr. Kate Dee, author of Med Spa Mayhem and owner of Glow Medispa in Seattle, reveals the shocking truth about America's aesthetic clinics. In this episode, she explains how to identify if a med spa is operating legally; the risks of unregulated treatments; and how lasers, cosmetic filler, microneedling, and IV treatments can go wrong. Plus, she...

Garrett joins Jenn to chat about tweens having birthday parties at Sephora and Glossier stores; a Kiehl’s campaign featuring pubic hair (and the history of the merkin!); body scrubs; bathhouses; perfume-longevity hacks; and a deep dive on Renuva, the newish non-surgical volumizing treatment that’s different than cosmetic filler or fat transfers. Episode recap with links:  fatmascara.com/blog/...

Image consultant David Kibbe published his cult-classic style guide in the 1980s, and now he’s updated and expanded his philosophy with a new book for a new generation. In this interview, he shares how he became a “style mentor,” how to think about developing your own personal style, the history of seasonal color analysis, why he thinks his image-identity system is so popular on social media—and w...

Jenn & Jess welcome FM’s intern, Lexi, to the studio to talk about mood-boosting fragrances and whether or not they work. Before that: How do we all feel about the term “dermorexia”? Plus: Jess shares her adventures in a Parisian flea market; we try an AI-powered skin analysis tool; Coors Light enters the beauty game; one of our listeners gives the best trend analysis we’ve heard yet; we learn...

This episode is about so much more than makeup. Celebrity makeup artist and brand founder Laura Mercier shares the story of how she found her purpose and the lessons she learned along the way. We talk about her childhood in France; New York City in the 1990s; her work with Steven Meisel and clients like Madonna and Julia Roberts; the iconic makeup products she’s created; dessert; Buddhism; and so...