Bringing Back the Bombshell

Welcome back to Haul of Fame, your must-read beauty roundup for new products, new ideas and breastmilk perfume? Please no.

Included in today’s issue: Ānti, Beauty of Joseon, Black Beauty Club, Blushington, Clare V, Cyklar, Dr. Althea, Felix, Freakin’ Genius, Gen See, Glow Recipe, Guerlain, Half Magic, Hera, IGK, J. Hannah, Kate Somerville, Kiko Milano, Kylie Cosmetics, L’Oréal Paris, Le Mini Macaron, MAC Cosmetics, The Nue Co., Oak Essentials, Old Navy, Phlur, Quip, Scentbird, Selena Gomez, Touchland, Ursa Major, Yara Shahidi, YSE Beauty and the matcha industrial complex.

But first…

“Let’s freak out my boyfriend,” said Amelia Grey. The Real Housedaughter-turned-genuine runway star stood in a pile of her own hair, razored off in long wisps by stylist Jawara Wauchope. She took a picture of the pink carpet beneath her, coated in her signature jet-brown strands, then hit send and giggled. “It’s only a couple inches shorter now,” she winked. “But can you imagine if Victoria’s Secret gave me a bob? That would be wild.”

The fact that Gray didn’t need to explain her joke is a key piece of the VS beauty equation. For decades, the legendary runway’s standard “look” was long, loose, glossy hair, the kind that helped Beachwaver scale its entire revenue stream after pairing with VS in 2015. (Its hair tools now command over $100 million a year.) So uniform was the Victoria’s Secret beauty look that it was international news when Angolan model Maria Borges wore her naturally textured cropped cut on the brand’s 2015 catwalk. “It’s different now though,” said Wauchope just after giving Grey’s hair a final spritz. “More individual. More modern. More inclusive.”

Victoria’s Secret is in a make-or-break place when it comes to its beauty business, which commanded its own billion-dollar revenues in 2006. On one French tipped-hand, the market is saturated with the flirt-forward glosses and blushes that used to be VS’s bread and butter. And while Bombshell perfume was once the biggest fragrance in America, scent habits are changing. Sticking with one fragrance note isn’t a customer priority in 2025. On the other hand, Victoria’s Secret Beauty is automatically aligned with some of the prettiest — and most followed — girls in the world. And every major fashion outlet in America was broadcasting their exact brand of hairspray (Bumble & bumble) backstage.

“I think so many girls still want this bombshell American fantasy,” said Wauchope, spraying pageant curls and cascading extensions. (Wauchope said he ordered about 400 pounds of hair for the gig.) Meanwhile, Pat McGrath used industrial strength highlighter along the cheekbones, brow bones and the tip of the nose, and a strobe of vulva-pink blush across the cheeks. The lips were nude but defined, with a coat of Pat McGrath Labs Earth Angel Lust Gloss and a dab of shimmer just above the Cupid’s bow — an instruction prompt, essentially saying “kiss me here.”

The look represented a modern American allure that instantly resonated with viewers, at least according to social media comments that might as well have been swoons. But it also represented a lost opportunity for the Ohio-based retailer, which doesn’t sell the Bumble & bumble spray that helped set and lock the bombshell blowouts. Ditto the Pat McGrath lip gloss that was amplified in co-branded Instagram ads driving Victoria’s Secret fans to McGrath’s website. (The brand did not respond to questions by press time.) The move was especially curious since Victoria’s Secret unveiled two new glosses on its website as part of its “runway edit,” including a sheer shimmer and a “Runway Plumper” that 900+ shoppers added to their carts in the 24-hours leading up to the show and 300 times in the 12 hours after, according to VS site analytics.

Currently, VS beauty offerings (mostly scented lotions and fragrances with a handful of lip glosses) boast mid-single digit growth, which has been ticking upward for two years straight. (This is not nothing, especially as major beauty players like Estée Lauder and Coty are losing customers.) And if Victoria’s Secret’s beauty line can harness the same type of beloved-mentor energy that McGrath and Wauchope seamlessly project on their own channels, while keeping their prices aligned with their customers, they might be onto something.

Backstage at Victoria’s Secret, Paloma Elsesser was proving the strategy firsthand by handing out Shiseido Benefiance eye patches to models like Abby Champion while they sat in hair and makeup. “It’s just basic sisterhood,” said Elsesser with a grin as she opened her purse and offered me eye patches (and also, because she is a legend, a hit of her vape). “These are great. We all want to look our best. Of course we support each other and share!”

Shiseido is not sold at Victoria’s Secret right now, but perhaps VS beauty should (or will) release its own branded eye patches and hire Elsesser to model them. If one thing can rival bombshell power in 2025, it’s sisterhood — or at least its more capitalist BFF, the “cool leader” nudge.

What else is new…

Skincare

“Sodium DNA” sounds like a Jurassic Park joke, but it’s a very real ingredient used in molecular biology labs to make gene cloning easier. (Really.) Dr. Althea — the South Korean beauty line founded by Evelyn Lee, who is not a doctor — now uses it for Aqua Marine Jelly Mist, a cooling $20 skin spritz that also lists seawater in the formula.

But wait… the mists are gathering. Oct. 16 saw the rise of Born 2 Blush Dew It Now Hydration Mist, a ceramide-rich formula for $32.

Oak Essentials hit Erewhon on Oct. 13, and it’s the first time I’ve seriously considered diverting my smoothie money to a body oil fund.

Speaking of smoothies, Sulwhasoo has made its first drink in collaboration with influencer Stephanie Hjelmesmeth. It’s called the Ginseng Glow and it combines matcha with ginseng-infused honey, yuzu lotus seed collagen cream and goji berry. You can get it at Hjelmesmeth’s Suá Superette in Los Angeles, but if you’re not in town, don’t worry: This won’t be the last time skincare comes for the matcha latte trend.

If you binge L’Oréal Paris lotions instead of Victoria Beckham documentaries, get excited. On Oct. 15, the brand announced Lumi Glotion XL, a jumbo size tube of the best-selling product, which acts like a tinted moisturiser and retails for $30.

Would you like transparent glitter wings under your eyes? Beauty Of Joseon is here for you. On Oct. 15, the K-beauty brand debuted its Revive Under Eye Patches with retinal, bakuchiol, ginseng root water and “pearlized” shimmer for maximum TikTok potential.

If you heard that Rare Beauty acquired Kate Somerville on Oct. 14, you might have been like, “Whoa, Selena Gomez really likes Exfolikate.” But industry pundits are actually talking about Rare Beauty Brands, a Boston-based company that owns Patchology and a handful of other small skincare labels. Glad to clear up all those DMs…

The ingredient list of Ursa Major’s Vital Spring Hydration face mask sounds like a Midsummer Night’s Dream stanza. It’s got elfdock flower, split gill mushroom and summer snowflake bulb and promises to restore fairy dew to your skin.

Quip dropped whitening strips on Oct. 15 that dissolve with use. Each pack is $24 and you can choose between fast whitening or more gentle stain-reducing formulas.

Gen Alpha will see you now — at least if you’re Touchland. On Oct. 15, the hand sanitizer turned fifth grade status symbol launched Confetti Cake Power Mist. It’s a glitter-loaded hand sanitizer with notes of vanilla, cake and rainbow sprinkles (do those smell like anything but wax?) that comes in a glittery silicone case. The backpack accessory potential is endless.

Makeup

Guys. Guys. On Oct. 14, Guerlain unveiled a holiday version of its famous Météorites pearls with a star shaped makeup bead replacing its regular round ones. This is like Lucky Charms but with $85 highlighter. I am obsessed.

Would you pay $1,500 a month — that’s $18,000 a year — for an unlimited glam squad membership? The beauty club Blushington is betting on it. On Oct. 14, the California-based brand announced Carte Blush, a brilliant name for an all-access card that gets you blowouts, wig services, makeup and lash applications, brow tints, deep conditioning treatments, and more, all for the price of a new Nissan Versa. Do you know someone who has invested in this service? DM me — I just wanna talk.

Remember when girls bought those Dior beauty pouches at Sephora and pretended they were real Dior bags? Here’s an actual upgrade: On Oct. 15, Clare V partnered with Yse Beauty on a brown velvet clutch that comes with two tinted lip balms. It’s $325.

J. Hannah is one of the few fashion brands that’s mastered nail collabs. The jewelry label by Jess Hannah Révész began making lacquers in 2017 in sculptural shades like jade green and cement gray; by 2020, she’d paired with the Metropolitan Museum of Art on polish trios inspired by surrealism and Tudor portraits. On Oct. 13, J. Hannah dropped its first collab with the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. Inspired by Hammer artist Kristy Luck, the polishes come in two shades — Privacy, a copper-flecked brown, and Halation, a pale, shimmery pink. (“Halatian” means a fog of light, so I guess that tracks.)

Welcome to Nordstrom, Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics! On Oct. 13, the California label hit the brand’s website.

If you aren’t obsessed with Felix, you don’t know him yet. The Stray Kids singer is a Louis Vuitton ambassador who adores makeup, sings with an up-all-night edge to his voice, speaks like an Aussie surfer bro (He is from a Sydney suburb) and is called “Brownie Boy” for his love of baking. On Oct. 14, he paired with the Amorepacific-owned makeup brand Hera on Brownie Boy, a muted rose-brown gloss modeled by Felix himself. It’s $36 on Amazon, where it’s described as a “sensual nude gloss.” Oh gosh.

Half Magic rolled out two glosses on Oct. 15 with extreme potential for addiction. VHS Vixen is a rose with red shimmer, and Dream Genie is a lilac with blue iridescent flecks. Each costs $22.50. Rather stay with a satin finish? Gen See’s Fig and Guava Cream Sheens hit shelves on Oct. 15, with blendable pink tints that can be used for lips, eyes and cheeks.

Last year, we begged Estée Lauder to make Sandy Liang’s frosted pink lip gloss for real. On Oct. 14, they basically did with MAC Cosmetics’ Dazzlelips Crayon in Spaced Out, a cool pink with pearl shimmer. It’s perfect!!!

Old Navy hasn’t announced its own beauty line yet but they are continuing to platform others. The gel nail brand Le Mini Macaron hit Old Navy stores this fall, along with 700 Ulta doors on Oct. 15.

One Touch Magic Lip Stylo is an $18 lipstick from Kiko Milano with a satin-matte finish and a campy Wild West commercial to hype it. It debuted Oct. 15. in 12 shades, including a scorching hot pink.

Glow Recipe is getting shade-y. On Oct. 17, the beloved skincare-makeup hybrid debuted four new colours — cherry and dragonfruit (electric pink) for its Dewy Flush cheek tint and dragonfruit and coconut bingsoo (a chocolate creme) for its Glass Balm lip gloss.

“Kylie” is one of the most popular girls names for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. They’ll all be psyched with the limited-edition Kylie Cosmetics anniversary collection, which celebrates the brand’s 10th birthday with a California license plate that says KNG KYLIE (“King Kylie”) and packs 10 shades of glittery eyeshadow. There are also lip glazes and matte colours in the original lip-drip packaging. It’s out Oct. 18.

Hair Care

Freakin’ Genius is a new line from Tigi’s founders that promises made-in-the-USA formulas for curly, textured, and limp hair. It hit Amazon on Oct. 15 and prices start at $30.

IGK hair masks are basically toddler time-outs for your frizz. On Oct. 15, the hair label dropped Antisocial Cloud Club, a treatment for dry hair with “bond repair technology,” a cherry blossom scent, and a $33 price tag.

Fragrance

If you were a kid who begged for the Strawberry Shortcake shampoo of the 1980s, congrats: You are likely now a Millennial beauty maven. Scentbird knows this, which is why on Oct. 15, it released an Eau Fresh Picked perfume, along with a Drift home diffuser. The packaging comes with Ms. Shortcake herself on the box. Meanwhile, is it weird to buy the 1990s strawberry Suave?

The Paris indie fragrance house Ānti debuted “Dukes Carpet” on Oct. 14. It’s a vermouth-based fragrance inspired by James Bond which also boasts notes of dry gin, wood and “dangerous charm.”

Perfume marketing heavily lies on yearning but The Nue Co.’s new trio is awfully on the nose. On Oct. 15, the UK brand launched The Nostalgia Skinscent collection, including perfumes named First Milk, Past Time and Otherwhere. The bottles have apothecary vibes; the font is intentionally blurry, which drives me nuts but is also pretty cool.

Cyklar’s perfume oils are expanding. On Oct. 15, the brand fronted by influencer Claudia Sulewski dropped Amber Hour and Core Vetiver, two scents that smell exactly like they sound. (This is hard! And appreciated!)

Maybe Phlur needs less caffeine. On Oct. 10, the fragrance brand launched another hair and body mist, Vanilla Blackberry. It’s $38 with goth lite imagery, including a white orchid surrounded by an ultraviolet halo, and a spooky silhouette of a twisty vanilla bean.

And finally…

This chat, between Yara Shahidi and Tomi Talabi’s The Black Beauty Club, is great and worth your time.

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