Have you noticed bold, mostly gold ear cuffs everywhere this year? I have, and several of you asked about them, so clearly you’re noticing too. I looked for an expert to break down the trend for us.

Ear cuffs are having a moment

Ear cuffs are having a real cultural moment right now, and I’m here for it. They’re the perfect accessory for those of us who love a statement without the commitment of another piercing (resists the urge to count my own). I wanted to understand where this trend came from and why it’s resonating so broadly. So I reached out to Jason Crantz, co-founder of DEMARSON, a jewelry brand that’s been designing and selling ear cuffs since 2019—well before they hit mainstream awareness.

What I discovered is that ear cuffs aren’t new; they’re just finally getting the recognition they deserve. And there’s something particularly appealing about them for our demographic.

Crantz agreed to answer some of your questions about everything ear cuffs.

Some questions. Some answers

HG! When did you first notice a shift in how customers responded to ear cuffs?

JC: We’ve been designing and selling ear cuffs since 2019, but we’ve noticed in the last year and a half a real shift in the customer being open to them. Cuffs are such a great way to add to your stack without the commitment of another piercing.

HG! That timeline tracks—I started noticing them everywhere in early 2026. Do you have any thoughts on why they’re so popular now, even with those who already have multiple ear piercings?

JC: To us, jewelry is the main event, and stacking and layering really can show off your personality. Also, our cuffs have an easy-fit hinge, which makes it so easy to get on and stay on the ear. That’s been a game-changer for comfort and wear.

“Ear cuffs are so democratic and ageless” ~Jason Crantz

HG! Is there a ‘right’ way to wear an ear cuff, or is it fine to wear them however you want?

JC: It really depends on your mood. Sometimes one cuff is enough when you’re on the go—but layering different metals, colors, and pavé is really what sets our brand apart. The beauty is there’s no wrong way to do it.

HG! This is geared toward women who are 40+ years old. Is this an easy way to make a bold statement at any age? Are these more popular with one age group or another?

JC: Ear cuffs are so democratic and ageless. We notice our younger customers like to stack heavily, and our older customers start with one cuff but most of the time graduate to 2 or 3 at a time. It’s beautiful to see that evolution.

Why This Matters for Us

Jason’s last point really stuck with me. There’s something I love about the idea that ear cuffs work across generations—and that the “40+ approach” is to start with one and thoughtfully build from there. That’s not playing it safe; that’s being intentional.

A single gold ear cuff can absolutely make a bold statement. It catches the light, it’s unexpected in the best way, and it says something about a woman who knows herself. DEMARSON sent me one of their statement-making Vida Pavé Ear-Cuff in emerald. While I’ve worn ear cuffs over the years, the hinge really does make the difference between slipping it on and worrying that it will randomly slide off. One thing to keep in mind: this is a bold piece, and you’ll be aware of the weight. Not in an uncomfortable way, just an aware way.

The trend is democratic in the way Jason described: ageless, flexible, and totally yours to interpret. Whether you’re a minimalist who prefers one perfect cuff or someone who loves the visual drama of multiple layers, ear cuffs have you covered.

And let’s be honest—anything that lets us add pizzazz without a trip to the piercer? That’s a win. DEMARSON Vida Pave Ear Cuff is $195 on demarson.com.

Have you jumped on the ear cuff trend? I keep flirting with it because it’s so much fun without much of a commitment. Let’s discuss!

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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Quick note: I included some affiliate links and from time to time some sponsored products which means I might earn a small commission on sales made through these links, but I also throw in stuff I love just because. Prices are current at publish time.

When I met with Teddy Swims via Zoom a few weeks ago, I noticed his electric blue manicure — and it filled me with absolute joy. I kept sneaking peeks from his extremely expressive, extremely tattooed hands (including his tattooed palms!) to his gorgeous mani and back again. So with about sixty seconds left in our interview, I had to ask about his nails.

We’d just spent fifteen minutes covering the sacred — his Pentecostal minister grandfather, faith, fatherhood, his new tour (you can read that whole conversation in my Yahoo piece), and his fun partnership with White Claw, which included a teddy floatie. So I felt it only fair to warn him I was about to pivot from the absolutely beautiful to the completely surface: I love the color of his blue shiny nails. I asked him if it was something he did just for himself, or if it was part of his beauty routine…or rather his ugly routine (His arena tour is called The Ugly. He liked that one.)

Here’s what I didn’t expect: the manicure isn’t really about the color at all.

“I had them actually done with some gels on them a couple days ago,” Swims told me, “but I broke a couple, and then I just pulled them all off, because I just got too rough. But I try to keep them painted until I get them done again, because I’m so bad about it. I’ll bite around the cuticles.”

And then he got honest in the way that, I’ve learned during our brief hangout, Teddy Swims is. “It’s been helping me a lot with that awful habit I have of just destroying them. If I don’t keep them painted, my cuticles, my fingers will be bitten down to the knuckle. So I gotta be good.”

Swims said his mother tried the classic fix when he was younger — that bitter no-bite polish so many of us remember. “I remember my mom used to always put that, like, nasty stuff on them, and I just bit right through it anyway. It didn’t stop me.”

The gel manicure did.

“It’s that, or bite the inside of my cheeks,” Swims said. “I got these little nervous habits that I’m trying to do whatever it takes to get past.”

And there it is. The man who headlines arenas with UGLY on his posters, who sings like his heart is permanently hanging in full view outside his body, keeps his nails painted electric blue not for the aesthetic (though the aesthetic is spectacular) but as an act of self-care. The polish is doing the job his mom’s bitter stuff never could, because this time he chose it.

I told him the image of him with a gel manicure would stay with me forever. Weeks later, it still has. Worth noting: I made Swims blush at one point — nothing untoward, I promise. It was the deeply spiritual stuff that got to him in a big way.

Inspired by Teddy Swims’ mani: have you ever used a beauty ritual to break a habit or soothe a nervous one? A manicure to stop the biting, a lip balm to stop the picking? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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There are some brands I rave about all the time. Dior is one of those brands. Even the whisper of a Dior lip gloss or highlighter is enough for me to want to add that sucker to my shopping cart. And that’s what happened with the new Diorshow Flash Stick.

Diorshow Flash Stick disappointed me

First off, it’s stunning, and the texture is whisper-soft with just the right amount of dazzle. I bought Celestial Star which is a holographic shade of white with the tiniest amounts of pinkish shimmer. Does anyone remember the Madeline Mono white highlighters that were huge in the ‘90s? They came in odd angular compacts, and each contained about five different shimmery variations. The Flash Stick is a lot like that, only a shadow stick. A shadow stick that cost $42 and fell out of the container the second time that I used it. Yes, I tried to stuff it back in. Yes, it fell out again the next time. Yes, I tried using it again today before I started writing this. No. I won’t try it again because it’s now destroyed completely.

I rarely feature products I don’t like (what’s the point?) But I love this one! It’s the packaging that needs a major overhaul. If you’re still curious enough to try it, have at it: $42, dior.com.

Have you tried this one or a similar shadow stick that disappointed you? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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Quick note: I included some affiliate links and from time to time some sponsored products which means I might earn a small commission on sales made through these links, but I also throw in stuff I love just because. Prices are current at publish time.

We’re heading into the second heatwave of the summer in my part of the world, and I’m finding it harder than ever to catch an entire night’s sleep. Lucky for me, I just tried out one of Drowsy’s Silk Sleep Eye Masks. These are undoubtedly the floofiest and most luxurious masks I’ve ever tried and go beyond my blackout curtains to block out every single scorching ray of light. The construction is also brilliant since they wrap around your face instead of using an uncomfortable stretchy band.

One thing I also really love about these sleep masks - they have the wrinkle-softening elements of sleeping on a silk pillowcase, minus the night-long slip and slide.

Beyond the great night’s sleep, I’m thinking these would be gloriously extra to pack for your next long-haul flight. Let everyone else put on gel masks that scare the flight attendants; you can sparkle for the entire flight. Maybe you don’t have a first-class ticket, but the Crystals by Swarovski is the ballgown equivalent of an eye mask. I’m definitely (be)dazzled by the design! ($99 for the branded version on drowsysleepco.com, but you can find all kinds of beautiful styles starting at about $79 and up to $139).

P.S. Be sure to check out Drowsy’s new Hotel Paradiso collection that channels Old Hollywood glam, including the leopard-print Wild Thing mask ($79) that would make a perfect holiday gifty for your favorite auntie.

Do you use silk eye masks or pillowcases? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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Quick note: I included some affiliate links and from time to time some sponsored products which means I might earn a small commission on sales made through these links, but I also throw in stuff I love just because. Prices are current at publish time.

This one’s short and sweet because summer brains deserve summer reads. Oy. I’ll get to a long list of summer reads next week.

The theme this week is bundling — not the kind that requires a coat, the kind where products work better together than apart. Think of it as matchmaking for your medicine cabinet and makeup case. I’ve paired everything up so you don’t have to (or the manufacturers did, and I loved it so much I shared as is!)

Your Whole Mouth, Handled: Davids

Davids built a full oral care routine around one of my fave ingredients, nano hydroxyapatite — the enamel-strengthening ingredient dentists keep whispering about — and made it low-waste while they were at it. The Peppermint Toothpaste whitens and tastes like actual mint, not “mint.” The Fresh Breath Mouthwash Kit pairs a full-size bottle with a concentrate refill, so you’re not tossing plastic monthly. Round it out with the refillable floss, a bamboo toothbrush pretty enough for the counter, and a stainless steel tongue scraper — yes, you need one; no, your toothbrush doesn’t count. You can find most Davids products on iHerb for under $20.

Better Late Than Flaky: Epionce

I missed World Skin Health Day yesterday (July 8th, if you’re keeping score), but here’s the thing: your skin doesn’t know what day it is. Epionce is a physician-founded line that earns the label — created by clinical dermatologist Dr. Carl Thornfeldt, backed by 20 years of research. The Intensive Nourishing Cream is my summer nighttime non-negotiable, because 24/7 AC means waking up with skin like Dubai chocolate. And the Intense Defense Serum tackles visible aging without irritation — rarer than it should be.

The Parched Summer Hair Rescue Bundle

(my own creation — you’re welcome)

Summer humidity giveth frizz and taketh away moisture and bounce, so hair needs backup. OLAPLEX’s Hair & Body Mist (I really want to try this one. It’s $28) and just-launched No. 7 Shine Serum Oil Mist ($38) work as a pair — shine, hydration, and that citrusy OLAPLEX scent people ask about when you stand a hair too close to them (geddit?). My third wheel: Aveda’s brand-new One For All Leave-In Elixir, which hydrates, detangles, smooths, and heat-protects in one step. Mist, elixir, oil, out the door. Your hair won’t know it’s July. I included both, because I can’t get enough of Aveda’s Purefume scent. Ever.

Chrome, Sweet Chrome: OPI Chrome Effects

Remember the glazed donut manicure that broke the internet? The powder behind it — OPI’s Chrome Effects Mirror-Shine Nail Powder ($15) — vanished from the market, leaving nail artists rationing their last containers. It’s finally back, including Tin Man Can Glaze, the exact silvery-white shade from Hailey Bieber’s viral Met Gala moment, plus new metallics like titanium-silver Chrome to Mama. Dip, rub in circles, seal with top coat, and suddenly your nails look like jewelry*. Available at OPI.com and Ulta — and yes, it now works with OPI’s at-home gel system, no salon required.

For the Him in Your Life: Native Well-Crafted Collection

Native — yes, the deodorant brand you already know — just launched Well-Crafted, a men’s head-to-toe collection: deodorant ($14 stick / $15 spray), body wash ($11), shampoo and conditioner ($10 each), and a lotion ($15) that won’t sit in a puddle on his skin. Same clean-formula approach, no unnecessary extras, and four scents named like cabins you’d want to be snowed into: Mountain Sequoia & Rain, Sandalwood & Coconut, Sunset Cedar & Suede, Cherry Oak & Vanilla. All under $16 at Nativecos.com.

*I Need This Ring in My Life

I worked in the diamond industry for five years. I’m pretty sure I saw every variation and permutation of decorative diamonds possible. Also emeralds. And sapphires and every precious stone known to womankind. And I bought myself way too much jewelry, because when you can get it that heavily discounted, it’s cheaper to buy something sparkly than a new pair of shoes. That was a long time ago when the price of gold was manageable. Okay, blast from the past discarded, shall we gather around this diamond heart ring from kWIT Jewelry and all swoon a little? It’s SO pretty. I feel like Travis is for sure going to buy one for Taylor for their one-month anniversary. Conversely, if you have an extra $6k lying around, you could totes treat me to it!

That’s it for this week — six little bundles of joy, no assembly required (okay, minimal assembly, because that whole chrome look is a production).

If you try any of these pairings, drop a comment and tell me what worked; I read everything, even in July. Until next time: stay cool, stay hydrated, and remember that “doing your full routine” totally counts even when it’s just the tongue scraper and a prayer.

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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Quick note: I included some affiliate links and from time to time some sponsored products which means I might earn a small commission on sales made through these links, but I also throw in stuff I love just because. Prices are current at publish time.

Some days I do my whole routine. Some days I am a woman holding a tube of Clarins Lip Perfector, and that’s the entire routine. And I feel virtuous about even trying!

I’ll give you three guesses as to what kind of day it is today, post-long holiday weekend and coming out of a heatwave.

Clarins Lip Perfector Peptide-Plumping + Hydrating Lip Gloss

I’ve loved this beauty since it launched about 15 years ago, and here’s why it survives every purge: it’s a balm that reads as makeup. Sheer wash of color, wild mango, and a shea-butter cushion, and behold! Just the right amount of gloss without the 2003 tackiness (that I secretly sometimes still love. Don’t judge). You put it on and look like you slept, hydrated, and made choices. Good choices. The reality is that you probably did one of those things…maybe.

Keep one at your desk, one in your bag, one on the coffee table to apply before you head to Port Charles. This is the entire assignment today.

You already know how to look like yourself. Sometimes it takes exactly one product. And sometimes (like today) I can’t even be bothered with color ($30, clarinsusa.com).

And how lazy was your beauty routine today? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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Quick note: I included some affiliate links and from time to time some sponsored products which means I might earn a small commission on sales made through these links, but I also throw in stuff I love just because. Prices are current at publish time.

I was going to write a timely independence-inspired piece for July 4th. But I did that last year. And then I decided to tell you to skip the hot dogs this year — because it’s all so predictable it stopped being special. I’m not anti-hot dog. I’m anti-autopilot. So maybe this year, allow yourself the independent choice of figuring out how you want to spend the next few days, and not the way everyone thinks you should. Which brings me to both Ben Folds and chicken salad. I'll explain.

The Luckiest

A few weeks ago, I went to see Ben Folds in concert with the New Jersey Symphony at the beautifully restored jewel-box-sized State Theatre in New Brunswick (Jewel box to me, anyway — I grew up on Lincoln Center.) I love Ben Folds so hard it hurts sometimes. And since I don’t live in or near New Jersey, I was simultaneously in and out of my comfort zone.

The concert was exceptional. It was also nothing I expected. If you're unfamiliar with him or his music, Folds is frequently a foul-mouthed, soft-voiced piano virtuoso — think the love child of Bart Simpson and Beethoven — so I walked into the theater prepared for an entirely different concert than the one I got.

It was rousing to hear my favorite songs played with an orchestra of about 50 musicians, and the conductor was a treat. Edwin Outwater (you may remember him from the Metallica and San Francisco Symphony collaboration) brought so much enthusiasm and pure physicality to the task that it was hard not to love every moment. Only I didn’t — not at first. I’d come in with misplaced expectations of the usual Ben Folds show, the one where he leads the audience in three-part harmonies. That never happened.

One of the best parts came before a single note: we were told no photos or video during the performance — only during applause. So for once, none of the on-stage magic disappeared into a sea of glowing rectangles. No one was filming a song they'd never rewatch; no stranger's screen pulled my eye from the stage. Just a room full of people who'd agreed, briefly, to actually be here sharing a moment.

So instead of allowing myself to be distracted by the unfamiliarity of the arrangements, I decided to melt into the experience. And melt I did.

Folds, who was the first Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center from 2017 to early 2025, has a quirky roster of covers. He explained that he’d recorded “The Ghost in You” by the Psychedelic Furs while guest-starring on The Wilds for Amazon Prime Video. In his self-deprecating way, Folds described his character as the worst of that teen star’s parents’ generation; the show notes call him her crush. Either way, this Gen X girl had tears rolling down her face through his symphonic version of a song I’ve always loved, especially as a highly angsty teen.

Once I understood I wasn’t seeing the Ben Folds I know but Ben Folds with a symphony, I enjoyed every second.

But Wait, There’s More

Earlier this week, I sat for an artist (I’ll call him J) who created a wonderfully crafted digital drawing of me that I can only describe as hideous. I told him so, albeit affectionately. He’s a schmancy cartoonist for The New Yorker who was doing caricatures, so I’m not sure what I expected — maybe something that resembled me. J mentioned that I share a last name with his favorite writer, Gene Weingarten, who once wrote that he and I are related only in chutzpah. I told J about the time Gene wrote about me for the Washington Post, back when Gene was on a quest to connect with and irritate as many Weingartens as possible. After my profile, Gene skewered another, unrelated Weingarten. Who knew there were so many of us?

As we chatted, I told J he reminded me of what Ben Folds would be like if he were an artist. J's entire face changed in what might be seen by a caricaturist as an expression of fervent joy. Turns out Ben Folds is one of J’s favorite musicians too. Our conversation shifted to the best concerts we’d ever seen, and I told him about the one in New Jersey, which I forgot to mention was at 2:00 pm on a Sunday. Yes. Folds mocked that as well.

“Did he do the three-part harmony with the audience?” J asked, almost breathlessly. I explained that, tragically, Folds had not — but then I told him about the magic of the whole night, and we both sighed happily. I can confirm that as cute as J was, I wasn’t flirting. I was simply a woman transformed back into a 16-year-old girl talking to a cute boy about music. I miss that feeling. Not the boy — because for the most part I’m an unrepentant flirt. I miss the ease that came with that conversation. And I liked reacquainting myself with the version of myself where everything else disappears when the music matters that much.

Why Chicken Salad?

I'm a great cook and former pro baker, and usually make up my own recipes. Still, even I have a reliable default — my world-class day-two chicken salad from a rotisserie bird, the known excellent thing. But this week, a relative was feeling crummy and craving comfort food, so I skipped the salad and made chicken fried rice from the same chicken instead. Days later, the troops still bring it up.

So what does any of this have to do with Independence Day or Ben Folds? Everything and nothing at all, I guess.

We’re mostly predictable beings. If the gods of bank holidays tell us to barbecue, we usually obey. If I go to a Ben Folds concert, I expect a little brashness with the massacring of the ivories. This time I took a chance that wasn’t wildly out of my comfort zone — it just wasn’t the one I expected to love. And I loved it anyway. Which is my long-winded way of saying it's fine to love what you love, but sometimes it's even better to shake things up a bit.

While we're all creatures of habit, this long holiday weekend, I invite you to do the same. Try something slightly unexpected, even if it involves a rotisserie chicken, but especially if it involves someone who loves the same music you do.

So what are your weekend plans? And have you seen Ben Folds in concert lately — or resisted flirting with an artist? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, your beauty Ben Folds concierge 💋

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If last week is anything to base summer on, it’s going to be a bumpy one. Moving right along, let me regale you with tales of delightful-smelling products that will make your day a little bit tastier.

Gourmand: the buzzy industry-borrowed word for products smelling or sounding good enough to eat. Almond, honey, cocoa, and vanilla have lived in our beauty cabinets for centuries, so this is less a trend than a standing order — and right now the sweet stuff is having another delicious moment.

Three tasty treats on my radar:

eos Marshmallow Body Lotion + Cashmere Body Mist

A marshmallow lotion under a cashmere mist is a lot of cozy in two steps. It also sorta kinda sounds more late November than early summer. So while you can wear either one on its own, wearing them together builds something that smells like the last warm night of August, which is blessedly a ways off (even though everyone is already serving up back-to-school ads). Both promise a full day of moisture, and the lotion’s new flip cap is the kind of tiny redesign you don’t know you wanted until you’re using it one-handed. Here’s to satisfying clicky sounds! (You can find a bundle of the two products on evolutionofsmooth.com for under $23).

fresh Black Tea Anti-Aging Eye Cream

Tea, but make it skincare. The black tea and rambutan leaf here feed fresh’s BT Matrix complex (Which sounds like a K-pop boyband), which the brand pitches as a steadier alternative to retinol — outperforming it, they say, on three signs of aging without the irritation. The jar is small enough to live in a carry-on, which is exactly where I want it the morning after a red-eye ($74, at Ulta).

@covergirlOur Lip Innovation Team has been working hard to find the perfect new shades for our Squishy Lineup ✨ Let Taylor tell you all about how we got here 👩‍🔬

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CoverGirl Yummy Gloss Squishy Lip Balm in Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough & Fudge Brownie

Two new browns that tone down all that bronzer you’ve been wearing. Ulta-only for now, arriving right on schedule for everyone currently obsessed with a chocolate lip (Meeeeee). Hyaluronic acid and shea do the conditioning; the soft, curved tip does the gliding. You get a sheer, glossy tint that lasts the better part of a workday and never goes tacky. Dessert first, no fork required ($12, Ulta).

On a serious note, is it wrong to play favorites? These are three brands and product lines that I adore. I’m pretty sure you will too!

Are any of these your newfound faves? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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Quick note: I included some affiliate links and from time to time some sponsored products which means I might earn a small commission on sales made through these links, but I also throw in stuff I love just because. Prices are current at publish time.

I’ve been in the midst of updating my posting schedules and working with some new clients (hurrah!). I’ve also been trying to remain upright while the extreme heat and humidity make my head feel like the inside of an air fryer (boo. hiss).

I wrote up a Father’s Day gift guide for Yahoo. You can check it out here if that’s your thing.

I’m still going to try to post a fun roundup tomorrow. We’ll see if that comes to fruition. Otherwise, next week HG! posts on Mondays and Thursdays. I’m excited about the new changes.

How’s your week been going? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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That’s how I’ve greeted all of you for the past two years; as it turns out, Hello, Gorgeous! was also part of an extremely silly volley in increasingly unrecognizable accents that I exchanged with Mariska Hargitay earlier this week.

In case you’ve been living under a giant rock for the past few decades, Mariska has starred as Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU for 27 years, with season 28 coming soon. She’s actual Hollywood royalty, as the daughter of one of the original blonde bombshells, Jayne Mansfield, and bodybuilding champ Mickey Hargitay. Mariska’s documentary about her mother, “My Mom Jayne,” came out last year and is available to stream on HBO Max. And at 62, Mariska made her Broadway debut in a one-woman show, Every Brilliant Thing.

While the reason for the meeting was to discuss her new campaign with Bristol Myers Squibb, Investigating Myeloma — which honors her father, Mickey, who died of multiple myeloma twenty years ago — I was also able to ask her a few questions specifically for Hello Gorgeous! readers. (You can read my full interview with her on Yahoo).

Incidentally, I’m going to be referring to her as Mariska in this piece, not because we’re besties (that seems reserved for Taylor Swift, with whom she shared a hugfest during Wednesday’s miracle Knicks comeback) but because I mention her father as well, and don’t want to keep going back and forth between Hargitays.

Back to the meeting.

I don’t usually tell people when I’m meeting or interviewing someone famous or fancy in advance. Things go wrong, people cancel, or it seems odd to mention what’s effectively just another part of my work. But for some reason I was actually nervous about meeting Mariska, and I told a few people. The reactions cemented my sense of the fandom of all things Mariska. One friend admitted to a decades-long crush. A cousin shared her SVU obsession. A colleague planned a return trip to NYC to see Mariska on Broadway in the same play she’d seen just weeks earlier. The collective crush was real. And that’s not to mention those of you who emailed me with your questions for her.

The game

Shortly after we met, Mariska asked what outlet I was writing for, and we segued to my book, Hello Gorgeous! Beauty Products in America ‘40s–’60s, which covers the very era her mother reigned over. Telling Jayne Mansfield’s daughter that her mother’s world inspired your first book is its own kind of full-circle moment. Telling her your newsletter shares the name is apparently an open invitation to spontaneous silliness.

A few minutes later, Mariska looked at me with a perfectly straight face and said “Hello Gorgeous!” in an accent I couldn’t begin to place. I returned the volley with a tragic attempt at a British accent. She lit up and sent it back in another accent entirely. Then another. I’d like to tell you I held my own as the child of two Eastern Europeans with significant accents, but I was playing accent tennis with a woman who’s been doing this professionally since before some of you had email addresses. I'd also like to think we bonded as two daughters of Hungarian fathers — but that part of the story belongs to the Yahoo piece. Incidentally, that became a running bit — whenever the conversation became too heavy or needed a reset, one of us (usually her) would serve up another round.

Feel the fear

I asked Mariska a question some of you had wondered about: how she manages to be so incredibly bold — the gift she gave herself of that beautiful documentary, and now being on freaking Broadway in a one-woman show. What do you even do with that? (Yes. That last part was verbatim).

“My dad taught me to challenge myself,” she told me. “My goal in life is to be all of myself. Again, this is about integration. This is about being all of myself.”

“My dad always told me I could do anything. So as I get older, I like to feel the fear and do it anyway. And I was terrified about this Broadway thing. I’d never done it before. These are completely different muscles.”

About the play arriving in her life when it did: “The play came to me at this time. Because it’s not an accident. You’ll see.”

“It was like, not only reclaiming my story, but reclaiming excised parts of myself, and I want, like all of us do, to be whole.”

~Mariska Hargitay

And then she gave me homework. “Have you seen it yet? Just come. Just make it happen. It’s an extraordinary play.” Reader, when Mariska Hargitay instructs you to come to her Broadway show, you start checking dates. (Every Brilliant Thing runs at the Hudson Theatre through July 5, if you’d like to receive the same assignment).

In case you're wondering: she really is gorgeous. I'm not talking about Hollywood's version of perfection either. I'm talking about presence that lit up a room and a smile that could probably be seen from space. And interestingly enough, when Mariska strode into the space asking if she had spinach in her teeth (she did not), she was in full Carole Lombard mode — stunning, screwball-lite, owning the space. Also, she smelled delicious — a subtle, this-is-probably-bespoke scent you can only catch if you're within inches of her glorious presence.

Reclaiming all of it

Here’s the part I most wanted to bring back to you. When Mariska talked about making “My Mom Jayne,” she talked about wholeness in a way that sounded less like celebrity press and more like every conversation I’ve ever had with the women who read this newsletter.

“The goal, right, to be a human being is to step into our true authenticity,” she said. “We are such complex beings, with so many parts, that all need attention... it was a time of integration. And realizing that we are so many things, and we don’t have to stay in one part or one self or one thing, but we can be all of ourselves.”

And this: “We feel these feelings, and we have this insecurity or fear... not feeling like enough or feeling less than. I think a lot of women feel that way. A lot of humans feel that way... This was about reclamation for me. It was like, not only reclaiming my story, but reclaiming excised parts of myself, and I want, like all of us do, to be whole.”

A woman who made the most revealing work of her life in her sixties, then walked onto a Broadway stage terrified and did it anyway. Reclamation has no expiration date.

She left me with one more line, and I’m leaving it with you, because it might be the most Hello Gorgeous! sentence ever spoken: “Nobody decides what you are. You decide. You decide.”

So this week, whatever the bold thing is — the one you’ve been circling, the one that requires completely different muscles — feel the fear and do it anyway.

Hello, Gorgeous! Right back at you.

So what bold thing would you like to tackle next? I’d love to finally finish my mystery series!
Let’s meet in the comment section to discuss.

Incidentally, yes. I do have a pic with her. But I decided to share the ones I took of her instead.

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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Ah. The interwebs. Some of you received a newsletter on Monday. Some didn’t. When I tried to find it, it didn’t show up online or in my archives either. I’m going to take it as a sign to simply let it go…Or I wanted to, and then this popped up:

Moving right along.

To kick off the midweek roundups, I’m trying something new. In addition to connected themes or products, I’ll also be rounding up a handful of brands, finds, or people I think you should know about — the kind of discoveries that don’t always fit into regular columns but deserve more than a passing mention.

For the debut, I wanted to start with founders who were here before the flag, before the fireworks, before “shop small” was a hashtag. Call them proud Americans-ish. Four Indigenous-owned beauty and lifestyle brands building some of the most interesting businesses in their categories — and worth knowing about long before the July 4th sale emails start landing.

A (not so) small note before we begin: I’m always careful when featuring brands rooted in cultures that aren’t my own. The goal is to amplify, not appropriate, and to let founders speak for themselves. So while I’m always vigilant about honoring other cultures, I’m also leaning on their words, their nations, and their own descriptions of what they’re building.

N8iV Beauty

You may not have heard of N8iV (pronounced native) yet, but you will. The brand was named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies of 2026 — one of the top 10 in fashion and beauty. Founded in 2022 by Ruth-Ann Thorn, an enrolled member of the Rincon Band of Luiseño/Payómkawichum Indians, the line was born from a question her teenage daughter Isabella asked her at Sephora in 2019: “Where’s the Native American section?”

The “8” in the name represents the eight-season calendar the Payómkawichum traditionally follow. The signature ingredient is kwíila — acorn oil, harvested once a year from tribal land and used in Native medicine for thousands of years. The line’s other ingredients carry their own heritage: seaweed and kelp (revered by coastal tribes like the Makah and Haida), aloe vera (used by the Navajo and Cherokee), pomegranate, cactus, and plant stem cells.

N8iV won an Allure Best of Beauty Award in 2025 for its exfoliator. This year it’s launching at Nordstrom, entering over 100 Ritz-Carlton spas, and joining Sephora’s* minority inclusion cohort. But that’s a conversation for another time. Back to N8iV, five percent of sales go to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement.

Two to try:

• Móomat “Ocean” Nutrient Rich Cleanser ($85) — móomat means ocean. A seaweed-and-kelp cleanser that purifies without stripping, and a smart starting point if you want to test the line before committing to the heavier hitters. My hypersensitive skin loves the way this makes my entire face—T-Zone and all—feel and look.

• Starlight Regenerative Cream ($165) — the nighttime cream that put N8iV on the map. Acorn oil, copper peptides, and plant stem cells, with packaging made from recycled materials. Suitable for all skin types and a good entry point into the brand’s anti-aging story.

n8ivbeauty.com

Manitobah

The one you’ve heard me rave about before. Founded in 1997 by Sean McCormick, a 23-year-old Métis entrepreneur from Manitoba (originally as Fleeceline, rebranded in 2008), Manitobah has become the brand that mainstreamed mukluks without flattening them. When Oprah ordered a pair in 2009, the business took off. Today it ships to over 150 countries, is sold by around 1,000 retailers globally including REI and Nordstrom, and is B Corp certified with an impact score nearly double the median.

What sets Manitobah apart is the Indigenous Market, an in-house platform where individual Indigenous artisans sell handmade, one-of-a-kind mukluks (some over $1,500) — and 100% of revenue goes to the artist. The brand also runs the Storyboot Project and a free Storyboot School that teaches traditional mukluk-making, including at a permanent space inside the Canadian Museum of History.

The only Canadian brand on this list. Worth the cross-border shipping. My fave right now are the Tolani Mocs in dusty pink. Perfect for working from home or a laid-back brunch ($120, manitobah.com).

Ah-Shí Beauty

You may not have heard of Ah-Shí, but Harper’s Bazaar has. The September 2020 issue called it a game changer — the first Native American-owned brand featured in their September print issue.

Founded in 2012 by Ahsaki Báá LaFrance-Chachere, an enrolled Diné (Navajo) and African American entrepreneur, the brand was built around a problem she knew personally: women on the Navajo reservation were mixing two foundations to get one match. So she spent six years developing her first formula. The foundation line now comes in 35 shades, made specifically for Indigenous complexions.

In Diné, Ah-Shí means this is me, this is mine. The translation: this is my beauty.

LaFrance-Chachere was named 2021 Native Woman Entrepreneur of the Year by the National Center for American Indian Economic Development. The skincare line is 98% botanical-based, with storefronts in Window Rock, Arizona (capital of the Navajo Nation) and Gallup, New Mexico.

ahshibeauty.com (If the site's giving you trouble, she's also on Instagram).

Eighth Generation

You may not have heard of Eighth Generation, but if you’ve been to Pike Place Market in Seattle, you’ve probably walked past their flagship. The brand was founded in 2008 by Louie Gong (Nooksack), who started by hand-customizing pairs of Vans shoes with a Sharpie in his 200-square-foot living room. He was raised by his Chinese grandfather and Native grandmother in a house with no running water in Ruskin, B.C., before moving to the Nooksack tribal community at 11.

In 2015, Eighth Generation became the first Native-owned business in North America to sell Native-designed wool blankets, reclaiming a category long dominated by non-Native companies selling “Native-inspired” knockoffs. In 2019, Gong sold the company to the Snoqualmie Tribe, making it the first lifestyle brand in the country owned by a Native American tribe.

Roughly 75% of the staff is Native, from warehouse to CEO. About 30 Indigenous artists design the products and are directly compensated. Every blanket arrives with a card naming the artist and telling their story.

The tagline says it all: Inspired Natives, not Native-inspired.

You can find a beautiful Sweet Birch handcrafted soap for $15 on eighthgeneration.com

I feel like all of these brands are worth a serious look.

Have you tried any of these lines? I’d love to hear about your favorite products or brands. Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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Quick note: I included some affiliate links and from time to time some sponsored products which means I might earn a small commission on sales made through these links, but I also throw in stuff I love just because. Prices are current at publish time.

*Tbh, Sephora has serious work to do on which founders it chooses to feature, having danced around calls to remove an extremely high-earning founder with years of spreading false conspiracy theories and vitriol aimed at Jews. At this point, Sephora's continued silence is its own statement.

Is it just me, or do the weeks get ever shorter and more stressful? I thought so. I’ve noticed that even though summer has barely made its presence known, people are still sneaking out early for the weekend. In a tiny bit of housekeeping, the weekend roundup will henceforth be known as the midweek roundup and will appear on Wednesdays. Cool, right?

So for today, let’s talk about those long showers (but not so long that you waste all the water) that wash away the week.

Colleen Rothschild Ritual Body Wash

I’m almost embarrassed to tell you just how many shower gels live in my shower, but it’s a lot. I rely on my morning or nighttime showers to help me get ready for my day or my bed. And that means that I choose my bathing partners intentionally.

Right now I’m more than a bit in love with the new drop from Colleen Rothschild: Ritual Body Wash. Avocado oil, squalane, sea buckthorn oil, vitamin C, and a blend of antioxidant-rich botanical extracts tick the box for me in terms of excellent ingredients. And it has just the right amount of frothy bubbles. But it’s the scent that really gets me. While I’m convinced I smelled mostly grapefruit, and once again, my nose was right — it's a light blend of sparkling citron, bergamot, pink grapefruit, and green notes. It also left my skin feeling replenished instead of dried out ($38, colleenrothschild.com).

Add a shower pouf

Want to up the spa factor? Cleanlogic has a whole bunch of body exfoliators and gentle scrubbers, including this slightly oversized antimicrobial mesh sponge that comes in a whole bunch of colors and tie-dyed patterns ($8 for two, cleanlogic.com).

And it’s going to be a scorcher of a weekend, so I predict a multi-shower day with some of my faves.

What’s your fave shower gel right now? For years I only used Neutrogena Rainbath, but I feel like I try pretty much anything these days. How about you? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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Quick note: I included some affiliate links and from time to time some sponsored products which means I might earn a small commission on sales made through these links, but I also throw in stuff I love just because. Prices are

Next month, Hello Gorgeous! turns two.

I’ve been thinking about what I wanted to bring you to mark it. Something that actually says what these two years have meant, beyond a discount code or a giveaway. Something that shows you just how much I appreciate each and every one of you and also the way that Hello Gorgeous! is making its mark in the newsletter-verse. So here it is: next week I’m sitting down with Mariska Hargitay. In person, even though I’m the crankiest person in America and tend to rely on Zoom interviews these days because leaving the house requires a lot of effort (and travel!). The woman a generation knows as Olivia Benson is currently making her Broadway debut in Every Brilliant Thing, following a Tony-nominated Daniel Radcliffe, AKA Harry Potter. The glorious Hargitay has agreed to answer a couple of questions that I’m bringing straight from you.

When I started HG!, I wanted a space for women with no intention of fading into the background. You showed up. The brands followed (Olay, Helix, and more on the way). And now one of the most recognizable women in the country is going to talk directly to this community. Two years in, this is the gift I most wanted to give you: a real conversation with a woman this whole room admires. Someone who, it turns out, wants to hear what you have to say.

So tell me, what would you ask her?

I’m most curious what you’d ask a woman who keeps reinventing herself in full view. About second acts. About the people who shaped her. About doing some of the bravest work of her life in her 60s. The questions women like us would think to ask.

Leave questions in the comments or reply to this email by Friday. I’ll pick a few favorites to bring into the room, and her answers will land right back in your inbox.

Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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I’ve been tinkering with some of the newsletter settings, so your emails for the next few days might look a bit wonky. My apologies in advance.

Last week, quite a few of my writer pals headed to a writer’s conference for healthcare writers. Many shared a single image on social media. It was a well-known shot of a professional truck driver with the left side of his face drooping drastically and practically sinking in because of wrinkles and excessive sun damage. Can you guess why? The left side of his face was in the sun for the most part while the right side was almost permanently in the shade. The moral of this story? Sun protection. All the time, especially in the summertime.

Sunscreen is the rare beauty category built for compliance, not consumer appeal. We wear it because we have to, not because we want to. burnd set out to change that.

Created by Dr. Mark Mitchnick, the pediatrician who invented transparent zinc oxide, burnd SPF 41 uses a water-in-oil formula that dries down invisible (no white cast), holds through sweat and water, and feels more like a high-end moisturizer than ordinary SPF. It’s broad-spectrum, reef-safe, fragrance-free, and genuinely lovely on 40+ skin ($35, getburnd.com).

A sunscreen you’ll actually want to reach for? Now that’s radical.

Do you use sunscreen religiously? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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Quick note: I included some affiliate links and from time to time some sponsored products which means I might earn a small commission on sales made through these links, but I also throw in stuff I love just because. Prices are current at publish time.

You may remember that a few months ago, I declared my Helix Midnight Elite mattress the greatest sleep discovery of my life. I meant every word. As a lifelong insomniac who’s tested mattresses on multiple continents and once consulted with a hotel sleep concierge about 27 different pillow options, finding a mattress that delivered actual, restorative, deep sleep felt like winning an Olympic event I didn’t know I’d been competing in. Gold medal, baby.

And then I treated my mother to a Helix Sleep mattress for Mother’s Day. And everything changed.

A Gift for Mom. A Revelation for Me.

For Mother’s Day — AKA Rachel is the best daughter day — I gifted mom a Helix Twilight Elite Twin with a GlacioTex Elite Cooling Cover (About $2,400 retail). It’s a stunning mattress: firm, cool, luxurious. And as it turns out, I was there for the setup. Well, that’s only partially true. My bestie and I set up the mattress together. And then I did what any devoted daughter would do.

I took a little nap on it. (Mom, if you’re reading this, I promise it was barely a nap — more like a naplet). And after I woke up all refreshed and happy, I hauled myself off my mother’s new mattress, went home, and crawled into bed with my beloved Midnight Elite. And something felt... different. Not bad, exactly. But softer than I remembered. Softer than I wanted.

I had accidentally ruined my own mattress happiness. Or so I thought.

Crisis averted

Here’s the thing about finding the perfect sleep setup: once you’ve experienced something better, there’s no going back. My Midnight Elite had given me the best sleep of my life — and I wasn’t willing to settle for anything less than its absolute best version. So I did what any reasonable person would do at this point.

I contacted Helix.

Hello Gorgeous! readers get an exclusive 27% discount at helixsleep.com/hellogorgeous

What happened next (This is the part you need to know)

I want to be very clear about something: the relationship Helix has with its customers doesn’t end at purchase. It doesn’t even end at their 120-night guarantee (nearly three weeks longer than other brands). What I can tell you as a person madly in love with my mattress, is that their commitment to your sleep doesn't stop when the mattress arrives.

What I can tell you is this: I reached out, explained my situation, and within what felt like no time at all, the experts at Helix Sleep came back to me with a solution. Rather than suggesting I replace the entire mattress — thank God, my Midnight Elite and I have history, we’re deeply bonded, and frankly, we’ve been sleeping together for months — they identified the real issue: my insert.

Remember when I told you the Midnight Elite unzips? Like a very sophisticated toaster pastry, it has room for an internal insert. I had initially chosen a somewhat soft insert. What I needed, it turned out, was the Twilight insert — the firmer option.

Do not try this at home

When the Twilight insert arrived, I decided to handle the swap myself. This was brave. This was also incredibly stupid. Removing the original insert and replacing it with the new one was a full-body workout, and I paid for it with a charley horse that lasted days. By the time I was done, I was so thoroughly exhausted that I lay down on my bare, uncovered mattress to catch my breath. Can you guess what’s coming next?

I woke up two hours later.

Apparently, my body had opinions about the new insert before my brain even had a chance to weigh in.

The verdict

That night, I went to bed genuinely nervous. I’d already fallen asleep once that day — would I be able to again? (Listen, insomnia logic is its own particular brand of irrational.) I did not need to worry. The firmness was perfection. It has been perfect every single night since.

Here’s what I now understand about the Helix system that I didn’t fully appreciate before: this mattress was built to be customized. Helix notes that their mattresses are made to order — layering foam, rolling coils, sewing it up specifically for you. And as they put it, the bed takes time to learn your contours. Mine had learned mine. It just needed the right insert to reflect them back perfectly.

Pro tip: You’ll want extra-deep sheets for this beauty.

For you, Gorgeous

If you’ve been on the fence about investing in a Helix mattress, I want you to know two things:

First, Hello Gorgeous! readers get an exclusive 27% discount at helixsleep.com/hellogorgeous — and yes, that’s steeper than anything you’ll find on the Helix website even during their biggest holiday sales. And forgive my immodesty, but the Hello Gorgeous! deal is better than what you’ll find on Black Friday.

Second: when you buy a Helix, you’re not buying a mattress and walking away. You’re entering into a relationship with a company that will work with you to make sure you’re sleeping well. That, for a lifelong insomniac or very picky sleeper, might be the most luxurious thing of all. And did I mention it's made right here in the US — in Arizona — and ships free anywhere in the country? But perhaps most importantly: I love me a brand with incredible customer service.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a very firm, very perfect mattress calling my name. And this time, I’m putting the sheets on first.

Sweet dreams,

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

Meanwhile, am I the only one who goes into ecstacies when discussing her mattress? Let’s meet in the comment section to discuss.

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Quick note: I included some affiliate links and from time to time some sponsored products which means I might earn a small commission on sales made through these links, but I also throw in stuff I love just because. Prices are current at publish time.

Contouring had a moment. Then it had too many moments. Then it became part of social media’s unholy obsession with countless videos and reels featuring spackled on layers of product and a big reveal that looked like an overtired toddler with a brown crayon went to town on a Kardashian. We were told this was desirable, and for about 12 seconds, we actually believed it. Even for those 12 seconds, we were wrong.

That said, if you’re feeling a little yearny for faux cheekbones — no judgment, we all have weak moments — there’s a way to scratch that itch without fully falling off the no-aggressive-makeup wagon.

There’s a tool for that

The secret to grown-up contouring is less about product and more about the right tool. Specifically, about using the right sponge for the right job instead of one exhausted Beautyblender doing the work of five. Celebrity MUA Nova Kaplan spent a full week on press tour for Dutton Ranch (the latest in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone-verse), keeping actress Natalie Lind (Oreana AKA the rich granddaughter looking for trouble) looking like herself — freckles intact, nothing overdone — by assigning each sponge a very specific, very contained task. Blend here. Set there. Soften this. Leave that alone.

The result was not glass skin, not “I woke up like this” — you didn’t. Beyoncé didn’t. None of us ever do — just beautiful skin with a tiny bit of blend going on. Which in 2026 is somehow still the hardest thing to pull off.

The piece that caught my attention was the Micro Mini — a tiny sponge designed specifically for eye work. Nova used it to brighten the inner corners after early call times and travel days, which is the kind of detail that separates a face that looks rested from one that’s just... trying really hard. If you’ve ever attempted precision eye work with a full-size sponge, you already know how that story ends.

If you want to start small on your blend-tastic journey, two Micro Mini Pro Makeup Sponges are $18 on beautyblender.com.

Contour isn’t dead. It’s just finally learned some manners.

So how do we feel about contouring vs. blending right now? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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Quick note: I included some affiliate links and from time to time some sponsored products which means I might earn a small commission on sales made through these links, but I also throw in stuff I love just because. Prices are current at publish time.

I’m taking a little pause for the next few days. Between Shavuot (the one with the cheesecake) and Memorial Day (the one with the hot dogs), it feels like a good time to indulge in a really long weekend.

I’ll be back in your inbox on Wednesday with the announcement of the giveaway winner. In case you missed it, Cher turned 80, OLAY continued to be amazing, and I debunked some beauty history mythology. Meanwhile, over on The Hot Sheet (my PR & communications newsletter) I discussed failed AI attempts and why writers are in demand again.

OH. And next week, watch this space for fun content along with a giant discount on Hello Gorgeous! partner brand Helix Sleep exclusively for subscribers.

Do you have any fun extended weekend plans? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, your beauty concierge 💋

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Today is Cherilyn Sarkisian’s 80th birthday. Notable since we’ve all grown up with the larger-than-life presence known as Cher. I’m pretty sure that any woman over 40 had a moment when we realized that she didn’t look like anyone else, sound like anyone else, dress like anyone else or give a flying f*ck about anyone else.

Cher started as a backup singer and ended up changing music forever. In honor of her maximalist self, let’s celebrate her seven decades of reinvention, plus one wildcard, because Cher.

1. Cher sang on some of the greatest records ever made — and nobody knew it.

Before Cher was Cher, she was a teenager singing backup for producer Phil Spector. You’ve heard her voice on The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby”, The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”, and Darlene Love’s “A Fine, Fine Boy.” I know. I had no idea, either!

2. She broke free — and immediately had three #1 hits.

After a very public divorce from Sonny and breaking out of an exploitative contract that controlled her career, Cher didn’t skip a beat. “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves,” “Half-Breed,” and “Dark Lady” hit #1 back to back. Turns out she was just fine on her own.

“I don’t think that this means that I am somebody, but I guess I’m on my way.”

~Cher

3. The industry laughed at her. Then she won an Oscar.

Hollywood didn’t take Cher seriously as an actress. So two years before her win, she showed up to the Oscars in that showstopping Bob Mackie outfit, which in theory was a lot like the dark warrior version of Cher’s original (and later deemed offensive) feathered headdresses worn when singing “Half Breed” (which she publicly committed to retiring from her set list in 2017). She was basically a one-woman warrior accented with sparkles. In 1988, Cher won Best Actress for Moonstruck, and closed her speech with: “I don’t think that this means that I am somebody, but I guess I’m on my way.”

4. At 52, she didn’t just make a comeback. She changed music forever.

When “Believe” dropped in 1998, it hit #1 in 23 countries. It also introduced the world to a deliberate use of Auto-Tune as a creative tool — a technique now so ubiquitous it has its own name: the Cher Effect. At 52, when the industry pretty much deemed her a has-been. Again. I’m no fan of auto-tune, but I love the implications of a woman in her 50s owning her sexy self while changing music forever.

5. She said goodbye for three years straight.

The Farewell Tour launched in 2002, ran 326 shows across multiple continents, grossed over $200 million, and set the Guinness World Record for highest-grossing tour by a female artist at the time. She kept adding dates because audiences kept showing up. Some farewells are just too good to end.

6. Broadway. Kennedy Center. ABBA. All in the same year.

In 2018, The Cher Show opened on Broadway while she was being celebrated at the Kennedy Center Honors — and her Dancing Queen ABBA covers album became the year’s highest-selling album by a female artist. Just a casual year.

7. She made history in her 70s. Then did it again.

In 2023, “DJ Play a Christmas Song” made her the only solo artist in history to have a Billboard #1 in seven consecutive decades. In 2024, Cher was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and cracked: “It was easier getting divorced from two men than it was getting into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”

Wildcard: She’s been a Barbie since 1976.

Twiggy (classic blonde beauty for the wild Carnaby Street ‘60s) was the first celebrity Barbie in 1967. Cher got hers in 1976 — and has had multiple versions since, including one in the iconic Bob Mackie “If I Could Turn Back Time” look: see-through catsuit, leather jacket, cascade of curly hair. Even in plastic, she’s unmistakable.

Here’s the thing, there is so much more about Cher that changed the pop culture landscape forever beyond her movies and music. But of everything I love about Cher, it’s her ability to love out loud that impresses me most. Her husbands, her lovers, her kids. Cher didn’t need anyone to define her, but she chose her true loves to enhance the Cher experience.

Did you have a Cher Barbie or any other wacky Cher-inspired items? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, Your beauty concierge 💋

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I cannot tell a lie. I reallllly wanted this one:

If you’ve read my first book Hello Gorgeous! Beauty Products in America ‘40s'-‘60s (A New York Public Library book of the year/Book for the Teen Age; I promise a reissue is coming sooner rather than later), you’ll know that I paid homage to some of the Jewish OGs who created the beauty industry as we know it. I say it not to brag about my people, but because May is Jewish American Heritage Month and perhaps reminding beauty people about the origins of their favorite brands may help them remember just how much members of the tribe contributed to the beauty industry.

But first, let’s debunk a common internet rumor about the history of the lipstick tube.

Did a Jewish inventor create the modern lipstick tube?

Sort of.

A popular tweet declares that Jewish inventor Maurice Levy invented the modern lipstick tube. The truth is that the lipstick tube wasn't invented by one person on one date. It evolved across 1,000+ years, multiple countries, and a tangle of competing patents. The viral version is a lovely story. It just isn't quite the whole story (I’m happy to talk ancient Mesopotamian lip sticks with anyone as obsessed with beauty history as I am!).

Did Elizabeth Arden hand out tubes of red lipstick to suffragettes marching down Fifth Avenue?

No. She did not.

Another hugely popular urban beauty legend is that Elizabeth Arden née Florence Nightingale Graham handed out tubes of red lipstick (often called "Red Door Red") to suffragettes marching down Fifth Avenue on May 4, 1912, as a symbol of solidarity. It's the kind of story that should be true — woman business owner, women's rights, red lips as rebellion. I've received many press releases from the Elizabeth Arden brand making that easily debunked claim over the years, including in their 2018 March On campaign with Reese Witherspoon. The problem? There's no evidence it actually happened. Historian Lucy Jane Santos went through the extensive New York Times coverage of the meticulously-planned 1912 march — every detail of what the women wore was reported, right down to the 30-cent white straw "suffragette hats" — and nobody mentioned lipstick. What Florence Graham did do that day was march in the rally herself. The lipstick handout was embroidered in later, by the brand, which feels like bad business. If you’re sharing false facts about the history of the brand, it could cause consumers to question product claims.

Now that we've cleared the (lipstick-smudged) air, let's talk about the real mensches of the Jewish American beauty industry.

• Helena Rubinstein, born Chaja Rubinstein in Kraków in 1872 to an Orthodox Jewish family, fled an arranged marriage at 18, ended up in Australia with twelve pots of her mother’s face cream in her luggage, and from that built the world’s first global beauty empire. By the time she died in 1965, she’d done it all — Paris, London, New York — and famously bought an entire Park Avenue building after being denied an apartment for being Jewish. Her motto: “Beauty is power.”

• Max Factor, born Maksymilian Faktorowicz in 1872 in Zduńska Wola, Poland, into a poor Polish-Jewish family. He fled Tsarist anti-Jewish persecution in 1904, landed in Hollywood, and invented the entire visual language of movie-star beauty. Jean Harlow’s platinum hair? Him. Clara Bow’s heart-shaped lips? Him. Joan Crawford’s overdrawn lip? Him. He also coined the word “make-up” as a noun, in 1920.

• Estée Lauder, born Josephine Esther Mentzer in Corona, Queens, in 1908, to Hungarian and Czech Jewish immigrants. Learned to make face cream from her chemist uncle John Schotz in his home laboratory. Launched Estée Lauder Cosmetics out of a former restaurant kitchen in 1946. Invented the “Gift with Purchase.” Today the Estée Lauder Companies own Clinique, MAC, La Mer, Aveda, Jo Malone, Too Faced — and yes, Bobbi Brown.

• Charles Revson, born Charles Haskell Revson in 1906 in Somerville, Massachusetts, to Lithuanian and German Jewish immigrant parents. Started Revlon in 1932 with his brother Joseph and chemist Charles Lachman (that’s the “L” in Revlon) — $300 and a single product: a brand-new opaque, pigmented nail enamel. He invented matching lips and fingertips in 1939, and one of the most-quoted lines in the history of marketing: “In the factory we make cosmetics; in the store we sell hope.”

• Bobbi Brown, born Bobbi Brown (yes, really Bobbi — not a nickname) in 1957 in Chicago to a Jewish family. Frustrated by the over-the-top 1980s palette, she partnered with a chemist to create ten natural-shade lipsticks, launched them at Bergdorf Goodman in 1991, and changed the way women wore makeup. Sold to Estée Lauder in 1995. Now running Jones Road. She’s also been openly Jewish about it, including a 2022 TikTok moment when she told her followers not to contour their “Jewish noses.”

• Vidal Sassoon, born in 1928 in London to Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jewish parents. His father walked out when he was three; his mother placed him in a Jewish orphanage where he stayed for seven years. He left school at 14, apprenticed as a hairdresser, and at 17 joined the 43 Group — a militant Jewish veterans' organization that physically broke up Oswald Mosley's post-war fascist rallies in East London. In 1948 he went to Israel and fought in the War of Independence. Then he came home and changed hair forever — the five-point cut, the wash-and-wear bob, the geometric architecture that freed women from the curler-and-hairspray tyranny of the 1950s. He later founded the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism at Hebrew University. The man who said "if you don't look good, we don't look good" knew exactly what hatred looked like.

Beauty friends and fans, you know I never get political here and try to only mention joyous topics, but sometimes I have to speak up. Things are heating up in the world and Jews are on the receiving end of a lot of hatred and attacks. If you think you've never met anyone Jewish before, think again. You may have just powdered your nose, lined your lips, styled your hair with products invented by, or read beauty content written by a proud Jew.

Do you have any beauty myths you’d love debunked? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, Your beauty concierge 💋

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Quick note: I included some affiliate links and from time to time some sponsored products which means I might earn a small commission on sales made through these links, but I also throw in stuff I love just because. Prices are current at publish time.

Last year I hopped a couple of international flights. Budget flights, something I didn’t fully grasp before boarding. I won’t say that these were the worst flights of my life. Okay, I lie. They were the worst flights of my life. (Though there was that time we had an emergency landing in Ireland because two rows of very drunk men got into merry fisticuffs. But I digress.)

Last year’s flights sucked in ways you can’t fathom including a barfing episode from the very drunk man one row in front of me, gingerly covered with blankets by the staff. I swear I’m not making this up.

Moving right along.

What I learned across those flights — somewhere between the budget seat and the purple barf blanket — is that what you wear matters more than where you sit. And reader, I was dressed for a last smooch with an overseas love interest who insisted on driving me to the airport. (It’s over, mom. Don’t plan the wedding). So I looked cute, but on the endless, barfiest flight, the flight attendants WARMED UP THE TUNA FISH SANDWICHES. It smelled like Gehenna. I felt like hell. I have not made that mistake since. You know why? Because I have discovered travel pants disguised as hiking pants (okay, they’re probably hiking pants). And I intend to discuss travel clothing a lot in the coming weeks.

Free Fly Women’s Breeze Drift Pant

I mentioned these in my Mother’s Day gift guide over on Yahoo, but I feel in my marrow that you must know about them too. While I aspire to cuteness in my coverage of comfy clothing, I do make exceptions. I mean, when is the last time you pulled on a pair of pants that were practically weightless? They also have UPF 50+, in case you actually do outdoor things. A waistband that doesn't feel like a corset and a secure zipper pocket for ID make them perfect for travel or walking. No. I do not go running. Do you still dress cute for flights? (Does anyone?) Are these the most flattering pants I've ever worn in my life? No. They are not. Do I care? Also, no. I suspect you won't either. Because comfort. For flights. Or hikes. They’re also stylish enough that it doesn’t look like you slipped into PJs before your flight and simply gave up on life ($98, freeflyapparel.com).

If you have a spare moment, can you tell me what you wear to travel? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!

Rachel, Your beauty concierge 💋

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Quick note: I included some affiliate links and from time to time some sponsored products which means I might earn a small commission on sales made through these links, but I also throw in stuff I love just because. Prices are current at publish time.