Summer Empties (SPFs, Mascaras & Hair Masks!), Grey Blending Truths and Beauty Dupe Drama

20:42Carlene Higgins:She nailed it for the summer of like you said, the summer of no mascara. This is like the one. Yes, this is the one. What I liked about the the Merit one, too, was that it's tubing, but it's lengthening and defining as well. So to your point, it gives you that sort of like whisper of a nice looking lash that's not moving. I just really thought it was going to go all over the place and it didn't. Great. So likewise, jitto. A few other things I just want to shout out for my travel essentials. The Dyson Travel Dryer. Hell yeah. I can't believe we haven't talked about that yet this summer. That was like breaking news when it launched in the spring.

21:22Carlene Higgins:and the big thing about it is the supersonic travel it's 32 percent smaller than the og yeah it's 25 percent lighter so it is significant when you're traveling with it because the other one is like pretty bulky especially because you get that heavy cord like i think when it first launched it was meant to be like pseudo professional so that's why you get that kind of like heavy you know luxury feel to it. So, but the greatest thing about this one is the price. It's$2.99 US and $3.99 in Canada. So it's like a little bit of a hack if you don't have super thick hair, if you're not trying to go from like curly to straight with a round brush, like this is your girl.

22:08Carlene Higgins:And then also in terms of going overseas, it has that universal voltage. And I have literally blown up blow dryers in Europe and I'd go and try and blow dry my hair and it was it would be like a$300 blow dryer. Turn it on. It was like devastating. That's gone. R.I.P. So, yeah, the fact that it also has that universal voltage, I feel like this is this is like a best kept secret in a way. Yeah. And I think it's going to be low key, probably their top seller very soon, just because it's not quite as powerful, like you said, but it really gets the job done. And It has that heat control and all of that.

22:47I thought it was just as good, almost just as good. Not quite as powerful as the OG, but definitely to travel with it. It's fantastic.

22:56Carlene Higgins:And like I said, if you have like thin-ish hair like mine and you just want to keep it healthy and that's why you're after the Dyson, like get it. Yes. Small and mighty, but absolutely a great innovation. and real talk everybody on our way to the studio today I was talking about how one of my girlfriends borrowed my Dyson Airstrike and she's now obsessed with it and how it really is so great for summer hair. Speaking of technology and beauty that saved me this summer try out that Dyson personal fan that you like wear around your neck and I'm so excited because the people at Shark they just sent us their version, the chill pill.

23:35Yeah. So which like mists and like gives cool air and everything. So we'll report back.

23:40Carlene Higgins:The Dyson, I think, is just called handheld fan. Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah. At least on the crate and barrel site that I'm on. OK. Oh, no, it's the hush. Sorry. Yeah. The hush jet. Cool fan. Yeah. Well, listen, I'm going to say something right now. The shark chill pill is way cooler sounding. It is. The one thing I'm curious about, though, is the chill pill is like two pieces where it it could be a bit clunkier, whereas the Dyson one is just like a flashlight straight up and down. Right. They both have lanyards. But I wonder how the chill pill will actually sit. Because here's the thing. I still like to go dancing once in a while.

24:23Carlene Higgins:I'm like a house girly for life. Yeah. So me and my girlfriend went out a few weeks ago and she had a handheld fan. And I was like, yes, girl. I was like, maybe I will someday bring like one of these actual electric fans and wear it. I don't know. I might get to that point. Absolutely. I think it's meant for the club. Yeah. Right. So anyway, I listen, I thought it was the dumbest idea ever when I saw all of these hit the market and then it became 40 degrees Celsius. And I thought I need that. Oh, when I was in Italy last summer, I honestly thought that I was going to drop dead. Like I look, I felt like I was and looked like I was having heat exhaustion, if not a heat stroke.

25:06Carlene Higgins:So I'm I'm all about these. The last couple of things I've been traveling with all summer. How adorable is this mini razor from Bushbomb? Like it is the tiniest little. It's like a little baby Barbie razor. Yeah. And it's from Bushbaum, which is a Canadian brand. They just celebrated 10 years. So I have to shout them out. It's like$12. It's adorable. And it does the job. So I've definitely been nice. I love the founder of that brand, by the way. He and I sat beside each other. Oh, nice. At that founder dinner we went to and we chatted all night and he has a cottage in PEI. Yeah. He's like so fun.

25:42And it's yeah, it's a great brand. They have like ingrown hair tonics and like all kinds of stuff that I it's a brand very much under the radar, I think. But it is at Ulta.

25:50Carlene Higgins:Yeah. So people can check it out. Yeah. And this might be TMI, but it was my daughter's 16th birthday. Or this could be controversial. I got her a package of laser hair removal. Perfect. Six of them for her bikini line. Great. Because I was like, freedom. Sweet 16. What do you get your daughter? Like, I don't know. People have all different sorts of probably like a gold necklace that says her name or something. I don't know. I was like, you know what I want for you? I want for you to be able to swim anytime you want without having to do a whole thing in advance. I want you to have that freedom.

26:27Carlene Higgins:Yep. And that's what I'm getting you for your sweet 16. You don't have to worry about this at all until like for maybe some touch ups in like 10 years. Yeah. Was she into it? Very. Great. Very. Because there's that thing. Kids love swimming. And then all of a sudden your teenage daughter is like, I don't like swimming. Yeah, 100%. Lastly, the Array bloat. Oh, yeah. Like we had Sif Hyder on the show earlier this year. She's wonderful and part of the Dear Media Network. And of course, she gifted us. And these bloat dietary supplements, these do work. Yeah. I have been traveling with them because, you know, when you travel, that's the time when it's like, oh, my gosh, everything's come to a screeching halt.

27:09Carlene Higgins:And they just came out with gummies. right. I love like supplements that are gummies. I kind of wish they came in like a little two pack though. So you could carry it on you because it's like a big bag. I'm sure she's working on it. She's crushing it. Since we had her on the podcast, first of all, she's pregnant. She probably had her baby by now. Congratulations. And her pregnancy style has been just unbelievable. But she since we talked to her on the podcast, she launched at Walmart. She launched at Target. it. She's crushing it. And I'll tell you why, because they work. Yeah. Her other her other supplements are great, too.

27:43Carlene Higgins:This is the thing I've yeah, I've taken the MB1 or whatever it is. I'm not great at taking things every single day. And it's that thing where you don't see a result right away. You know how I am, you guys. I like I like to see stuff happen. The bloat makes stuff happen. So like I travel with that. I love it.

28:09Carlene Higgins:Today's episode is brought to you in part by Quince. Okay, so I took my dog for a walk this morning and there's definitely a cool breeze in the air. Now, while that can be a little daunting at first, the idea that summer might be coming to an end soon, I'm really excited about refreshing my wardrobe for fall. I can't help it. I just love the fact that I pick like five items that are wardrobe builders and just invest. So number one is definitely a black Mongolian cashmere sweater. Beige gray is great as well. But these are things you can wear, like just throw it on over a t-shirt or wrap it around over top of your coat even, or jacket, almost like a scarf.

28:52Carlene Higgins:And I love quints for that. They have the most amazing premium stretch denim that is starts at, I think about$50. That's another wardrobe builder, just classic t-shirts. And I also would go for their shoes like loafers and a tailored jacket. Everything at Quince is priced 50 to 80 % less than similar brands. And I love that they work directly with ethical factories. They cut out the middleman. So you're just paying for quality, not brand markup. And it's not fast fashion, even though you're getting these great prices. So upgrade your everyday and download the Quince app for app exclusive offers or go to quince.com slash breaking beauty.

29:37Carlene Higgins:You can get free shipping on your order and 365 day returns now available in Canada and the UK too. That's q-u-i-n-c-e.com slash breaking beauty. And now back to the show. hers is supporting our show this week you do you when it comes to feeling good in your body but i know amongst my girlfriends just speaking from personal experience the topic of glp ones it just keeps coming up time and again and once again everybody's got to choose their right path for themselves to feel the best in their body but if you are wanting to explore weight loss and feel supported. Weight Loss by HERS now offers access to the FDA approved Wagovi pill and Wagovi pen that's designed to help you in your weight loss journey and keep it off.

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31:44So should we talk a little bit about some beauty news that we might have missed? Absolutely. Well, I think one of the biggest headlines coming out of the summer was this dupes drama, for lack of a better term. So if any of you were offline, you might have missed it. Charlotte Tilbury gave an interview and it went viral and she basically said, dupes, darling, like the only thing you're duping is the consumer. I can't remember the who said it first, but I believe it was Nina Poole. She's a big influencer out of Tennessee, and she's known for like just giving people more budget friendly alternatives.

32:19She really had a lot to say about what Charlotte had to say. And Charlotte kind of stepped in it with that comment. OK, because then everybody was like, well, I can actually I know where your pencils are made and these ones are also made there. And so it just didn't make her look great. I think people were offended and thought like, well, it was almost like the air of like, well, if you can't afford mine, then your makeup's not going to be as desirable or whatever. And then, yeah, so there was a lot of back and forth about that. I think it was not a great look for her. Right.

32:54Carlene Higgins:Right. I mean, I kind of I get it as a founder now that I'm a founder, like somebody literally duped my formula and sold it for$18 and it was like a similar blue tube and all of that, I would be probably pretty heartbroken. Yeah. Because you're putting all of the initial development into it, like the actual, the creativity, the testing, all of that, all of that stuff. And that's got to be worth something. But I've, I've always said my position on dupes is that just not everybody has that much money. Yeah. They really don't. Like I grew up in a household. I never went to camp. OK, I'm not going to say woe is me because there are so many people out there who have so many more woes.

33:35Carlene Higgins:The point being that if you can get an elf version for five dollars and that's all you can afford, do it. Do it. Right. Well, I think the specific headline around this, too, was that Kiko Milano, which we talked about, the pencils are made in the same factory as Charlotte Tilbury. Now, some people who were dissenting on this, they said, yeah, they might be made in the same factory, but it doesn't mean it's the same product. Yeah, absolutely. So that's what a lot of cosmetic chemists were saying. So it's not as cut and dry. Like, listen, I'm sure she would like to take that soundbite back that she gave to the BBC because that's the type of stuff that does go viral.

34:09But she she has been knocked off a lot. And I feel for her. Yeah. In a lot of ways. The Flawless Filter. Oh, my God. The Pillow Talk. I know it is. It is unbelievably duped. Yeah.

34:19Carlene Higgins:And she is a career makeup artist. I think that was more probably what she was getting at. Like her position is like, f*** off, you know? And I think that in whatever words she was trying to say, it was some kind of decorum. I think that's in the end, she was just like, f*** off already. Yeah. But in the end, it is. It doesn't go over well with the consumer, right? Exactly. For the reasons we just said. So interesting. And then Business of Fashion created or had an article that said we're in our super dupes era. And what was wild about that story was that Emco Beauty, which is an Australian brand that's really knocked off everything.

35:00Carlene Higgins:Yes. Did you see what they did? Yes, I did. Yeah. So rewind to I think it was earlier in 2026. And we talked about this on the mic at some point is that Urban Decay, their all nighter setting spray, they reformulated it. And the marketing that they said was that this is a new and improved formula and it's better because of X, Y, Z. But the reality is, is that it was a dupe of another setting spray. Well, they had borrowed the technology from Skindinavia and they were paying for it. That's what I'm saying. So that that was actually kind of truly a dupe in the sense, right, that they white labeled it.

35:41Carlene Higgins:Yeah. They white labeled it essentially. Yeah. And so people were mad. People were mad. They were like, because now what you're saying is that Scandinavia is no good, but you rode their coattails for years and now you're like, well, actually, we're better. And I think the reason why they reformulated it was one of those. I don't I don't actually remember the reason. I'm pretty sure what really it just happened was like their contract expired with them. They didn't need to do it anymore. There was like some reason where the new and improved was truly marketing. It was like based on, it was not based on that.

36:17Carlene Higgins:So it was inauthentic. And so just all the way around, it didn't sit pretty. So M and Co created a setting spray called All Dayer. If I'm not mistaken, they have contracted with Scandinavia. And essentially are taking the place of what All Nighter did. And it is an absolute knockoff look of Urban Decay. So it's really it's really poking fun at. It's really, you know, some schoolyard shenanigans that are going on. Yeah. And everybody's having a laugh. And it kind of reminds me of that Spider-Man meme where it's the three Spider-Mans standing around pointing at each other. It's literally that. Yeah.

37:03Because it raises a lot of interesting questions like who is the originator? Who is the duper? Are you providing a consumer benefit by bringing it to the market for cheaper? And dupes are here to stay. There's just no way around it. And there's going to be, I think, a market for each. Now, dupes, speaking of dupes that I really want to try and I haven't, but it's like such a deliberate dupe. I just can't even deal. Elf has come out with hair care, Elf Cosmetics, and they have a product that looks exactly like the Color Wow Dreamcoat for like$7. yeah I need to try that because the color wow one is I think it's a it's like four times the price as it should be it's a great product but they are just blatantly going there yeah so Mark Anthony

37:46Carlene Higgins:has a has already they duped it a while ago right but it's probably still like$14.99 right and that's one of the ways that that's part of innovation in in the world of cosmetics there's a lot of rinse and repeat going on, but there's different ways to innovate that don't always have to do with formula. There's packaging. Yep. There's quote unquote clean versions. However you want to slice that transparent, ethical, you know, fill in the blank version. There's and then there's price. Price is an innovation. Yep. If you can do this scale. Yeah. And offer it, then the idea is you're probably just hitting a completely different consumer.

38:30Carlene Higgins:Yeah. Because the Charlotte Tilbury consumer is probably not going to go out and buy Elf. Correct. So that's how it works. Yeah. And just a other couple of pieces of news from the summer. Well, Marc Jacobs Beauty is back. We haven't had a chance to get our hands on it yet. And Glossy is also making moves. They've made big moves this summer with Rebrand, like bringing back that cool element that they always had. Like they have one of the greatest creatives that I've seen, which they had a girl put the Glossier pink pouch in her bicycle basket and then drop her iPhone in. And then she rode around New York.

39:06And so you saw her iPhone. Oh, that's the pink.

39:11Carlene Higgins:Oh, that's great. But they have always led like Glossier is like Merit. Merit is Merit is standing on the shoulders of Glossier. They have had that indie spirit, cool, creative branding. They get it. Right. You know, from the beginning is that I think Glossier lost it for a second and they're back and it's hard to recapture. Yeah. So I'm giving them props. Absolutely.

39:40Carlene Higgins:Today's episode is brought to you in part by Wacol. All right, everyone, I got a new bra and everybody needs to know about it. It's called the high bar plunge underwire bra by Wacol. And I'll tell you why I'm loving it, because it's basically a hybrid between an underwire push-up bra and a bralette. So it gives you all of that comfort that you feel with a bralette. It doesn't have that heavy-duty padding. It doesn't have lining in it that sometimes is visible through a t-shirt. And it's super comfortable. But it also does have an underwire. So that's actually flattering my shape. It has flexible cups, if you can picture that.

40:21Carlene Higgins:And so what I love about that is it really suits the shape of my breasts, which is a shallow top and a fuller bottom, if you will. It's just unbelievably comfortable to wear. And it's one of their newer styles. They have four different colorways. There's a pink and a white and a kind of a beige color as well. And I just think Walkhole is absolute masters when it comes to fit, because I've been in person in department stores where I've had walk hole professionals fit me and they really know what they're doing. They have been there helping women to find their fit for more than 40 years. And let's face it, our bodies change with hormones, weight fluctuations, pregnancy.

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43:44Carlene, talking about brands that are lost and maybe are going to be found again, CoverGirl. Yeah. Oh my God. So they went so far into the Gen Z and they have great products. They have excellent products. I have makeup artists that'll show me CoverGirl in their kit. And they just went so far down this Gen Z rabbit hole. And now they've just come out and said they're pivoting back to Gen X. I'm like, Nikki Taylor in the ad when? Like, that's what I'm waiting for, right? I know, it's absolute whiplash.

44:17Carlene Higgins:And this is what I'm saying because they take so long, these behemoths, to get their shit together. Anyways, we're available for consulting. Yeah. One more that I'm going to just, one more I'm going to talk about that because it really upset me, frankly, was Armani. Oh, my God. Their blushes that just came out, they sent them out in like a macaron package. If you didn't know, if you did not know it was Armani, you'd be like, oh, that's from Benefit. It is so, it's just bastardized everything Armani stands for, in my opinion. But I guess they have no choice but to go and make everything they have look like candy.

44:55Carlene Higgins:So Giorgio is just rolling over in his grave right now. Without question. Have you seen? No. No. Dear, dear, dear, dear, dear. And see, this is the thing. It's like Giorgio Armani is... Effortless, classic, timeless. And the Gen X woman has always been at home, well at home in Giorgio Armani in terms of what you wear and the foundation. Why are you doing this to us? Can I just show you? Giorgio. Yeah, because you know what those look like? Like the little Merit soft, the blushes. Or the cloud one. They look like cloud, those K-Beauty cloud ones that benefit. I got an idea, guys. Act like we're an indie brand.

45:34Carlene Higgins:I said this. Yeah, Dolce. But like just if you should just click on the page from Sephora, the Armani page, it's like the concealer, the just everything is so classic looking. Codes of the house, you know, and now it's like, oh, what is even happening? Those are my little, those are my little gripes, everybody. I think Marc Jacobs coming back, I think they did it well. And I think they're actually better positioned to succeed than some of these other brands that have been around since the time Marc Jacobs was around. I think Marc Jacobs, it was kind of a blessing it went away. And then they could reinvent it for this era, you know?

46:11So everybody, we're going to be back in a couple of weeks sharing our best of fall. There's a lot of great fall launches, what we deem to be hashtag damn good or not. We are testing as we speak. But just before we close out, let's let's share like what what do we do this summer? If we were to be writing the essay of what we got up to, what what was your headline from a summer?

46:35Carlene Higgins:Working, I would say we did a little bit of Muskoka, which is, you know, like cottage resort outside of the city. But mostly I was working on Cassatt Beauty because we're working on, you know, ramping up, getting into a few key retailers. So I did want to give a couple of updates. The biggest one being that we won a Beauty Disruptor Award. Yes. Thank you very much. So it was courtesy of the kit. Fantastic. Which is like Americans may not know. So that's a subsidiary of the Toronto Star. Right. Which is a big national newspaper. It's the biggest newspaper in the whole country. Yeah. In Canada. So I was thrilled that we won Beauty Disruptor Award.

47:18Carlene Higgins:Not even a year old. And she's winning awards. This is so exciting. So I'm really, really excited about that. You should be proud. That's fantastic. Yeah. Thank you very much. So Cassette La Pomade and we are also... It's a retinol, everybody. Yeah. If you're not familiar. Cassette La Pomade Retinoid Skin Ointment is the product that we're talking about. And I don't think I officially shared that we are now available at Joanna Check. I just wanted to let you guys know that you can now find it at Joanna Check Studios. absolutely thrilled to have her endorsement essentially of the product she loves it and also we are now available at strike incredible in beverly hills excellent so christy striker is the owner of that shop and of course she's one of the famous striker sisters she's been on our show she gave me a brow lamination exactly she's the brow expert and she loves the product so it's now being carried at strike.

48:17Carlene Higgins:I'm so excited. Fantastic. And she, of course, has her own line KS and Co, which is a brow line. Very cool. Another indie spirit brand. If you want to support, I'm super excited about those progressions as well. So I this summer, what I did is I went to a high school reunion and only eight people eight people showed up. Oh, goodness me. So we had a great time. It was very fun. I've been working on my golf game as well. Yes. Why are all of the golf clothes so hideous? I'd like to know. Oh, you have to get into four. No. What's the one called? It starts with an M. Oh, you have to you have to get into Melbourne.

49:00Melbourne. All right.

49:02Carlene Higgins:They have a little shop in Melrose Place. Classic me. It's like I want to get kitted out in a cute outfit, but I will not pay for a lesson, you know? Yeah, exactly. But it's like the first, I'm not a big golfer, but it's the first like cute, cool golf brand that I've seen. Yeah. I see my retirement with my friends and it's going to be a fun one. Yes. And then I also need to update people on my nail health journey because I've been nail polish free since May. What? Yeah. And like they're really short right now. If you're looking on camera, it is what it is. But I have to say the iron has like really doubling down, being very consistent taking the iron is really working, making them way stronger.

49:43And actually, my nail tech who just does the grooming, she could tell she's like, did you start taking your iron about two months ago? And I was like, yeah. And she could literally tell like I'm a tree or something that it was like she could tell that the curve is coming back. Wow. Because my nails were growing up and she could tell now it's growing. It's being trained to grow the right way. Right. And which is crazy. And there's a nail care brand that just launched called Buff that is skincare for your nails. Like this is the moment. So I have a sample here. I'm going to report back on these.

50:15Hey, everybody. Well, thank you for joining us. Every single thing that we mentioned today, we are going to link it in the YouTube description if you want to shop and also on our website, which is BreakingBeautyPodcast.com. Please give us feedback what you thought of this type of episode where we're yapping. if you like it, if you want more, if you just want us to bring back the guests. Exactly. And if there's any gray blending photos, send them along. So we'll see you next week,

50:40Carlene Higgins:everybody. Thanks for listening. Thanks for listening. You can find details on every product mentioned in today's episode, along with our exclusive promo codes on our blog at breakingbeautypodcast.com. While you're there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter. Every episode will be delivered directly to your inbox so you won't miss a single thing. And get social with us. Let us know what you think of the episode. You can follow us on Instagram at Breaking Beauty Podcast. And did you know we also have a private Facebook group? Just search Breaking Beauty Podcast chat room. You can even leave us a voicemail at any time with questions or feedback at 1-844-227-0302.

51:19And don't forget to subscribe to us wherever you get your podcast fix. Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts, where you can show us some love by writing a review. See you next Wednesday.

51:47Carlene Higgins:Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.