Survey Time! Respond to our Audience Survey and You Can Win a prize from The Inkey List

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We want to get to know our Breaking Beauty #PodFam even better! Please take a few moments to respond to our survey here - it’s short (promise!) and will only take a few minutes to complete. We will be accepting responses until Wednesday May 22, 2019.

By completing the survey you'll be automatically entered to win a prize pack from The Inkey List skincare - worth more than $200! Winner will be notified by email - please note only one entry per person is permitted

***NOTE: individual responses to this survey are confidential and will be not be shared***

Thank you!

Jill and Carlene, co-creators of Breaking Beauty Podcast

The Inkey List USA

Ep 63 - Briogeo Founder Nancy Twine

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Meet the fastest growing hair care brand at Sephora: Briogeo. Today we’re chatting with its brilliant founder, Nancy Twine, a University of Virginia graduate and Goldman Sachs alum. As a woman of colour, she couldn't understand why there wasn’t any natural, non-toxic haircare on the market for all ethnicities and hair textures under one brand. Having whipped up DIY beauty products using avocado oils and coconut butters with her mother and grandmother as a child, clean beauty was also top of mind. She blended the two ideas, and in 2013, Briogeo was born.

Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask

Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask

But why leave that high paying Wall Street job to begin with? In this episode, Nancy reveals the heart-breaking moment that caused her to re-evaluate everything in her life. She also shares a funny story about a surprising connection she has to Kelly Clarkson. And in the spirit of true #girltalk, we get her personal tips on blow-drying her hair in under 12 minutes, and the one product she made that pretty much broke the internet.

Briogeo fan @kats.curls

Briogeo fan @kats.curls

Jill and Carlene weigh in on why Briogeo’s best-selling Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask is truly a dream for dry, damaged hair. (Super influencers Hannah Bronfman and Ingrid Neilsen are fans of the brand.) Finally, Nancy explains which 6 ingredients you’ll never find in any of her formulations. And we don’t let her go without getting all the deets on why hair supplements are what she’s conquering next – coming this fall.

Special thank you to Amazon for providing Breaking Beauty Podcast with new Bose headphones so we and our guests can now hear ourselves while we record. Game changer!

Psst!! We now have an Amazon store! Shop any of the products mentioned in our episode below. These are affiliate links, so Breaking Beauty Podcast will get a small portion of sales that will help with all of our production costs. [Adds to cart…] Thank you for shopping!

Products mentioned in this episode: Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask; Briogeo B. Well Organic + Cold Pressed 100% Castor Oil; Briogeo B. Well Organic + Australian 100% Tea Tree Oil; GHD Air Dryer; Babyliss Pro Nano Titanium-Plated Ionic Straightening Iron

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.



Ep 62 Glow Down: Everything We Know About Cannabis Beauty With Miss Grass

Miss Grass Founders Anna Duckworth (left) and Kate Miller

Miss Grass Founders Anna Duckworth (left) and Kate Miller

This weekend saw the funnest unofficial holiday of the year, 4/20! And to celebrate, we’ve partnered with Miss Grass on a special episode all about the benefits of cannabis-based beauty. On the mic we welcome Anna Duckworth and Kate Miller, founders of the leading women’s cannabis website that’s been dubbed “The Goop of Cannabis” by W Magazine.

Good reads on the Miss Grass website

Good reads on the Miss Grass website

Aside from offering up pink porcelain “Le Pipes”, cannabis-spiked lubes, celebrity-loved gummies and beauty products like CBD-infused face serums, Miss Grass is out to educate with an online magazine. And since they cover topics like: “How I faced my dispensary fear and found serenity,” (#relatable!) we knew we needed to get Anna and Kate’s tips on how they’ve been using cannabis beauty in their own lives to treat symptoms of celiac disease and psoriasis (all of their bestselling products are here).

Miss Grass best-seller: Vertly’s CBD Infused Lip + Skin Balm

Miss Grass best-seller: Vertly’s CBD Infused Lip + Skin Balm

If you’re wondering why cannabis beauty might be beneficial in skincare, it’s because cannabidiol and other parts of the plant are known, powerful anti-inflammatories. But let’s be honest, since pot has been outlawed for so long, clinical data is only now starting to get underway. In the meantime, it’s the wild west out there – and how’s a girl to shop? Do we really need CBD in our mascaras? All this and more, in today’s episode.

We’ve got a promo code! For US-based listeners, Enter breakingbeauty at checkout at missgrass.com for 15% off your order.

Products mentioned in this episode: 2 Rise Naturals Full Spectrum CBD Oil With Turmeric; Apothecanna Everyday Face & Body Oil; Dr. Kerklaan Natural CBD Pain Spray; Lord Jones Old Fashioned CBD Gumdrops; Vertly CBD Infused Lip + Skin Balm; Ildi Pekar CBD-Infused Facial Serum; Apothecanna Relieving Spray; Apothecanna Everyday Creme; Quim Rock Happy Clam

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.







Ep 61: The Inkey List - The Budget Skincare Brand To Rival The Ordinary Is Here

The Inkey List Founders Colette Newbury and Mark Curry

The Inkey List Founders Colette Newbury and Mark Curry

How many of you are fans of premium, budget-friendly skincare? Well, you might be interested to know about an up-and-comer called The Inkey List that will debut at in the US at Sephora this month. We sit down with founders Colette Newberry and former microbiologist-slash-virologist Mark Curry to get to the bottom of the fast-growing phenom – one product sells every 30 seconds in the UK, where it first launched just one short year ago! We have The Inkey List reviews and hear from Jill and Carlene about the best Inkey List products like The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid Serum and The Inkey List Vitamin C and The Inkey Glycolic acid.

It’s the battle of the budget brands!

It’s the battle of the budget brands!

The Inkey List (left) versus The Ordinary

The Inkey List (left) versus The Ordinary

We know, we know… it’s just like The Ordinary, you say. Yes, The Inkey List also zeroes in on one hero ingredient, like vitamin C, AHA, retinol, squalane… It’s also a minimally packaged, buildable system you can customize – with all products costing under $15 *The Inkey List is at Sephora exclusively in the US). We find out what led Mark and Collette to launch The Inkey List to begin with, and we don’t pull any punches in asking about allll those similarities.

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To be fair, you’ll also learn about a few key points that set The Inkey List apart. Tune in as we review the top-selling sku, the Hyaluronic Acid Serum, as well as Jill’s personal fave, the Vitamin C Serum. Plus, we fill you in on the fast-coming innovations whooshing down the pike in the months to come – all of which focus on buzzy new ingredients, destined for beauty headlines. Have you tried The Inkey List yet? Head on over to our Facebook Chatroom and tell us what you think!

Products mentioned in this episode: The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid Serum; The Inkey List Vitamin C Serum; The Ordinary Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12%; The Inkey List Glycolic Acid; The Inkey List Retinol Serum

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Ep 60 - The Glow Down: Your Ultimate Guide To Zero Waste Beauty!

Carlene and Jill with Julianne Robicheau of Eco + Amour and “Waste Wizard” Stephanie Hicks

Carlene and Jill with Julianne Robicheau of Eco + Amour and “Waste Wizard” Stephanie Hicks

With all the news about climate change, what woman doesn’t want to reduce her eco footprint, no matter how shimmery it may be? The most logical place to start might just be in the bathroom, given that 120 billion units of packaging are produced in the global cosmetics industry annually. We’re chatting it all out in this episode, alongside Julianne Robicheau, co-owner of Eco + Amour, a sustainable living boutique specializing in self-care and beauty products. We’ve also got Jill’s good friend Stephanie Hicks in the house, who’s sharing tips based on her year of living zero waste (even her upcoming wedding will be completely up cycled!).

Eco + Amour Zero Waste Re-Fill Store in Toronto

Eco + Amour Zero Waste Re-Fill Store in Toronto

Jill and Carlene share their favourite makeup brands leading the charge in recycling, re-filling and zero waste packaging. They also hat tip the big beauty brands committing to zero waste manufacturing and next level recycling programs in the year to come, like TerraCycle and its new re-fill delivery pilot project, Loop. It’s all part of winning over a growing generation who bases their beauty buying on their values as much as product performance.

Aether Beauty’s New Summer Solstice Palette, On Sale April 22 (Earth Day)

Aether Beauty’s New Summer Solstice Palette, On Sale April 22 (Earth Day)

Find out our top zero waste beauty tips for substituting out all-too convenient face wipes from your routine, what to do with all of your old nail polish, how to dispose of hair, what to do with mascara wands… and we review Aether Beauty’s new zero waste eyeshadow palettes, developed by a former exec in Sephora’s sustainability program. All this, and you don’t even have to worry about any brow beating. We believe baby steps are all steps in the right direction!

Carlene’s New Fave: Lilah B. Divine Duo Lip & Cheek Colours

Carlene’s New Fave: Lilah B. Divine Duo Lip & Cheek Colours

Ep 59 Atelier Cologne Co-Founder Sylvie Ganter on Perfume 101, How to Wear Fragrance Like a French Girl & The Iconic Scent She's Not Having

Atelier Cologne Co-Founder Sylvie Ganter

Atelier Cologne Co-Founder Sylvie Ganter

How chic is this woman??? Today we have Atelier Cologne co-founder Sylvie Ganter on the mic! And the story behind this indie fragrance brand is a doozy— in fact, it’s a LOVE story, dramatic twists and all. Sylvie started the Maison de Parfum with her boss-turned-boyfriend, Christophe Cervasel, back in 2009. The impassioned couple built the business with one idea: taking the classic cologne category and coming up with a way to make the citrus-based juices last hella longer. Hence, how a new category, Cologne Absolue, was born.

A rendering of the newest Atelier Cologne outpost at Hudson Yards in New York City

A rendering of the newest Atelier Cologne outpost at Hudson Yards in New York City

Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, Atelier Cologne boasts over twenty stand-alone stores around the world— most recently with an outpost at Hudson Yards. The brand is so hot, L’Oréal Luxe scooped it up back in 2016. It’s just one example of how indie fragrance brands are pretty much killing it right now, as the thirst for unique signature scents continues. Come on— who doesn’t love those candy-coloured leather cases that can be monogrammed with custom-engraving?

Who doesn’t love a monogrammed signature scent?

Who doesn’t love a monogrammed signature scent?

In this episode, we’ll chat about the best-seller, Orange Sanguine, which has won a FIFI Award (that’s basically the Oscars of the fragrance world!) Sylvie also schools us on the difference between an eau de toilette, eau de parfum, and cologne. You’re also going to hear her tips for finding your own signature scent, how to tell someone you care about that their perfume is killing you and she shares her tips on making fragrance last (or in Carlene’s case, how to apply it so it doesn’t make her delicate nose all stuffy #TRUTH.)

Products mentioned in this episode: Atelier Cologne Citron d’Erable Cologne Absolue; Atelier Cologne Bois Blonds; Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine; Atelier Cologne Pacific Lime

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Ep 58 Glow Down: SXSW Beauty, Glossier Play Review + Insta Star Donte Colley

Jill & Carlene post Charlotte Tilbury makeovers at the Innovation Mansion at SXSW

Jill & Carlene post Charlotte Tilbury makeovers at the Innovation Mansion at SXSW

We have some catching up to do on the SXSW front! In today’s episode we take you through the ins and outs of the House of Modern Beauty hosted by RealSelf, including the #glowdown on which cosmetic treatments were offered absolutely free (you’ll want a ticket next year, trust.) You’ll also find out which beauty activation had us jotting down a shopping list to try to re-create the Victoria’s Secret-inspired look ourselves. And, Jill let’s you know everything about Miraval’s newest luxury outpost in Austin, where she recuperated from a late-night out with a celebrity facialist befriended at SXSW (what??!!)

The new Miraval Austin

The new Miraval Austin

Up next, we’re talking Glossier Play— just in time for the news that the “unicorn” brand now has a $1.2 billion dollar valuation with new funding led by Sequoia Capital. (Wanna re-acquaint yourself with how Emily Weiss started it all? Have a listen to the founder herself in Episode 11.) But is the new foray into hardcore cosmetics all it’s cracked up to be? We talk controversy and how to fix a PR problem fast.

Donté Colley stars in Glossier Play’s debut campaign

Donté Colley stars in Glossier Play’s debut campaign

Finally, if you’re a fan of Instagram star Donté Colley, you’re not going to want to miss his drop-in to the studio at around 22 minutes, when he reveals how he shot from 10K to 650K followers virtually overnight with his life-giving dance moves, coupled with motivational words bouncing from his every twerk. The Toronto-based influencer also shares which skincare line is topping his #topshelf, what it was like to star in the Glossier Play campaign– and naturally, some words of encouragement for his growing tribe. Surprise! Mama Leeanne Colley is also in the house – meet the new Kris Jenner who happens to be Toronto’s Nail Queen!

Donté Colley in one of his viral motivational dance posts

Donté Colley in one of his viral motivational dance posts

Products Mentioned In This Episode: Glossier Play Glitter Gelée; Glossier Play Vinylic Lip; Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel; Dermalogica Clearing Skin Wash; Dermalogica Daily Micro Exfoliant; Dermalogica Break Out Control; EyEnvy Conditioner; Vivace RF Microneedling

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.



Ep 57 Celebrity Tanning Expert & Isle of Paradise Founder Jules Von Hep

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Today we’re chatting with our first ever tanning founder!! It’s Jules Von Hep, a celebrity spray tanner who has glow’d up everyone from Kate Moss to Sienna Miller to Poppy Delevingne. Jules started Isle of Paradise just last year, bottling up his decade bronzing bodies of all sizes, shades and shapes with his super-smart colour-correcting formula that promises to bring the bronze without any dullness or orange-effect.

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Isle of Paradise is a tanning brand for the millennial era with its vegan, cruelty-free and organic formulations, offered up in fun new textures (hello, tanning waters!) The Medium Self-Tanning Drops have already sold out at Sephora, and good news for Canadian listeners, the brand landed in Sephora stores this month—just in time for those last vacays down south.

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But perhaps the biggest part of Isle Of Paradise’s fast success is the ethos behind the brand. Stemming from Jules himself, it’s all about body positivity and self-love, topics he explores as co-host of Wobble podcast, featuring guests like Bryony Gordon and Emma Guns. We also get to the heart of the body image matter in this episode, along with Jules’ no-fail tanning tips and a story of a celebrity tanning session gone so so wrong.

Products mentioned in this episode: Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Drops in Medium; Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Waters

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Ep 56 Glow Down Ft. Samantha Ravndahl, The Internet's Most "Brutally Honest" Beauty Influencer

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Samantha Ravndahl is finally here! “Meet the beauty blogger who’s made a career out of brutal honesty,” said Vanity Fair, in an article profiling the 26-year-old professional makeup artist last year. Samantha began creating content in 2013 with just 2,000 followers, which grew into 10,000 fans in one month— and ballooned into an audience of one million in just one year. One Lil’ Kim lawsuit behind her, and the super influencer has earned 2.2M Instagram followers tune in to the Vancouverite’s feed for her boundary-pushing beauty lewks that have been known to skew into special FX.

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But it’s Samantha’s badass, no-holding-back attitude that keep them coming back. Case in point: in December, she released a “No More PR” video announcing that she would no longer be accepting thousands of dollars worth of publicity products from brands anymore — a waste-reductive move that drew headlines in WWD Magazine. We asked Samantha about why she made that decision (who doesn’t like freebies?!), and how her tutorials and her relationships with brands has changed since then.

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Six years in, Samantha— and her content— are continually evolving. We get the scoop on her decision to stop retouching face and body “blemishes” on any of her photos moving forward. She also spills the tea on the products she’s truly passionate about (top shelf elite edition!), answers burning listener questions, and tells us about the career goal Future Samantha currently has on the dream board…

A few of the products in Samantha’s makeup bag

A few of the products in Samantha’s makeup bag

Products mentioned in this episode:

M.A.C Lipglass in Oyster Girl; Drunk Elephant T.L.C Framboos Glycolic Night Serum; Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo; Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner; Axis Mor Treatment Oil; Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation Perfecting Moisturizer; Ole Henriksen Goodnight Glow Retin-Alt Sleeping Moisturizer

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.



Ep 55 The Detox Market Founder Romain Gaillard On Pioneering Green Beauty in Retail + The Top 3 Sellers RN!

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It’s no secret that green beauty is everything these days (natural personal care and beauty products earned over $1.5 billion in U.S. sales in 2017.) But long before Sephora came up with the “Clean at Sephora” seal, Romain Gaillard pioneered the modern concept of green beauty retail with The Detox Market. That was back in 2010. It was a pop-up situation on Abbott Kinney in Venice Beach. And it was the first time you could walk into a shoppe and find that every beauty product lining store shelves was not only chic but free of parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals and over 600 other questionable ingredients it’s banned from a highly curated assortment. Now The Detox Market boasts seven locations including three in Los Angeles, three in Toronto (including a swank new shoppe on Spadina Ave.), and a 2,000 square foot flagship in New York City.

The Detox Market’s new Toronto flagship on Spadina Ave.

The Detox Market’s new Toronto flagship on Spadina Ave.

Parisian by birth, Romain went to school for finance before landing in tech - so how did he wind up an early leader in green beauty? In today’s episode, we find out the pivotal moment that would change his life course forever. Boasting luxe, organic brands from RMS Beauty to Kjaer Weis to May Lindstrom, we also find out which products are the top three best-sellers in stores right now (shopping carts at the ready!)

The Detox Market’s debut from its new in-house beauty range, Detox Mode Altogether Oil

The Detox Market’s debut from its new in-house beauty range, Detox Mode Altogether Oil

And finally, we’ve got the scoop on The Detox Market’s own range of beauty products launched recently, to fill holes in our self-care regimens where green beauty products still don’t exist! To start, we’re reviewing the first ever all-natural dry oil, called Detox Mode Altogether Oil, with news on when you can expect the follow up in the French-inspired line next. If you’re one of many eco beauty soldiers out there trying to green your routine from head-to-toe, or if you’re an all-natural beauty entrepreneur who wants to know what it takes to get into The Detox Market’s inventory, this episode is for you!

Products mentioned in this episode: W3LL People Expressionist Mascara; Detox Mode Altogether Oil; Odacite Green Ceremony Cleanser; Soapwalla Original Deodorant Cream; Clove & Hollow Lip Velvet; Ilia Color Block High Impact Lipstick; Coola; Suntegrity; Babo Botanicals SPF 50 Super Shield Sport Stick; Chanel Platinum Égoiste Eau de Toilette

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.




Ep 54 Glow Down Ft. The Anna Edit a.k.a. Anna Newton On Her New Book + The Beauty Products She's Never Editing Out of Her Life

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So many of you are already fans of British blogger and YouTuber Anna Newton of The Anna Edit, and now that we’ve met her, we totally know why. Anna is like your best friend who gives you great style advice and adulting tips –  but isn’t at all intimidating. She also hosts a podcast called At Home With, along with co-host Lily Pebbles. Anna has got her shit so together, she’s just released a freakn’ book on the matter!

An Edited Life Review

An Edited Life is all about “simple steps to streamlining your life, work and home”, so naturally we chatted about how to minimize a cluttered top shelf. We also found out which beauty products Anna will never ever edit out of her own routine, and got her to spill her Loewe handbag to see what’s inside! Anna also recalls how she made it, mastering the art of being a low key content creator (over 475K subscribers to be exact) in a sea of thirsties.

What’s in Anna Newton’s bag? Graydon Skincare, Milk Makeup! Surratt Eyelash Curler, Lano Lips

What’s in Anna Newton’s bag? Graydon Skincare, Milk Makeup! Surratt Eyelash Curler, Lano Lips

We’ve also got breaking beauty buzz! That’s right – Jill and Carlene are headed to SXSW! Hosted by Real Self, your humble co-hosts will be at the House of Modern Beauty on Saturday, March 9th to discuss the rise of beauty podcasts, along with Fat Mascara and The Glossy Beauty Podcast, hosted by inimitable beauty columnist Jane Larkworthy. Look out Austin, Breaking Beauty is ready to two-step!

Products Mentioned In This Episode:

Laura Mercier Extreme Velour Lipsticks; NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil; Escentric Molecules Perfume; Glossier You Eau de Parfum; May Lindstrom skincare; Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo; Lancôme Monsieur Big Waterproof Mascara; Clarins Instant Makeup Remover; Surratt Relevée Lash Curler; It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream With SPF 50+; Laneige BB Cushion Hydra Radiance Compact, M.A.C Studio Face and Body Foundation; Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Ep 53 Tomi Gbeleyi Founder of MFMG Cosmetics a.k.a Makeup For Melanin Girls

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Meet Tomi Gbeleyi, the 27-year-old founder of Makeup For Melanin Girls. Winning headlines in Glamour Magazine, and Buzzfeed, MFMG Cosmetics was born out of a beauty blog that blossomed into a 170,000-strong online community, filling a void for women of colour. Just a year and a half in, the direct-to-consumer makeup line recently earned investment capital from the New Voices Fund – a Unilever-backed initiative designed to support women of colour entrepreneurs.

Beauty influencer @nymatang wears the MFMG Cosmetics Glitter Palette

Beauty influencer @nymatang wears the MFMG Cosmetics Glitter Palette

Tomi was driven to develop her line of beauty products at the behest of her loyal following. The best-selling liquid lipsticks boast “nudes” and “flesh” tones for every skin hue – and they haven’t gone unnoticed in Hollywood either. This fall, MFMG will enter the foundation category, with shades currently in development using never-before-used technology - which shouldn’t come as a surprise given her first life working as a woman in tech.

MFMG Liquid Lipsticks

MFMG Liquid Lipsticks

In this episode, Tomi recounts the reason she decided to leave that career to follow a completely different path. You’ll also learn about the young founder’s early life, emigrating to New Brunswick, Canada from Nigeria as a teenager (Jill and Tomi totally bonded over #eastcoastlife). Listen in to hear the deflating moment in Tomi’s modelling jobs that informed MFMG Cosmetics’s creation, and how she managed to create something so positive – and so needed.

Products mentioned in this episode: MFMG Glitter Palette; MFMG Liquid Lipstick in Flesh

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.



Ep 52 Glow Down: Hairstylist Adir Abergel On Red Carpet-to-Real-Life Secrets, Styling Jessica Biel's mane With Champagne & Is Undone Hair Over?

Jill Dunn with Celebrity Hairstylist Adir Abergel (left)

Jill Dunn with Celebrity Hairstylist Adir Abergel (left)

It’s red carpet season, woot woot! So what better time to welcome celebrity hairstylist Adir Abergel. You’ve seen his masterful skills on Saoirse Ronan’s bedroom hair for the February Young Hollywood issue of Vanity Fair. He also fashioned one of his signature un-average updos for Charlize Theron at the Critics Choice Awards. The LA-based hair pro is also creative director and partner in a line of repairing, pure keratin-based hair products, called Virtue Labs.

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Listen in as Carlene fawns all over Adir’s hair accessories collab with Lelet New York, which filled a void for clients like Kristen Stewart and Rooney Mara who wouldn’t be caught dead in the cute-sy aesthetic of typical baubles and bows. With architectural, edgy designs that include antique gold chains cascading from a hair comb worthy of a GOT character, it’s no surprise that the luxe collection was written up in Vogue and subsequently sold out in a snap.

Adir Abergail Lelet NY

And while Adir may sound completely high-glam, he’s really a bohemian spirit at heart, with a dramatic coming up story that probably warrants a big screen of its own. A hair prodigy if ever there was one, Adir began daydreaming about hair at the age of 5, he began doing hair at age 10, and he started apprenticing at just 15 years old. Spoiler alert: he was living on his own at the time, a ballet student who once backed up Michael Jackson.

Virtue Labs Review

Listen in as Adir shares his red carpet tips and tricks you can really use IRL, including a DIY hack for what to do if your hair products gets lost in a long-haul. Plus, the haircuts that age us; why woke-up-like-this waves are a bit over; and career advice from a legit Hollywood hair guru.

Products mentioned in this episode: Ibiza G4 Cork Round Brush; Virtue Restorative Treatment Mask; Virtue Recovery Shampoo & Conditioner; Virtue Full Shampoo & Conditioner; Kusko-Murphy Setting Lotion; Phyto PhytoVolume Actif Volumizing Spray; Virtue The Lifting Powder; Virtue Labs 6-in-1 Styler; Nudestix Taylor’s Sunset Beauty Box

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Ep 51 Hair Colour Legend Christophe Robin of Christophe Robin Hair Care

Carlene & Jill with Christophe Robin

Carlene & Jill with Christophe Robin

Today we’re talking hair colour with a French master. The colourist behind Tilda Swinton, Vanessa Paradis and Catherine Deneuve’s serious coiffs— it’s Christophe Robin! Christophe was the long-time magic man behind all the big L’Oréal hair ad campaigns, plus the hands responsible for 90’s supermodels’ sparkling manes. They all went to Christophe to get this signature look: natural radiance without compromising the health of hair. (Except for that one angry model who did something completely outré when Christophe committed a hair colour faux pas once… and he’s spilling the tea!)

Christophe with long-time client Catherine Deneuve

Christophe with long-time client Catherine Deneuve

Christophe debuted his own salon, dedicated solely to hair colour, when he was just 24 years old. It was the first of its kind to put the spotlight squarely on hair hue back in 1995, in Paris. Shortly after, he launched his eponymous line with the aim of solving the issues he observed from behind the chair. Mixing up salt-water solutions to help sensitized scalps post-dyeing, or vinegar to balance the pH alkalinity, these are the hand-spun fixes he would build on to create his luxury formulations for women to use at home. Today, his Cleansing Purifying Scrub With Sea Salt is a best-seller and, as we can attest, the colour-safe detoxifying scrub keeps roots feeling clean for 3-5 days. (Psst…. a follow-up detangling jelly will join the range in April!)

The Christophe Robin salon in Paris features a swank shell basin, a tribute to Botticelli’s Birth of Venus

The Christophe Robin salon in Paris features a swank shell basin, a tribute to Botticelli’s Birth of Venus

Christophe Robin Cleansing Volumizing Paste With Pure Rassoul and Rose Extracts

Christophe Robin Cleansing Volumizing Paste With Pure Rassoul and Rose Extracts

Having introduced the rest of the world to the concept of scalp exfoliation, Christophe makes customer education top priority in his salon, now located on rue Bachaumont in Paris. Right here on Breaking Beauty Podcast, don’t miss the guru’s no-filter take on vegetable hair colour; dry shampoo ‘don’ts’; how to tweak your hair colour to make dark under eye circles less obvi; and a hack for taking your hair colour down a notch if you return from the salon a tad too stark. It’s a podcast episode so chic, it’s magnifique!

Products mentioned in this episode: Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub With Sea Salt; Christophe Robin Purifying Shampoo with Jujube Bark Extract; Christophe Robin Detangling Gelee With Sea Minerals; Christophe Robin Hydrating Shampoo Bar with Aloe Vera; L’Oréal Preference

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Ep 50 - The Glow Down: Hottest New Drugstore Buys, Legit Beauty Supplements & Beauty Foods With Holistic Nutritionist Joy McCarthy of Joyous Health

Joy McCarthy

In today’s Glow Down, we sit down with best-selling author and certified holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy, the founder of Joyous Health. In partnership with our friends at Genuine Health, we are chatting about everything beauty-from-within, from beauty foods to beauty supplements and every cucumber juice in between. Joy schools Carlene and Jill on realistic, everyday tips on how to improve our immunity, flush out toxins and treat our bodies with essential and often missed nutrients that have the happy side effect of making us glow naturally, too.

Carlene tests Almay’s new Lip Vibes lipstick in Smile

Carlene tests Almay’s new Lip Vibes lipstick in Smile

But before we get to that, we have a special Damn Goods segment dedicated to our favourite drugstore buys of the month! Don’t miss the details on Carlene’s bright new lippie-du-jour, as well as her reco for an easy-wearing palette that feels as soft on eyelids as a kitten’s paw. Plus, Jill tests three mascaras and reveals her top choice hitting mass retailers this month.

Some of you may know Genuine Health from their famous Greens + Nourishing Superfood powder, which has been around for 25 years! (Sidebar: Jill has been known to crush a glass containing this stuff in her Monday morning water to wash away the sins of the weekend, ahem.) Big news! Genuine Health recently launched a line of Clean Collagen supplements-- very buzzy right now- they’re powders you can add to smoothies and protein shakes, starting at $25 US, $30 Canadian. Well, we’ve got promo codes: visit genuinehealth.com and enter the code BREAKINGBEAUTY for 15% off any Clean Collagen product until March 2019.

Maybelline Made For All Lipsticks By Color Sensational

Maybelline Made For All Lipsticks By Color Sensational

Genuine Health Marine Clean Collagen supplement

Genuine Health Marine Clean Collagen supplement

Ep 49 Remembering Brandon Truaxe, Founder of Deciem & The Ordinary

Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins with Brandon Truaxe, Founder of Deciem & The Ordinary

Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins with Brandon Truaxe, Founder of Deciem & The Ordinary

In honour of the untimely passing of Brandon Truaxe, we are re-releasing our original episode in conversation with the brilliant mind behind Deciem and The Ordinary. We had the privilege of hearing the complete backstory behind the founder’s remarkable career, from his childhood to his first high school job to studying computer engineering to walking away from two beauty businesses before making headlines and commanding 25,000 + people wait-lists with his “Abnormal Beauty Company”.

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When The Ordinary launched in 2016, never before had such incredible formulations, centred around hero ingredients like vitamin C and retinol, been delivered in minimalist packaging at rock-bottom prices. (When we asked him about this blockbuster, budget-friendly creation de-throning prestige skincare 10 times its price, he said: “There’s nothing luxurious about being taken for an idiot.”) As evidenced in this episode recorded when Brandon was at the top of his game, the controversial innovator was funny, brilliant and sensitive. His radical transparency would earn him a cult of skincare fans—and some trolls. But his passion for doing right by the customer never wavered, and his genius will never be forgotten.

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Ep 48 Green Skincare Guru Tata Harper

Tata Harper Breaking Beauty Podcast

She’s the fresh-faced entrepreneur who’s been bottling her eponymous, all-natural  skincare since 2010. Today we’re chatting with eco beauty pioneer Tata Harper! With her unmistakable green glass packaging and sophisticated, earth-friendly formulas, the Colombian skincare founder succeeded in elevating the whole green beauty game at a time when organic formulas couldn’t shake their crunchy granola rep.

The best-seller: Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask

The best-seller: Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask

Marrying all-natural and luxury for the very first time in beauty history, Tata Harper is still sourcing sustainably grown ingredients from all over the world, producing award-winning formulas in small batches at her Vermont farm. In today’s episode, you’ll find out exactly why the best-selling Resurfacing Mask—rich in pink clay, willow bark and beet extract— is worth the credit card bill. (And why industry insiders like makeup artist Gucci Westman are forever fans.)

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Find out which product is Carlene’s personal fave, along with Jill’s impression of her glamourous Tata Harper facial courtesy of Tata’s personal esthetician, based at Le Bristol Hotel in Paris. You won’t want to miss Tata’s incredible origin story, having graduated from industrial engineering before one fateful event would change her life forever. Tune in to hear glimpses into Tata’s fashion-filled childhood, the mother-of-three’s thoughts on what she’s calling a “Clean-washing” sham happening in the beauty industry right now, and not to be missed, Tata reveals for the first time a top-secret new range she’s been working on, set to thrill long-time Tata Harper fans (especially if you suffer from allergies, hint hint.)

Products mentioned in this episode: Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask; Tata Harper Illuminating Eye Cream; Clarisonic Smart Profile Uplift; Tata Harper Creme Riche; Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.




Ep 47 Glow Down How To Make It In The Beauty Biz With Ukonwa Ojo + Why Do Celebrities Love This $23 Beauty Cream?

Ukonowa Ojo

Ever wondered who’s behind alllll the CoverGirl changes you’ve been hearing about over the past year? In today’s episode, we get up close and personal with Coty’s Chief Marketing Officer, Ukonwa Ojo, the mastermind behind CoverGirl’s woke-generation re-brand. ***Update: Ukonwa Ojo is making career power moves and since we chatted a week ago, she is no longer with Coty—and we can’t wait to see where she’s going next!!*** Remember the iconic tagline, “Easy Breezy Beautiful CoverGirl”? Bye, girl. Now, it’s “I am What I Make Up”—so much more empowering, non? How about the slew of new spokespeople, the first “cover boy” to front a cosmetics campaign, the first female race car driver to star in a beauty ad, the first makeup spokesmodel in North America to wear a hijab, the first 70-year-old model to be signed for a modelling contract (promoting a smokey eye launch!)

CoverGirl James Charles

Oh, and let’s not forget shaking up mass retail shelves by offering 40 shades of foundation for diverse skin tones, and CoverGirl’s pledge to to go cruelty free with Leaping Bunny certification in recent months. There is one woman behind all of these milestones, and we had the privilege of sitting down with her to learn some of her seriously mentoring ways. Listen in to find out what Ukonwa thinks about not being able to try on makeup in drugstores, what hair product she can’t personally live without, and for those on the come-up, her advice on how to ask for a raise.

Weleda Skin Food Light Review

But first, tune in to our Damn Goods segment, in partnership with our friends at Weleda, where we go deep on a serious cult favourite: Weleda Skin Food. Tune in as Carlene takes us on a little journey to a small town called Irvington, New York, to visit Weleda’s HQ. We find out why this iconic skin balm, invented in 1926, is still hoarded by Rihanna, Victoria Beckham, Julia Roberts, Pat McGrath—and us. CEO Rob Keen schools us with a heck of a lot of Weleda trivia, like why the headquarters has an on-site pharmacy that fills prescriptions (?), and how the founder, scientist and philosopher Rudolph Steiner, basically invented the concept of biodynamic farming and applied all of those principles into skincare.

Oh yeah, and we’re here to tell you about the brand’s first major innovation in nearly a century: three new Skin Food line extensions launching this month, quite possibly as bomb as the O.G.

Products mentioned in this episode: Weleda Skin Food; Weleda Skin Food Light Nourishing Cream; Weleda Skin Food Body Butter, Weleda Skin Food Lip Butter; CoverGirl TruBlend Matte Made Foundation; Hair Rules Curly Whip

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Ep 46 - Anastasia Beverly Hills Founder Anastasia Soare

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Happy New Year everyone! First of all, a bit of news… we’re now officially a weekly podcast! We’ll be hitting your feeds every single Wednesday, so be sure to subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Soundcloud or Google Podcasts for your weekly Breaking Beauty fix. We’re kicking off 2019 with a huge guest of honour and that is the one and only Anastasia Soare, founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills. It’s her first podcast interview ever!

oprah and anastasia

Romanian-born beauty entrepreneur Anastasia Soare fled communism in the late 1980s and moved to Los Angeles—not knowing a word of English—where she launched a beauty empire. She was the first aesthetician to patent the Golden Ratio Eyebrow Shaping Method, which quickly caught the attention of Hollywood elite (Cindy Crawford was her first client ever.) Anastasia was propelled into the spotlight on The Oprah Winfrey Show and later launched her namesake brand with a Beverly Hills flagship salon in 1997, going on to to create the company’s revolutionary product line in 2000. The first to create makeup and stencils especially for eyebrows, her cult classic, DipBrow Pomade is still a stand-out today.

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But how did the brow guru succeed in parlaying her eyebrow business into a billion dollar brand now just as renowned for its sell-out contour and eyeshadow palettes? Carlene and Jill get to the bottom of LA’s biggest makeup sensation, now poised for international domination (Just ask a Kardashian, okay?). Oh, and don’t miss your co-hosts personal takes on the latest makeup palette, Sultry, along with their tips on how to use the OG brow product that made Anastasia Beverly Hills so famous.

Products mentioned in this episode: Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade; Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz; Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit; Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick; Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry Palette

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Ep 45 - Bonus! Recapping The Most Cray Beauty Moments Of 2018

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Listen here:

In today’s show, we are looking back at the Year in Beauty because what a year it’s been! We spill alll the tea on the highs, the lows and everything in between.

Joining us are two very special guests: Grace Lee, Lead Makeup Artist for Maybelline New York who is the key makeup artist for the brand’s shows at New York Fashion Week and works with celebs like Adriana Lima and Gigi Hadid on the regular. We also have Kathleen Newman-Bremang in the house! Kathleen is the former TV producer at The Social on CTV, a contributor to Lainey Gossip and the newly minted staff writer at Refinery29 Canada.

Meghan Markle’s fresh face on her wedding day

Meghan Markle’s fresh face on her wedding day

Listen in as we go deep on the meaning behind Meghan Markle’s wedding day makeup-lite. Plus, we shine a light on September issues finally representing in this record-breaking year for women of colour (Rihanna on British Vogue, Beyonce on Vogue, Tracee Ellis Ross on ELLE Canada, Lupita N’yongo on Porter Magazine).

Record-breaking year for diversity in magazine covers

Record-breaking year for diversity in magazine covers

We open up on our real feelings about the Deciem drama; detail the hidden gems that ruled our top shelf this year (including a liquid lipstick that literally will stay on for days if you want it to); and answer the number one Googled beauty question of 2018 “wtf is a lash lift?” We also explore the latest social beauty movements, like how South Korean women are binning their beauty products, essentially giving the middle finger to the patriarchy and capturing it all on Instagram with the #escapethecorset hashtag.

South Korean women rebel against their routines

South Korean women rebel against their routines

Happy Holidays Breaking Beauty Listeners! Our first episode of 2019 will premiere January 9th when we will be dropping some major news you are not going to want to miss!!

Special thanks to episode sponsors Giovanni Cosmetics, who’s offering Breaking Beauty listeners an exclusive 'buy one get one free' offer! To redeem the coupon, simply click this link, insert your email, and download the coupon! Bring it in to any retailer that carries Giovanni products.

Products mentioned in this episode: DRUNK ELEPHANT T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum;
Skinceuticals C E Ferulic Serum; Maybelline New York Superstay Matte ink Liquid Lipstick in Inspirer (pink); and Fuller (90s shade); Shiseido Essential Energy Moisturizer SPF 20

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.