Welcome to this week’s No BS Beauty Bulletin! 💌 In Juicy Beauty News, we’re covering everything from last years LVMH/Dior major supply chain scandal to the surprising beauty trends already shaping 2025. Plus, we’re digging into how tariffs might soon make your favorite products more expensive (ugh) and getting a sneak peek at the sci-fi beauty innovations of tomorrow (DNA-coded skincare, anyone?). And if you love K-Beauty, don’t miss the wild trends coming straight out of Seoul!

In What Did I Buy This Week?, I grabbed some fun new products from Maelove, Skinfix, The INKEY List, and more (and yes, Cameraman still doesn’t know how much I spent 😂). Over in Winner of the Week, I’m shouting out Seoul’s unbeatable skincare shopping scene—and sharing why it’s like nowhere else on earth. Meanwhile, Loser of the Week covers my lovely (read: not lovely) run-in at a Louis Vuitton store that gave me firsthand and secondhand embarrassment.

In Cameraman’s Corner, the tech struggles are real, but he’s finally wrangling the K-Beauty Award Show footage back to life. And of course, in About the Dogs, Ike, Lincoln, and Gabby are living their best (and most spoiled) lives. 🐾

A huge congratulations to this week’s giveaway winner, Lana F.! 🎉 Thanks for hanging out with me every week—you make this so much fun! 💖

Made Me Laugh

Is this why Ike is always in the bathroom with me?

Juicy Beauty News

• Italian Court Reveals Dior’s Unethical Supply Chain And Puts Other Luxury Brands On Notice
  A Milan court just placed LVMH’s Christian Dior brand under judicial administration for a year after an investigation found two of its Chinese-owned subcontractors based outside Milan had exploited their workers.

• The Skincare Industry in 2025: Emerging Trends and Predictions
  …Here’s a glimpse into the trends shaping the skincare landscape, based on industry insights and confidential data.

• Are we heading for a beauty burnout?
  Even as long routines and more involved treatments push us to the brink, pain powers beauty, argues Jessica DeFino.

• Where Your Makeup and Skincare Products Come From—And How Tariffs Will Make Them Pricier
  From ingredients to packaging, makeup and skincare products use materials from around the globe, and you’re about to pay even more for them.

• DNA-coded skincare, wearable nanobots: The beauty products of tomorrow
  As the lines between beauty, health and tech blur, future product innovation will be driven by regenerative science and data-driven personalization.

• 10 K-Beauty Trends Taking Skincare to the Next Level in 2025
  Salmon sperm, spicules, and exosomes—oh my!

👀 What did I buy this week?👀

Don’t tell Cameraman!

• Maelove Peptide Squad Serum at Amazon

  (sold & shipped by Maelove)

• Skinfix Barrier Balancing Water Cream Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid at Sephora

• The INKEY List Exosome Hydro-Glow Complex Serum

  at Sephora

• The Ordinary Multi-Antioxidant Radiance Serum

  at Ulta

• Topicals Faded Unscented Version 
  at Sephora

• P Calm Cicalacto Exosome 45 Sleeping Mask

  at Yesstyle - Use Rewards Code NOBSBEAUTY for an additional discount!

• Urban Decay Cosmetics 24/7 Inks Easy Ergonomic Liquid Eyeliner Pen 

  at Ulta

• Isle of Paradise Self-Tan Face Drops 
  at Sephora

About the Dogs

Ike, Lincoln, and Gabby have been living their best lives lately. Ike has fully leaned into his role as the house supervisor, making sure every room (and every snack) is properly inspected. Lincoln has been his usual goofy self, turning even a simple walk into a full-on comedy show with his happy hops and sideways glances. Gabby, true to form, has been perfecting the art of cozy lounging—finding the sunniest spots in the house and soaking up every ray like a professional. Between the walks, treats, and endless belly rubs, they’re truly mastering the good life.

Winner of the Week - Seoul

I have never experienced anything quite like the Myeongdong area in Seoul.  There is a different beauty store on every corner of the street.  I believe I counted at least 3 different Innisfree stores as well as Olive Young, Tony Moly, A Mask Story, The Saem, Etude House, Stylenada, Holika Holika, Prettyskin, Skinfood, Banila Co, It’s Skin, Laneige, Missha, The Face Shop, Belif, and more!  What was more interesting than what brands were sold in this area, but what brands weren’t sold! 

Between Korea and Japan, some brands that were noticeably absent included Tatcha, Pyunkang Yul, Rovectin, Klairs, Illiyoon, and Hyggee.  I’ve known that a lot of what I consider “K-Beauty and J-Beauty” brands market more to westerners as opposed to the Asian Beauty market so this was interesting to see which brands were doing this.  It is also possible that these brands were available but I just didn’t see them.  Isntree and Purito were two brands that I saw only scarcely.  

Loser of the Week -
Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesy

Oh, what a delightful experience I had at the Louis Vuitton store in Seoul! While out of the country, I thought, why not pop into a luxury store and browse some overpriced purses, jewelry, and perfume? I mean, I’m not exactly rolling in cash, but maybe I want to treat myself for my birthday if something pops out at me. Crazy concept, right?

Now, let’s talk about the warm, inviting welcome I received. Oh wait—there wasn’t one. The second I stepped in, it was painfully obvious that I had gravely offended the doorman just by my mere existence. In fact, they actually told me to leave. How charming! Nothing quite like being judged on sight in a store that, funnily enough, loves to market itself to “middle class” people just like me.

The doorman’s message was loud and clear: "Ma’am, I’m afraid you’re simply not the type who’s money we want. Please go away." Noted! And to think, I was carrying a Louis Vuitton bag at that very moment—one that belonged to my mother, no less. It seemed a little ironic.

But honestly, I had to laugh. LVMH, the lovely parent company of Louis Vuitton (and, fun fact, Sephora along with 75+ other brands), made a casual 84 billion euros in revenue in 2024. Clearly, taking my money is beneath them. And you know what? That’s just fine by me. There are plenty of other brands out there that will happily accept my hard-earned cash.  Thankfully there are also many alternatives to Sephora these days.  Ulta, Dermstore, Yesstyle, Beautylish, and Nordstrom just to name a few.  

In Case You Missed It

4.11 I'm Back... Finally! Skincare Empties & What's Been Going On

4.14 South Korea & Japan Skincare & Beauty Haul - Everything I Bought On My Trip

4.15 These Skincare Brands Need to STOP!!! 🛑 Beauty Brands That Are Ruining Everything

4.16 New Skincare Products First Impressions - New from The Ordinary, The Inkey List, Skinfix, Topicals

Cameraman’s Corner

Alright, confession time — the K-Beauty Award Show was supposed to be ready by now, but technology had other plans. Somehow, a few video files decided to go on strike, and for a while it felt like the footage was being held hostage by my hard drive. Good times. After some intense staring contests with my computer (and a minor existential crisis), I finally got everything working again! The good news: it's all back on track and looking better than ever. If the tech gods are kind, we’ll have the show ready for you next week. Thanks for your patience — and for not sending a search party.

Giveaway - The winner is Lana F.