No BS Bulletin 70

Seventy

Author

Sarah
July 18, 2025

Welcome to Issue 70 of the No BS Beauty Bulletin!

In This Issue

Made Me Laugh -

This is my favorite scene from Star Wars! This dog is chill compared to me 😆 

Juicy Beauty News

👀 What did I buy this week?👀

Don’t tell Cameraman!

About the Dogs

This week, we’re happy to share some good news—Ike is doing much better! He’s moving around more comfortably, seems less foggy, and is even barking at delivery trucks again (a very welcome sound). It’s amazing what a difference just one week on treatment for Lyme disease has made.

Lincoln is his usual sunny self—thrilled about any excuse to be outside—and Gabby is living her best life, happy as ever with absolutely zero concerns. All in all, it’s been a peaceful week for the pack.

Winner of the Week - Dr. Jart+

Dr. Jart has been credited for bringing K-Beauty products and brands to the eyes of the US market.  Dr Jart was the first Korean brand that was for sale on the US Sephora website. Their first big hit at Sephora was the Ceramidin Cream.  Their marketing created appeal by combining minimalist packaging with a dermatologistly science look.  Dr Jart took off and their legacy can now be seen at Sephora, Ulta, and many other stores.  

Dr Jart also brought a new trend to the world:  BB Creams.  BB Creams, also known as beauty balms or blemish balms are a diverse skincare/makeup product.  These creams typically combine skincare, makeup, and suncare all in one layer.  

BB Creams have become huge in the past decade.  Their lightweight coverage perfects skin’s appearance without feeling heavy or being too high coverage.  Many people love the additional sun protection BB Creams offer.  Additionally to sun protection, most BB Creams offer additional skincare benefits by including antioxidants and other beneficial ingredients.  

Dr Jart has become a brand I’ve been loyal to, mostly due to their BB Cream products.  I’ve been dedicated to the Dr Jart Premium BB Cream for several years and have been consistently using BB Creams for almost a decade now.  Most foundations feel too heavy for everyday while BB Creams work well for me year round.  The thought of living in a world without BB Creams is frightening for me!

Dr Jart blazed the trail for many K-Beauty brands that are now sold at Sephora.  Laneige, AmorePacific, Aestura, and Glow Recipe have followed in Dr. Jart’s footsteps.  K-Beauty offers amazing formulas, variety, as well as affordable prices and is here to stay for a long, long time. K-Beauty has also exposed many of us to ingredients that we otherwise might turn our nose up to:  snail mucin, mugwort extract, propolis, and salmon dna. Cheers to Dr. Jart for breaking the barriers and exposing us to K-Beauty brands and BB Creams!

Here is my favorite BB Cream:
Dr. Jart Premium Tinted BB Cream at Sephora

Loser of the Week - Beef Tallow

First, I have to apologize to Cameraman, I think beef tallowcould be the only ingredient that would ever get him interested in skincare.  Lol!  Beef tallow seems to be increasing in popularity and is being recommended more and more often.  I just cannot imagine rubbing beef fat all over my face!  Although, 20 years ago I never thought I’d be smoothing snail slime on my face either…

Beef tallow could be a great occlusive, but I have to think that those with oily or acne prone skin could have some majorly clogged pores after using this, especially depending on if it is rendered or not.  If the beef tallow is not completely rendered it could be a source of bacteria and cause folliculitis.  The quality of the tallow is also highly dependent on the source.  If the source had a poor diet or was not cared for properly it could be damaging to the skin.  At this point, I’m not excited about the beef tallow trend.  I also want to say, I’ll try ALMOST anything once so maybe down the road I’ll be slathering beef fat all over my face. 

In Case You Missed It

Comment of the Week

Typically there isn’t an over simplified way to look at all skincare ingredients.  When scanning the ingredient list of a skincare product, spotting "Alcohol Denat." can raise some red flags (at least for me). Often vilified by critics, denatured alcohol has a controversial reputation—but the truth is more nuanced than a simple “good” or “bad.”  That being said, sometimes your skin type or specific skin issues (such as sensitive, dry, or compromised) requires additional attention to specific ingredients.

Denatured alcohol (or “denatured ethanol”) is regular alcohol made undrinkable by adding other chemicals. In skincare, it's used to dissolve ingredients, enhance penetration, and help products dry quickly—especially in toners, acne treatments, and mattifying primers.

My biggest concern with denatured alcohol is its use on certain skin types, in high concentrations, and when it's combined with multiple alcohol containing products in the same routine.  When large amounts of denatured alcohols are used in skincare it can strip natural oils, disrupt the lipid layer of skin, as well as cause irritation, dryness and redness.  Too much of this can lead to a damaged skin barrier and transepidermal water loss.  These damages can take dedication and effort to heal. 

Denatured alcohol can make some products more elegant and also improve penetration of certain actives.  I’ve learned that some sunscreens (La Roche Posay UVMune 400)  with denatured alcohol are more matte and apply with a less greasy feeling than other sunscreens.  That being said, I do notice my skin becomes dryer and more red if I use these sunscreens in routines with other products high in denatured alcohol, or when I use them too many days in a row.  When denatured alcohol is used in formulas with hydrating ingredients such as panthenol and glycerin the drying effects can be minimized.  

For More Information:

Cameraman’s Corner

Hello - It’s cameraman here. Just had to hop in and say, Sarah is WRONG about tallow!

Carry on.

Giveaway - The winner is inamp

Big congrats to inamp—you’re this week’s giveaway winner! Check your inbox and send over your U.S. mailing address so we can get your prize sent out.

Also, shoutout to nngraham93 for getting in touch—Cameraman dropped your package in the mail today, so be on the lookout 📬

And abg202, we’re still waiting to hear from you! Shoot us a message so we can send out your prize too.