A New Year Full of New Products
Oh, where to begin? There's only been launch after launch.
This year also marks a new beginning for me: a beauty newsletter. Welcome to what the BEAUTY.
what the BEAUTY features the latest product launches, trends, and happenings in the beauty industry, all from muahhh. My unique perspective comes from being a beauty content creator, a shopaholic, and a former Sephora girlie with more knowledge than the average shopper.
Think of me as your beauty cousin, well-informed and a shopping addict.
What’s the New?
Kosas Debuts Cloud Set Loose Powder
Kosas has become one of the few brands to offer talc-free loose-setting powders. While it has been done before, creating a smoothing and blurring powder without toxic chemicals remains a challenge.
The clean beauty brand promises talc-free, in addition to, silicone-free, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, acnegenic, and more in its selected loose powders. The powders are available in four shades: translucent candy (ultra sheer pink), translucent buttery (ultra sheer yellow), translucent peachy (ultra sheer peach), and translucent velvety (ultra sheer mocha).
The powder is described as sweeping away shine—not glow—suggesting a more blurring effect rather than a matte finish. The loose powder pairs beautifully with the popular pressed powder.
It retails at Sephora and Kosas for $38.00.
Huda Beauty’s Ube Collection is the Talk of the Town
Speaking of powders, Huda Beauty’s Ube loose powder has sparked much curiosity.
Huda Beauty has become a trailblazer in the industry, often setting standards for everything from lashes to face-sculpting products like the iconic Tantour (which I miss every day). Huda Beauty was also one of the first brands to launch a pink powder called Cherry Blossom. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the brand is evolving into the purple crowd or Ube collection.
The Ube shade is a crowd-pleaser. It incorporates lilac powder and hints of pink to create a seamless blush effect under the eyes while brightening and smoothing the skin for a blurred finish.
Huda’s loose powder shades cater to different undertones, with the Ube Birthday Cake powder working best on tan and medium skin with warm undertones. However, it has also proven effective on various skin tones and hues, demonstrating that her powders suit everyone.
The entire Ube collection includes an electric lilac liquid blush and a faux filter gloss named UUU-Baby.
Check out the entire collection on Huda Beauty and Sephora.
Rare Beauty Shades Some Cheeks
Rare Beauty continues to excel with every formula and product. If it’s not the liquid blushes, it’s the new liquid contours.
The Soft-Pinch Liquid Contour is described as a weightless liquid formula that enhances the natural shape of your face and adds depth. Like Rare Beauty’s blush, the formula is pigmented and easy to blend; however, a little goes a long way.
The liquid contour is available in seven shades: gentle - fair (cool taupe), mellow - light (cool brown), solace - medium (cool taupe), serene - medium (brown), tranquil - medium deep (cool brown), peaceful - deep (neutral brown), and sublime - deep (cool brown).
The liquid contours retail for $28 and can be found on Rare Beauty and Sephora.
E.L.F. Highlights Pressed Powder
The brand that has successfully created dupes and products at an affordable price is now taking on the brand-new pressed powder that has become essential to many makeup routines. E.L.F.’s new pressed powder introduces a fresh format in the blurred makeup world — it glows. This ultra-fine pressed powder claims to be crease-resistant, buildable, absorbs oil, and blurs pores while providing a soft-focus glow. It can be applied over the Halo Glow Filter or any foundation or directly onto the skin.
While this powder offers a solution to expensive pressed powder options, the newest product has garnered mixed reviews. Some users find it too glowy, while others, as seen in reviews on Ulta, describe it as a match made in beauty heaven for those with dry skin.
The halo pressed powder is available in 14 shades: fair neutral cool, fair warm, light neutral, light warm, medium neutral, medium warm, tan warm, tan neutral warm, deep warm, deep neutral, rich cool, and rich warm.
It’s sold at Ulta Beauty and elfcosmetics for $14.
Other Product Launches
The Beauty on the Street
Ulta Beauty Becomes Beyoncé’s ‘House’
Uh-OHHHH! Queen Bey is making Ulta Beauty her “house” starting April 6. The beauty retailer will begin carrying Cécred.
Beyoncé first introduced fans to her science-backed haircare brand in February 2024 with a viral hair-washing video that created a stir on social media. Everyone wanted to know: Is that Beyoncé’s real hair? Despite the 32-time Grammy winner showing her scalp from the ends, she still had to dispel rumors that it was indeed her hair.
Beyoncé’s hair journey is largely attributed to her mother, Tina Knowles. She owned the popular hair salon Headliners in Houston and specialized in natural and textured hair care—it’s safe to say Beyoncé got it from her mama.
The haircare brand promotes hair growth and health through science, fermentation, and protein. Some of the fan-favorite products are the Restoring Hair and Edge Drops and the Fermented Rice and Rose Protein Ritual, a long-time Asian culture regime that credits rice water with hair growth, strength, and length retention.
This ain't Texas, so be sure to save the date for April 6 at your local Ulta Beauty store to grab some Cécred before the products run out. Because, as you can imagine, they will.
The Trends are Trending
No Mascara/Lashes Makeup Trend
Ohhh…the girls are not going to like this.
The no-lash trend is riding the wave of a significant topic in the industry: makeup blindness. Whether you experience blush blindness (guilty) or, in this case, lash blindness, the latest trend embraces your natural eye shape and lashes. It returns to the basics with minimal mascara that enhances your natural lashes, putting aside the dramatic lashes many can barely distinguish when your eyes are open. Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for a dramatic lash, but only if it makes sense. Dramatic lashes and extensions are not necessary for no-makeup makeup days, and this blindness is something many don’t realize they have.
Makeup Based on Your Zodiac Sign
Whether you believe in astrology or are skeptical about it, there’s no denying that we all have signs for a reason.
The sun sign represents our core identity, the moon sign reflects our emotional self, and the rising sign illustrates how we present ourselves to the world. In simpler terms, your rising sign is a caricature of your true self.
The latest TikTok trend revolves around doing your makeup according to your rising sign. If your rising sign is Scorpio, like mine, your makeup might resemble this:
A Scorpio’s existence is fundamentally rooted in intensity and charisma, which are incredibly magnetic. Thus, the focus naturally shifts to the eyes and lips. A classic cat-eye liner paired with a daring red lip or a bold lip color is a signature look. Alternatively, you could go for a smoky eye combined with a nude lip. Scorpios also highlight their best features so that cheekbones can be sculpted or beautifully blushed for an even fiercer appearance.
🚨TRENDING SOUND ALERT 🚨
Miss, you forgot something….
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It’s a Celebration: Black-Owned Brands
In such a pivotal time in this strange world, let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture: supporting minorities and small businesses daily, regardless of the month.
My beauty newsletter wouldn’t be complete without celebrating Blackness and culture in the beauty industry.
Check out my latest story featuring brands to shop all year round.
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My Must-Buys
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may get a small commission if you purchase something through them.
It’s no secret that I’m a shopper with a wealth of knowledge about what’s new on the market—hence the newsletter. I thought it would be fun to share everything I’ve bought (in beauty) and recommend what you should consider purchasing. Whether it’s an old or new product, check out my must-buys:
Remember Ulta Beauty’s 21 Days of Beauty March 7-27.
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Curious about a product? Know about a new product? Send inquiries to whatthebeautynews@gmail.com