Lots of things happening at the moment - let’s dive right in!
My book! The Science of Beauty
This is the top secret project I’ve been working on for the past year, and it’s now available for pre-order! The Science of Beauty officially comes out on June 20 in the UK, and a bit later in other countries (how publishing works is still a mystery to me).
Pre-orders help a lot to boost the book - thank you so much to everyone who’s already ordered a copy! If the link doesn’t work, you should be able to find it on Amazon, or your local bookstore.
I’ve wanted to write a book covering the big topics in beauty for a while, so I was incredibly excited when DK approached me to write The Science of Beauty. They specialise in illustrated reference books, so it’s full of gorgeous diagrams (by a proper illustrator, not just me).
Visuals really help a lot with understanding complicated science, and it’s always frustrating when I can’t I’m really proud of how it turned out.
The book has a Q&A format, covering about 100 of the most popular questions I’ve been asked over the years. Each answer is 1-4 pages, so there’s a really wide variety of topics included.
Beauty Basics - This chapter includes general topics in cosmetic science, like:
how to read an ingredients list
what the different types of ingredients are
how to interpret product claims
some general info on sustainability, animal testing, pre-market product testing, product pricing
Everyday Skincare - Cleansers, moisturisers, sunscreen (of course!), plus a bit on lifestyle (diet, sleep) and exfoliants. It’s more general science and less how-to than The Lab Muffin Guide to Basic Skincare.
Skincare Specifics - This covers skin concerns: how they arise, and how to tackle them. Wrinkles, uneven pigment, cellulite, acne, scars, pores, stretch marks, There’s also info on delivery systems, clinical treatments, laser and light treatments, supplements, fake tan, and more.
Hair - Researching this chapter almost broke me. Hair science is a MESS - yes, that post/video was inspired by the weeks I spent deep in a research rabbit hole. I’m especially pleased with the diagrams in this section! Includes:
Hair structure and bonds
Hair damage - how it happens, and how to prevent it
What different hair products do, product design for different hair types
Perming, straightening, dyeing, bleaching
Frizz, flyaways, hair loss, dandruff
Makeup - This was a fun chapter to write! I don’t talk makeup much, but the science behind pigments and different product forms (sticks vs powders vs liquids etc) is fascinating.
We also cover “toxic” ingredients, eye safety, makeup removal methods, semi-permanent makeup, how to pick longer-wearing makeup, and lots more. Two makeup artists checked this chapter for me and contributed some makeup tips I’ve never heard of before - thank you Larry and Ruby!
Nails - This was originally the main focus of my blog, and it was cool to dive back in… although it was pretty depressing to see that “10-free” is standard now (back then, even 7-free was ridiculous). There will be a ranty video about this soon.
As well as nail anatomy, nail care and nail polish, topics include acrylics, gels and dip powders, safety tips for manicures, and preventing breakage.
There are also some sample pages on Amazon.
Special event /wedding skincare
My latest video is about the skincare routine I used in the lead-up to my wedding. It also acts as a 2024 top skincare products update, and includes some complaining about things I regret wedding-wise. Also has some photos of my DIY wedding dress!
You can watch it on YouTube and Nebula.
Shorter content
My latest posts on Instagram and TikTok:
Three posts on benzene and benzoyl peroxide, the beauty-related news story of the month. I’ve been digging into the benzene contamination issues a lot over the last few years, so I’m plugging away on a long-form video about it - should be out in a couple of weeks!
Common tactics used by clean beauty
A couple of videos by my evil twin Mashelle, about toxic products (I don’t know how we share the same genes)
The study on rosemary oil and hair loss is really bad (short version of this video)
Extra bits
I recently contributed to an investigation into tanning accelerators. The marketing of these products is really concerning - while sunscreen marketing is heavily restricted in Australia, tanning oils seem to be running wild on social media. In my opinion, it’s likely to glamourise sun tanning and increase skin cancer.
Polls
The benzene video is turning out to be the longest video I’ve ever made. It seems to be necessary - my script reviewers haven’t been able to find anything to cut - but I’m hoping to do some shorter videos soon, for the sake of my mental health.
So I’m wondering: do you have a preference for how long my YouTube videos are?
This book looks stunning!
Have pre-ordered the audio book!