So, Hailey Bieber launched a skincare line. Color me unsurprised. It seems everyone with an Instagram following these days is hawking some miracle serum or another. And Bieber, with her dewy complexion and carefully curated "off-duty model" aesthetic, is practically a walking, talking beauty billboard.
The brand, Rhode (her middle name, in case you missed the memo), promises "carefully crafted skincare essentials." Minimalist. Effective. Sustainable. We've heard it all before, haven't we? The website features Bieber lounging in various states of languid repose, draped in neutral tones, a picture of effortless beauty. You know the vibe: "I woke up like this, but also I use these very expensive products."
Now, I'm not inherently opposed to celebrity beauty lines. Some are actually quite good. But there's a certain predictable formula to these ventures. The emphasis on "clean" ingredients. The pared-back packaging. The promise of achieving that elusive "lit-from-within" glow. It's all starting to feel a bit, dare I say, basic?
And then there's the issue of minimalism itself. It's a word that gets thrown around a lot in the fashion and beauty world. But true minimalism, to me, is about more than just a pared-back aesthetic. It's about intentionality. It's about investing in quality over quantity. It's about editing your life down to the essentials, whatever those may be.
I remember interviewing a young designer years ago – this was back when minimalism was having its first real moment – and she showed up to our meeting in head-to-toe black, not a hair out of place. Her studio, a pristine white box, contained only a single drafting table and a rack of impeccably tailored clothes. "It's about stripping away the unnecessary," she told me, her voice devoid of inflection.
But later that week, I saw her at a party, draped over some art world scion, a cigarette dangling from her perfectly painted lips. The minimalist facade, it seemed, was just that: a facade.
Which brings me back to Hailey Bieber and her "essential" skincare line. Is it truly minimalist, or is it just another carefully constructed image? Another layer of product to slather on in the pursuit of an unattainable ideal?
I'm not saying her products won't work. Maybe they're fantastic. But I can't help but feel a sense of fatigue with the whole thing. The endless cycle of product launches and celebrity endorsements. The pressure to buy into a certain lifestyle, a certain aesthetic.
Sometimes, I long for the days when beauty felt more individual, less dictated by trends and algorithms. When it wasn't about achieving some kind of flawless, filtered perfection, but about embracing the quirks and imperfections that make us unique.
Maybe that's just me being old and cynical. Or maybe, just maybe, it's a sign that we're all starting to crave something more authentic, something more real. Something beyond the carefully curated facade of Hailey's Haven.
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