I thought I'd celebrate my 25 years in the industry... although let's call it 26 because I procrastinated over writing this for about seven months. Mostly because I didn't want to sound like a fkn wanker in the process.

Then I thought... silly queen!

Here's to the milestone. Here's to 25 (almost 26) years of being completely immersed in an industry that continues to fascinate you every single day.

WHY?

Because she is fascinating.

If I'm going to celebrate anything, I'm celebrating her.

The beauty consumer.

So naturally... this calls for a proper Katty-Rant special about one of my favourite topics.

They call it…. The Lipstick Effect.

Which, by the way, is a pretty average name to describe our thirst and desire for the feel-good moment we’re actively chasing. But I can see how they got there. Back in the early 1900s, lipstick became the symbol of affordable luxury in tough times. And today, she'll happily justify a $99 retinol serum if it promises powerful results.

The cycle though? That's been around forever. Every few years the media rediscovers this theory like they've unearthed a groundbreaking new skincare ingredient. Meanwhile, those of us who've been in beauty a little too long quietly think... 'Well... yeah. Duh.' Because it feeeels gooooood!

I've spent the better part of my life watching this industry do what it always does.

Adapt. Reinvent. Entice. Deliver.

To a woman who's endlessly curious. Curious enough to try the next ingredient. Curious enough to chase the next big thing. Curious enough to carve out a feel-good moment, a confidence boost, a ritualistic session, or simply ten minutes that are solely hers.

Petrol's gone through the roof. Interest rates have bitten. And every time I go to the grocery store I think I should have bypassed the bank to take out a loan first!! ... and yet somehow, she's still checking out with a new serum alongside her Typebea shampoo coz all the stress is causing her hair to fall out.

She's overstimulated from trawling socials, being fed beauty trends by influencers who somehow all have perfectly smooth, plump, pre-pubescent-looking skin.

She's curled up on the couch reading the latest K-Beauty blog on OZ Hair & Beauty,

about the 9-step layering routine that's revolutionising every woman's skincare ritual... and you know what….. she's absolutely eating it up. Go sis!

She's wearing an LED mask, sipping her Vida Glow ingestible collagen, and texting her bestie that she HAS to try the latest PDRN cream because TikTok confirms it's life-changing. She’ll somehow end up adding a Ms Morning sheet mask to cart too. Because, well… free shipping right. ;-)

And yep... I'm her.

I've gone ahead and bought the bloody serum myself... despite my bathroom cabinet already looking like a K-Beauty mini mart.

But gosh, I've sold to her. I've treated her. I've educated her. I've analysed her, from her skin through to her shopping behaviour.

Hell... I've even waxed her vajay-jay back when a perfectly sculpted, not quite bare but definitely not a bush, was considered peak sophistication.

Remember that era, girls? The cusp of bush to bare. Before laser on your hoo-hah was a thing.

Before hot wax came along and politely dried before removing the hair. What a bloody hell of a beauty revolution that was.

When strip wax removed with calico material & the root of every hair, equally built character and pain tolerance.

Sydney women over 40 something ... you're welcome. ;-)

I'll never forget the conversations we unpacked while quietly perfecting your landing strips. Somehow life's biggest problems always seemed to get solved in a treatment room, (coz everyone knows your beauty therapist & hairdresser is the real life coach & councillor in your life, we’re like a 2 for 1 package deal.)

but honestly, everyone loves saying, “the beauty consumer has changed, she's…. evolving”.

well I'm not convinced.

She's still curious.

She still wants results. With a dash of fun on the side.

She still just ultimately wants, to feel good.

These have always been the foundations.

The brands change. The ingredients change. The science gets better.

Retinal with an A. Retinol with an O. PDRN. Exosomes. Growth Factors. Peptides. Ceramides. Niacinamide. Vitamin C.

If the science stacks up, and I can stack all these ingredients safely without frying my skin barrier… honestly, sign me up!!

Somewhere in my 30s I seem to have lost my filter. (sorry not sorry) But thankfully, I didn't lose my collagen.

I'm now in my 40s, still occasionally getting asked for ID (I'll take the win), so I'm giving very tiny credit to my olive oil diet and genetics and almost all the credit to 25 years in the beauty industry.

Ladies, Cold face plunge every morning, just finish on cold, (yup, that’s my off-the-record, non-topical beauty secret. (You’re welcome.) Then I oscillate between Retinol and Glycolic like my life depends on it!

Long blacks and cigarettes have also found their way in and out of my life choices over the years, yet somehow my skincare routine still seems to balance the scales and perform all the heavy lifting.

Beauty… I bloody love ya.

I've lived inside this industry while it navigated the GFC, COVID, inflation, rising interest rates and every 'the consumer has stopped spending'headline imaginable.

And yet... here we are again.

Still adapting.

Still innovating.

Still quietly proving ourselves to be one of the most resilient industries I know.

Because beauty has never just been about beauty.

it’s more than product.

it’s identity.

it’s optimism.

It’s ritual.

it’s transformation.

It’s camaraderie!

It’s secret women's business, in motion.

And if history is anything to go by…

She’ll continue to find room in the budget for the next breakthrough in scalp care, the latest milky toner, or the newest retinol innovation by Dermalogica, (yes they still win in innovation guys) or yet another molecular weight of hyaluronic acid we’ve all been waiting for.

And honestly?

I hope she does.

Because I'll probably be right there beside her... adding it to my cart, adding it to my beauty ritual and dying to tell someone about it!

Now tell me...

What are you loving?

What have you bought lately?

What purchase was worth the hype for you?

Let's trade beauty secrets.

After all...

Feeling good… never goes out of fashion