Flaming Hot Cheetos ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ.
Rediscovering Clairo
Happy Friday ⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚
Hello my 11 subbies! If you are receiving this email, that means you are reading the tenth Cute, Kind Of Weekly Newsletter! Woohoo 🎉🥳 I am dedicating this newsletter to Claire Cottrill, also known as the musician Clairo. Also, I talk about the Rhode Beauty acquisition and Charlotte Tilbury apparently bullying indie beauty brands.
I hope you enjoy - Laila
Ok, update on the posting schedule- I will aim to publish either Monday or Tuesday morning.
I hope it sticks.
Nothing <3
(⋆) after a product name denotes it is an affiliate link.
I bought some new stuff. I needed a new face cream so I bought another trusty Byoma Gel Cream Moisturizer⋆. This is my go-to, especially for summer. A refreshing gel formula that hydrates my skin and dries down fast. I also bought the new Byoma Phyto-Mucin Glow⋆ which claims to be a one-step product for glass skin. I am not the biggest fan of the glass skin look on me but I am very interested in how the product performs considering what it claims and its price tag. I gotta let the people know!!
I have a small list of news (some of it you have probably heard):
It turns out someone does want to buy Rhode Beauty — e.l.f. Beauty! E.l.f bought Rhode for $1 billion. This is e.l.f. Beauty’s third portfolio brand; it acquired skincare brand Naturium in 2023 and clean beauty brand W3ll People in 2020.
My thoughts: I have not tried a single Rhode product so I cannot commit on that department but it seems well-loved by consumers. Rhode as a brand perplexes me because celebrity-owned brands are severely hit-or-miss.
I talked about this in the previous newsletter I linked, but when Kylie Cosmetics was purchased by Coty, the brand was already losing momentum. It was a questionable buy even with Kylie’s virality at the time.
I am comparing both brands because I feel like they were created as responses to what was popular at their times. The formula: the celebrity + beauty trends. Kylie being popular in 2015(ish) and known on Snapchat for her big lips and (lying to everyone) saying it is lipliners = Kylie Lip Kits. Hailey Bieber gaining popularly post-2020 and jumping on TikTok beauty trend of naming micro trend/look (i.e. Glazed Donut Look) and skincare popularity during covid = Rhode Beauty launching with skincare-focused products to get the Glazed Donut Look.
I feel like it was a really early buy for E.l.f considering we won’t know if Rhode will succeed long-term, especially if Hailey takes a step-back from the brand. However, maybe E.l.f. has a strategy for Rhode that Coty wishes it had with Kylie.
Charlotte Tilbury keeps harassing smaller U.K. beauty brands
This was one is disappointing, especially since CT was created by an MUA.
I was on YouTube, and I saw this video by YouTuber and pro MUA Robert Welsh talking about how Charlotte Tilbury is going after dupes and brands that have similar branding elements. Welsh shares several TikToks from small indie brands who are claiming Charlotte Tilbury is using a third-party solicitor to go after their brands.
One example: a TikToker said that her skincare brand name’s trademark, Airbrush Beauty, is being challenged because it is too similar to CT’s Airbrush Flawless Foundation name (?)
CT is going after these smaller brands because it knows they do not have the money and resources to fight back, unlike dupemaker3000 e.l.f beauty. Now, the only way for these brands to survive is to completely rebrand, which can cost thousands of dollars. Not to mention the emotional and mental load.
I was at the end of my workout — I am literally writing this right after — when I thought: “let me listen to some music while I stretch.” I was browsing Apple Music because my playlists are not hitting the same, and I was trying to find something new, but I landed on an essentials playlist from no one other than Clairo.
While doing my post-workout stretches, I took a trip down memory lane. I loved Clairo since I discovered back her in 2019. The last Clairo album I fully listened to was Sling in 2021. I think I started listening to her newest album Charm but I was extremely turned off by the typography on the cover. The way it was written along with the vintage olive green background color was not sitting with me right spiritually. However, it has grown on me, especially after I saw the little character designs. That was a joke but still, I haven’t listened to Charm in its entirety.
The very first song that played was 4EVER - absolute banger. Hearing the synth flow into her vocals and the split second it takes to get to the chorus was just a vibe. The songs that followed were Sophia (GOAT) and then I chose one of my favorite Clairo songs: Drown by Cuco.
Clairo’s music is categorized as alternative but honestly I've never been the biggest fan of alternative music. I like a few alternative, indie musicians here and there like girl in red, The xx, The Marías, etc. However, there is something about an Clairo song that makes you feel like a teenage girl wearing over-the-ear headphones, listening to music, jumping on your bed, enjoying life, and excited for the future. Almost feels like being the car with your friends in summer, windows down, and the wind blowing through your hair. Things I have barely experienced as a teenager but feel so far away now as an adult in my late 20s.
Coming in with a beauty angle, Clairo keeps her makeup and hair simple and minimal but I have noticed a slight darkness in her look following the release of Charm, and I have been loving it!
After a quick slapping-my-fingers-against-the-keyboard, I found her makeup artist for many of her recent looks is Los Angeles-based MUA Amber D. Like I said, Clairo’s makeup and hair has always been pretty minimalist. However, her recent makeup looks have had a slightly stepped-up darker edge to match her darker hair color, which was done by Brooklyn-based hair stylist Miyuki Goto. Whether that be a darker lip, sharp eyeliner, a heavy lash, or a deeper shade of brown eye shadow. Clairo is currently a Valentino ambassador, which is a brand with a darker vibe in general, hence the darker makeup and fashion. Prior to this, she was an ambassador of the beauty brand ILIA.
I would even argue that some of Clairo’s recent looks are vintage-inspired, whether it be her 60s Coachella beehive or Hollywood waves (I think it is a wig!) - both done by hairstylist and groomer Ericka Verrett.
Fashion-wise, I have to recognize Clairo’s stylist Nancy Koté, who has been doing an excellent job styling and designing Clairo’s outfits and looks! There has been a lot mixing fabrics like lace, polka-dots, satin, etc. But babes, it works! I think the vintage-shift (granted, I do not remember her previous styling that much), as well as tuning into more condensed color palette with black, white, baby pink, and muted shades, shows her maturity with her music and styling, while still reflecting that pretty-girl bedroom pop she started with.
When I finished dumping all my thoughts in my draft, I had lain back on my yoga mat when I heard the Tu-tu-ru-tu-tu Tu-tu-ru-tu-tu from her 2018 single Flaming Hot Cheetos, which is the best kind of Cheeto by the way. I was staring at the blue sky through my bay windows just thinking about how different I thought my life would be at this age, or at least how different I would feel, but I guess it is not that simple and is part of growing up. Either way, I decided to spend the two minutes by closing my eyes and letting my anxiety wash away, which is a power Clairo’s music has.
Random but Clairo got the name simply because she was eating them when making the demo.
To wrap this up, here are my top five Clairo songs (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
I started that book I mentioned in the last newsletter called Stolen Focus. Reading through the first chapter reminded me why my favorite book genre is nonfiction.
I also started watching an anime that has been on my watchlist for decades: Blood+. I thought I would lose interest very quickly but the story and pacing is great. So good that it feels like each episode is done in five minutes. I am only on episode 10 right now.
I bought new Hobonichi Planners - yes I know it is halfway through 2025. I do not think you guys care that much about that fact, however, I bought an undated A6 and the July-December Avec Cousin.
ALSO, I finished playing Let’s Go Pikachu! Yes, everyone, you are in the presence of the official Kanto League Pokemon Champion. Such a fun game! I will now share my winning Pokemon team:
Pikachu
Butterfree
Venusaur
Clefairy
Arcanine
Dewgong
ALSO ALSO, Eid Mubarak! By the time you are reading this, it will be right before Eid Al-Adha. If you do not know what Eid al-Adha is, it the second Eid of the year, about two months after Eid al-Fitr. Quick list of differences:
Eid al-Fitr follows Ramadan where Muslims fast from sunrise to sundown for 30 days.
Eid al-Adha happens on the last day of Hajj (pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia). Muslims usually fast the day before, but the most important to thing is to sacrifice a lamb to represent the story of Abraham. Then a portion of the lamb is given to those in need, then the other portions are kept and given away to friends/neighbors.
Not much. I hope to get back to writing a newsletter every week. Wish me luck!
Have a good weekend and Eid Mubarak ❤
Love,
Laila
I want to know everything about you to make the best newsletter ever! (or maybe your top 10?) If you have a moment please take the new reader survey: