You Deserve To Look at Beautiful Things

Time for my favorite part of the week, ICYMI!!!

ICYMI (^‿^) 🍒

Hi Angels!

Tokyo changed me forever. I’m now the proud owner of an Hermès Kelly (!!!), completely obsessed with matcha, and—I’ve officially become a vlog podcaster. This week’s episode of the vlog podcast from Japan covers the entire story of how I got my first Hermès bag, plus a play-by-play of my first YPO trip (!!).

But of course with everything going on in the world right now, no joy comes without a little chaos. Between global tariff drama and the looming worldwide matcha shortage, we might be in trouble.

I’m writing this as we take off for Seoul, Korea—the final stop of our 3-week trip (so excited!!).

To answer a few of the Q&A’s from earlier this week: I brought The Tell by Amy Griffin to read, and I downloaded two podcast episodes—The Daily’s “How Trump Wiped Out $10 Trillion of Wealth in 3 Days,” and a Money with Vivian Tu episode on “If We’re Actually in a Recession.”

We’re in Seoul to soak up the beauty scene. I’ll be meeting with the executive team behind Korea’s largest beauty retailer (any guesses? 😉) as they explore expansion into the U.S., plus two powerhouse female founders running $100M+ beauty businesses to chat about some exciting projects I’m thinking about for the U.S. market.

As incredible as this trip has been and I can’t wait to share more with you on this week’s vlog podcast, I can’t wait to get home. Time to buckle down and take everything I learnt from YPO, Japan and Seoul and kick it into high gear.

PS Paris Hilton has asked me to find her a ninja to work with her newest baby, Parívie, her skincare brand. Read the Job Description here and if it’s a fit, apply by emailing co-founder Alex Marsh at [email protected] and cc [email protected] and note that you’re apart of HSR!

♡ This Week’s Mood Board ♡

♡ This Week’s Episode ♡

In this raw and unfiltered episode of Hot Smart Rich, I’m opening up about something I’ve never talked about publicly before—my recent natural breast augmentation, also known as an NFTBA (Natural Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation). From the real cost of the procedure to the unexpected emotional rollercoaster of recovery, this is the tell-all I wish had existed when I was making my decision.

I break down exactly what the experience was like—both physically and professionally. From taking downtime as a founder and managing brand campaigns while recovering, to carrying the mental load of plastic surgery as a high-achieving woman, I’m sharing the part no one talks about.

If you’ve ever typed “fat transfer breast augmentation reviews” into Reddit, wondered whether the results actually last, or debated between implants and natural enhancement—this is your go-to guide. I’m also sharing why I chose Dr. Steven Teitelbaum as my surgeon, what no one tells you about post-op depression, and how this surgery intersected with my identity, body image, and ambition.

This is for the woman who’s ambitious, informed, and unapologetic about wanting to feel confident in her body—and still wants the full breakdown before making a decision.

Whether you’re in your “research era” or just here for the tea, Maggie’s story will leave you feeling informed, empowered, and maybe a little less alone.

♡ Consumer Trends I Talked ♡
About Most This Week

♡ Shopify’s stance on AI: “Hire an AI before you hire a human.”-  That’s straight from a leaked memo by the Shopify Founder and CEO—and it’s a job security ticking time bomb if you haven’t started integrating AI into your workflows. So I loved that my founder, Scout Brisson, just spilled all the tea in this post about how De Soi’s CEO is using AI to work smarter, not harder—from daily operations to strategic decision-making.

♡ Trump Tariffs: In case you’ve noticed me being a little quiet about what’s going on, I’m in a tricky spot being a visa holder and if you read this article you’ll understand why it’s important for me to not talk about this publicly (at least right now while I’m out of the country). But for some further reading, I liked this WSJ article, for some small business founder inpso on how to navigate, I liked this post from ÉTOILE’s founder Michelle on what her small business is doing in midst of tough uncertain times AND I loved what the Juliet founders started with 38 other female founders on their plea to policymakers to consider small business exemptions, impact reviews, and give time for supply chain transitions, which you can read more about here.

♡ Coachella: Despite being the 2nd year in a row with struggling ticket sales and a number of my favorite creators that I love to follow for style inspo (Cass DiMicco, Jourdan Sloane, Emma Leger) skipping the iconic festival, my favorite new creator @lefevrediary is living that Coachella life that’s been fun to follow along to. I’m personally loving this kosas activation, that besties hailey bieber and kendall jenner collaborated again with rhode x 818, and drinknello somehow merging their Target launch into their standout influencer activation.

♡ Fly Kitt AI: You guys know I’m obsessed with Flykitt—the jet lag kit that Lucky #3 and I swear by to beat travel fatigue. But their latest launch might be the best example I’ve seen of a consumer brand integrating AI in a way that actually makes life easier. Introducing Fly Kit Fitt: take a photo of the gym or equipment available, input your jet lag schedule, and the app will generate a customized workout program for you—on the go to keep your workouts on schedule. I tried it yesterday and it’s fantastic!!

♡ Building in Public: 4AM Skin’s Co-Founder Jade Beguelin on their branding evolution since joining Sephora’s Accelerator program and Piper Phillips, the career content creator who discloses what her first brand trip is like with LaCroix here.

Consumer News

♡ the brands, people, places, things that have captured my attention ♡

♡ Women’s Health & Beauty ♡

• Cécred, Beyoncé’s hair-care brand, expands into all Ulta Beauty stores nationwide and launches its first brand campaign – from Instagram

• Lauryn Bosstick (The Skinny Confidential) keeps building her wellness empire with bold product launches like pink toilet paper – from Inc.

• Sephora becomes a founding partner of the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s newest team, cementing beauty’s link to women’s sports – from Business Wire

• Glean, a new skincare brand, wants to raise the profile of African ingredient qasil — spotlighting its rich history and beauty benefits – from Beauty Independent

• Glossier’s valuation has reportedly been cut in half from its $2B peak – from Puck

• Taraji P. Henson’s TPH haircare brand gets acquired by beauty incubator Maesa, signaling growth in textured haircare – from WWD

• Shay Mitchell joins OGX as Global Brand Ambassador, starring as “The Fixer” to highlight hair repair products – from Peoples Brands & Things

• Brenda Song stars in MERIT Beauty’s new campaign showcasing her 5-minute beauty routine – from Peoples Brands & Things

• Kosas launches its #KosasFestivalSweepstakes campaign at Coachella, blending SPF awareness with festival vibes – from Instagram

♡ Media, Entertainment & Creator ♡

• The White Lotus cast reveals their salaries were non-negotiable in HBO’s hit series – from Business Insider

• Wellness retreats and resorts are booming as stressed-out consumers seek next-level relaxation – from Business Insider

• King Charles' net worth hits nearly £2 billion, making him significantly wealthier than his mother, Queen Elizabeth II – from BBC

♡ E-Commerce, Retail & Social ♡

• Lyst, once valued at $700M, sells to Japan’s Zozo for $154M, marking a major reset in fashion tech – from Instagram

• Ralph Lauren, American Eagle, and Banana Republic are testing clothing rental programs to win over younger shoppers – from Business of Fashion

• Prada agrees to buy Versace for $1.38 billion despite global tariffs, in a luxury industry shake-up – from Bloomberg

• Enly is building an AI-powered virtual fitting room to revolutionize online fashion shopping, with inventory from Farfetch, TheRealReal & more – from Instagram

♡ Tech, Business & Investing ♡

• Alinea Invest, a Gen Z-focused wealth platform, raises $10.4M Series A to scale its investing platform for women and young investors – from Instagram

• Sperm Racing (yes, really) raises $1M to turn fertility testing into a competitive sporting event launching in LA – from Instagram

• OpenAI closes a record-breaking $40B fundraise, the largest private funding round in history – from CNBC

• Bliss Aesthetics secures $17.5M in seed funding to launch an AI-powered platform connecting patients with board-certified plastic surgeons – from PR Newswire

• Wellkasa, a digital health company, acquires supplement brand Peak & Valley, expanding its personalized wellness offerings – from Beauty Independent

We’re living through a whiplash economy: trade wars, supply chain shocks, unpredictable tariffs, inflation spikes, and the kind of political instability that makes AccuWeather look like a better forecasting tool than most economists.

Whether you're a founder building a brand or a consumer trying to stay afloat, you’re operating in a market shaped by volatility. But if you’ve been through 2020, you already know: uncertainty is survivable.

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