ICYMI
Hello! Hi! Good evening HSR <3
I am writing this edition without gel-x nails for the first time in over a year (since my last surgery I put on the internet) and before you credit the Valeria Lipovetsky no-nail trend that HSR brought back into the cultural conversation with our episode with Vivian Tu (which has now crossed 15M views across platforms!!!) I want to be clear that this was absolutely not a choice…
It is taking me approximately twice as long to type this newsletter because I genuinely do not know how to function without nails, but I had no choice as I am getting a laparoscopy surgery Friday morning for endometriosis discovery. I went back and forth on whether to share this before I had a diagnosis in hand, but advocating for your own health and putting women's health front and center is a core value of this community, so here we are.
I will have a lot more to say about this in my vlogs that are making a return but in case your information diet only has room for the newsletter and the podcast: please remember to be your own best health advocate.
Despite being annoyed I can’t have nails for the remainder of the week when it’s stacked with filming Megan Roup's TSS Female Founder segment, sitting down with two iconic podcast guests, having dinner with Whitney Wolfe Heard, flying across the country and back to cut the ribbon on the room Courtney and I donated at the US Soccer National Training Center, and reporting for a 5AM surgery call time Friday. I am choosing to find this a challenge to prove to myself how I can continue to keep it all together when life feels very full. I just keep thinking about the below:
Other than that, I am obsessed with a few things currently:
Melanie Masarin launching her cookbook Riviera and hoping that it might inspire me to start cooking, although doubtful.
Finally finding the right brushes to do my face makeup with (sorry they’re not sold at Sephora, but Ulta ladies)
Oh and don’t worry, the full Greycroft recap is coming on this week’s Vlog once it goes live….
This Week’s Mood Board
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How Do Billionaires Spend Their Money?
I write this edition as the highest ranked, worst rated podcast in the world 😉.
We are officially 195 in the world on Spotify today (celebrate!!) but unfortunately, the people who are wishing for my downfall are more likely to review the show. With that being said, I would LOVE if you would take the time to leave a 5 star review and maybe a share with someone you know who would love the episode with Olivia Ferney now that it’s reached 100K plays.
Last week on Hot Smart Rich, I sat down with luxury travel agent Olivia Ferney (@travelwithlivii) to unpack how billionaires really spend their money, from $150k Birkins and $500k private planes to the reality behind nepo baby budgets. We went deep into what it’s actually like working with ultra-wealthy and celebrity clients, the truth behind her viral luxury concierge calls, and what high-net-worth individuals truly expect when they’re paying for top-tier service. Olivia also shared how being constantly surrounded by extreme wealth has shifted her own mindset around money, investing, and even personal decisions, including why she now views everything through an ROI lens. We talked about the difference between fame and real wealth, the hidden costs and pressures of running a luxury business, and the strategies it takes to break into and succeed in the ultra-rich market, plus practical tips on where to meet affluent clients and how to access better deals, upgrades, and experiences. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow, rate, and share it with someone who needs a peek inside how the ultra-rich really live.
Consumer Gossip
all the brands, people, places, things we’re gossiping about this week
Women’s Health & Beauty
Priyanka Chopra’s Anomaly gets acquired by Reliance Retail as India doubles down on beauty scale. — Business of Beauty
Hailey Bieber’s Rhode lands on TIME’s Most Influential Companies list, cementing creator-to-founder dominance. — Hailey Bieber
Therabody taps a Chief Dermatologist, signaling the next phase of clinical-grade consumer tech. — Therabody
Ashley Tisdale’s Being Frenshe continues its retail expansion, betting on celebrity-led wellness. — WWD
Susan Yara, founder of Naturium and former Hot Smart Rich guest, launches PLAYA with a fragrance-first haircare drop. — PLAYA
Media, Entertainment & Creator
Vine is back… sort of. “Divine” relaunches the 6-second format for a new generation. — The Publish Press
TIME names the 2026 Most Influential Companies, spotlighting the rise of creator-led brands. — TIME
Rimowa’s PR moment spirals as creators and competitors turn one viral incident into a pile-on. — Instagram
Investment banking influencers are rising on TikTok, blurring the line between Wall Street and content. — New York Times
“Thinking” becomes content as intellectualism trends across social platforms. — Death to Stock
‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ makes 230% of its $100M budget in 48 hours, pulling in $233.6M globally and becoming one of 2026’s biggest openings. — FilmBuzzr
Consumer, E-Commerce & Retail
Sara Walker’s designed Reformation viral dress returns in bridal white, proving creator-designed products still convert. — Sara Walker
3M people tried to buy 3,000 tickets in 71 minutes as Ulta’s consumer-facing event sells out instantly, turning retail into a cultural moment. — Essence
818 Tequila lands a strategic distribution deal with Sazerac as celebrity alcohol brands scale globally. — CPG Wire
Blank Street Coffee eyes a $100M raise as it expands its Gen Z-driven coffee footprint. — Boardroom
Oner Active turns marathon recovery into a 600-person IRL brand experience. — ShopDropDaily
Phone-free events surge 567% as Gen Z trades screens for real-world connection. — Fitt Insider
Tech, Business & Investing
Event platform Rumor raises $3M backed by Pete Davidson and top operators, betting on experience data. — TradedVC
Longevity tech heats up as Infinite Epigenetics acquires Tally Health to scale bio-data platforms. — PR Newswire
Korea doubles down on AI and tech expansion, reinforcing its position as a global innovation hub. — Korea Herald
Shopify pushes productivity systems as founders look for operational leverage in a crowded market. — Shopify
Women’s sports still get under 10% of media dollars despite record growth, signaling a massive investment gap. — Ellevest
$30B Is Being Spent on Creators Every Year. Most Brands Are Doing It Wrong.
This Is How to Work With Creators in 2026 and Why We Still Turn Down 98% of Brands that Come Inbound.
Last week Swan Beauty sponsored Acquired Style’s bachelorette party and walked away with over 20M+ impressions and 1.2M+ engagements, according to People Brands and Things, and the internet spent days trying to reverse engineer the deal. That should tell you everything you need to know about where brand spend is going right now, because when you zoom out, this is not about one creator or one campaign, it’s a signal that the way brands and creators work together has already changed, and most brands are still operating on a model that no longer works.
Over the last two months, I’ve turned down or walked away from multiple partnerships willing to pay me over
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