#MonkMode and Sephora Kids-Core
after school monday edition
Welcome back to After School Monday Edition, a not-so-brief trends debrief for paid subscribers. 🫶
In today’s letter:
Glossier fans revolt over $35 mists and discontinued lipsticks
The Chase Sapphire era is over
The pearl earring theory
Guava Girl Summer goes corporate
Destination dupes replace Amalfi Coast
Saint West demands rainbow Labubus
Gen Z loves resale, hates tariffs, and still wants a Birkin
Guava girl summer goes corporate
Aquaphor as a status symbol
Why everyone’s saying “I’m a mommy”
And so much more, plus everything I’m buying, reading, and listening to. But first, my favorite TikTok of the week (I love this trend so much):
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Earlier this week, news broke that Glossier CEO Kyle Leahy will step down by the end of the year. Leahy, who took over from Emily Weiss in 2022, expanded Glossier into Sephora, launched new fragrances and body products, and tried to steer the brand into a post-DTC era.
Curious what superfans made of this news (or if they made anything of it at all), I spent a lot of time digging into the brand’s subreddit over the last few days. Some thought her strategy was smart — “The new perfumes and expanded body line are 100% on trend,” one fan wrote — but most weren’t convinced. “I feel like the brand is extremely lost these days,” said another.
Many fans made fun of the brand’s bizarre merch, specifically citing the basketballs and towels; Sephora kids-core aesthetic; and departure from Glossier’s skin-first philosophy.
While the brand’s fragrance business is quite strong, fans are skeptical of their new $35 body mists. “Was screaming, crying, throwing up excited until I saw the price 😬,” one commenter wrote. Another asked, “What is this, a body spray for ants?,” unimpressed by 100ml for $35, compared to Sol de Janeiro — currently the golden child in the body mist category — which sells 240ml for $38.
The community’s ambivalence extends to the brand’s core products, too.