HSR ICYMI 🏰+ ̊⊹♡

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

ICYMI ₊˚⊹♡

Hi! Since this is our last chat of the year, I thought I’d get my act together and make this edition a good one—especially since I’m spending the day at Disneyland. ICYMI, I’m a huge Disneyland fan, so calling today a “good day for a good day” (my everyday motto) feels like a major understatement. 🏰✨

♡ This Week’s Lesson: Give someone power and it will show you who they are.

♡ This Week’s Mantra: Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

♡ The Best Off-Duty Model Jeans: I honestly haven’t found jeans this good in years—let alone for under $80. The moment I shared them on IG Stories, my DMs were flooded. So, here’s the link to the off-duty model jeans you need—and they’re currently 30% off. Oh, and ICYMI: The GAP is officially cool again.

♡ The Issue With Creator Brands: Just days after The New Yorker announced 2024 the year of the creator we’ve got a case study in the biggest risk facing creator-led brands: Key Man’s Risk with Matilda Djerf. It’s a major yikes for Djerf Avenue—and for Rhode, which had just featured the launch of the Swedish creator in a collaboration campaign. Since the damaging exposé about Matilda dropped, Rhode has seemingly stopped featuring her on socials, removed the “peppermint glaze highlight” from its IG profile, and wiped her from their website alongside recent launches like Cinnamon and Barrier Butter. This is a textbook example of Key Person Risk—the downfall a brand can face when its identity and trust are tied too closely to one individual. For creator brands, this risk is heightened. A single misstep or controversy can unravel years of consumer loyalty, leaving the brand wide open to reputational and financial fallout. Cancel culture is nothing new but this one feels different because of the character Matilda was playing as the super sweet, kind girl next door. Do you think Matilda can bounce back from this? Let me know in this week’s poll below.

♡ Cortisol Face: It was only recently I learnt that you can store trauma and anxiety in your face which feels like a version of Cortisol Face that TikTok is currently obsessed with, So, if there’s someone in your life who could use a treatment to help with this and they’re based in LA, look no further than Dr. Kao. If that’s not an option, you can always get them the HSR angel numbers gua sha instead…

♡ This Week in my Pop-Culture Bubble: IMO, Alex Cooper makes her first right move in months signing Grace O’Malley to the Unwell Network, seconds after Grace announced she was leaving Barstool. Paige Lorenze’s Dairy Boy goes live on Revolve and does a cute pop-up at The Grove to announce it. Beauty M&A was bleak in 2024 and has an uncertain path in 2025. and IMO, Gen-Z vibrant branding is out and Millennial Pink is back, enter Versed re-brand.

♡ Goodbye NYC, Hello TaiPei and Bali: A week in NYC and my personality is back and if all works out with current diligence, it looks like HSR Ventures will have 2 investments in spaces I am so passionate about by the end of Q1 2025. See below in HSR Updates for more info on joining if you’re an accredited investor. Lucky #3 and I are off to TaiPei and Bali for NYE after 2 days in LA so if anyone has any suggestions for those places, please share as I am in charge of planning this trip and feel like HSR knows best.

♡ ICYMI, my 2024 started horribly. My trip to Dallas, Texas over NYE last year was a total dumpster fire.. I remember feeling so down thinking this was somehow a sign of my entire year, but I ended the trip journaling alone in my hotel room (watching football)—mapping out my Dream Year, Dream Life, and Dream Man. And guess what? It looks like they’re all coming true.

All this to say: Don’t stress if your year doesn’t start how you imagined. Every day is a chance to make a better decision—you don’t need a new year to start, just a new mindset.

PS! We are officially on a newsletter break until Jan 12! Our paid subscribers will receive content on the 29th and 5th and we’ll see everyone in the New Year! xxx

This Week’s Mood Board

• HSR Case Study: Rhode is making 33% of its revenue from this one product—and nearly lost millions when the Matilda Djerf partnership went wrong. Hailey Bieber x Matilda Djerf—when the perfect collab isn’t so perfect after all.

HSR x DEFY Ventures

♡  Secure a Limited-Spot for the HSR x Defy Ventures Business Coaching Day! ♡

Ready to make an incredible impact? It’s time to sign up for HSR’s exclusive coaching day in Prison with Defy Ventures on Wednesday, February 26, 2025! We’re heading to the CA State Prison, Los Angeles County (LAC), a men's facility, for a full day of coaching, inspiration, and transformation.

This is an exclusive opportunity for the Hot Smart Rich community to bring your unique energy, insights, and wisdom to an incredible group of Entrepreneurs in Training (EITs) who are changing the narrative and rewriting their stories. 

♡ Event Details ♡

📅 Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025
⏰ Time: 7:00 am - 5:30 pm PT [Coaching will start at 9am and end at 4PM]
🚗 Transportation: Defy Bus, Departing from [Century City Mall] @ 7:00 am
⏳ Sign-Up & Clearance Deadline: January 1, 2025

Consumer News

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

♡ Women’s Health & Beauty ♡

• Courtney Adeleye expands Mane Choice with new initiatives - from WWD.

• Ashley Tisdale’s Being Frenshe hair care line launches at Target - from WWD.

• Fine fragrances are the fastest-growing beauty segment in 2024 - from WWD.

• Filler fatigue pushes consumers toward subtle biostimulators - from Instagram.

• Range Beauty secures a $100K grant to launch at Sephora - from Instagram.

• PR waste sparks backlash as recipients call out excessive mailers - from Instagram.

♡ Media, Entertainment & Creator ♡

• Khloé Kardashian announces Khloé in Wonder Land podcast for 2025 - from Instagram.

• Grace O’Malley joins the Unwell Network with a new podcast - from Betches.

• Sidia collaborates with Don Angie and San Sabino on unique candles - from Instagram.

• Erno Laszlo uses Reddit to attract new beauty customers - from Instagram.

♡ E-Commerce, Retail & Social ♡

• Bonobos owner acquires Vera Wang to expand its portfolio - from LinkedIn.

• HBC secures $2B to complete its Neiman Marcus acquisition - from Instagram.

• Beauty M&A slows as buyers hold back amid market volatility - from Axios.

♡ Tech, Business & Investing ♡

• The State of Fashion 2025 report explores industry trends, including AI adoption - from BoF.

• Capri Holdings finalizes Versace and Jimmy Choo sale - from WWD.

• Mozi app by Evan Williams fosters real-world social connections - from Instagram.

• Versed rebrands for Gen X and Millennial consumers with quiet luxury trends - from Beauty Independent.

HSR Updates

♡ everything fun and exciting in the land of HSR ♡

♡ HSR x Nudestix – Featured on Fashionista as one of their editor’s favorite beauty products of December 2024. Read more here.

♡ SPV Opportunities – Stress & Anxiety Supplements + Female Fertility Startups
We’re running two SPVs:
1️⃣ Pre-seed opportunity in the stress and anxiety supplement space – coming early Jan 2025.
2️⃣ Female fertility space – launching January 2025.

If you’re interested, please fill out this form: SPV Interest Form.

TYSM, I♡U!!!!

We’re thrilled to feature Cayla Gray as this week’s giveaway! One winner will receive their choice of a luxurious Cayla Gray Archive Set or the Scentstone Set. To enter this week's giveaway, respond to the poll below

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