the weekly | 2.12.25
the yeehaw agenda, denim's big moment, and pared back winter beauty
Welcome back to the weekly: a collection of musings, reviews, and recommendations curated by me (@gabbywhiten), for you! Let’s get into the good stuff!!I feel I’ve lived 10 lives this week and it’s only Wednesday. Hope everyone is hanging in there!
To clear up any confusion, my mini magazine spreads (like the one above) are designed 100% by me. It’s not a template! So if you see a spread circulating that looks very very very similar to mine, it’s not a coincidence. They’re simply ripping me off :) Moving on!
💾 substack save: january in review x me!
A book rut is the best thing to happen to my television since Gossip Girl was live on air, 9/8c. The pendulum swings quickly from the written word to visual media. I’m currently tuned in to the dystopian, political thriller meets murder mystery series, Paradise(Hulu) and wishing I could live tweet Severance from a burner account. I devoured Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). It’s like if the Inventing Anna creative team had seen The Substance and stopped at Erewhon right before their pitch meeting. ACV is a fictionalized retelling of the cautionary tale of Belle Gibson, an Australian health and wellness scammer and mass peddler of pseudoscience.
The show is interesting because it interrogates the arrogance of both the wellness industry and the medical industry and depicts how fear, hope, neglect, and attention drive human behavior. Belle Gibson, played by Kaitlyn Dever [dressed up in an accent that’s so good to my ear I googled “Kaitlyn Dever australian”], is so icky she’ll make your skin crawl. All episodes of Apple Cider Vinegar are now streaming on Netflix also starring Aisha Dee (The Bold Type) and Alycia Debnam-Carey (The 100).
👩🏾🍳 what I’m cooking: dense bean salad 🥗
Speaking of ACV… Poppi is back in the spotlight. Poppi is known for their “prebiotic, lower sugar soda alternative with ingredients you can love”. You guessed it — apple cider vinegar is one of those hallmark ingredients. The brand was embroiled in a class action consumer-fraud lawsuit last spring and the plaintiff argued that a can of Poppi actually doesn’t contain enough prebiotics to support their stated claims. Boo! Transparently, was anyone actually drinking Poppi for the health benefits? 5g of added sugar??? No!
Cranberry Fizz, you do rock my socks.
To support their Super Bowl marketing campaign, they sent branded vending machines to influencers across the country sparking commentary from disgruntled Poppi fans. I’m confident that brands that focus on community enrichment and IRL experiences will win big this year. Imagine: there’s an alternate universe where you could’ve ~finally~ gotten your library card and a Poppi at your local library, for free! [You can still do the library card thing, if you want.]
I probably would’ve gone back to the lab. Those millions of marketing dollars could have been spent on R&D to get that formula together. But, that’s just me. You can’t buy taste! Or, can you?
Eric Adams wants to be a full time influencer. Let’s grant his wish by voting him out! Registered NYC Democrats can vote in the party primary this spring. The deadline to update your voter registration is February 14, 2025!! Local politics matter more than ever baby!!!
We Live in Time hit HBO Max last week. The Criterion Channel is in the mood for a New York City love story with their special February collection. Sabrina Carpenter is on the cover of American Vogue (shot by Steven Miesel) in an editorial that’s pretty… but boring! Now look, an American Vogue cover is (in theory) a big deal for the average starlet. Ms. Carpenter looks fantastic; reading the article was like eating sandpaper. I don’t have much else to say! I do think the absence of a single beauty shot [in color] of a handcrafted Pat McGrath artwork is diabolical, actually! I know that fee is stratospheric!
For more [read: better] inspiration, look to Vogue Portugal!
Gal pals, tomorrow is Galentine’s Day! Time to shower your besties with all the love. I’m enamored by the idea of a chic book exchange [will be filing that away for next year]. Gossip with a crisp, happy hour sauvignon blanc in hand is on the menu for me.
I’ve been testing the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Hydrating Gel Skin Tint for months and I can finally spill the beans. It is SO good. Light, weightless coverage that evens out your skin tone and gives a gorgeous glowy finish. I like it best for everyday makeup; it can last through full days in the lab and still looks great for events in the evening. The skin tint launches 2.28, retails for $36, and wil be available in 15 shades.
Someone is out there writing the next young adult dystopian series with a built in movie deal called The Thievery of Eggs. The White Lotus returns this Sunday on HBO at 9pm and premiered in Los Angeles on Monday. The Brooklyn Museum announced extensive cuts to their workforce and a reduction in planned exhibitions. Alyah Chanelle-Scott (The Sex Lives of College Girls) and Kristine Froseth (The Buccaneers) will star in the new Off-Broadway play, All Nighter. Previews begin February 25. If you haven’t see Kordell Beckham and Serena Page’s Cosmopolitan feature, you’re in for a treat.
📖 what i’m reading: the favorites x layne fargo
You Got ‘Em! I survived the hellscape that was the Beyhive Presale, brought to you by Ticketmaster and I will be hearing Tyrant live in May. Let this be a reminder that times are tough but ticket resellers are not seeing the pearly gates, I promise! May the odds be ever in your favor for the artist pre-sale and general sale continuing until Friday.
🎧 what i’m listening to: cowboy carter x beyoncé
New York Fashion Week is in full swing and your favorite fashion editors are losing their minds. Tory Burch made a sweater vest look cool. Wes Gordon was clearly inspired by my Limited Too handbag when he designed this dress. Every. Single. Look. from Brandon Maxwell is styling gold. Calvin Klein saw quiet luxury was trending and said it’s time for me to tap back in. My sophomore year Analytical Chemistry professor would love this outfit! Just when you thought all whimsy was being drained from the New York runways… Ulla Johnson, Sandy Liang, Thom Browne and Christopher John Rogers come to save the day. Red is still top of mind with the other primary colors in the periphery. A lot of these collections are fashionable work appropriate capsules… it’s giving recession. Yeah.
GET THE LOOK: PARED BACK WINTER BEAUTY eyeshadow | eye liner | eye liner | highlighter | blush | bronzer | foundation | lip liner
Perhaps, fashion’s bigger moment was in the Super Bowl adjacent festivities. GQ hosted their “GQ Bowl“, a live runway event, featuring green carpet coverage, a Bode runway collection with a musical performance by Leon Bridges. As expected, the Super Bowl tunnel arrival looks were giving dialed-in personal style. I’m, however, still on the Kangol beret Jalen Hurts donned last month.
The Philadelphia Eagles blasted the Kansas City Chiefs with a final tally of 40-22 in New Orleans on Sunday. Go Birds!! [I don’t watch professional sports.]
📺 what I’m watching: paradise(hulu)
Kendrick Lamar’s highly anticipated Apple Halftime Show dethroned Michael Jackon’s 1993 stint with a new record of 133.5 million viewers. Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam narrates a rebellion taken up by Kendrick, a Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper from Compton, against the mystical fabrication of American civility. The country, built on the literal backs of Black folks, devours the culture only to demonize and profit from a bastardized version of it.
He gave eight counts, complex stage direction, and inspired camera work. With his performance, Kendrick bucks the idea that his most important, and further, entertaining work is the most commercial [although he does indulge us with the pop anthem, All The Stars ft. SZA]. Of course, Not Like Us was performed with some lyric changes [you know they love to sue]. Stream GNX!!!
I am curious to see what Jay Z’s Roc Nation, the NFL’s Official Live Music Entertainment Strategists, have planned for future bowl games.
Also, Kendrick’s impact on the denim market would be a fascinating research project. A Canadian tuxedo at The Grammy’s followed up the next week by a light wash kick flare jean that would break the internet. The infamous jeans were confirmed to be Hedi Slimane’s Flared Jeans from his FW2020 collection for French fashion house, CELINE.
The Denim Edit
Cuffed: Reformation($$$) | A&F(extended) | Favorite Daughter($$$)
Studded: J.Crew(extended) | Reformation ($$$) |
Skinny: Madewell | Good American (straight&plus) | A&F (extended)
That’s all I have for you this week! stay hot ❤️🔥
xx, Gabby
When I tell you I have not been hooked on a show that’s aired episodes weekly since PRE streaming giants, I mean it. Paradise is SOOO good. I’ve realized how spoiled we’ve become to streaming services dropping the seasons’ episodes all at once, like, why am I waiting a whole 168 hours before the next episode ???
Do you have plans to see All Nighter?? I'm beyond OBSESSED with the cast (particularly my queen Julia Lester, who is fab in High School Musical The Musical The Series lol!!), but I'm in Texas and already mourning the fact that I don't have a trip planned to see it!! I would love a review if you do see it (: