A NOTE FROM ME
My skin is finally glowing... and after just five days I already feel like a different person. I'd forgotten how much more fun skincare and makeup are when your skin is actually happy. They just become the 🍒 on top.
But first... o.piccola. A beauty launch on my radar—
all about your skin, but better. Let's go!!
THE ONE TO WATCH
O.PICCOLA
We live in an era where a great product + a founder with reach (aka an influencer) is the winning combo. Too often, celebrity brands feel like easy cash grabs, while genuinely great products struggle to gain large-scale visibility. O.piccola may just be one of the few that has both. If it plays its cards right, I'd bet it'll become beauty's next rhode.
Via Instagram @opiccola
MAKING SKIN CHIC
ABOUT
Skin-First Makeup by Olivia Jade — Founded by YouTuber Olivia Jade, o.piccola is a beauty brand built around effortless, skin-first makeup. It launched with the Bronze & Glow Balm, a multi-use bronzer and highlighter that delivers a natural, sun-kissed glow.
Your skin, but better — Built around the idea that makeup should work with your skin, not against it. Lightweight formulas and an effortless finish make everyday makeup feel simple rather than complicated.
Why their POV matters: o.piccola doesn't really feel like a traditional makeup brand. It belongs to a new generation of beauty brands built around enhancement rather than transformation. Much like Rhode did for skincare, o.piccola seems to bring that same effortless, skin-first philosophy to makeup.
Via Instagram @opiccola
“DON’T YOU WEAR MAKEUP ANYMORE?”
To me, O.piccola feels like the sweet spot between rhode and Westman Atelier. It has the cool-girl, mass-market appeal of rhode, but the skin-first philosophy of Westman Atelier. Influencers are already sold. Now it's the public's turn. Below are the winning cards I'd play.
HOW O.PICCOLA SHOULD PLAY ITS CARDS:
01 — Get an influencer bestie
I don't think influencers sell products anymore. Their friends do. One creator using a product is nice. Five creators naturally using it across each other's videos is how brands take off. Think Halley, Jaz, Kate, Bran and the twins (here) or Stassie, Victoria and Carter (here). Somewhere along the way, the collaboration stops feeling like a collaboration and just becomes... what everyone uses. O.piccola doesn't need more PR packages—it needs to become part of a friend group.
02 — Copy VB Playbook
Victoria Beckham Beauty has already figured out something most brands haven't. Nothing is random. The products, tutorials and packaging are all Victoria. That's what makes the brand feel expensive. O.piccola shouldn't copy the products—it should copy the discipline. Then build the Gen Z version of it.
03 — Create an Icon
Anyone can formulate a blush. Nobody can copy Olivia's taste. I'd lean into that. In my head, I see the chic mix of Victoria Beckham Beauty, Merit and TIRTIR (and rhode, of course)—but interpreted entirely through Olivia. Every successful beauty brand has that one product everyone associates with it. O.piccola doesn't need ten. It needs one. One product that becomes so unmistakably O.piccola people spend the next five years trying to copy it.
Via Website
Low-key, my favourite part of the launch was watching everyone root for Olivia. My feed was full of creators—Paige Lorenze included—posting about the balms. It genuinely felt like people wanted her to win from day one. The internet has been pretty harsh on Olivia over the past few years (read about it here). I'm wondering if this is the beginning of her redemption arc—even though she was never the villain. Sounds familiar? Maybe it's just me, but this whole thing feels pretty Hailey Bieber-coded.
TO FOLLOW
VICTORIA VILLARROEL
One of the most fun and chic creators on my feed right now is Victoria. She used to be Kylie Jenner's assistant, but has quietly become an it girl in her own right. Between the Venezuelan influence, unfiltered friend-group vlogs and a style that feels polished without taking itself too seriously, she represents a new wave moving away from strict minimalism.
Find Victoria:
@victoriavillarroel
SAVED
MY CRASH COURSE TO A GLOWING SKIN..
You know when you've just had it? Well... that happened after Midsummer in Finland. I felt like every day had become an excuse for cake or a drink. I love nice things, just in balance, so when I got home I told myself: three weeks, no sugar, no soda, no alcohol. Not only did I feel like a different person after five days, but my skin (and a few other habits) changed too.
Give it five days.. with these:
01
Cut SUGAR, SODAS & ALCOHOL
The "no candy" rule reduced the inflammation in my skin by 90%
I still have caramel in my coffee and chips.
Keep one treat for the "weak" moments.
02
Run 3-6km, 3x Week
Honestly, its THE secret to a glowing skin
Download Nike’s Run Club for free programs.
It's not about the pace—it's about the sweat.
03
A (Korean) Serum
Skincare never really worked for me...
until I started using a serum before moisturizer.
Total game changer for waking up with soft skin.
04
Snack on Kohlrabi..
Easier than a smoothie. I always keep sliced kohlrabi and carrots in the fridge. First thing in the morning.
My skin and I have been going through a little something the last five years. Turns out, it just wanted fewer rosés and more kohlrabi.
*Visual rights belong to the respective brands. Images are clickable to their original sources.
NEXT WEEK
Next week — LIL LUV DOG. Because consumer brands aren't just for humans anymore.
Which companies inspire you? Leave a comment on Instagram below — I’d love to hear.