Soft Power

This is a newsletter that will explores topics like: What should I buy in a pharmacy in Paris? Where should I get my friend who found me a boyfriend a gift certificate for a massage? Which laser should I try first? How much Botox is too much? Can I wear blue eye shadow if I have memories of the 1980s? Is lip liner always a good idea? Is there a spa where I don’t have to really exercise that much and eat decent food and still feel healthy after I spend all that money? Should men get into tinted lip balm? How many treatments is acceptable to do before, say, a wedding before my friends talk about me behind my back? Is it weird to rent a bathtub?

Marisa Meltzer

I have had spa treatments on every continent except for Antarctica. I’m a writer. I’ve written 4 books, most recently the New York Times bestseller Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier. I have written about beauty-wellness-health (and fashion, and celebrities, and books) for over two decades for The New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair, the Wall Street Journal. I’m currently at work on a book about Jane Birkin that will come out in November 2025.