A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
I begin almost every interview with the same question:
“What does beauty mean to you?”
The responses vary: beauty is health, it’s confidence, it’s creative expression, it’s kindness. It’s finding a great red lipstick. It’s democratic but also exclusive. Frivolous but escapist.
Beauty is personal and intimate, but it’s also an excellent ice breaker (particularly between girls in the club bathroom). My definition is that it’s a sense of being connected or tethered to yourself. This can come from a full face of makeup or crumbed skin and knotty hair after a day at the beach.
It comes from doing good things and being a good person. Great skincare, hot perfume, choosing what resonates, leaving what doesn’t. Beauty is a personal truth that has little to do with looks, but everything to do with feeling.
There are so many versions of beauty within these pages. Our cover girl, Devon Lee Carlson, radiates joy. High contrast. That smile. She’s all cool, all authenticity. And then there’s Emma Lewisham – quietly but powerfully steering a skincare revolution, proving that innovation and responsibility can exist in the same bottle. A woman to admire, and a conversation to savour.
This issue takes you into the cabinets of our favourite creative minds (because beauty will always be part confession, part voyeurism). We unpack standards, ingredient literacy and the voices shaping tomorrow’s rituals. It’s bold, curious, sometimes contradictory – exactly like beauty itself.
So dive in. Let this evolution of our RUSSH Beauty Annual inspire you, challenge you, maybe even shift your own definition. Above all, may it remind you that beauty is a feeling – and it’s yours to claim.
Inside Beauty Annual 2.0
ON SET
It’s an unusually cosy autumn day in Los Angeles, and Devon Lee Carlson is making the most of it, dressed in a pink hoodie adorned with small florals in her home tucked away in the hills. For years now, the model and entrepreneur has been a fixture in the fashion industry. But as she enters her 30s with the company she started over a decade ago, her two dogs, actor boyfriend, every major fashion house knocking, and a summer that saw her walking shows in Paris, Carlson is as she’s always been: just a girl who’s happy to be here.
Here, we go inside Louis Vuitton's foray into makeup.
IN THE CABINET
Here, we venture into the beauty cabinets of our favourite creative minds – bringing you their holy grail products, salvations and rituals.
Our beauty dream girl: iced blonde hair, negative space and washed-out pastels that lean into exhaustion.
Her approach to beauty is simple: stick with what works, find comfort in ageing and, when in doubt, look to Susie Cave for inspiration.
She’s investing time in sacred beauty rituals – elaborate skincare, saunas, the occasional guided meditation and an admirable commitment to oral hygiene.
The LA-based model and creative’s beauty MO: hot baths, sabbaticals, skipping makeup and calling her Mother.
Her view on beauty is deep and balanced: slow, simple, as nature intends.
She’s here for great skin, her dermatologist, sleep and a sexy lipstick.
A purveyor of less is more, she’s a big believer in how beauty makes her feel – simple skincare, great brows and a midday nap.
"Beauty to me is waking up and loving what I feel like, how I’m thinking and feeling. These come first to me before looking in a mirror. People say beauty is pain, but I truly believe beauty is pleasure. Being pleased with yourself and all you are… knowing what you need and giving that to yourself." — Bianca Matisse Taylor
SHOP BEAUTY
SHOP BEAUTY
ARTIST PROFILES
Drawn first to his sisters’ party rituals and the vampires of Underworld, the Sydney-side MUA taught himself makeup in lockdown and swears his doppelgänger is Lindsay Lohan..
First taught by a Nana who saw beauty as generosity, the maximalist makeup artist believes mistakes are shortcuts, frequently loses lash curlers, and swears by three coats of mascara.
"Women’s bathrooms are their own little ecosystems: part beauty parlour, confessional, and disaster relief centre. They’re messy, loud, and they might just be the purest form of female connection we’ve got." — Lucinda Froomes
The Paris-based makeup artist believes less is more, keeps Egyptian Magic cream close at hand, and once watched Rosamund Pike dance so beautifully on set that the whole crew broke into applause.
FEATURES
Skintelligence as a concept is about understanding the nuanced world of topical skincare. But has skincare literacy gone too far?
New Zealand skincare brand Emma Lewisham is committed to making a difference. Here, founder Emma Lewisham shares what's next for the brand.
Here, Sicardi shares their nuanced thoughts on beauty structures, its political significance, the human costs and ways it keeps us coming back for more.
There aren’t many places more sacred than the women’s bathroom. Writer Lucinda Price explores the hidden community within them.
Whether you're wanting to educate or escape, these unmissable books on beauty – curated by Jordan Risa – need to be on your list.
From perioral dermatitis to eczema and unexplained breakouts, a huge number of us are dealing with confusing conditions and no real clue as to why.
Want to hold the issue in your hands?
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