The Beauty Lab Podcast

What if you could fact-check the beauty advice AI gives you with an actual hairstylist and esthetician? That is exactly what this episode is.

Velia and Monina each ask Gemini the most common questions they get from clients, live and unscripted, and grade the answers in real time. The AI scored about 90 to 95 percent. Here is what it got right, what it missed, and why that last 5 to 10 percent matters more than you think.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• A hair routine for long, flat, color-treated hair, and the one thing Gemini missed
• How to prep a bride with active rosacea, plus a new treatment that changes the usual timeline
• Why going from dark brown to light brown at home is a bad idea
• The best foundation approach for a teen with acne heading to prom
• Why use AI as a starting point and then verify with someone who knows you

ALL LINKS MENTIONED

Subscribe, share, and leave a review. It helps more beauty nerds find us!

• Don’t forget your Beauty Lab Podcast discount!  Get 20% off of your entire order. Use the discount code: THEBEAUTYLABPODCAST
• Products mentioned (except Velia Beauty Co Products)
• What colors look best in makeup? Monina's Color App
• What type of skin do I have? Monina's Skincare Analysis
• Custom blended foundation and consultations with Monina, in the Bay Area or by Zoom

Welcome to the Beauty Lab Podcast! Your go-to podcast for beauty, health, and wellness tips during your drive time! Hosted by Velia Ramson, licensed cosmetologist and founder of Velia Beauty Co., and Monina Wright, licensed esthetician and founder of Moderne Beauty and Aesthetics, we bring you:

✨ Expert insights on beauty trends and the science behind products.
 💡 Myth-busting chats about what really works in beauty.
 👩‍🔬 Conversations with industry leaders in health and wellness.
 🧴 DIY skincare and haircare tips to try at home.
 🤔 Answers to your beauty questions and honest product reviews.

Join us every week as we share over 40 years of combined experience and passion for education. Whether you’re curious abou...

We Googled the most searched hair, skincare, and makeup questions of all time. Then we answered every single one.

Also: Velia has officially moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, which means the podcast is now on split screen. Nothing changes for listeners -- but if you are watching, you will notice the new setup.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How to curl your hair with a flat iron -- the beveled edge requirement, the clamp-turn-slide technique, and who should not be using a flat iron to curl at all
• Why flat irons at 450 degrees are destroying hair -- and what temperature to actually use
• The one exception: coarse, curly hair that needs smoothing before curling
• Why you should never cut your own hair -- and the one narrow exception for bang trims
• The fingertip test for knowing when it is actually time to wash your hair
• Why wearing unwashed hair as a badge of honor is bad for your scalp long-term -- and the T-shirt analogy
• Always double wash, 60 seconds each time
• Do you need separate morning and night skincare routines? Yes -- here is why each one serves a different purpose
• Why makeup starts looking worse as you age -- it is the skin, not the makeup
• Less is more after 40: shifting away from matte formulas, heavy powder, and overdone brows
• What to actually spend money on in skincare: sunscreen, cleanser, barrier support, evidence-based corrective ingredients, liposome delivery, and professional treatments
• Why a cream will not fix melasma -- and what actually will
• The app we like for reading skincare labels

ALL THE LINKS

• Don’t forget your Beauty Lab Podcast discount!  Get 20% off of your entire order. Use the discount code: THEBEAUTYLABPODCAST
• Products mentioned (except Velia Beauty Co Products)
• What colors look best in makeup? Monina's Color App
• What type of skin do I have? Monina's Skincare Analysis
• Custom blended foundation and consultations with Monina, in the Bay Area or by Zoom

Welcome to the Beauty Lab Podcast! Your go-to podcast for beauty, health, and wellness tips during your drive time! Hosted by Velia Ramson, licensed cosmetologist and founder of Velia Beauty Co., and Monina Wright, licensed esthetician and founder of Moderne Beauty and Aesthetics, we bring you:

✨ Expert insights on beauty trends and the science behind products.
 💡 Myth-busting chats about what really works in beauty.
 👩‍🔬 Conversations with industry leaders in health and wellness.
 🧴 DIY skincare and haircare tips to try at home.
 🤔 Answers to your beauty questions and honest product reviews.

Join us every week as we share over 40 years of combined experience and passion for education. Whether you’re curious abou...

The scenario: airlines lost your luggage. All your hair and skincare essentials are gone. You have $100 each and Target is the only option. What do you buy?

In this episode, Velia and Monina walk every aisle and build complete hair and skincare routines from scratch -- on a real budget, with professional reasoning behind every pick and every pass.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why Monina chose the Good Molecules line over Thayers -- and what the ingredient comparison actually looked like
• The full Good Molecules skincare haul: double cleanse, toner, pre-cleanse pads, hydrating mask, eye gel, and moisturizer
• Why she skipped the St. Ives Apricot Scrub -- the crushed pit under a microscope explanation
• Why the Neutrogena makeup remover wipes did not make the cut
• The sunscreen oversight Velia called out immediately -- and Monina's defense
• Velia's full Kristin Ess hair haul: shampoo, conditioner, air dry cream, leave-in primer, Denman brush, and Conair curling iron
• Why Velia chose a smaller barrel curling iron over the larger one
• The sulfate-free conditioner label that made Velia roll her eyes -- and why it is misleading
• What both of them would have added with a slightly bigger budget

ALL PRODUCTS MENTIONED (coming)

• Don’t forget your Beauty Lab Podcast discount!  Get 20% off of your entire order. Use the discount code: THEBEAUTYLABPODCAST
• Products mentioned (except Velia Beauty Co Products)
• What colors look best in makeup? Monina's Color App
• What type of skin do I have? Monina's Skincare Analysis
• Custom blended foundation and consultations with Monina, in the Bay Area or by Zoom

Welcome to the Beauty Lab Podcast! Your go-to podcast for beauty, health, and wellness tips during your drive time! Hosted by Velia Ramson, licensed cosmetologist and founder of Velia Beauty Co., and Monina Wright, licensed esthetician and founder of Moderne Beauty and Aesthetics, we bring you:

✨ Expert insights on beauty trends and the science behind products.
 💡 Myth-busting chats about what really works in beauty.
 👩‍🔬 Conversations with industry leaders in health and wellness.
 🧴 DIY skincare and haircare tips to try at home.
 🤔 Answers to your beauty questions and honest product reviews.

Join us every week as we share over 40 years of combined experience and passion for education. Whether you’re curious abou...

Monina just got back from the ICES skincare show and she has a lot to say.

Every year the show reveals what is next in professional skincare. Last year it was exosomes. This year the treatment that stopped her in her tracks -- and that she had done on her own face before leaving -- is called Bio Microneedling. No needles. No device. No wound response. And results she could see the next morning.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• What Bio Microneedling is and how it is fundamentally different from traditional microneedling
• What spicules are -- the microscopic silica structures that do the work -- and why they create 3 to 7 million microchannels vs the 600,000 to 700,000 from traditional devices
• Why it compresses cellular turnover from 28 days down to 7 days
• Why it can be used on skin types that traditional microneedling cannot -- active acne, inflamed rosacea, lupus
• Why it does not create a wound response or trigger excess melanin production
• What the treatment actually feels like -- and Monina does not sugarcoat it
• The four formulations: nourishing hydrating, anti-aging, resurfacing, and revitalizing
• Aftercare: what you can and cannot do for 7 days after treatment
• When to wait if you do Botox or fillers
• Also in this episode: Velia's big announcement -- she is moving to Knoxville, Tennessee. The podcast continues, nothing changes for listeners.

Monina is now certified in Bio Microneedling and offering it at Moderne Beauty in San Jose

ALL THE LINKS MENTIONED

• Don’t forget your Beauty Lab Podcast discount!  Get 20% off of your entire order. Use the discount code: THEBEAUTYLABPODCAST
• Products mentioned (except Velia Beauty Co Products)
• What colors look best in makeup? Monina's Color App
• What type of skin do I have? Monina's Skincare Analysis
• Custom blended foundation and consultations with Monina, in the Bay Area or by Zoom

Welcome to the Beauty Lab Podcast! Your go-to podcast for beauty, health, and wellness tips during your drive time! Hosted by Velia Ramson, licensed cosmetologist and founder of Velia Beauty Co., and Monina Wright, licensed esthetician and founder of Moderne Beauty and Aesthetics, we bring you:

✨ Expert insights on beauty trends and the science behind products.
 💡 Myth-busting chats about what really works in beauty.
 👩‍🔬 Conversations with industry leaders in health and wellness.
 🧴 DIY skincare and haircare tips to try at home.
 🤔 Answers to your beauty questions and honest product reviews.

Join us every week as we share over 40 years of combined experience and passion for education. Whether you’re curious abou...

Two beauty professionals. A list of things they would never do to themselves -- and the honest explanation of why.

In this episode, Velia and Monina go through their personal never-do lists: the hair and skincare practices that look reasonable until you understand what actually happens when they go wrong.

ALL THE LINKS

• Don’t forget your Beauty Lab Podcast discount!  Get 20% off of your entire order. Use the discount code: THEBEAUTYLABPODCAST
• Products mentioned (except Velia Beauty Co Products)
• What colors look best in makeup? Monina's Color App
• What type of skin do I have? Monina's Skincare Analysis
• Custom blended foundation and consultations with Monina, in the Bay Area or by Zoom

Welcome to the Beauty Lab Podcast! Your go-to podcast for beauty, health, and wellness tips during your drive time! Hosted by Velia Ramson, licensed cosmetologist and founder of Velia Beauty Co., and Monina Wright, licensed esthetician and founder of Moderne Beauty and Aesthetics, we bring you:

✨ Expert insights on beauty trends and the science behind products.
 💡 Myth-busting chats about what really works in beauty.
 👩‍🔬 Conversations with industry leaders in health and wellness.
 🧴 DIY skincare and haircare tips to try at home.
 🤔 Answers to your beauty questions and honest product reviews.

Join us every week as we share over 40 years of combined experience and passion for education. Whether you’re curious abou...

Monina was in the shower thinking about everything she wished she had done differently for her skin. Velia was thinking about her hair. This episode is what happened when they decided to share all of it.

Two beauty professionals. Decades of experience. A lot of hindsight. This one is personal, honest, and very relatable.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Monina: the acne, antibiotic, and gut health connection she wishes she had understood at 25
• Why picking at your skin is one of the most damaging things you can do -- and why she did it anyway
• Retin-A, photosensitivity, and the hyperpigmentation she did not see coming until her 40s
• Velia: why her mom was right about eye cream at 13. When to actually start using eye cream
• Sunscreen -- and the olive oil sunbathing era neither of them is proud of
• Stop over-plucking your brows. You will miss them.
• What eyelash curlers and mascara buildup actually do to your lashes over time
• Velia's confession about thick hair complaints -- and why she regrets every word
• Widow's peak envy: a thing apparently
• Why heavy makeup on active acne makes everything worse
• Stretch every single day. Your 50s will thank you.

THE LINKS MENTIONED

Get 20% off your entire order at veliabeautyco.com with code THEBEAUTYLABPODCAST

• Don’t forget your Beauty Lab Podcast discount!  Get 20% off of your entire order. Use the discount code: THEBEAUTYLABPODCAST
• Products mentioned (except Velia Beauty Co Products)
• What colors look best in makeup? Monina's Color App
• What type of skin do I have? Monina's Skincare Analysis
• Custom blended foundation and consultations with Monina, in the Bay Area or by Zoom

Welcome to the Beauty Lab Podcast! Your go-to podcast for beauty, health, and wellness tips during your drive time! Hosted by Velia Ramson, licensed cosmetologist and founder of Velia Beauty Co., and Monina Wright, licensed esthetician and founder of Moderne Beauty and Aesthetics, we bring you:

✨ Expert insights on beauty trends and the science behind products.
 💡 Myth-busting chats about what really works in beauty.
 👩‍🔬 Conversations with industry leaders in health and wellness.
 🧴 DIY skincare and haircare tips to try at home.
 🤔 Answers to your beauty questions and honest product reviews.

Join us every week as we share over 40 years of combined experience and passion for education. Whether you’re curious abou...

Monina got suckered into not one, not two, but three color adapting foundations. Velia tested them all on her skin in real time so you could get two honest perspectives.

Color adapting foundations promise to match any skin tone by adapting to your unique complexion. We have been seeing this claim for a while now and wanted to find out once and for all whether any of them actually deliver.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• What color adapting foundations are actually supposed to do -- and what they actually do
• Real time test on two different skin tones: medium olive and fair
• Which of the three had the best coverage, best feel, and best color match
• Why the word universal on any makeup product should make you pause
• What skin tones and makeup preferences these products might actually work for
• Whether any color adapting foundation is worth buying

ALL THE LINKS MENTIONED

• Don’t forget your Beauty Lab Podcast discount!  Get 20% off of your entire order. Use the discount code: THEBEAUTYLABPODCAST
• Products mentioned (except Velia Beauty Co Products)
• What colors look best in makeup? Monina's Color App
• What type of skin do I have? Monina's Skincare Analysis
• Custom blended foundation and consultations with Monina, in the Bay Area or by Zoom

Welcome to the Beauty Lab Podcast! Your go-to podcast for beauty, health, and wellness tips during your drive time! Hosted by Velia Ramson, licensed cosmetologist and founder of Velia Beauty Co., and Monina Wright, licensed esthetician and founder of Moderne Beauty and Aesthetics, we bring you:

✨ Expert insights on beauty trends and the science behind products.
 💡 Myth-busting chats about what really works in beauty.
 👩‍🔬 Conversations with industry leaders in health and wellness.
 🧴 DIY skincare and haircare tips to try at home.
 🤔 Answers to your beauty questions and honest product reviews.

Join us every week as we share over 40 years of combined experience and passion for education. Whether you’re curious abou...

In this episode, licensed cosmetologist Velia goes through the viral hair trends she hears about most and gives her honest professional take. Some of them are genuinely dangerous for your hair. Some are flat-out scams. And two she actually likes.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Hair growth shampoos and serums -- what the before and afters are not telling you
• What hair actually needs to regrow and how long it realistically takes
• The at-home split end tool and why it makes the problem worse
• Viral steam brush claims -- why it is physically impossible
• Halo-style extensions -- what separates a good one from a $60 disaster
• What Remy hair means and why it matters
• Tight sleek ponytails and the traction alopecia risk most people do not know about
• Texture irons -- the bridal industry secret weapon that is finally going viral
• Heatless curls -- when they work, when they damage, and how to use them safely

EPISODE SPONSOR: Velia Beauty Co Haircare Line. Get 20% off your entire order at veliabeautyco.com with code THEBEAUTYLABPODCAST

SUBSCRIBE, SHARE AND LEAVE A REVIEW -- it helps more beauty nerds find us!

ALL THE LINKS

• Don’t forget your Beauty Lab Podcast discount!  Get 20% off of your entire order. Use the discount code: THEBEAUTYLABPODCAST
• Products mentioned (except Velia Beauty Co Products)
• What colors look best in makeup? Monina's Color App
• What type of skin do I have? Monina's Skincare Analysis
• Custom blended foundation and consultations with Monina, in the Bay Area or by Zoom

Welcome to the Beauty Lab Podcast! Your go-to podcast for beauty, health, and wellness tips during your drive time! Hosted by Velia Ramson, licensed cosmetologist and founder of Velia Beauty Co., and Monina Wright, licensed esthetician and founder of Moderne Beauty and Aesthetics, we bring you:

✨ Expert insights on beauty trends and the science behind products.
 💡 Myth-busting chats about what really works in beauty.
 👩‍🔬 Conversations with industry leaders in health and wellness.
 🧴 DIY skincare and haircare tips to try at home.
 🤔 Answers to your beauty questions and honest product reviews.

Join us every week as we share over 40 years of combined experience and passion for education. Whether you’re curious abou...

The clean girl era is over -- or is it? Velia came in with questions and Monina came in with answers.

In this episode, licensed esthetician and makeup artist Monina breaks down exactly what the clean girl era was, what is shifting, and what the trends she is seeing right now actually look like in practice. She also gets into the question that matters most: how do you figure out which trends actually work for your face?

IN THIS EPISODE:

• What the clean girl era was and how it started post-COVID
• Why it is evolving rather than disappearing entirely
• The summer trends replacing it -- beach skin, blush placement, glossy lips, metallic accents
• Why trends do not work the same way for everyone -- face shape, undertones, skin type, age, and lifestyle all matter
• How to find your signature look and why you do not have to chase every trend

Monina's free color guide app -- upload your photo and a palette and get a personalized color guide. Link in the show notes.

ALL LINKS MENTIONED Including the FREE app that helps you with the best colors for makeup.

• Don’t forget your Beauty Lab Podcast discount!  Get 20% off of your entire order. Use the discount code: THEBEAUTYLABPODCAST
• Products mentioned (except Velia Beauty Co Products)
• What colors look best in makeup? Monina's Color App
• What type of skin do I have? Monina's Skincare Analysis
• Custom blended foundation and consultations with Monina, in the Bay Area or by Zoom

Welcome to the Beauty Lab Podcast! Your go-to podcast for beauty, health, and wellness tips during your drive time! Hosted by Velia Ramson, licensed cosmetologist and founder of Velia Beauty Co., and Monina Wright, licensed esthetician and founder of Moderne Beauty and Aesthetics, we bring you:

✨ Expert insights on beauty trends and the science behind products.
 💡 Myth-busting chats about what really works in beauty.
 👩‍🔬 Conversations with industry leaders in health and wellness.
 🧴 DIY skincare and haircare tips to try at home.
 🤔 Answers to your beauty questions and honest product reviews.

Join us every week as we share over 40 years of combined experience and passion for education. Whether you’re curious abou...

You leave the salon feeling amazing. By day three, the magic has completely worn off. Why?

In this episode, licensed cosmetologist Velia answers the three questions clients ask her most -- why salon hair feels so different, what most people get wrong when styling at home, and how to choose a blow dryer without spending a fortune.

• The real reason salon hair feels cleaner and lighter -- it is probably not the products
• How long you should actually be shampooing and why most people stop too soon
• Where styling products should and should not go on your hair
• The blow-drying mistake that makes your style fall flat within 20 minutes
• What to look for in a blow dryer -- wattage, weight, and heat settings
• Whether drugstore blow dryers can actually get the job done
• Velia's free hair type guide is in the show notes -- find out your hair type and get product recommendations matched to it.
• Velia's blow dryer recommendations are linked in the show notes and Amazon store.

ALL THE LINKS/PRODUCTS

SUBSCRIBE, SHARE AND LEAVE A REVIEW -- it helps more beauty nerds find us!

• Don’t forget your Beauty Lab Podcast discount!  Get 20% off of your entire order. Use the discount code: THEBEAUTYLABPODCAST
• Products mentioned (except Velia Beauty Co Products)
• What colors look best in makeup? Monina's Color App
• What type of skin do I have? Monina's Skincare Analysis
• Custom blended foundation and consultations with Monina, in the Bay Area or by Zoom

Welcome to the Beauty Lab Podcast! Your go-to podcast for beauty, health, and wellness tips during your drive time! Hosted by Velia Ramson, licensed cosmetologist and founder of Velia Beauty Co., and Monina Wright, licensed esthetician and founder of Moderne Beauty and Aesthetics, we bring you:

✨ Expert insights on beauty trends and the science behind products.
 💡 Myth-busting chats about what really works in beauty.
 👩‍🔬 Conversations with industry leaders in health and wellness.
 🧴 DIY skincare and haircare tips to try at home.
 🤔 Answers to your beauty questions and honest product reviews.

Join us every week as we share over 40 years of combined experience and passion for education. Whether you’re curious abou...