NAME ON OUR LIPS
Nearly two decades ago, Jessica Simpson had an edible cosmetics line called Dessert Beauty, sold at Sephora. It was sugary and sexy, a shimmering distillation of the spirit of the early aughts. Then it disappeared.
At the time, Simpson and her then husband Nick Lachey starred in one of the earliest celebrity reality shows, MTV’s Newlyweds . It was a simpler time, predating Instagram, Kardashians and sponcon. Celebrity beauty looks were documented and dissected primarily on red carpet shows and in gossip magazines. For the first time, their beauty businesses were tabloid fodder, too. When one magazine reported on alleged trouble with Dessert’s business side, they quoted a representative for Simpson distancing her from the brand. She was a “spokesperson” with no responsibility for any of the claimed financial snafus, more of a brand ambassador and less of a beauty executive.
Since Maybelline featured silent-film stars in its 1920s print ads, celebrities and their magnetism have been
