Elevate Your Inbox: 12 Substacks You Should Sign Up To

From beauty to business, these are the newsletters from our favourite journalists and writers that are worth reading.

With short-form media reigning supreme for the past few years, many of us yearn for lengthier content with more substance, catapulting deeper thinking to de-numb our minds from what we see on social media.

One such place where creative minds roam free to create this kind of content without needing to comply with time constraints or word counts is publication site Substack. The online platform allows journalists, writers, and other content creators to publish newsletters and establish a subscription-based audience where they can share without any creative limitations.

From fashion and beauty industry intel to digestible business news, the 12 Substacks below will add a little excitement to your inbox.

1. The Review of Beauty by Jessica DeFino

After five years of working in beauty media as a freelancer for outlets such as Vogue and Allure, Jessica Defino’s ‘The Review of Beauty’ newsletter explores what Beauty is and what it is not. Described by the Sunday Herald as the newsletter “the beauty industry fears”, Jessica Defino’s Substack is a practical, political, philosophical inquiry into beauty culture. If you ever find yourself questioning holy grail products and the allure behind new cosmetic releases, this is a newsletter you'll want to sign up to. Don’t expect retinol recommendations – but more of a review of the beauty industry itself.

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2. Feed Me by Emily Sundberg

Want to be known as a well-informed individual with their finger always on the pulse? You should probably sign up to “the most fun business newsletter on the internet”. Emily Sundberg’s daily Substack send ‘Feed Me’ aims to give you updates and intel on all things lifestyle, culture, and business. Featured in The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Vogue Magazine, this concise and playful daily commentary leaves you feeling informed and inspired.

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3. Hi Everyone by Hillary Kerr

After spending the last 20 years as an editor, and co-founding fashion and beauty magazine Who What Wear at just 16 years of age, Hillary Kerr knows a thing or two about the fashion industry. Her fruitful career has led her to gain invaluable insights and knowledge on products and experience, and her Substack ‘Hi Everyone’ imparts this wisdom through sharing recommendations, shopping suggestions, and occasional advice which she has gleaned from two decades of her career. If you're after insider knowledge, opinions and hot takes on all things fashion – this is where you'll find it.

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4. Perfectly Imperfect

Gathering a diverse collective of New York artists, writers, intellectuals, and scenesters who explore subcultures, ephemera, and themes within their respective practice, 'Perfectly Imperfect' explores niches from sub-genres told from those who know them best. From music reviews, in-depth interviews, fashion hot takes, and foodie secrets ‘Perfectly Imperfect’ is a curated anthology on the unheard voices of one of the world’s most eclectic cities.

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5. Maybe Baby by Haley Nahman

Culture writer and editor based in Brooklyn, New York, Haley Rahman’s ‘Maybe Baby’ Substack has been topping the culture newsletter charts since its inception in early 2020. In an attempt to “chip away inscrutability of modern life”, Haley’s weekly essays fall on a spectrum between personal stories to cultural critiques, all with a goal to understand herself of the world differently than she did before. If you, like Haley, are interested in topics such as self-delusion, cognitive bias, mass media, and how the three of those things shape our lives, her Sunday newsletter is one you’re going to want to sign up to.

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6. Things I'm Obsessed With by Keryn Donnelly

A weekly roundup of TV shows, movies, books, and podcasts sent just in time for the weekend, Keryn Donnelly’s ‘Things I’m Obsessed With’ is one to read when you don’t know what to watch. Penned by self-proclaimed “geriatric millennial” and former pop culture editor of Mamamia, expect under-the-radar recommendations interspersed with anecdotal humour and thought-provoking opinions. Less time searching for addictive viewing, and more time getting cosy on the sofa.

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7. Dear Dilate by Jade Fox

If you’re curious about fashion, identity, career – and also happen to be a mother – writer Jade Fox’s Substack ‘Dear Dilate’ is for you. Her captivating and relatable newsletters contain essays, think pieces, and in-depth interviews that explore what it means to be a mother in the modern world. While this newsletter may not be able to provide you with feeding tips or cures for sleepless nights, you can gain insights into how mothers look put together even at the worst of times.

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8. Remotely by Lucy Williams

Are you a self-confessed homebody with “too many clothes”? Lucy Williams' monthly newsletter ‘Remotely’ is for you. A curated amalgamation of all of the objects, experiences, and places Lucy deems worthy of sharing, her Substack is where she opens up her noteworthy finds. From purchase regrets and clothing recommendations, to favourite stores and holy grail products, Lucy shares her likes (and dislikes) to inform your own experience and purchase decisions.

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9. Babble by Mia Freedman

Doing the hard work of digesting the zeitgeist for us, co-founder of Mamamia Mia Freedman’s Substack ‘Babble’ is "a lot like the office watercooler but you don’t have to go to an office or talk to anyone or drink water.” ‘Babble’ delivers pockets of pop culture goodness, through the lens of a Gen X woman living in a Gen Z world. Mia shares a different side to herself in these newsletters, using Substack as a vessel to deliver a more intimate perspective on what is and isn’t going on in the world.

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10. Every Shade of Grey by Katherine Ormerod

After 15 years working as a fashion, lifestyle and features journalist on publications including Grazia, Glamour and Sunday Times Style, journalist and editor Katherine Ormerod’s Substack ‘Every Shade of Grey’ explores the bits of the world many of us have forgotten about. In an industry which has been “clickbaitified”, Katherine promises to deliver nuanced conversations on sometimes taboo topics to act as a catalyst for critical thinking on the underrated and overlooked aspects of life.

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11. Gumshoe by Harling Ross

There’s never been a more relevant time for writer Harling Ross Anton’s playfully educational Substack ‘Gumshoe’. Exploring strategies for shopping smarter within your existing wardrobe and belongings. Her newsletter combats publications framed to maximise clicks and conversions, and spotlights one-off finds to help the consumer cultivate a more original sense of style, all while practising sustainable shopping habits at the same time.

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12. Screenshot This by Zara Wong

Brand consultant, writer, and editor, formerly working with Mecca and Vogue, Zara Wong is a pioneer in the beauty and fashion industry. Her fashion-forward Substack ‘Screenshot This’ is a curated list of things to watch, read, listen to and shop. Like a text message conversation between friends, ‘Screenshot This’ playfully delivers recommendations worth trying no matter how big or small.

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