Hello and welcome to this week's edition of The Independent's lifestyle newsletter.
When 26-year-old healthcare consultant Michelle Keller peeled open the shiny packaging to reveal a chestnut furry gremlin baby staring back at her, she squealed. She had completed the mission. After hours of elbowing her way through central London crowds last month to find a Labubu, a wildly popular keyring doll originating from Hong Kong, she had successfully located the highly coveted "rare special" Labubu. In addition to its brown fuzzy coat, it comes with freckles, a red nose, rabbit-like ears, and spiky, menacing gnashers (imagine a crossover between a creature from Where the Wild Things Are and an evil Teletubby). Keller had, essentially, won the collectable toy lottery.
Keller is just one of the thousands of young women dedicating their weekends to Labubu hunts, posting aesthetically pleasing pictures of the toys on Instagram and accessorising their bags with these creepy-looking six-inch-tall figures. The dolls, belonging to a tribe called The Monsters, created by Hong Kong illustrator Kasing Lung, are the latest in a long line of collectable characters from Asia, including Hello Kitty, Sonny Angel and Monchichi, that have driven the internet into a frenzy.
Last week, Pop Mart, which exclusively sells Labubus globally, announced it has temporarily stopped selling the toys in its physical UK stores for the "safety and comfort of everyone" after tales of retail bedlam. Customers have been camping outside the stores from dawn, and there have been reports of violence as hungry resellers continue to sweep aisles for Labubus to flog at an inflated price (they typically start at £17.50, but some of the rarest are available to buy online for £1,500). Read more here.
Elsewhere this week, Olivia Petter looked into the ugly truth behind the morning shed – a viral overnight routine that sees young women equipped with face tape, chin straps, waist trainers, lash serum, hair nets and slimy collagen face masks in the search for the perfect, most glowy and chiselled face when they rise. Check out the full piece here.
Meanwhile, Helen Coffey explored the factors causing the "Friendship recession", based on new data that over one in five (22 per cent) of Brits say their social circle has shrunk in the past three years. "Our growing independence enabled by tech has also had an impact. In times gone by, you'd have practical reasons to reach out and rely on your friends and neighbours – you'd need help moving house, or to borrow a metaphorical (or literal) cup of sugar," writes Coffey. Find the article here.
In this week's newsletter you can expect:
- Europe's first cyber brothel
- Beach body ready?
- The people trying to help cocaine users give up in a new way
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