Princess Gollum Started With Nicotine Gum; Now, She Moving On To Wearables

The hottest show gifts at New York Fashion Week were nicotine-replacement products, a vibe shift for which you might have Princess Gollum and Blip to thank. Also known as Josephine Lee, the model and visual artist has been working to make nicotine-replacement therapies (NRTs) cool with her brand of candy-flavored toothpicks and packaged lozenges — or “lozies,” as she calls them — which officially lands on the shelves of 3,500 CVS stores nationwide Sept. 12.

The milestone comes nearly a decade after the pharmacy famously banned all tobacco products, and just over a year after Blip was born during a Starface shoot when Lee shared her frustration with “outdated, boring” nicotine patches and gum with founder Julie Schott. The momentum has since been “unreal,” Lee says, especially after a viral moment at the 2024 Grammys during which Doja Cat swapped her vape for a Blip toothpick.

In honor of Blip’s CVS debut, Lee sat down with NYLON to talk about how quitting smoking has changed her nights out, making wearables in the near future, and the time she and Cobrasnake got kicked out of the drugstore mid-photo shoot.

How did you first start smoking and vaping?

I think I had my first cigarette in high school with a bunch of older boys in a park tunnel. And I remember that moment so vividly because I knew it was the wrong thing to do, but I wanted to try it so bad, and it definitely felt really cool … And then while I started modeling, I noticed that coming in from a break with cigarette smoke ... no one liked it. The makeup artist didn't like it. The brand didn't like it. No one wants to put clothing on someone who smokes tobacco. So that's when I really switched to vaping, and it worked for me.

And what pushed you to finally quit?

The first year coming out of COVID, I had a really, really busy year. And there were some things that also happened that affected my health. I had gotten my first health scare in my life … All my friends were telling me to go back to smoking cigarettes and then quit smoking cigarettes because that's easier. And I was like ... I can't do that. And two, what the f*ck, where's the support here?

You offer gum and lozenges but also nicotine-free toothpicks, which is a unique approach.

When I was using the lozies, I was really missing the vape flavors. And I know that's gross because it's very artificial and sweet. And I'm like, “Wait, how do I get that back without eating a bunch of candy that's not good for me? I already have bad teeth.” When we found out that toothpicks could be flavored, we're like, “We're going to test those.” And we were posting about them online, especially on TikTok, and they went viral and sold out. We're like, "What? What's going on?"

There’s been a resurgence of smoking cigarettes. Did that influence your decision to make quitting cool?

I think what's happening with vaping and the youth ... is literally what they did with cigarettes. And we're just watching it happen again. And I think, yeah, that's definitely why we're on the map. It's a huge industry. We're not going to win it, but definitely makes some dents.

How has quitting vaping affected your going-out experience?

I don't think by a lot, but I've noticed that I definitely do not drink as much anymore. I feel like in the beginning, it was super tough to be out … but that's why you have all the tools in your big bag to keep you through.

The campaign has a really distinctive vibe. How did your collaboration with the Cobrasnake come about?

I think what's also fun about this era is that it's like a super Y2K movement. And having Mark, who has been so big in the party and nightlife scene, shoot with us was really cool, and it felt like really perfect timing. We took a party bus to CVS and did a photo shoot there. We got kicked out … We just ran and gunned it. But they were very nice about it. And for the most part, it was good. They were like, "Oh, you're doing a photo shoot. You can't do that. iPhones are OK."

What’s another Blip product you want to make?

We're thinking fashionable, wearable NRTs that look cool and might help people feel proud to own their quit and even encourage others to do the same.

Where do you see Blip in the next, say, three to five years?

Slaying CVS for sure. [But] I mean, our goal really is to get everyone off [nicotine]. So, if we do our job right, in five years, we shouldn't exist. If everyone stops vaping, we wouldn't have to clock into work.