Chrissy Teigen called them the one thing that makes you look like you give a shit without any effort. In Ancient times, Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder believed they were a symbol of chastity and youth. No matter how you spin it, though, the truth remains: Eyelash extensions are a great way to further enhance your God-given assets.
The only downside is that a lash appointment rarely takes less than two hours, the entirety of which will be spent laying on a stiff, narrow bed like Count Dracula with your eyes closed — whatever it takes to make the end results last, right? The glued-on hairs shed with your natural lash cycle, so extensions have an average life span of about one to two months. (You'll want to get touch-ups every two to three weeks to keep them full.) Luckily, ensuring your mile-long lashes hold up is 100% in your control, provided you take good care of them.
So what are some good rules of thumb to follow? For starters, keep your lashes away from any makeup removers and out of the shower, sink, pool, rain, or steam room for the first 24 hours to let the glue dry completely. Employ that vampire-like state of sleep that first night, too, so you don't wake up with weird kinks. (Been there.)
It's important to know that eyelash extensions will last longer if you don't wear much eye makeup, but if that's not your style, make sure to ask the technician for instructions on your specific adhesive's aftercare (some require oil-based makeup removers; others call for oil-free formulas). And for the love of all that is holy, whatever you do, never tug at the hairs. You can only make a wish on a lash if it naturally falls on its own, or so we hear.
Ah, spring. It's a time of year when the winter doldrums can seem overwhelming; the excitement of the holidays has passed, but summer is still comically far-off. But that also makes it the perfect time to travel. After all, there's nothing like a change of scenery plus a little R & R to help you shake those winter blues.
And if the words "spring break" summon images of dilapidated beachside crash pads and cheap tequila, forget what you know. Whether you're looking for a quiet and sunny oasis or a lively cosmopolitan city, there are plenty of awesome spots for a more refined spring break getaway. Here are 15 of them.
Berlin, Germany Nightlife, European history, really clean public transportation: Berlin has it all. Book a room in one of the many minimalist hotels that dot the city, like Hotel Q! in the Kurfürstendamm neighborhood, known as Berlin’s Champs-Élysées for its scenic boulevards and designer shops. A short walk way, you can explore the Tiergarten, an urban park perfect for picnicking, biking, and visiting some of the city's oldest monuments.
Or, hop on the U-Bahn, the city’s metro system, and go deeper into the Mitte (the city center). Check out the flea markets, record stores, and independent boutiques as well as the "Museum Island” in the middle of the Spree river, home to archeological treasures from around the globe.
Spend the day exploring Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain for Turkish food, street art, and the remains of the Berlin Wall. After a day of exploring, rest up and then hit one of Berlin’s famous nightclubs, like Barbie Deinhoff’s, a Barbie-themed club with bright-pink fluorescent lights, cheap drinks, and thumping music that will keep you dancing until dawn.
Photo: Alex Segre/REX/Shutterstock.
Monterey, California If you’re interested in gorgeous views and rambling day hikes, but not so into leaving civilization behind, check out Monterey. This charming seaside town, located about an hour south of the Bay Area, proves that Californians take their leisure time seriously. Attractions include the world-famous Pebble Beach golf course, plus spas, parks, and wineries galore.
There are plenty of inexpensive hotels in the area, but, if you can, splurge on a room in the heart of the city, like Monterey Plaza. Not only will you be within walking distance of adorable shops and restaurants, you’ll have a front row seat to those glorious Pacific sunsets.
Photo: Steve Rapport/REX/Shutterstock.
Harbour Island, Bahamas It's called the Nantucket of the Caribbean for good reason. After you've made the connection to North Eleuthera Airport and arrived via water taxi, you'll immediately understand why the likes of Diane von Furstenberg and Barry Diller, J.Crew CEO Mickey Drexler, and Bill Gates have chosen Harbour Island as their home away from home.
Pilot your golf cart — there are no cars here — past the rows of soft-hued, eighteenth-century cottages and around the free-roaming chickens as you make your way to the island's famed, pink-sand beaches, and thank your lucky stars
Patagonia, Chile It's time to head south. Way, way south.
Break up your journey to Punta Arenas — a gateway to Patagonia — with a stopover in Santiago (the Los Angeles of South America); there, you'll find the first of many drop-dead-gorgeous views of the Andes. Head to Santiago Metropolitan Park (Chile's version of Runyon Canyon) for a warmup hike and funicular ride, followed by dinner and a nightcap in the hip Providencia and Bellas Artes districts. (If you have time for excursions, Valparaíso, the seaport home city of beloved Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, is an easy 90-minute bus ride from Santiago.) Then, head the airport for your real adventure to begin.
After touching down in Punta Arenas, take a relaxing stroll through Plaza Muñoz Gamero, hike to the top of Cruz Hill, and then settle in for the evening at La Marmita for some classic Chilean fare. Penguin-lovers, take note: The southern city is also the launchpad for ferries that cross the Strait of Magellan, famous for its colony of tuxedo-feathered birds.
Reykjavík, Iceland If the idea of all-night dancing at a Euro-style discotheque appeals to you more than an afternoon of baking in the sun, then this northern party capital should rank high on your list of must-visits.
The Icelandic city really caters to the venue-hopping crowd: Its hot spots (like longtime staple Kaffibarinn) line one thoroughfare, and they stay open till the wee hours of the morning every Thursday through Sunday.
When you want to lay down your dancing shoes, hop on a 45-minute bus to the world-famous steaming Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa. Not only are its mineral-rich waters warm enough for year-round swimming, but the silica mud will do wonders for your skin. Oh, and did we mention the in-lagoon bar?
Belize If you can't decide between the beach or the rainforest, well, go ahead and choose both.
This Edenic locale is within easy reach of the East Coast and features plenty of rustic-luxe, eco-minded boutique hotels; for beach-goers, we're fans of private retreat Cayo Espanto and the El Secreto' s romantic villas. If you're looking for an unobstructed view that's bursting with wildlife — we're talking leggy egrets and herons, howler monkeys, and an array of wild cats (think pumas, ocelots, jaguarundis, margays, and jaguars) — post up in one of the jungle-style abodes at the Gaïa River Lodge.
The coral reefs just offshore also make Belize's beaches the perfect launch points for skindiving and snorkeling enthusiasts. What's better than a vacation where all you really need is a bathing suit?
Halifax, Nova Scotia Endless fair-trade coffee, harbor cruises, whale watching, and lobster: If you think Halifax sounds like an incredible mashup of other brisk cities like Portland, Boston, and San Francisco, you’re right.
The bohemian city, which typically starts to warm up (with temperatures into the 50s) in mid-to-late April, not only has laid-back hipness to spare, but also boasts quite a rich history. Its Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a must-visit, with shipwrecked relics, including some from the Titanic.
Adventurous visitors can jaunt to Prince Edward Island, and explore the candlepin bowling and friendly social clubs that stand in for city pubs. If you're really lucky, you may even spot a moose.
Bogotá, Colombia Amble the wide carreras and cobblestone calles of historic district La Candelaria, where you’ll find rows of pastel colonial homes, laid-back coffee shops and cafés, and a vibrant arts scene. Though the Botero Museum is more famous, the Museo del Oro is a must — plus, it offers some English-language tours.
At night, head north to Zona Rosa — a.k.a. "The T Zone" — where the vast number of restaurants, cocktail bars, and designer shops will have you thinking you're right at home. If you're feeling brave (and ready to party), try chicha, the city’s signature (and quite strong) maize libation. If you don't want to be nursing a hangover while summiting Monserrate the next morning (who could leave Colombia without seeing those views!?), stick to the trusty coca sour, a South American delicacy.
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico Nestled in the mountains just northwest of Mexico City is a onetime silver-mining settlement turned midcentury expat art colony, best known for its spring-all-year weather and über-charming streets. Picture cobblestones, fuchsia bougainvillea, and homes festooned with brightly painted, ornately carved wooden doors.
Behind the vine-covered walls are open-air courtyards equally perfect for an afternoon nap and happy hour (when you should down plenty of frothy pulques, a local libation made from the maguey plant). Get creative and take a culinary class (who doesn't want to learn the secret to a perfect tamale?), or simply visit El Tianguis, the huge, bustling Tuesday market, where you can people-watch, eat (cecina tacos!), and relish in the artistry swirling around you.
Havana, Cuba With the loosening of travel restrictions to the island nation, there's never been a better (or easier) time to visit Havana.
Sure, the city has been off-limits for some time now, but the sights and sounds still feel quite familiar (and not just from that Dirty Dancing sequel). There's live Afro-Cuban music à la Buena Vista Social Club, classic chrome-fendered American cars, and vivid graffiti and street art that offer a bright, colorful flair very few other cities can match.
Other sights to see? Pay homage to great explorers at Colon Cemetery (where many military heroes and adventurers are interred, though not Columbus himself) and dive head-first into the literary past of Ernest Hemingway at the author's former home turned museum.
Vieques, Puerto Rico Just a hop, skip, and a quick swim from tourist-overrun San Juan, this lesser-traveled isle southeast of mainland Puerto Rico truly has something for everyone. It's so beautiful, in fact, that it's hard to believe this tropical paradise was once used as a bombing range for the United States Navy (history buffs can still visit the abandoned bunkers).
Rent a Jeep and beach-hop all day long, from the more accessible (and wildly popular) Sun Bay to more rugged stretches like black-sand Playa Negra. If you're in search of an adventure, explore the primo snorkeling, kayak in the world-renowned bioluminescent bay, or take in the turquoise ocean views astride one of the island's famed roaming ponies. Foodies are also in luck. Feast on fresh seafood and the best ribs (seriously!) along Esperanza's malecón, or boardwalk, or at the famed El Quenepo — because everything tastes better when it's straight from the ocean.
Steamboat Springs, Colorado Skiers heading out West ought to keep these classic Colorado slopes in the front of their minds.
Steamboat boasts six peaks, 3,000 skiable acres, and 165 trails — not to mention its trademarked Champagne powder snow. And with shopping, renowned pre-ski brunches (biscuits and gravy at Winona's are calling your name), après-ski bars, and several hot springs close at hand, those who'd rather skip the bunny slopes can get into the spirit without even putting their feet in a pair of skis.
Little Compton, Rhode Island While summer may be the peak season for this stretch of the Atlantic just south of Cape Cod, you’ll find this beach village much more mind-restoring in the quiet spring months.
A short train ride from Providence will drop you amid the "New Hamptons" — as Little Compton has been called — and its plethora of meditative ponds, beaches, and dunes. Keep things low-key as you stroll by the ocean, troll its quaint shops for textiles and handmade jewelry, and visit its vineyards. And, if you have wheels, you can skip over to Newport to marvel at 18th-century mansions like Marble House, where Alva Vanderbilt threw her infamously lavish costume parties.
Sayulita, Mexico The alternative to hard-partying Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita lies far enough away on the crystalline Riviera Nayarit (often hailed as Mexico's perfect coastline) that you’ll be awakened by roosters and trailed by sleepy dogs as you traipse around on foot.
Despite its rural trappings, however, the tiny village hideaway is bursting with shopping potential: Try boho boutiques like Evoke the Spirit, Artefakto, and Pacha Mama for handmade jewelry, textiles, clothing, and art. And, if the local reggae scene (not to mention the ceviche-like aguachile and agave-based local spirit raicilla) is not enough for you, well, you can always hop in a cab and hit PV for a big (and very spring break) night out.
San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua The time to visit this expat-beloved surfer enclave on the Pacific Ocean is now. Sure, San Juan del Sur still has a sleepy-fishing-village vibe — but the quiet may not last long. Thanks to luxury resorts cropping up and expanding, and plans for a new Emerald Coast airport under way, the secret may officially be out.
Fly into Managua and make your way two hours south for ample surfing and yoga — not to mention all the simple, fresh-caught shrimp and fish at one of the city's many beachside bars — along the curve of sand framed pretty much perfectly by cliffs.
For a dose of urbanity (and revolutionary history), pull over en route to take in the scenery of the colonial city of Granada. It's no surprise it's often dubbed the Paris of Central America.
Fashion month traditionally presents plenty of trends that are always cool to look at. Having said that, it's not always easy to translate the beauty looks that we see on New York and international runways, as most of us wouldn't necessarily wear a purple bowl cut or Pepto Bismol-blushed cheeks on a whim. Luckily, the hairstyle currently dominating Milan Fashion Week is exactly the opposite: flattering, wearable, and universally-cool.
Last year, we said that flipped ends were 2017's version of beach waves, whether stars were going full-on Farrah Fawcett or letting their beach bends do their thing. We're seeing that same concept this go 'round, but this time, it's modeled on all different lengths. Grab your round brush and get some inspo ahead.
Kaia Gerber opened Moschino Fall/Winter 2018, but the beauty looked like she was plucked straight from the sixties with her Jackie O-inspired bouffant.
Photo: Victor VIRGILE/GammaRapho/Getty Images.
At Twinset, this model wore a more natural take on the trend — almost as if she's on day three of a really good blowout.
Photo: Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty Images.
Bendy ends are a good way to add some variation to a grown-out crop, as seen at Emilio Pucci...
Photo: Pietro D'aprano/Getty Images.
... as well as Roberto Cavalli, where this model had her hair slicked back for a mod look.
Photo: Victor Boyko/Getty Images.
Outside of Gucci, actress Sarah Allen's floppy ends and barely-there makeup was an appropriate contrast for her chic and sexy blazer dress.
Photo: Christian Vierig/Getty Images.
To create this artfully piecy texture (as seen at Daizy Shely), try using a mini-flat iron for the bend that you desire.
Photo: Victor Boyko/Getty Images.
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We've heard it over and over again — social media and technology in general are making us anxious, depressed, and ruining our self-esteem. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. But what if there were ways to use our liking and texting skills to make us feel better about ourselves? Or to make us feel like we have everything under control?
That's where the good news comes in: There are a ton of apps out there that can help you do everything from de-escalate a panic attack to remember to take your meds.
These aren't alternatives to therapy and they won't cure you of anything. But they will make the day-to-day struggles of living with a mental illness or just run-of-the-mill stress a little bit easier. With these in your pocket, you'll have new options for handling those moments when you're not feeling great. And when you do feel better, you'll be able to see it right in front of you. Ahead, we've collected a few of our (free) favorites.
This app comes recommended by the American Psychological Association for stress management, especially amongst those who suffer from anxiety disorders or PTSD.
Breathe2Relax guides you through breathing exercises to help with stabilizing your mood, controlling anger and managing anxiety. It's also user-friendly, and can even be personalized to fit to a pace that's best for you.
In this app’s first life, it was a website called Panoply developed by an MIT researcher as a social network for people with depression. And it functions much the same way in its app form.
Users can share problems, feelings, or thoughts with the community, and get feedback from others. How does this help? The idea is based on a form of a well-established cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) technique called “reappraisal,” which is a way to help reframe negative thoughts. For example, you can share an experience like having a bad day at work, or a fight with your S.O., and the community might offer alternative readings of that situation to help you not jump to negative conclusions. (Like you’re going to get fired or you and your partner are breaking up.)
The best news of all: A 2015 study of the original website found that this approach significantly improved participants depression symptoms after just 25 minutes per week for three weeks.
The main goal of this app is to just “feel happier,” and the program gives you plenty of options for working toward that goal. You’ll get to choose a path of activities that reflects what that really means for you.
You’ll start by taking a test to see where you're at and how you tend to approach tough, stressful spots in your life. Then the app will suggest a path based on your answers. To move along the path, you’ll complete gratitude exercises, do a little meditation, and learn a lot about yourself along the way.
Flowy is a game app created to help those with panic and anxiety disorders. In the game, you’ll solve puzzles with your breath. You hold down a button while breathing in and let it go while breathing out, sending your little boat forward along its path.
The goal here is to actually retrain the way you breathe: Rather than taking breaths with your chest muscles, which can cause a similar sensation as an oncoming panic attack (and actually start to make you feel panicked), you’ll learn to breathe with your diaphragm. You’ll breathe deeper, your heart will slow down, and you’ll feel calm on the waves.
This helpful app comes to us from the makers of Iodine, a website where patients can share their real-life experiences with different medications. But Start is their app specifically dedicated to helping people manage and keep track of their depression symptoms as well as any medications they’re taking. Because it can take weeks for you to notice any changes on antidepressants, the app is designed to help you spot when (or if) you’re starting to feel better and whether you’re experiencing any side effects.
Keeping track of your ups and downs is crucial when you’re dealing with a mental health issue. Without knowing what’s going on, you can’t predict an anxiety attack and you can’t tell if all that time doing mindfulness exercises is really lifting your mood. Rather than lugging your diary everywhere, try In Flow’s mood-tracking system. You can put in a new entry whenever you want, but the app will also prompt you a few times a day to check in. From there, it will show you trends and, if you want, connect you with friends to cheer you up during tough times and celebrate the good ones.
Unfortunately, it looks like In Flow isn't available in the iTunes store anymore. But you can still snag it with Google Play or in the Windows Phone Store.
Remembering to take your meds is tough — until you get a little reward for it. Seriously, we’ve seen gamification of pretty much everything (hello FitBit takeover!), but rarely is it as effective as it is here. Mango Health functions as a medication reminder, but also gives you information about what you’re taking and a heads up for how it might interact with anything else in your regimen. Plus, take your meds when you’re supposed to and you’ll get those precious points, which are entrance into raffles for a chance to win actual rewards — including charity donations and gift cards to places like Starbucks.
Although there’s no substitute for real, live therapy, 7 Cups Of Tea can help you out when you just need someone to talk to, fast. Sign in and the app connects you with a trained counselor (or “listener”) to talk about pretty much anything. You can choose a listener based on what you’re interested in talking about or their life experience. Whether you want to chat about anxiety attacks with someone else who’s been there or you just want to vent about your boss for a few minutes, 7 Cups has your back.
We won’t lie to you, T2 Mood Tracker is the definition of “no frills.” But this tried-and-true mood tracker is a classic for a simple reason — it works. Developed by the National Center for Telehealth and Technology, it was originally created to help people in the military to monitor their emotional health. Since then, it’s become popular with the rest of us, too. The app will prompt you at certain times of day to tell it where you’d rate your emotional state on a variety of axes. It will also graph your progression over time so you can keep a lookout for any trends.
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"Touring fucked my skin up on a whole 'nother level," SZA says (or, rather, shouts) to me backstage at a noisy NYFW party for the launch of Proenza Schouler's Arizona fragrance. In between cracking jokes with her crew and puffing on a blunt, the performer describes how the damage was done. "200 meet-and-greets a day. Cheek to cheek. Sweating, hair on my face, mic on my face..."
In a world where media-trained celebrities usually keep things buttoned up (and credit everything to a steady diet of bottled water), SZA is refreshingly candid — especially when it comes to her beauty routine. What most people don't know is that before all of the accolades and album sales, Solána Rowe was your neighborhood skin consultant at Sephora. And when you ask her about beauty, you forget you're talking to an award-winning recording artist. Instead, it's like you're asking advice from your savvy homegirl with a Jersey accent posted up at her 9-to-5 in the mall.
Ahead, SZA spills her unfiltered knowledge (and a little tea) about her curls, her five-minute face, and how she's prepping her skin for the end of the world.
Her Down-To-Earth Acne Routine
"I have this weird feeling that the apocalypse is upon us, so I have to choose products that I can find in nature. I have cystic acne, so I use a Manuka honey mask to combat it and hemp oil to smooth out the surface of my skin. I also use a Vitamin C serum and black soap, and that's it. If I go to the dermatologist and get a peel, she prescribes me shit after, but I don't use it. My skin goes crazy, and I break out."
How She Reached Skin Zen
"I used to work in the skin-care department [at Sephora], so I know for a fact that everyone's skin is different. Consistency and simplification is key. I can't try a whole bunch of different shit that I've seen, like Huda Beauty doing six experiments in a week — imma look crazy. Her skin is invincible. I don't have that gene pool, so I do what I know. Every now and again, if I see something really cool, I'll be like, 'let me try this little turmeric mask.'"
Don't get discouraged with your skin when it doesn't do what you want it to do.
Her 4C Chronicles
"I don’t fuck with the Internet, because the Internet will steer you somewhere crazy. The Internet had me fucking with coconut oil, which honestly dries my hair out. Castor oil is the only thing that gets me right. I have 4c hair, so my shit is porous. As long as you put on some type of water-based cream and lock it in with an oil, it honestly doesn’t matter what you use.
"If I have to shampoo, I do it twice. And then I️ condition hard as fuck for the rest of the day. Protein leaves my hair hella dry, so egg is my weird thing to do. I use a lot of Manuka honey on my hair, too. And I put [hemp oil] and castor oil on my scalp any time I do a protective style."
"I wear a gang of lip gloss. I love MAC. Pat McGrath? Come on, son. She’s Black and killing it. She’s never lost once. For foundation, I like Hourglass. It’s vegan and cruelty free, and it works for Black skin. I️t vanishes everything, and it’s buildable. I sleep in this shit, and I got bad skin."
Her Best Beauty Advice
"Don't get discouraged with your skin when it doesn't do what you want it to do and you feel like, fuck this product. Give it some time. Some of that shit takes a month to break through. And calm down and relax your face. I spent so much time screwing my face into mad different shapes because I was nervous to take a picture as is. I would make all these weird ass faces to where I wouldn't even recognize myself. I've learned to just sit still and be in yourself. That's the only way to get to know yourself."
As if trying to understand the inner workings of Donald Trump's brain wasn't enough of a mindfuck, the confusion surrounding his hair makes his speech patterns seem clear as day. The only thing anyone seems to know for sure about Trump's hair is that he has (some of) it. The rest is pure conjecture.
Recently, however, a few more details have come to light. In January, White House physician Ronny L. Johnson confirmed that the president does take a small dose of Propecia, a prescription drug that treats male-pattern baldness. Michael Wolff wrote in his controversial book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, that Ivanka described the mechanics of her father's combover as "an absolutely clean pate ... surrounded by a furry circle of hair around the sides and front, from which all ends are drawn up to meet in the center and then swept back and secured by a stiffening spray."
This morning, while addressing the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Trump paused to admire his own super-sized image in the screen behind him ("By the way, what a nice picture that is. Look at that. I’d love to watch that guy speak, oh boy.") and confessed that, no, good hair does not come naturally to him. "I try like hell to hide that bald spot, folks," he said, which is about the most believable thing that's ever come out of his mouth. "I work hard at it."
The crowd went wild, which is a nice thing that happens when you surround yourself with sycophants. And so, standing against a backdrop with a bold-faced callout to the NRA, he turned to his audience, all clapping, all laughing at his self-deprecating joke, and reassured them, almost prophetically, "It doesn't look bad, hey? We're hangin' in. We're hangin' in. We're hangin' in there. Together, we're hangin' in."
Social media has made it easier than ever for us to spread body positivity and rally against society's beauty standards. With the help of the hashtag, we've been encouraged to embrace our size and learn to love specific body parts. Noses are the latest feature to get their own movement, specifically, how they look from the side, with one British campaigner encouraging people to share a #SideProfileSelfie. The body-positive movement, spearheaded by freelance journalist and author Radhika Sanghani, is quickly gaining momentum in the U.K. and all over the world.
Sanghani was motivated by her own long-held shame and insecurity over her nose and side profile, she told Refinery29. "Every time I see a camera at a side profile angle, I panic. But in the last year I’ve started to change my mind. Instead of hating my big nose and thinking it makes me unattractive, I’ve decided to see it as beautiful. It’s interesting and gives me character and okay, I don’t look like Gigi Hadid or Angelina Jolie, but I look like me."
Sanghani's end goal? It has been "life changing" learning to love her nose, she said – and now she wants to help other women do the same. "I hope the campaign inspires people to embrace their noses and celebrate them with me. It’s scary to do it alone, but so many women are already joining in, and it feels so powerful. This has been taboo for so long, but things can change."
#SideProfileSelfie is rapidly picking up speed on Twitter, with countless people – men and women – sharing their selfies on Twitter following Sanghani's appearance on ITV's Good Morning Britain on February 21.
Sanghani hopes the fashion and beauty industries stand to attention and realize "how many women with big noses have been made to feel unattractive by virtue of never seeing celebrities who look like them." Ultimately, she continued: "My goal is for Hollywood and the fashion world to start seeing the beauty of strong profiles and finally let larger nosed ladies step into the spotlight."
When it comes to beauty, there's no doubt that the west (and best, according to some) coast has always had a vintage flair to it — from Old Hollywood glam influenced by the city's rich history in film to the Cali-grunge vibes felt on the Venice Beach boardwalk. Sure, the stereotypical bronzed-with-beachy-highlights look may never die, but as of late, we can't help but notice a resurgence of all things retro.
Now more than ever, women are embracing the old and elevating it into something fresh and new — whether that means reinterpreting 1950s cheek rouge in a modern way or shaking up the traditional pinup cat-eye by painting it on with a colorful Rimmel London liner. Below, five L.A.-based women open up about their unique takes on retro, which decade they’re most inspired by, and how they're living their best lives one mismatched eyeshadow and pinstriped lipstick look at a time. Let's throw it back, shall we?
VICKIE
Florence
Not only does this look take a cue from the classic cat-eye and red lip worn by 1940s pinup girls women, but it also weaves in elements of glam-rock statement makeup from the '80s. The blue-green cat-eye carefully created using Rimmel London's new double-sided Wonder Ombré liner paired with an orange-red matte lip is the definition of #goals. “L.A. is the land of glitz and glamour, making it the perfect place for women to really express themselves,” says Vickie, who describes this look as retro housewife meets evil villain — in the best way possible, of course.
ISABELLA
Boyle Heights
This self-proclaimed goth chick looks to decades past when manifesting her dream beauty looks. “Sometimes I feel like I grew up in the wrong decade; I’m constantly referencing the late '80s and '90s — the scene my parents came from,” says Isabella. “I love the heavy dark makeup and totally extra attire from that period.” Case in point: this vampy, contrasting lipliner that deserves major props (if we do say so ourselves).
K.O.
West Hollywood
You know what's even cooler than a pop of color on your upper lids? Mismatching said shades. "The 1960s really embraced color — especially on the eyes, which really inspires me," says K.O. The key here is to use complementary hues — like the bright turquoise and metallic copper from Rimmel London Magnif'eyes Eyeshadow Palette Colour Edition, lavender and gold, or even a pretty peach paired with a pastel green.
SEIDI
Downtown
This not-so-average blush look takes your traditional pastel rouge of the 1950s and modernizes it by draping shades of copper and gold eyeshadows well beyond the lids — into cheek territory. Seidi says, “I source my beauty inspiration from old movie posters and photography typically found at flea markets. For me, it’s all about finding unique things from the past and making them new again.”
NAOMI
El Segundo
Reminiscent of the red lip made popular by some rando named Marilyn (kidding, clearly), this totally gorgeous combo using Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colour and Wonder Wing Eyeliner is the epitome of classic — only with a plot twist. “The stripe down the middle gives the traditional red lip a modern upgrade, and it almost reminds me of a vintage car’s racing stripes,” says Naomi. “It’s one of my favorite looks because it accentuates my lips — a feature that I’ve grown to love over the years.”
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Every fashion person has that one brand they try to keep to themselves for fear of someone else getting to the good stuff before they do. For me, that best-kept secret is Oak + Fort, a Canadian brand Aritzia and Everlane fans will love. Personally, it's the expensive-looking coats and layering essentials that make this retailer a go-to every single New-York winter, but there's also tons of non-boring basics to love — and their prices are right, too.
Now's the time to get acquainted with the brand if you're not already, because it's currently having a massive online warehouse sale that runs through Wednesday, February 28. Within the discounted items you'll find a mere 1,200 styles steeply at up to 80% off, which means everything from $16 shorts to $28 sweaters to $40 dresses. President's Day sales may have come and gone, but this is one clearance you don't want to miss out on. And if I'm sharing my best kept secret with you, you might as well take full advantage of it.
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There are about a million reasons for women to run for office these days. For these moms, it's to protect children from gun violence — an imperative that seems more pressing than ever in the current moment.
"Moms," as its members call it for short, is already four million supporters strong. Moms volunteers aren't always "volunteers" in the conventional sense. They attend advocacy days at their state capitols, work with local law enforcement, and work with businesses to encourage gun safety. Hundreds of them have also recently expressed interest in running for office in order to overturn National Rifle Association-forced legislation that allows guns in places like schools and college campuses.
The group, which is the grassroots arm of Everytown For Gun Safety, funnels its volunteers into campaigns on the premise that political problem-solving requires many of the same skills as community organizing.
"They get training just by being a volunteer — everything from fundraising to canvassing to messaging to doing interviews — you're naturally creating this network around you because you have like-minded volunteers," Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, told Refinery29. "It's really encouraged women to get off the sidelines on a variety of issues. It's going to energize the electorate and keep the focus on gun safety. And I think it will eventually flip Congress and our state houses, so it'll be easier to pass good bills."
On Friday, Moms held another call for volunteers interested in running. It has a track record, already, too: Since its inception in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, Moms has had some major legislative wins, like getting background checks passed in eight states. Watts said that in November, 13 members of Moms Demand Action, from state reps to city council members, ran for office across the nation and nine won.
As the raw, anger-filled post-Sandy Hook response shows, mothers undoubtedly experience school shootings in a particularly personal way. The moms we interviewed ahead are running for office because they want to make school shootings — and all mass shootings — a thing of the past. And they're ready to win big.
Photo: Courtesy of Joe Quint.
Lucy McBath, District 37, Georgia
McBath's 17-year-old son Jordan Davis was gunned down in 2012 by a white man who was complaining about the rap music coming from the car Jordan and his friends were in. That's when she knew she had to join the movement against gun violence.
"This [campaign] has been my therapy," said McBath, who is running for the Georgia House in a suburban Atlanta district. "This has been the best therapy in the world for me because it makes me feel like Jordan didn't die in vain, because we can change the culture that he died under. Jordan's death was the catalyst for me becoming the person that I have always been — but maybe I would never have taken a leap of faith if not for that."
If she is elected — and McBath, a 58-year-old two-time survivor of breast cancer, is the type of person who says, "I intend to win" with conviction — her main priority is to abolish Georgia's concealed campus carry law, which makes it legal for licensed students over 21 to bring guns to certain parts of campus. If Jordan were still alive, she said, she would oppose him attending a college in Georgia because of it. Currently, 10 states including Georgia have provisions that allow people to carry concealed weapons on college campuses.
"You spend all your life as a parent protecting and sheltering them, and then you're sending them off to a college campus that has deliberately decided you can have firearms?!"
McBath, from speaking with Black students about it, said she's come to view carrying arms on campus as a point of privilege for certain white students. "You're a walking target if you're a young Black male...the gun gives them more empowerment, which puts students of color at a disadvantage." She says she's also spoken to Muslim families who are "scared to death" of campus carry, and have decided to send their kids to school out of state after it was passed.
In addition to Jordan's death, two other things buoy McBath to run and win: her deep faith and her childhood in the civil rights movement. She grew up watching her father, then the president of the NAACP's Illinois branch, edit the state's civil rights newspaper.
Watching her father work has informed her own activism. She reminisced:
"I remember the volunteers coming to my house at night with their cocktails and cigarettes, strategizing... I remember holding my mom's hand, walking down the street, signing spirituals... I remember one year during the Black Power movement, my father got us a black Christmas tree. My momma and I were like, ' What is that?!'"
Her dad responded: "Our Christmas tree is black because it represents who we are."
Amber Gustafson, District 19, Iowa
Gustafson, a 41-year-old mother of three kids (14, 12, and 8) who is running for Iowa State Senate, was a Republican until 2008. She became a member of the Democratic Party in 2016, when she caucused for Hillary Clinton. Two things made her leave the GOP: guns and healthcare.
While she grew up on a farm in a gun-owning family, she was never an NRA member and said the organization's rhetoric didn't line up with her beliefs. "They're very hardline. And among my friends at the time, there was one way to talk about guns and no opportunity for thoughtful discussion. That frustrated me, because if kids are endangered we need to put every option on the table."
Like it did to many moms, the Sandy Hook massacre put Gustafson over the edge. At the time, she had two kids in school and her middle daughter was the same age as the kids who were murdered in the Newtown, CT, elementary school.
She wanted to join the conversation as a person who knows what they're talking about when it comes to guns. "Quite frankly, at the time, my opinion was, 'These liberals don't know anything about guns; they need me to get into the conversation so they don't get anything wrong.'"
What she wanted liberals to know: "Gun owners are not the enemy. The vast majority support good, responsible gun legislation, but they're afraid to speak out on it because of the clapback they get. Let's reach out to gun owners as allies, not marginalize them, and acknowledge that the Constitution guarantees an inherent right to defend yourself."
Gustafson's legislative priorities are mental healthcare funding and access — Iowa ranks among the bottom states in the nation for mental health treatment and has a higher than average suicide rate — making sure people with a history of domestic violence don't have access to weapons, and curbing the types of gun regulations the NRA loves to dismantle.
Right now, there's a law making its way through the state legislature that would allow people to carry loaded guns in the carpool lanes of Iowa schools, where parents drop kids off and pick them up — even though the state currently prohibits guns on school grounds. Gustafson plans to take that on.
When asked why legalizing guns in school carpool lanes is anybody's legislative priority, Gustafson said: "It comes down to the issue of wanting to normalize openly carrying guns absolutely everywhere."
Nicole Clowney, District 86, Arkansas
Just like for the other moms, for 35-year-old Clowney, who's running for a House seat in Arkansas' District 86, the fight is personal. She has two daughters: Evie, 7, and Kit, 3.
"After the Florida shooting, that night, I was just lying in bed and staring at my ceiling for hours because I was thinking about my own daughter," she said. "Those kids hid in the closet. I was thinking, My daughter's classroom doesn't have a closet. I'm getting choked up even talking about it... That will give me fuel for years."
It was a conversation with her daughter that inspired Clowney to run this past fall. "I was talking to Evie about my day. I said, 'I met with our legislator.' And she said, 'So you met with a boy? That sounds to me like one of those all-boy jobs.'"
Clowney realized that her daughter wasn't completely wrong; after all, all of the legislators from their city of Fayetteville, AR, were men.
"As soon as I heard that, I said, 'Well, mommy's going to do the job.'"
Clowney's grassroots campaign, supported by Moms Demand Action — she's the founding leader of the Northwest Arkansas branch — started with a few friends in her living room and has grown from there. Most of the members had no political experience before volunteering for her. "We're just regular people standing up for our kids."
Like McBath in Georgia, Clowney, who is a professor at the University of Arkansas, wants to take on the state's new concealed campus carry law.
In 2013, a bill was passed allowing guns on college campuses, but individual campuses were allowed to opt out at first. Subsequently, almost all of the over 30 campuses in the state opted out "because they know it's a terrible idea," Clowney said. But after many iterations, legislators forced through a bill in 2017 that ended the opt-out option. There are many worrisome parts in it, said Clowney, including that you don't even need to keep a gun holstered. Guns are also now allowed not only on campuses, but in bars, churches, and many other public places in Arkansas.
"Many responsible gun owners say this is a recipe for disaster," Clowney said. Part of her goal is making people recognize that the vast majority of Americans support sensible gun policy (over 90% support universal background checks, including gun owners).
"The more and more out-of-touch the NRA gets, the more extreme their message gets, the more gun owners look at them and say, 'Oh, that's not me, and they're making me look bad.' There's a lot of that happening; there's a lot of discomfort with the message."
Nancy de Pastino, District 91, Montana
At the time of Sandy Hook, 42-year-old de Pastino's daughter Sofia Eve, now 11, was in first grade. "That shooting absolutely broke my heart, but it also opened my eyes to the epidemic of gun violence in this country and the stranglehold the gun lobby has on our legislators," she said.
That's how de Pastino, who also has an 8-year-old son named Zane, started the Montana chapter of Moms Demand Action, and consequently got to know the Montana legislature and gained alliances and friends who care about gun safety. Before running, she worked full-time for Moms Demand Action, managing the group's work in 17 other states after founding the Montana chapter.
She decided to run for office last year because "it was time for a seat at the table," she said. She already had a number of legislative wins under her belt, including an expanded background check ordinance in Missoula, MT, in 2016.
"A lot of running is getting the word out and talking to people about issues they care about, knocking on doors, making phone calls, holding events — that's all stuff we do at Moms Demand Action," she said. "I was very well-prepared."
Working on gun violence prevention in Montana for the past five years, her group has been successful in defeating "every bad bill" that has been brought in the past two legislative sessions — "and that's like 10 bills," she said. A lot of the work she's done is keeping the laws that are already on the books and not letting them get dismantled.
If she wins the seat, she said, she wants to help pass a bill that gets guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, as well as work on suicide prevention — a problem that plagues many rural areas. Montana has the second highest suicide rate in the country.
Like the other candidates, she thinks it's crucial to work with gun owners. "The conversation is so extreme and when you really have one-on-one conversations with people, you realize there's so much more common ground than you give people credit for."
It's with Republican support, she said, that Moms has kept guns away from college campuses, banks, offices, and more in Montana. Guns also aren't allowed in K-12 schools in the state — "not that the gun lobby hasn't tried that... But we have fought those bills super-hard."
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Before today, I would have never considered myself to be a dry-shampoo person. But unlike the way you can categorize dog people versus cat people, or coffee people versus matcha people, I could never find the direct opposite to the second-day hair styler to align myself with. (For the record, I love dogs and coffee.) Then, I met a dry conditioner and everything changed.
Dry conditioners, it should be said, aren't that innovative. In fact, the styler has been around for years. But it never quite exploded onto the scene in the way that dry shampoo did. It seems people love any excuse not to wash their hair. The thing is, though, once you spritz powdery shampoo all over your head to absorb the oil, you've got another problem to deal with one: second-day flyaways. These aren't just regular errant hairs — these stubborn pieces won't be tamed by your strong-hold hairspray. Normally, I throw on a headband and just deal. Or I did, until celebrity hairstylist Ryan Richman (yes, the man who touches Sadie Sink's ponytail) told me to try dry conditioner instead.
Regular conditioner can be heavy and greasy, but Paul Mitchel's Neon Sugar Dry Conditioner is like a weightless, dry version of the bottle of product in your shower. It detangles, softens, and smooths down your wildest strands without making your style look any dirtier than it already is. (And despite the name, it doesn't smell like a pop-star perfume; it's a totally inoffensive baby-powder scent.) It won't sop up a week's worth of grease as well as a dry shampoo, but it'll do the job on day two and three, which is all I really need.
So, the next time someone asks my favorite dry shampoo, I'll say, "Sorry, I'm more of a dry conditioner girl," flip my deceivingly fresh-looking hair, and head to the nearest coffeeshop with my dog in tow — because there's nothing better than puppies, cold brew, and having good hair without ever stepping under the showerhead or blowdryer.
Paul Mitchell Neon Sugar Dry Conditioner, $14.99, available at Paul Mitchell.
We already told you about the excellence that is Monae's other new single, "Make Me Feel," but if you missed "Django Jane," please don't sleep on it. Where "Feel" goes full Prince, "Jane" is about the power inherent in womanhood and Black girl magic. With lyrics like "We gon' start a motherfuckin' pussy riot / Or we gon' have to put 'em on a pussy diet" and "Remember when they used to say I look too mannish / Black girl magic, y'all can't stand it," Monáe is at her most personal and most powerful. And you know I am here for when it she shouts out mansplaining by saying "Let the vagina have a monologue." Masterful wordplay, gorgeous music: this is why 2018 is the year of the woman.
Kacey Musgraves "Space Cowboy"
Kacey Musgraves followed Janelle Monáe's suit and also dropped a pair of double A-side singles this week. Her track "Butterflies" is also worth a spin, but "Space Cowboy" caught my attention because of that play on words. It's part of a trend that's regaining popularity in country music called bent phrasing. Its roots run deep, but the way Musgraves delivers the lines space and cowboy, with an exasperated pause in between, sums up how most of us feel about relationships we know are going nowhere fast. No fences aren't always a good thing, as Musgraves illustrates.
Leikeli47 "Attitude"
On first listen to this song, before seeing the accompanying video, I had visions of RuPaul's Drag Race contestants lip syncing to it in my head. So seeing Leikeli47's video fantasy point to a more muted take of that theme marries the sound with an image. Everything happening here is a love letter to otherness, from the mask to obscure femininity to the embrace of queer dance culture to that Juvenile shout out. The delivery in the chorus also makes me mentally go straight to "It's Britney bitch," both in terms of the plain-spoken reanimation of the word and the dgaf attitude. The tribute within the song to everyone from Grace Jones to Beyonce is icing on the attitude cake.
King Princess "1950"
So you like James Bay, Lorde, and Adele and wish there were a middle ground between all of them? I have to admit, this is one of those songs that appealed to me instantly when I hit play. The musical structure of the chorus makes it so singable. The vulnerability and confidence of the lyrics make it feel like you're living your best life. And the visibility of queer love in a song, with a nod to the days when it was a buried narrative not considered publicly acceptable, is enchanting. Watch out, because this is one of those tracks that sneaks up on you.
Ashley Monroe "Hands on You"
It's been awhile since I heard something sexy come out of country music. They do a lot of things in Nashville, but sex is rarely one of them these days. Ashley Monroe hasn't been one to do what everyone else does though, so it's no surprise that she's the one bucking the system with this piece of hotness. The video is equally not ready for CMT; I'm not even sure you're allowed to show your midriff on that channel. Country radio has a long history of banning songs by female musicians when they talk about sexuality, god I hope that's what Monroe is going for here.
After my first job at MTV working as a music programmer, I can't stop trying to matchmake people with music they might like. So, I wrote a book calledRecord Collecting for Girlsand started interviewing musicians. The Music Concierge is a column where I share music I'm listening to that you might enjoy, with a little context. Follow me on Twitter or Facebook, or leave a comment below and tell me what you're listening to this week.
The gaming landscape and its niche audience have both made major shifts in recent years. Long gone are the days when the industry's "poster image" was a man wearing a headset, hovering around a console. Today's research shows a spike in the smartphone arena, with women downloading and playing games more than ever before. In fact, women now make up nearly half of all mobile gamers combined, according to a study commissioned by Google Play. Putting this into perspective, we got up close and personal with three individuals who helped break down the stigmas female gamers face. Watch below for their unique stories, including how gaming has changed their lives forever.
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Before sex comes foreplay and before foreplay comes forethought: What do I need to do to make sure I'm feeling as hot as possible in the moment? Sure, sometimes, all it takes is watching a random stranger perform a particularly tender rendition of Celine Dion's "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" before you're making out in the back of a karaoke bar. But other times, you need to do a little extra legwork to set the mood.
Ahead, the surprising rituals — from sex-fueled fragrances to baths — that R29 editors swear make the act that much better.
Remove All Traces Of Makeup
"I've had sex a few times with makeup on. In fact, I used to do a full-blown beauty routine before getting into bed with my ex-boyfriend. But at some point along the way, I got sick of my foundation sweating off and making my pimples, scars, and dark circles look even worse. So eventually, I made a pact with myself to never do something like that again. I'd rather be covered in my favorite night oil (this one from Sunday Riley is the one I always reach for) while hooking up than worry about my mascara smudging somewhere it shouldn't. Because at the end of the day, the person I'm with probably won't last forever, but at least my healthy skin slathered in the most luxe serums and creams will." — Sam Sasso, beauty writer
Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Oil, $105, available at Sephora.
Draw A Bath
"What makes me feel sexiest isn't wearing scented lingerie or a pair of 4-inch stilettos, but a bathing suit and Banana Boat sunscreen — so long as it smells like coconuts and I'm on the beach, in a lounge chair, with a piña colada in hand. So while I've never been much of a bath person, this powdery soak is the closest thing I get to that in the concrete jungle of NYC. Thirty minutes in the tub and all of a sudden, I'm revved up and ready to go. (Although, I do always make sure to hop out first — everyone knows water sex is only good for juicy Bachelor episodes.)" — Kelsey Castañon, senior beauty writer
Herbivore Botanicals Coconut Milk Bath Soak, $18, available at Dermstore.
Just Add Gloss
"Unless I've got my favorite primer and a mean pencil on, my mattes don’t stand a chance during… uh, stuff. So, during Netflix (you know, before the chilling), I swipe on a good nude gloss. It doesn't stain, doesn't get all over my guy, and I don't have to stress out about applying it perfectly. Because eventually, it's coming off, anyway." — Khalea Underwood, beauty writer
Mented Cosmetics Gloss For Grown Ups Lip Gloss in Baby Brown, available at Mented Cosmetics.
Stay Smooth
"I, like many individuals who shave their legs, have become lazier about this (kinda silly) practice as I've gotten older. That is, I rarely even do it unless I'm wearing a dress, and even then it's a knee-down, soap-and-water kind of situation. That being said, I do put a little extra effort in when the mood calls for it. Who knew shaving cream and taking my time to shave could go from a teenage daily ritual to something reserved for special occasions." — Lexy Lesback, senior beauty editor
Gillette Venus Swirl Women's Razor, $12.97, available at Jet.
Spritz Some Perfume
"My boyfriend and I are pretty spontaneous, so it's not often that I have time to do much before sex. But when I do, I love spraying my favorite perfume in my hair. That way I don't sweat the scent off my skin in the first few seconds, and it keeps the mood going. Obviously there are fragrances specifically made for hair, but I stick to my go-to Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb because I like it. Luckily, he does too — especially when we're just chilling in bed afterward and he gets a whiff." — Jen Anderson, lifestyle writer
Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb, $115, available at Sephora.
Swipe Right
"I have slept in my makeup all but one time in my life, and to this day I shudder just thinking about it. I just hate the feeling of getting in bed with makeup on, partly because my sheets are white, and also because who can get comfy with a full face of makeup on? So, as you can probably imagine, my preference is to at least wipe off foundation before any heavy petting." — Mi Anne Chan, beauty writer
Honest Beauty Refreshingly Clean Makeup Remover Wipes, $9.99, available at Target.
Embolden Yourself — & Your Brows
"Yes, I'm a beauty writer, but I barely (and rarely) wear a full face of makeup. However, the one thing that I’m particular about are my brows. I don’t leave a two-block radius without brushing my ’em up and filling them in with this tinted gel that stays on forever, so why would I hit the sack without it? And when I say that it stays on, I really do mean it. I’ve done one too many walks of shames with my dignity missing, but my arches still intact the next morning." — Underwood
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Despite all of the boot trends that have tried to woo us over the past year — from sneaker-boots, to slouchy boots, to the inescapable sock boots — there's one style we still run home to every time: the lace-up boot. Because the badass, moto-inspired look never goes out of style.
Fortunately, there's no shortage of lace-up boots on the market. Whether it's a classic Dr. Marten or a fresh, platform variation of the silhouette, the lace-up boot looks just as good with leggings and a tee as it does a dress and trench coat, which might be why it withstands the fleeting trends that come and go season after season (that, and they're actually practical for winter conditions).
Since the lace-up boot isn't just another fad (it's here to stay!) click ahead to add one — or three — to your arsenal. Because once you do, the only thing you'll be wondering is why it took you so long.
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You always remember your first tattoo — whether it's something you planned for months, years, or even just a few minutes. Making the decision to get inked can be emotional, thrilling, and might even signify an important event, relationship, or life stage. Or it can be purely aesthetic with no sentimental value — it's up to you.
We talked to 19 people who made the jump from bare skin to getting inked for the very first time. There are stories of love, hardship, faith, rebellion — and even a few inside jokes. Read their personal stories, ahead, and then share your own experience in the comments below.
*Entries have been edited for clarity
“It's a matching tattoo with my best friend: My BFF4L. We got them at 17 to be rebellious and confirm our best friendship in ink, of course! We saved up pocket change all summer and that day, we cashed it in at the penny arcade and we each had enough to get this tiny tattoo for $80 each — it was totally worth it!!”
— Kristyn
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
“I wanted to get over my fear of needles, and honor a big life transition. It's an homage to Louise Brooks and moving to NYC when I was 24 (this was 1999). I picked Louise because I personally love the silent film era (and I've been wearing a '20s bob for eons). She was also an incredibly strong willed, determined, intelligent, and wildly talented woman with a biting wit. I find her inspiring.”
— Julia
Photo: Courtesy of Julia.
“I remember when I decided to go in for my first tattoo. I brought in a sketch of a cherry blossom my friend drew for me — I held onto it for a year deciding on whether this was what I really wanted. On impulse one day when I was 18, I decided I had to do it. I brought that same friend with me for emotional support (I was terrified of needles).
"Spent about an hour before the tattoo freaking out, and then another hour totally calm while getting it. It's a cherry blossom with flowing petals on my ribcage/side boob. It's my mom's favorite tree, and we had one in our backyard when I was growing up. There is something really beautiful and comforting about it for me. I remember telling myself this would be the only tattoo I'd ever get. Five later... guess not?”
— Dasha
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
“My tattoo is a woman's face with a mask coming off of her. I got it as a gift to myself at 22 for graduating college and to celebrate the woman I came to be. I actually didn't know what the design was going to be until the day I got it — I had found an artist I really liked on Instagram and, a few DMs later, he agreed to do a custom piece for me. His one rule, however, was that clients weren't able to preview the art until the day of their appointment. This made me incredibly anxious, but also relieved — because unless I really hated it, I had to say yes!
"The added complication in this scenario was also that this artist worked at a shop in Lyon, France, and I planned to stop over there during my post-college graduation trip to Europe. My parents had no idea, and I told them I was visiting Lyon for the cuisine (lol). So, to go all the way to France just for a tattoo that I had no idea what it was going to look like was definitely a risk, but I trusted the artist and his portfolio of work. Needless to say it went well, and I still love my tattoo to this day!”
— Zoe
Photo: Courtesy of Zoe.
“My Dad wouldn't let me pierce my face and told me to get a tattoo instead. Growing up, I wanted to be a professional photographer, so at 18 I decided to get a 35mm on my back.”
— Samantha
Photo: Courtesy of Samantha.
“So, I'm bi-racial — half Black and half Puerto Rican — and went through a lot of identity issues growing up. I always felt a need to prove both my Blackness as well as my Latina-ness, but the Black part came a little easier based on where I grew up, in Maryland, where there are very few Latinos. So I always went to the extreme to show my Latina pride... including with a tattoo that reads "Boricua." With a crown over it. On my pelvis, right above my vagina. Yep.
"Back then [at 18] I was young so I wanted it somewhere I could easily hide it from my parents. I wouldn't be able to show this on camera because of where it's placed (I also got it from a not-so-great college tattoo parlor artist, so it hasn't worn well over the years) but I am totally down to talk about it, LOL! I don't regret it at all because that's the place I was in in my life, and I'll always have the funny story. But a crown... what was I thinking?!”
— Arianna
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
“Elephants are my favorite animal, because they've always seemed to be lucky for me. I have them all over my apartment, and I always knew that my first tattoo would be one. So I found an artist that I loved on Instagram and set up an appointment with her in her private studio. She does stick-and-poke tattoos, which initially scared me. But the process was amazing. I brought my friend along with me for support, but my artist made me feel at ease immediately. We lit some candles, listened to New Order, and in 20 minutes I had my 'lil elephant. Afterwards, we went out for margaritas and tacos. I couldn't have asked for a better first tattoo experience.
"It was my 25th birthday present to myself. I'd been planning on getting tattooed since I was 16, but I wanted to wait until I was 100% sure that this was what I wanted. The ribcage placement was an obvious choice for me. I wanted people to be able to see it when I wanted them to, but I also wanted to be able to conceal it when I needed. Everyone thought I was nuts for going for the ribs first, but I was determined! Since then I've gotten more conspicuous tattoos, but this was a good first spot.”
— Maria
Photo: Courtesy of Maria.
“I was just learning what the astrology signs meant, and I really identified with mine — the Aries sign — so I wanted to be a lil’ bad ass and get one. I was 16 (illegal)... but I own my sign.”
— Emma
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
“It's Keelish, ‘By the homeworld I wish to see one day.’ The phrase meant a lot to me and it's from my favorite series of video games, Mass Effect. I was 25.”
— Rachel
Photo: Courtesy of Rachel.
“It’s my husband’s nickname... he has the matching one with mine. I got it at 22.”
— Kara
Photo: Courtesy of Kara.
“It was a funny joke between my mom and I. When I was younger, I was a really picky eater. I did not enjoy eating at all, but when the pineapple came into season, I made my mom buy a pineapple a week. I would eat it so quickly, it was insane.
"One random day when I was 18, I told my mom that I'm going to have a pineapple permanently show up on me. She rolled her eyes and said, 'Yeah okay,' but then I came home with a small tattoo of a pineapple. She wasn't mad at all, she actually laughed. And now we have a funny memory together of my picky eating habits. Now I will always have a fun story to tell about my first tattoo and a sweet memory with my best friend: my mom.”
— Emily
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
“I had been wanting one since high school and was begging my sister to take me since I turned 18. We went to a local tattoo parlor behind a gas station (of all places), and I got it done before work. In hindsight, it was a terrible idea. I then had to work a full shift with my pants rubbing against the tattoo.
"At the time I wanted something that would convey my wild child spirit and I thought I was headed towards a career in music. So when I saw a heart with horns with the option to put RockStar in a banner across it, I went for it!"
— Asha
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
“I was 18. It shows that my mother is an angel watching over me. I got it to have something to remember my mother by, that will always be with me wherever I go.”
— Kendle
Photo: Courtesy of Kendle.
“I've wanted a tattoo since I was 3 years old, but modifying any part of my body was a big problem for my mom. Luckily, my aunt would indulge me when my mom wouldn't. I took a long time to figure out what I was going to get first. While I could've gone with something simple or something cute, I decided to honor the biggest influence in my life and my biggest supporter: my mom.
"I chose to have her name inked on me mere days after I turned 18, lying to her about where I was going with my aunt and even wearing thick sweatpants to hide it until my birthday party. There, in front of all my friends and family, I rolled up my pant leg and Mom immediately burst into tears (of joy, thankfully). She was touched that I would get something so permanent, and it later prompted her to finally get some ink of her own.”
— Valis
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
“I got my tropical hibiscus flower tattoo at 18 to show my love for not only the flower, but also my love for the tropical life, beaches, and sun along with all my family that lives in Southern Florida. Also, of how far along I have come with my severe Vitamin D deficiency, and seasonal depression — from being bullied in high school, to personally struggling day in and day out with it. I always have my beautiful favorite flower by my side, reminding me that where the sun may shine, that I'll shine with it."
— Lauren
Photo: Courtesy of Lauren.
“Infinity signs were super trendy at the time, and I knew I wanted to make a connection to my faith and heritage... so why not combine them all? My tattoo says “wiara,” which means “faith” in Polish. I wanted to do something rebellious, mostly. I had been wanting a tattoo for a year and got it at 19 — it seemed so cool.”
— Lauren
Photo: Courtesy of Lauren.
“The first tattoo I ever got is always the last one I mention or show people when I go down my list of permanent ink. Of my 11 tattoos, it’s probably the most poorly executed piece of art. It was my 16 birthday when my mother and I walked into the tattoo shop that we chose, because it was conveniently located a couple blocks away from our apartment on Chicago’s southwest side. After months of waiting to make good on my mom’s promise for this 'sweet' birthday, I left the shop with Winnie the Pooh smiling from my left calf.
"During my teen years, your favorite cartoon character was a part of your individuality. It was on the same footing as your Zodiac and, if you’re from Chicago, the high school you went to. I found Pooh to be cute and funny. He was also one of the few fat and happy beings in the media landscape, and I loved him for it at a time where I was still only pretending to be that way. When I finally started tapping into my own confidence in my early 20s, the tattoo started to feel more and more like a mistake. I hated that his belly was kind of square-shaped and his eyes are clearly uneven.
"Thanks to the internet and another adult friend who loved the creatures of the Hundred Acre Woods just as much as I did, I did a deep dive into the larger themes and meanings behind Winnie the Pooh. From there, the comparisons between the fictional bear and I felt more meaningful than ever, especially since I felt like I needed them so much. The themes of love, friendships, confidence, and even spiritual growth have served as an inspiration. And I think I have the perfect idea to get my tattoo fixed and improved, not covered."
— Sesali
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
“I got a matching tattoo with my best friend at 18. It was right after we graduated high school and we'd been thinking of getting matching ones for awhile and we also wanted to do something slightly rebellious without our parents knowing. So the night of graduation, we stayed up looking for ideas, and we eventually decided on sun and moon tattoos. The next morning we took her mom’s car and drove to the tattoo parlor. We were so scared, but now we both have five tattoos each and can't stop getting them! It's such a loving memory to look back on now.”
— Ashlee
Photo: Courtesy of Ashlee.
“My first tattoo is a simple, black-line Earth with outlines of most of the continents. I had always wanted a tattoo, but could never find one that I loved and wanted to commit to. I chose this tattoo because everything I have ever loved, do love, and will ever love has been, is, or will be on the Earth. By getting an Earth tattoo, not only am I paying tribute to my more boho, nature-loving side, I’m also paying tribute to my family, friends, pets, and my love of travel.
"I chose to get my first tattoo in Iceland, when I was 22, to commemorate my first trip outside of the United States. I fell in love with Iceland, and it has since become a sort of part of me. My trip and my experiences there were nothing short of magical. Having this tattoo is my way of carrying Iceland and my memories of that trip around with me throughout my day-to-day life.”
— Sarah
Photo: Courtesy of Sarah.
“My 27-year-old friend died very suddenly when I was 18. I had just gone away to college so I wasn’t even in the same city as her when she passed, so when I went home for her funeral, I got inked. She had lots of tattoos so I figured it would be a great way to pay tribute to her.
"I got orchids because they were her favorite flower, and a vase to signify that I’d never forget about her.”
— Bri
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
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If you're the sort of traveler who swears by intense comparison shopping, price alerts, and only purchasing flights at midnight during a full moon cycle, consider this a warning: Airlines have found yet another way to keep you on your toes when it comes to getting the best value for your ticket.
As Travel + Leisure reports, the future of air travel could soon see the widespread introduction of "dynamic pricing," which would mean that different passengers pay different fares — and not just for the usual upgrades like extra legroom or business class seating.
Demand-based dynamic, or surge, pricing isn't necessarily new. It's why airlines hike up the cost of flights during major holidays and peak travel times, and why Uber users pay twice as much for a ride during rush hour. But now airlines — some of which, according to Travel Weekly, have already implemented this system — are setting fares according to a passenger's personal flight history.
Say the person in 31D is a frequent flyer who enjoys cashing in miles for the occasional free flight. Over in 44F might be a new customer traveling for fun; he or she might have more flexibility in terms of travel dates and even destinations, and can thus spend more time on comparison shopping. And in 22A is a businessperson whose flight will be covered by a corporate card, with an upgrade or two possibly thrown in. For them, it's about getting from point A to point B efficiently, whatever the cost.
An airline just needs the passenger's IP address to be privy to all this information. Dynamic pricing software sets fare pricing according to an individual's search history, from which they create a personalized flight profile. That profile dictates what a passenger would pay, with loyalty program members and those traveling for leisure rather than business potentially enjoying lower fares. Thus, the person in 22A might pay more than those in 31D or 44F, and nobody's the wiser.
The purpose of dynamic pricing is, predictably, to boost revenue for airlines. Unfortunately, budget-minded travelers who rely on tried-and-true cost-saving hacks might get lost in the process.
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On Friday, model, actress, and Queen of Instagram Stories, Emily Ratajkowski wed actor and producer Sebastian Bear-McClard. The newlyweds made it official in a civil ceremony at City Hall in Manhattan.
In a series of three photos shared in her Insta stories, Ratajkowski revealed, “Soooo, I have a surprise, I got married today.” In the first photo, we see Ratajkowski rocking a pantsuit in a bold shade of 2018’s “new millennial pink. ” Though, the best part? The suit reportedly cost $200. Ratajkowski's double-breasted jacket costs $129, while the matching flared trousers are $69.90.
The mustard-yellow number is also reportedly from Zara and the cut, with its plunging neckline, is quite reminiscent of the iconic number Bianca Jagger wore when she wed Mick Jagger in the ‘70s (you know the one). 'Atta girl.
While revealing one’s new marital status via Insta stories may seem like a low-key rollout for such a milestone (especially for a big name celebrity), let’s not forget Ratajkowski has the most-viewed stories on Instagram —more than the Kardashian-Jenners and yes, more than the Hadid sisters.
With more than 16 million followers, it’s only right such a moment was shared on the platform she pretty much owns. In a 2016 essay for Lenny titled “Baby Woman,” the model explained that she utilizes Instagram "to make her mark on the topic of feminism.”
Little is known as to when the she and Bear-McClard officially began dating. Though they have were spotted together previously in December attending a Knicks game. As for Bear-McClard, little is also known about him.
According to IMDB, he’s produced indie films like Good Time (2017), which starred Robert Pattinson and Heaven Knows What(2014).
I, like most of us, frequently have to get ready in a pinch in the morning. Just the other day my bathroom was out of commission, I'd had one too many glasses of wine the night before, and my cat kept me up until 3 a.m. meowing incessantly at the birds living outside my apartment window.
Needless to say, I needed something that would make me look like someone who has proper access to a quiet bedroom and a working bathroom — and I was running late. I don't often reach for new products when I'm pressed for time, but for some reason I gravitated toward Laura Mercier's Flawless Fusion concealer. As you might guess, I'm glad I did.
The concealer — which is brand-spanking-new and comes in 12 shades — is blendable, yet opaque, dewy, yet comfortable, and leaves a skin-like finish that doesn't feel or look like heavy makeup. It has the power of the brand's cult classic Secret Camouflage concealer (a two-pan cream concealer that I find cumbersome to use daily), but with a dewy finish that's easier to use on the go. It also has a plush, flexible applicator that makes it easy to dab all over the face without having to re-dip for more.
Earlier this afternoon my coworker Sam Sasso described my skin as "glowy, but not in an oily way" — the seven words an oily-skinned individual revels in hearing. Now, I know this entire ordeal means I have only tried this thing a few times, but if it performs this well on one of my skin's worst days, then I'm sold.
Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer, $28, available at Laura Mercier.
Welcome toMoney Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last dollar.
Today, as part ofYour Spending In Your State: an executive recruiter working in professional services who makes $80,000 per year and spends some of her paycheck on a pair of black Vince Camuto booties.
Occupation: Executive Recruiter Industry: Professional Services Age: 26 Location: Austin, TX Salary: $80,000. (Plus ~$20,000 in bonuses paid out as I reach milestones on my projects at work.) Paycheck (2x/month): $2,485.69
Monthly Expenses Rent: $947.50. (I live in a two-bedroom apartment in South Austin with my boyfriend. We split the rent evenly.) Student Loan Payment: $300 Auto Loan Payment: $379.48 Phone Bill: $57.84. (I'm on a family plan with my boyfriend.) Utilities, Netflix & Internet: $0. (I have an agreement with my boyfriend where he pays the bills and I pay for all our groceries. It more or less evens out.) Health & Dental Insurance: $8.92 pre-tax
Additional Expenses Auto Insurance: $515 for six months Renter's Insurance: $229/year
Day One
7:15 a.m. — I wake up way later than usual and struggle to keep my eyes open. I got plenty of sleep, but I'm still exhausted because my boyfriend and I have had family in town (including his daughter) for the last week. This morning, I'm dropping off my parents and sister at the airport before I resume my regularly scheduled life. After scrolling through Facebook and Instagram and playing Word With Friends, I finally get out of bed. I bundle up because it is unusually cold outside (29 degrees! In Austin!), and greet my boyfriend and dog. I down a chocolate protein shake with a little cinnamon added in for flavor and then pick up my family from their hotel and drive 20 minutes to the airport. I'll miss them once they're gone, but for now I'm ready for a few days of normalcy post-holidays.
9:45 a.m. — Traffic wasn't too bad this morning and I make it home at a reasonable hour and start my work day. I work from home, so my schedule is pretty flexible. That said, I have a heavy workload at the moment and I'm motivated to wrap up some of my current projects before new ones are added. Not to mention that reaching project milestones means more monthly bonuses for me and getting closer to my goal of becoming debt-free by the end of the year. (I'm using Dave Ramsey's debt snowball method.) One things I love about my job is that I have uncapped earning potential. With my current workload, at a minimum, I will earn $95,000 in total comp for the year, but I expect that it will be more based on last year's numbers.
12 p.m. — My boyfriend and I need to make a grocery run so that I can make chili for dinner tonight. Ideally, this would have already been prepared in time for today's lunch, but I didn't have time to shop while the family was in town. I buy gas at Circle K on the way there. I can't believe it's gone up almost $0.20/gallon in one week! $20.06
12:30 p.m. — We head to Target where we pick up two bell peppers, two cans of black beans, eggs, almond milk, and sparkling water. This will only hold us over for a day or so, but the longer shopping trip will have to wait. We stop at the Starbucks in the shopping plaza (the one at Target is always understaffed with a huge line), and I pick up the trenta unsweetened black iced tea that I've ordered on my app. It's usually $3.19 but I pay with a gift card my friend gave me for Christmas. $16.51
1:30 p.m. — Back home, I bake some of the chicken tenders that we bought for my boyfriend's daughter in the toaster oven. While they are cooking, I buy a pair of black Vince Camuto booties that I've had my eye on and two pairs of fleece-lined tights from Nordstrom online. I might have to go to NYC on a business trip at the end of the month, and my old black boots finally died after a recent trip to London. $162.27
5 p.m. — I call it a day and head to the kitchen to eat a bowl of the chili that I put on to simmer after lunch. I somehow forgot to buy half of the ingredients that I needed, but it tastes good anyway. My boyfriend and I decide to stay in and watch Netflix tonight. I play games on my iPad, and we go to bed around 9:30.
Daily Total: $198.84
Day Two
7:30 a.m. — Slept in late again! I must have been seriously wiped from last week. I get out of bed, throw on comfy pajamas, and down a protein shake. I forgot to add cinnamon, so it's pretty gross. I crack open the new bottle of mineral oil that I ordered last week from Williams Sonoma, and apply it to my wooden cutting board. It makes an immediate and noticeable difference in the appearance and texture of the wood. I leave it on the counter to soak in and plan to add another coat later. I head to my home office to begin the work day.
11 a.m. – I get confirmation that our managing partner does, in fact, want me to come to the NYC office at the end of the month, so I book my flight and hotel. Delta has a convenient direct flight to JFK for less than $300, so I book that and pay a premium for preferred aisle seats. I log in to my boyfriend's Starwood Preferred Guest account (he has platinum status and gets better rates) to book my hotel. I find a great deal on a hotel ($440.51) that's just a short walk from my office, and book it. ($775.11 expensed)
12:30 p.m. — Leftover chili for lunch with mandarin flavored sparkling water.
4 p.m. — Today is a very busy workday full of candidate calls, planning, and writing bios for a client deliverable that is due tomorrow. I resolve to finish half of them today and do the offer half in the morning.
6 p.m. — Leftover chili for dinner and boyfriend and I catch up on Fixer Upper before bed.
Daily Total: $0
Day Three
7 a.m. — I'm slowly creeping back toward my normal 6:30 a.m. wakeup time. Perhaps my internal clock will reset over the weekend. For now, I forgo my usual phone scroll and hop out of bed to get dressed right away. My boyfriend (who also works from home) and I are planning to check out the H-E-B near our apartment this morning to determine if it will fit our grocery needs. We just moved to Austin a couple of weeks ago and have yet to find our go-to grocery store. I down my protein shake, drink a glass of water, and make myself a mug of tea before working on a request that my boss sent me late last night. I finish up those emails and we head out to the store.
9 a.m. — Oh man, I'm starving! In the car on the way back from the store, I eat pepperoni slices that we bought at the deli and drink a bottle of unsweetened iced tea. The store was kind of a bust (we only eat organic and they didn't have a great selection) so we left with just a few staple items: black and cannellini beans, canned tomatoes, baby carrots, bell peppers, avocados, chipotle hummus, baby spinach, deli meats, chicken stock, pistachios, a rotisserie chicken, and my iced tea. The search for the perfect store continues. $98.44
11 a.m. — Scrounge around in the kitchen for lunch; end up eating a bowl of rotisserie chicken and baby carrots.
5 p.m. — Another very busy day at work. Everything that was pushed out for the holidays is coming back to haunt me. I spent three hours finishing up a report to send to one of our clients, made some calls, and call it a day promptly at 4. My company does early release every Friday, which is one of my favorite perks. We ate the last of the chili yesterday, so tonight I make beef stir fry with broccoli, bell peppers, and onions. I buy all of our beef from Crowd Cow (super cool online company that lets you buy "shares" of a cow from a local farm), and one order usually lasts the better part of a month. In late December, I placed a huge order for steaks, a roast for Christmas, stew meat, stir fry pieces, and 14 pounds of ground beef that we're still working our way through.
Daily Total: $98.44
Day Four
7 a.m. — Saturday is here! I've been looking forward to today all week as we're taking our dog to her first ever Vizsla meet up. There will be 20-plus dogs of the same breed for her to run around and play with. I'm curious to see if a lot of her behaviors are breed traits that will be mirrored in the other dogs. I quickly get dressed, down a protein shake and a few slices of bacon that my boyfriend prepared, and get ready to head out. The meet-up is at a dog park on the far side of town so we leave a little early to give ourselves time to get lost. We pull into a Starbucks drive-through on the way for an order of egg white sous vide bites and a trenta unsweetened iced green tea. My remaining gift card balance won't cover the $8.55 needed to pay for this order, so I load $30 onto my card. $30
11 a.m. — The meet-up was so fun! There were a ton of Vizlas, and it was so cool to watch them all run around together. Our dog passes out as soon as we get into the car, and we drive straight home. I eat a bowl of rotisserie chicken and carrots for lunch.
4 p.m. — We met with two dog sitters from Rover today, and found a great sitter for when we're away visiting family next month. I book the stay on our drive home, and Rover immediately bills it to my card. $160.50
6 p.m. — Dinner was fun to prepare tonight as it was my first time using the spiralizer that my boyfriend got me for Christmas. I made zucchini noodles with chicken in a lemon garlic brown butter sauce. It was delicious and there was a little bit leftover for another meal!
Daily Total: $190.50
Day Five
9 a.m. — I'm meeting up with a girl from Bumble BFF at the dog park for a puppy playdate. I get up, bundle up for the cold weather, down my protein shake, and head out to the park.
11 a.m. — OMG. I got stood up! This has never happened to me before. It's such a weird feeling! My dog and I meet some other dog owners and dogs at the park and have fun anyway. I pull into the drive-through at Starbucks on my way home and use my free drink reward to purchase my go-to iced tea. I get home and heat up leftovers for lunch.
1 p.m. — As part of our plan to get serious with our finances, my boyfriend and I each bought a three-month gift subscription to MoviePass for Christmas to maximize our "fun money." For the $30 that we both spent, we can see a new movie in theaters every day for the next three months for no additional cost. We just received our cards in the mail this week, and today we've decided to test them out for the first time. We go to the Cinemark by our house to see the latest Star Wars movie.
4 p.m. — The movie is a lot of fun! We decide to pop into Sam's Club afterward to see if it makes sense for us to buy a membership. The main benefit would be the discount on gas that we'd receive as members, since my boyfriend's car requires premium fuel. We explore for 30 minutes and decide to do it.
6 p.m. — I make dinner (lentil pasta with a beef and veggie sauce), and we watch TV for a few hours before bed.
Daily Total: $0
Day Six
7 a.m. — Up and out of bed promptly this morning. I drink my protein shake and settle in at my desk. Today is going to be extremely busy, and I'm planning to cut out early to meet another match from Bumble BFF. I have an urgent request from my boss for a project and I dive into that first.
11 a.m. — Leftover pasta for lunch and back to churning out emails for the next few hours.
3:30 p.m. — Wrap up a great call with a fabulous candidate, send a note to my boss letting him know, and then shut down my laptop for the day. I quickly primp before leaving to meet my new Bumble BFF in downtown Austin.
6:30 p.m. — The meeting is a success! We share a lot of the same views on relationships and the world. Definitely a keeper. I order one skinny margarita and a trio of tacos for dinner. We each pay our own tabs, and agree to get together again soon before leaving. $20
9 p.m. — I turn in early and browse the web on my iPad before going to sleep.
Daily Total: $20
Day Seven
7 a.m. — I guess this is my new wakeup time. I play Words With Friends in bed and check Instagram before getting up and hopping in the shower. Afterward, I drink a glass of water, put water in the tea kettle to boil for my morning tea, and drink a protein shake. I'm feeling extra hungry today so I also microwave three slices of bacon. Work continues to be pretty busy. This morning, I focus on finally clearing out my inbox post-holiday, and take a couple of calls.
11 a.m. — Lunch time rolls around, and I remember that I was planning another experiment for lunch and dinner today. I am attempting to make pasta e fagioli soup with lentil pasta but what comes out definitely isn't soup. It smells and tastes pretty good, though. I suppose I'm going to strike out sometimes when trying new recipes. Gotta keep at it to diversify our menu.
1 p.m. — My boyfriend and I are visiting his grandparents in Northern California next month and were originally planning to stop in Napa for a couple of days, too, but we ended up canceling our hotel reservation to save money. We're kind of regretting that decision, so my boyfriend checks his Starwood Preferred Guest points balance and we have just enough to stay in Napa for two nights for free, so we book it. We each buy a $75 ticket for the release party for Silver Oak 2013 Napa Cabernet and call it our Valentine's gifts to each other. We also have a membership to one of the wineries up there that includes a free tasting whenever we visit, so it should be a pretty budget-friendly trip. $75
4 p.m. — I have a craving for Starbucks and I convince my boyfriend to go with me. I order my iced tea through the mobile app. The cost is deducted from my remaining gift card balance. My boyfriend doesn't want anything, but drives me there anyway. That's real love!
6 p.m. — We both heat up leftovers for dinner, and watch a few episodes of Travelers on Netflix before going to bed.
Daily Total: $75
Money Diaries are meant to reflect individual women's experiences and do not necessarily reflect Refinery29's point of view. Refinery29 in no way encourages illegal activity or harmful behavior.
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