Passover starts this Friday, March 30, and celebrates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian enslavement over 3,000 years ago. We spoke with Rabbi Yael Rapport, of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York City, to learn more about the traditions of the holiday and why it's still as relevant as ever.
Passover celebrations call on worshippers "to actually enact portions of the children of Israel’s story at your own table, surrounded by family and friends," Rabbi Rapport tells us, describing the Passover seder, the meal held on the first and second nights of the seven to eight day-long holiday.
A traditional seder consists of 15 components, or steps, that must be done in sequence — Rabbi Rapport explains that the word "seder" literally translates to "order," underlining the ritual importance of the meal. These steps and the full Passover story are found in the Haggadah, the book used to guide the seder. And, according to Rabbi Rapport, the retelling of this story is highly interactive.
During the seder, "you’re not just sitting there, receiving the story," she says. "You’re dipping [vegetables], you’re leaning, you’re reclining, you’re asking, you're searching." Along with blessing the meal and breaking the matzah (unleavened bread), one of the key components in the seder is asking the Four Questions, which start with, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" and leads into the retelling of the Israelite's Exodus from Egypt.
Foods traditionally eaten during the seder represent different themes from the Passover story, such as the maror (bitter herbs) and charoset (a mixture of apples, nuts, and spices), which capture the bitterness of the Israelite's enslavement and the sweetness of their freedom, respectively. "It’s so important that neither sweetness nor bitterness is diminished in this experience," Rabbi Rapport says. "You don’t just tell the good parts of the story, and you don’t just tell the sad parts of the story."
The seder ends when the children at the table find the afikomen, or the piece of matzah that was hidden prior to the start of the meal. Although the seder is the most significant Passover celebration, Rabbi Rapport says that some people keep observing the holiday after the second night by continuing to avoid leavened breads and reflecting on absent or deceased loved ones. (Of course, like all religious holidays, different people celebrate it to different degrees, so not everyone observes Passover to the letter. There are many other ways observant Jews celebrate Passover that aren't included here.)
But, it's in expressing gratitude for the freedoms they enjoy every day that people can truly bring the spirit of Passover into their own lives. Rabbi Rapport tells us this call to help the less fortunate is part of the seder itself: "We say, 'let all who are hungry come and eat.' As we have this lavish and lengthy dinner party, we are supposed to open our doors to the poor... It’s very common for Jewish communities and families to donate to an organization that goes toward feeding the hungry."
At its core, Passover is a celebration of hard-won freedom from oppression and a reminder not to take that for granted. As Rabbi Rapport says, it's a story that you can "bring into your heart and your own experience."
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This Sunday, April 1, eggs will be dyed and pastels will be worn. But, Easter Sunday, as it's known in Christianity, is actually considered the most important and sacred Sunday of the entire year. It marks the anniversary of Jesus' resurrection and ascension to heaven — and observing this holiday can teach Christians a lot more about faith than bunnies.
Easter arrives at the end of Holy Week and right after Good Friday, which commemorates Jesus' crucifixion and death. Where Good Friday is essentially a day of mourning, Easter celebrates Jesus' evasion of death. It's not uncommon for Christians to greet each other by saying "Christ has risen" in the same way they'd say "Merry Christmas."
This greeting doesn't just acknowledge the belief that Jesus rose from his grave. It's also used as a confirmation of faith. The Bible states that if Jesus hadn't risen, Christian preaching and faith would have been "in vain" or even "empty." In other words, the belief that Christians have in Jesus' divinity is rooted in the moment of his resurrection.
Without that part of the Easter story, Jesus simply dies and that's it. According to the Bible, Jesus' death was a sacrifice for the sins of others, but his resurrection represents something even more powerful: the potential for rebirth, salvation, and renewal of faith.
That's why Easter celebrations are preceded by Lent (a time of abstinence and penance), the Easter Vigil (when new believers are baptised), and, sometimes, the sacrament of confession. After a season of shedding bad habits and resisting temptations, Easter is the perfect opportunity for Christians to recommit to their beliefs.
So, despite the pastel-colored decorations and kids' games, Easter is a pretty serious holiday at its core. It celebrates Christians' belief in the divine power of Jesus and the hope that loss leads to something new. This doesn't mean it's all gloom and doom, but Easter definitely calls for some solemn reflection among observant Christians. Luckily, many are able to make time for church services and an egg hunt or two.
Editor's note: The headline on this story has been updated.
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According to a recent study (by Wink Slots, but stay with me), 60% of 18-30 year olds have a lucky pair of pants. The irony is twofold: 1) we’re supposedly having less sex than our hedonistic elders, and 2) collectively, at least if the headlines are anything to go by, we’re an unlucky bunch. Everything from our mental health to our careers to our chances on the property ladder are supposedly blighted, and yet we’re prepared to believe in the power of our pants. The stat is only 24% for the population as a whole, so you have to wonder if our generation is simply grasping for good fortune wherever we can find it. (We also believe more in astrology than Gen-Xers, so it makes sense.) Call it delusion or a latter-day hippie revolution, but when your life path feels so uncertain, it’s unsurprising we want to follow the path of the stars instead.
Asking around, I quickly get confirmation that even those too cynical for horoscopes (typical Capricorns) still get superstitious about clothes. We need to wear that perfect dress, those favorite socks, or everything will fall apart. Sometimes, luck is mixed up with Sod’s law (“I will always buy a new pair of black tights for any important meeting,” says Susie. “Failure to do so equals certain disaster.”) But sometimes it’s less tangible than that. Clothes equal confidence, and they so often feel tightly bound with our successes and failures. The wrong outfit can make us feel awkward and discombobulated all day, while the right one can be an instant mood boost.
“I must have at least 10 little black dresses, but there's one I bought 12 or 15 years ago that still feels really special for me,” says journalist Faith Eckersall. “I was up for a writing award and early for lunch with a friend, so I popped into a shop. The dress stood out immediately because it was so classy; georgette fabric, cut loosely with sheer, slightly balloon style sleeves, and the most wonderful soft, drape-y bow at the neckline. It cost £60 and I won the writing award. I wore it to several other ceremonies and won awards at those too, so it started to feel like a 'lucky' dress. I honestly feel like nothing bad can happen while I'm wearing it.”
As a logicist (or in millennial parlance, a ‘Well, Actually’) might point out, it really works the other way round. When good things happen, the clothes we’re wearing feel lucky because they have positive associations, which then put us in a better frame of mind next time we wear them. Or, as a spokesperson from the study puts it, “for many, these lucky garments carry lots of history and fond memories, hence why their owners feel that they bring prosperity. Possessing a lucky charm can bring its owner luck by boosting confidence and lifting spirits, resulting in better decision making.” While a positive frame of mind might not stop us failing our driving test or dropping coffee in our crotch, it does mean we’re more able to laugh off those setbacks when we do.
Anna, a university lecturer, and her friend Sarah coined the phrase ‘good day dress’ to sum up the phenomenon. “Mine’s a palm/firework print sack-like number and hers is a perfect drapey black midi,” she says. “I wear mine whenever I'm scared, e.g. my first day of teaching and through many, many conference papers.” Sarah adds that she is “utterly reliant” on her dress — “I even wore it back-to-front for a second interview. It's nearly falling apart, but it's never failed me in the five years we've, um...been together.”
My own lucky dress circa 2006-2009 was a '60s polka dot trapeze-line number with a striped pussy bow and button-cuff balloon sleeves, bought from eBay. It felt lucky right away because it fit perfectly (anything vintage you buy off the internet that fits perfectly tends to feel blessed and golden) and looked miraculously right for everything from 9 a.m. lectures to sticky-floored club nights; then it was certified as lucky a few weeks later when I got snapped for a street style page in Grazia while wearing it. World, I had arrived! It felt slightly less lucky when the magazine came out and they captioned the photo ‘Ugly Betty chic,’ but still.
My lucky earrings are worn to ALL big meetings, dates, etc... I haven’t tried going without them but I’m pretty sure the world would end.
The dress became my go-to, never out of rotation, the one I was wearing in every Facebook album called BEST NIGHT EVER!!!!, until the aged material eventually gave up and holes appeared under the arms. It’s still in my wardrobe, though, smelling faintly of Coco Mademoiselle and spilled Red Stripe. When clothes have served you so well, it feels sacrilege to pack them off to the recycling bin. Lynley feels the same about a tie-dyed grandpa shirt she bought when she was 20. “It is older than everything in my life, just about,” she says. “Now it is finally starting to wear through in places so I dole out the days that I do wear it carefully, and it feels like I am eking out my luck — making it last as long as possible.”
But life is short, and we could all do with a little more good fortune, so what happens when the luck doesn’t find you? You go out and make your own, of course. If luck is really confidence in disguise then it makes sense that some of the best wardrobe mood-boosters don’t come from the perfectly tailored goes-with-everythings, but the loud and proud scene-stealers. The ritzy, the garish, and the beautifully impractical — like Christie, who wears “glittery socks for when I need reminding that I'm doing fine at life,” or Alice-May who wears a pair of gold glitter sneakers every time she does a speaking event. “They’re just the most fabulous thing and always help to make me feel more confident.”
Then there are slogan clothes, the motivational poster of the modern wardrobe. Not since Katherine Hamnett’s '80s heyday has wearing your heart on your sleeve (or chest) been so popular — and when your clothes make a verbal statement, they challenge you to live up to them. “I have a T-shirt from Literary Emporium with a quote from Pride and Prejudice — ‘My courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me’ — which I wear on bad anxiety days,” says Sarah Anne, a book blogger. “It reminds to be a bit more like Lizzie Bennet.” Likewise, my friend Amy’s lucky necklaces have ‘Be Brave’ and ‘Why not me?’ stamped on them. “They feel like a talisman when I'm feeling sad and scared,” she says.
Historically, jewelry has always been linked with fortitude. Amulets have been worn to ward off evil in cultures across the world since the days of Ancient Rome, when certain gemstones were thought to imbue the wearer with the powers of the gods. “I have a pair of star earrings that I feel oddly attached to,” says Ashley, a social media manager. “They are worn to ALL big meetings, dates, etc. I haven’t tried going without them, but I’m pretty sure the world would end.”
And as for lucky pants? They’re a thing all right — but it feels like we’re banking that serendipity for our careers, not the club. “Mine are lucky for big meetings and work presentations and so on, not *that* kind of lucky,” says Anna, a fiction editor. “I always wear them whenever I'm nervous about something.”
They say ‘dress for the job you want,’, after all. And while once upon a time that meant sharp suits, now everything from pants and black dresses to glitter socks and slogan tees can feel like power dressing. As long as they survive the wash.
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In the first song on Golden Hour, "Slow Burn," Kacey Musgraves sets her intention not only for her (love) life but for how this listening session will play out. The track, with it's wide open musical spaces, high-tuned lead guitar, and slowed down rhythm pair with her drawl and drawn-out delivery to create a calm. This is Musgraves at her most confident.
Golden Hour was inspired by the end of her previous long-term relationship and meeting the man who is her now husband. Many of the songs, inflected with what some call a disco-infused sound, are about the build of their relationship. But that language is worth examining, because it points back to a history of words we use to describe feminine in music, and putting the feminine at the forefront is absolutely what Musgraves is doing with this album.
While there are disco elements in several of her songs, from the louder volume on the high-hat and the tuning of the guitars and banjos above her vocal range to even the use of vocoders in an unexpected salute to disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder, which all work to create a more "girly" sound, the idea is most prominent in the track "High Horse." Putting it into historical context, the fight between rock and disco in the '70s was a struggle between traditionally masculine music, performed and sung by and large by men for men, and dance music that originated in gay clubs and included scores of female vocalists making a more inclusive sound that used non-traditional instruments and eschewed the guitar. So, among the other moves Musgraves has made to carve out her own idea of what modern country music is/what a modern country star does (like opening for Harry Styles on his U.S. tour and eschewing the existing model of kissing up to country stations to garner airplay), this is a political move wrapped up in a musical context. A quick look at literally any chart will show you that country radio barely plays songs by women. It's a known problem in developing a career as a female artist, because radio is still where fans of the genre go to hear new music. Musgraves leans into the idea that she's not going to do what anyone tells her by making the music even more feminine. With an album like this, she's sending the message to the establishment that she doesn't care what the gatekeepers want, either because she no longer feels she needs them or she outright thinks they're wrong. Put succinctly: it's the decision of a bad ass, rebellious female artist.
To be clear: this album isn't a shift for Musgraves towards pop, despite integrating a few more pop production tricks. "Wonder Woman," particularly, is rife with them but the song sticks to a country story-telling format and incorporates traditional instruments like acoustic guitar alongside the synths. The track that proceeds it, "Velvet Elvis," is even more traditionally country, despite featuring a vibraphone riff, and was the sort of song I instantly felt I knew all the words to. If anything, Golden Hour simply musically explores an aesthetic Musgraves as played with in her clothing, that Branson by way of Vegas in a gold Nudie suit thing she loves. It's a marriage of old fashioned jingle-jangle with sequins and short skirts.
As the album winds down, Musgraves starts singing affirmations. In "Golden Hour" and "Rainbow," the final two tracks, she languidly sings about how everything is going to be alright. It's almost like a lullaby, with the layered vocal harmonies, that ushers you gently back out of her world. If you miss being in the Golden Hour, you can just hit play again.
Get ready, because new Allbirds styles are coming. If it seems like everyone and your mother has caught the cult-like Allbirds bug, they have. From lines at airport security to your uncle and his kids at your latest family reunion, it's hard to go anywhere without seeing the simple, logo-free sneakers on the feet of everyone around you. And it seems like America's favorite retailer loves them just as much.
As a part of Nordstrom's continuous Pop-In@Nordstrom series, Allbirds will be teaming up with the department store to bring you five exclusive colors in Allbirds' three classic silhouettes: the Runner, the Lounger, and the Skipper. In addition, the Pop-In will feature Allbirds' full assortment of men’s and women’s styles alongside the newly-launched Tree collection, which introduced a material spun from eucalyptus fiber. Each pair of shoes will retail for $95.
Launched in 2013, Nordstrom's conceptual shopping platform, Pop-In@Nordstrom, is a revolving door of exclusive brand showcases curated by cool girl, and VP of creative projects, Olivia Kim. Past Pop-Ins have included Everlane, Goop, Gentle Monsters, and Opening Ceremony. Of the project, Kim states, “It is really exciting to partner with a digitally-native brand. To be able to take what’s only been on your screen and create an actual 360-degree physical shop allows us to give customers an immersive experience where they can discover the world of Allbirds.”
In the off chance you've been tucked deep away from the general public or without access to Facebook, Allbirds is a sustainability-focused footwear startup made up from New Zealander/Silicon Valley based team, Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger. Between the two of them, they created an innovative wool fabric for their sneakers that has since garnered a cult following for the designs' simplicity and comfort. And if you're a disbeliever, TIME Magazine even gave it the accolade, "the world's most comfortable shoe."
The Allbirds Pop-in@Nordstrom will be available at Nordstrom.com/pop and in nine physical Nordstrom locations starting today through May 20.
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This story was originally published April 2, 2017.
David Beckham has quite an extensive body art collection — one that spans more than 40 tattoos starting from his neck all the way down to his legs. So it makes sense then that his 18-year-old son, Brooklyn, has already started to build a supply of his own.
In fact, over the course of 10 months, the star has racked over eight — and they are not small. Each one has a special meaning (including his first tat, which was a nod to his famous father). Brooklyn's latest ink? "1975" etched on his right hand. But if you're finding it hard to keep up with his ever-growing collection, you're not alone.
Ahead, we've compiled a road map to every tattoo he's gotten — just in case you needed more proof the young star is morphing into his dad.
His first tattoo came right after his 18th birthday, and Brooklyn followed in his father's footsteps by paying a visit to David's go-to tattoo artist, Mark Mahoney. He even got the same design: A big — and controversial — portrait of a Native American wearing a feathered headdress.
A few weeks later, the young star headed to celebrity tattooist Dr. Woo, who has worked with everyone from Lucy Hale to Miley Cyrus. This time, he inked the opposite arm, right under his armpit area.
His third tattoo is quite possibly the biggest of 'em all, which comes in the form of a compass on his inner arm. And while Brooklyn is staying quiet as to what the design means, there is no doubt his arm is starting to look eerily similar to that of his dad's.
In July, Brooklyn added an eagle on his left hand. Are we sensing a pattern?
And he debuted another one, two, and three more tattoos while at the gym. The following ink includes a rose on his rib, script on his chest that reads, "mama's boy," and another right below his pre-existing camera arm tattoo that has yet to be revealed.
The tattoo stirring up the most tweets: "Made in England," which is sprawled across the side of Brooklyn's foot. Fans don't seem to understand why he didn't get "Made in Brooklyn." Luckily the Evening Standard reported that his mother Victoria previously clarified that Brooklyn was conceived in England — not New York.
Photo: Via @brooklynbeckham/Instagram.
Another ode to his father: A "seven" inked on the upper part of Brooklyn's left wrist. The likely significance? It was David's jersey number when he played for Manchester United and England.
Photo: Yolo/GICA/BACKGRID.
A budding photographer, Beckham solidified his place in the art world with a book and a tattoo that simply reads, "click."
We're safely assuming this is Beckham's favorite number for one reason: his dad. (See: tattoo #9.)
Celebrity tattoo artist Dr. Woo showed off Beckham's latest set of ink, which comes int he form of a cherub in the center of his chest. Unsurprisingly, his father also has three cherubs tattooed on his chest as a tribute to his sons. We're noticing a pattern here...
His recent ink comes with a surprising tribute to the entire family. The minimal design reads "020511" — each number representing the birth years of all his siblings. Romeo James was born in 2002, Cruz in 2005, and Harper Seven in 2011. But one Instagram commenter pointed out another potential meaning behind the tat: David's birthday is May 2, a reverse of "02" and "05" on Brooklyn's arm.
As DJ Khaled would say: Beckham is back with yet another one. This time it's his nickname, "buster," etched right above his navel.
Keeping it all in the family, Beckham got yet another tattoo in tribute to someone special —the numbers "1975," the year his dad was born.
After dedicating several tattoos to his father, Beckham decided to make his newest —and largest — addition an homage to his mother, Victoria.
Brooklyn might be the reigning champ of dainty tattoos, but his most recent one is anything but. Thanks to Mr. K at New York's Bang Bang, a dancing girl now adorns the entire length of his lower leg.
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Hayley Kiyoko has no idea how she earned the nickname “Lesbian Jesus.” Or how the term ended up on Urban Dictionary as “a title given to actress/singer Hayley Kiyoko by her fans.” But she is very proud of the moniker.
“The first thing I saw was someone on social media had posted this hilarious picture of my face photoshopped on Jesus’s body, and then I think it spiraled from there,” she says. “I don’t know what it means, but that’s gotta be, like, the highest honor! I mean, Jesus is the top!”
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This was a few weeks after her Refinery29 photoshoot in Manhattan in March. Kiyoko was Facetiming me from the backseat of her road trip from Nashville to Huntsville, Alabama, where she was headed to meet 20 fans at a radio event promoting her debut album, Expectations. Those 20 fans were just a small sampling of Lesbian Jesus’s devotees (there are 766,000 of them on Instagram alone), a rabid following that’s putting Kiyoko on track to become one of her generation’s only openly gay pop stars.
But the 26-year-old has no interest in being the music industry’s token lesbian. The genre has, historically used same sex relationships between women as a shock tactic, from the Madonna-Britney Spears-Christina Aguilera kiss at the 2003 VMAs to Katy Perry’s hit “I Kissed A Girl.” While Kiyoko is anti-gimmick, she does reassure me that she’s more than happy to talk about her identity in interviews.
“I think no matter who you are or what you look like, you just wanna be a person, right?” she says. “Sure, I’d love for people to just like me, and my music. But if I don’t allow labels, there’s no way to normalize them. Over time, my existence alone will help people see that a lesbian singer is just a singer. So while I might not want to constantly be asked about my sexuality and just be me, a big part of me is my love of women. So I guess I’m talking about it until it’s no longer seen as something to talk about.”
Born in Los Angeles, Kiyoko’s mother is a Japanese-Canadian choreographer and figure skater, and her father is an American actor and comedian. Because of her ingrained Cali spirit (and her love of the word like), she jokes that her fans often ask her if she’s high, but it’s “literally just my face! I’m not on drugs, guys! I’m just a chill person.”
At the age of five, she started modeling after she accompanied a friend on a photoshoot and the photographer asked if she could be part of shoot, too. Childhood modeling led to an acting career on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows, but music was always her first love. She began drum lessons at six and knew she wanted to be a performer at eight when she attended *NSYNC’s “No Strings Attached” concert. “I was like, full on performing in the audience like I was on stage,” she remembers. “I just kept thinking I want to do that.”
"I’ve had several music industry execs say ‘You’re doing another music video about girls?’ I was like, um, yea...Taylor Swift sings about men in every single song and video, and no one complains."
As a teenager, Kiyoko became a member the girl group The Stunners, a pop act that went on to open for Justin Bieber’s “My World Tour” but disbanded not long after. When I ask her why she thinks girl bands are often doomed to fail (Fifth Harmony, for one, just recently announced a hiatus), she says: “I think as an artist, you just want to take any opportunity to create something for yourself. It’s the same as any work industry. Even if you work well collaboratively, you’re always going to be hopping from one place to another to get to where you want to be, because you’re most passionate about your own art.”
Her own rise to solo artist didn’t happen overnight, though. After high school, Kiyoko was struggling not just with her sexual identity, but also her sound as an artist. Acting was her main creative outlet until 2015, when she says she finally came into her own with her EP This Side Of Paradise. It was the lead single and video, “Girls Like Girls,” that gained Kiyoko the beginnings of her passionate following, launching her ascent into rising star.
But being unapologetically herself doesn’t come without a fight.
“I’ve had several music industry execs say ‘You’re doing another music video about girls?’ I literally looked at them and was like, um, yea...Taylor Swift sings about men in every single song and video, and no one complains that she’s unoriginal,” Kiyoko says. “I’m not over-sexualizing my music. I make out with women because I love women, not because I’m trying to be sexy. That’s not to turn heads — that’s my life.”
Now, Kiyoko has just released her debut album, Expectations, into the world, and it’s a dreamy, bass-pumping electro pop collection that touches on everything from heartbreak to partying to hookups. (The album's only collaboration is the catchy rock-pop tune "What I Need" with fellow rising queer singer Kehlani.) The artist also directs all of her own music videos, and in the visual for the single “Curious,” she seduces a man’s girlfriend at a party and “totally rocks her world.” While Expectations’ is brimming with shimmering pop tunes, the record also includes a few haunting tracks: One is “Let It Be,” with the lyrics “Every night gets a little tougher/How can I dream about another?/I believe we’re the ones who had it all/I believe we just have to learn to fall.” The song, she says, was inspired by her ex-girlfriend of five years. Though there’s another achingly poignant track, “Wanna Be Missed,” Kiyoko says she’s not looking to be missed by anyone in particular right now.
“That song is about the feeling we all have: we all want to be loved, to be held, to be thought about...but I am very single,” she says. “I mean, kids and marriage is a dream of mine. I would love to find me a nice, cute, smart wife! But that’s far in the future. Work is so important to me right now.”
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Her music career is definitely in high gear, but Kiyoko’s acting days aren’t behind her. Insecure viewers may recognize her from one of last season’s most-talked-about episodes, where Kiyoko portrayed one-third of a wild threesome involving the main character Lawrence.
“I was trying to decide whether I wanted to do it because I would have to be nude, so I called my mom,” says Kiyoko. “And my mom was like, ‘You know honey, if you’re gonna show off your body, now is the time!’ It was a very liberating experience, to say the least. But now fans of Issa’s character side eye me for having a threesome with Lawrence!” And later this year, Kiyoko is starring in a new Facebook Watch series called Five Points, executive produced by Kerry Washington.
With her first official album now released, Kiyoko is hitting the Coachella stage in April, touring for her album this spring, and opening for Panic! At The Disco this summer. And while she’s enjoying every minute of the ride, her fans certainly are, too. A few days after our chat, Kiyoko posts a makeup-free selfie on Instagram with the caption “Bienvenidos a Miami.” Lying on a bed in the background — so far back you could easily miss it — is a woman, with only her topless, bikini bottom-clad silhouette visible. In between proclamations like “WHAT A GAY ICON” and “Thank you for being a role model!” there are dozens of comments that simply say: “All hail Lesbian Jesus!”
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: a SNAP (food stamps) advocate who makes $40,000 per year and spends some of her paycheck this week on Thin Mints.
Occupation: SNAP (Food Stamps) Advocate Industry: Non-Profit Age: 24 Location: Somerville, MA Salary: $40,000 Paycheck (2x/month): $1,045 after taxes, retirement, and a car loan deduction Babysitting: $250-$350/month
Monthly Expenses Rent: $875. (I have two roommates and our total rent is $3000, but I chose the tiny room, so I pay the least.) Student Loan Payment: $0. (My parents paid for my education, which I am incredibly grateful for.) Car Loan Payment: $280, deducted directly from my paycheck. (I got an interest-free loan from work for $5,000 over 25 months. I am also paying my parents $80/month for 20 months for a loan I took out from them.)
Car Insurance: $0. (I still have my car registered in Minnesota, where I'm from, and it's under our family plan.) 403(b): $210. (7% of my paycheck. It's still my first year at my job, so my agency isn't matching my contribution yet.) Health Insurance: $0. (I'm still on my dad's plan.) Utilities: ~$50 for my share. Internet: $10 for my share. Netflix: $0. (I use my parents' account.) Amazon Prime: $0. My whole family uses my mom's account. Cell Phone: $0. (Also still paid for by my parents.) Gym Membership: $40 TheNew York Times Subscription: $21 for Sunday delivery and online access Savings: $250, directly transferred from my checking account
Day One
7 a.m. — My alarm goes off and I go downstairs to eat breakfast in my PJs, a new weekday habit I plan to keep up for a while. I eat oatmeal every day and today it's overnight oats with chia and flaxseeds, kefir, banana, and maca powder. I studied abroad in Peru and began eating maca there. It's growing trendiness — and price — in the U.S. annoy me, but I love the taste and energy-boosting properties. I also drink half a mug of black coffee.
8:30 a.m. — Arrive at work after an easy, 25-minute commute. For some reason, the roads are abandoned on Fridays. It makes me sad to think everyone else is working from home but at least my drive is more enjoyable. Make myself a cup of coffee from our Keurig knock-off machine (which is actually pretty good and settle in to check my email.
10 a.m. — Weekly supervision with my boss. We discuss the latest updates with my caseload and she helps me troubleshoot issues. My work mainly consists of helping people apply for SNAP (food stamps), maximizing their SNAP benefit, and working with the government when they mess up people's cases (which is often). It's an ideal first job in the anti-hunger field. I snack on peanuts and a Cara Cara orange.
1:30 p.m. — Take a lunch break with a colleague (and only work friend) after helping her translate a client call into Spanish. Most of my colleagues are middle-aged women, which is lovely, but it's nice to have someone my own age around. I reheat miso soup that I made last night. It is fantastic and filled with yummy things: sweet potato, zucchini, seaweed, rice noodles, salmon, and a soft-boiled egg. I tell my friend about the college sophomore I made out with last weekend at a concert.
5 p.m. — Arrive home after leaving work at 4:30 p.m. and leave for the gym. Majorly wipe out on the ice with my first step out the door. Once I get to the gym, I try running on the treadmill and give up after half a mile. My ankle is off and my knee hurts from my fall. I look down and already have a big bruise. Get on the bike instead and jam out to reggaeton.
7:15 p.m. — Walk home from the gym and throw together leftover tofu and eggplant with sliced baby cucumber and arugula for dinner before jumping in the shower.
8 p.m. — Make popcorn on the stove and eat it while texting my family on our group chat. My parents are in London and I am jealous. Try calling my sibling; they rarely pick up but I leave a message saying that I miss them and love them. They're in college in Chicago so we don't get to see each other much anymore. I pour myself a glass of leftover white wine, but it seems to have gone bad, so I pour it down the drain (something I wouldn't have done a year ago). I drink homemade kombucha instead and watch Cable Girls, which a friend recommended.
10:30 p.m. — Two episodes later, I'm loving this show! I wash my face and brush my teeth and crash. Crazy Friday night.
Daily Total: $0
Day Two
8 a.m. — Wake up without my alarm! I make oatmeal and grind coffee beans in my ancient Magic Bullet and pray my roommates don't wake up. I'm babysitting very energetic kids today and need the caffeine.
12 p.m. — I love babysitting these kids because their mom is home the whole time, so my main job is entertainment while she can step in if things get out of hand. She heads out with the three-year-old to buy pretzels from a local bakery for lunch. Both kids want to share their delicious-smelling pretzels with me but unfortunately, I am intolerant to wheat. (I have IBS and mainly follow a low-FODMAP diet.) I eat Swedish Fish, though, while we play a candy-related game.
1:30 p.m. — Walk home with a check for $64 in my pocket. I wanted to stop by the gym but all of a sudden I feel awful. I was slightly feverish in the middle of the night last night and now am freezing even though it's 53 degrees outside. I dress entirely in fleece and heat up more leftover miso soup.
3 p.m. — My roommate comes downstairs looking awful; she thinks she has the flu — we're a house full of sickies. I walk to Rite Aid before I feel even worse and buy a thermometer, chicken soup for her, and a small body wash. Take my temperature and it's 96.9 degrees — normal. Weird... $11.21
4 p.m. — Make almond flour chocolate chip cookies and settle in for more Cable Girls before feeling exhausted. I can't sleep, but I lie in bed for two hours.
7 p.m. — I'm feeling good enough to meet a friend for dinner, but not good enough to walk the half mile there, so I shamelessly Uber. My Pool ride is $2.65, but I have credit on the app, so I don't pay anything. Have a great time catching up with my friend and congratulating her on a new job. I order pad see ew with chicken and it's pretty good. $12.65
8:30 p.m. — Feeling a lot better, so I walk home and stop at the grocery store on the way. I pick up cinnamon (I used the last of our communal one), gluten-free oats, Greek yogurt, and coconut milk. $15.52
11:30 p.m. — After watching more Cable Girls and drinking more kombucha, I pass out to the sweet sounds of my humidifier and my roommate coughing.
Daily Total: $39.38
Day Three
10 a.m. — Wake up feeling fine! I head downstairs and make breakfast for the coming week. More is more in my book, so I cook the oats with cinnamon, cardamom, and frozen blueberries, and then portion it into jars and add chia, flax, hemp, and sunflower seeds, banana, peanut butter, maca, and Greek yogurt. Run downstairs and grab the Sunday New York Times. I almost cancelled my subscription when it increased to nearly $11 a week, but ended up negotiating a 50% off rate. Reading the paper is one of my favorite parts of the week and totally worth it to me.
1 p.m. — Get into yoga pants and then settle in for a "Yoga with Adriene" video. I love her and find her YouTube videos to be almost as good as real classes.
2:15 p.m. — Make a quick lunch of eggs and homemade corn tortillas that I make out of masa. Also throw together a huge arugula salad with cucumber and carrots.
3:30 p.m. — My roommate comes in toting a package that arrived for me. It's a belated birthday present from my aunt: a mandoline slicer! I call to thank her and we chat about an upcoming ski race we are both participating in. Then I make sweet potato chips to test out the mandoline. They're delicious.
4 p.m. — Do a free online practice LSAT test. I'm not even sure if I'm going to take the LSAT, let alone apply for law school, but I'm considering it and I love word problems! I also put a pot of brown rice, lentils, red pepper, and kale to cook on the stove.
5:50 p.m. — Get dressed for real this time and walk 10 minutes to meet my mentor at a Japanese restaurant I've been excited to visit. We connected on the phone when I started looking for jobs in the nutrition/anti-hunger field and started meeting up after I moved to the Boston area. She's the president of a micronutrient supplementation organization, so we always have interesting conversations about international versus national nutrition issues. We also chat about life. I love having her support. I order a tuna donburi bowl with miso soup and seaweed salad. It's pretty much my favorite dish ever. We split the bill and I pay $24.22, including tip. $24.22
7:30 p.m. — Arrive home, where my roommate is cooking with friends I haven't met yet. I make coconut milk hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps for everyone and we talk about all sorts of things. My dad also stops by to give me my new license plate tabs, which were sent to my parents' home in a different state. He works in Boston during the week and returns home on the weekends, which means I get to see him a lot.
10 p.m. — Watch more Cable Girls and drink ginger tea. I'm so awake after a sleep-heavy weekend. Finally fall asleep around midnight.
Daily Total: $24.22
Day Four
7:30 a.m. — Eat my oats and drink coffee, then get dressed for work. I have a meeting with some of our partner organizations this morning, so I get to leave a bit later than usual.
9:30 a.m. — There was supposed to be coffee and breakfast, but it's not here. People are panicking a little and eating the hamentashen someone brought from home. Finally, at 10, Panera coffee and bagels arrive. I pour myself coffee and drink it black. We discuss issues we've been seeing and the upcoming Purim donation.
11:30 a.m. — Drive to my office where there's just enough time to heat up my lentils and rice before our weekly staff meeting.
2 p.m. — Go straight from one meeting to the next. I volunteered to be part of the Purim party planning committee. I'm not Jewish but I thought it would be fun to learn more. I snack on Greek yogurt with kiwi and peanuts during the meeting.
4 p.m. — Take a break from faxing documents and calling clients to make peppermint tea. I've been putting off ending things with a boy I met on Hinge and finally send him a text. We've only been on three dates so I feel like it's nicer to blame things on my breakup of nearly a year ago rather than tell him I'm just not feeling it.
5:15 p.m. — Arrive home after a stressful commute and go for a slow three-mile run, followed by a quick yoga routine. Heat up miso soup for dinner.
7 p.m. — Take a shower and put on my zebra print onesie. My roommate has a friend over and I have a great time hanging out with them and vetting Hinge dudes. I am supposed to have a date on Thursday with one of them, but my roommate's friend (who is a gay man) warns me that he's not going to be cute in person. My roommate said he's always right. I feel mean ghosting but am not sure what to do.
9 p.m. — Roommate's friend keeps pouring me glasses of Two-Buck Chuck cabernet sauvignon. It's actually really good. I decide to give the Hinge guy a chance. After the friend leaves, I head to bed, a bit too buzzed for a Monday night.
Daily Total: $0
Day Five
7:30 a.m. — Wake up before my alarm. I got to sleep in a bit today because I'm heading to the State House. A partner organization is releasing a study linking food insecurity to health costs in Massachusetts. For my job, I also help contribute to SNAP policy at the state level, so it's important that I show our support.
8 a.m. — Eat my usual breakfast while I read the news and get upset about the world, so I research a possible trip to Spain to visit a friend instead. Look up flights online. I might be able to swing it! I've saved up almost 100,000 miles on Delta, which helps. Then I do yoga and get dressed in a get-shit-done outfit, including pearl earrings.
9:25 a.m. — Walk five minutes to the train and use my CharlieCard, which is already loaded. I don't get a monthly pass because I drive to work and don't use the train enough to justify it.
11 a.m. — The State House event is wonderful! There are many inspiring speeches by people on every side of this issue: the government, nonprofits, research organizations, and even a woman who receives food assistance. There are also lots of people I know here, which is great. I chat with a guy who's part of my SNAP Coalition and he ends up inviting me to get a drink at one of my favorite breweries, so I give him my number. It feels good to meet someone in real life after so many online disasters.
11:55 a.m. — Reload my CharlieCard and jump back on the train. Stop by my apartment to grab lunch, then drive to work. It's such a fast drive at this time of day! $9
12:20 p.m. — Get to work and eat my miso soup yet again, plus Greek yogurt with peanuts and half a banana.
1:50 p.m. — Make peppermint tea. Stalk the State House guy on Facebook – it looks like he has a girlfriend?! Text the Thursday date guy, message another Hinge guy and receive an email from someone my mom's friend connected me with. Feeling overwhelmed and very single the day before Valentine's Day.
3:45 p.m. — Snack on a Cara Cara orange, more peanuts, and make more peppermint tea.
5:30 p.m. — Get home from work and leave right away to my dad's apartment. Because his job is here, my parents have a place in the city. I have a key so I can use the apartment as well as the gym and pool. Sometimes I have people over on the weekends, which is a fun change of pace. There are Girl Scouts selling cookies at the train station, so of course, I have to stop. I was a Girl Scout and chat with them about camping for a while. I buy a box of Thin Mints for my dad. $5
6:30 p.m. — Give my dad the Thin Mints and head to his fancier-than-mine gym to do 15 minutes on the machines followed by a one-mile run. Then we head out to meet one of his friends for dinner at a place around the corner.
7:30 p.m. — Order a butternut squash and goat cheese salad with grilled chicken. It's great! My dad and his friend split the bill.
8:45 p.m. — We move on to the dive bar next door for trivia. My dad and his friend do it most weeks and are typically the oldest ones there by far, so they recruited me tonight for a millennial's wisdom. It pays off, as the first question is about Justin Timberlake and I know the answer immediately. My dad buys a round of Long Trail Ales on tap for all of us, and then his friend buys me another that I split with my dad.
11:15 p.m. — We get so close to winning! I stop by my dad's to grab my bag and then call an Uber home. I don't really like taking the train this late in this part of town. The Uber Pool is $16, which is crazy. I have $2 in credit and accidentally charge the rest to my parents' card, which is still on my Uber account from when I was younger. I will try and remember to pay them back...
Daily Total: $14
Day Six
7 a.m. — My alarm goes off and I jump out of bed to start my normal routine. I quickly get dressed and make somewhat of an effort for Valentine's Day, wearing a rose-print shirt with pink earrings. Head out to work.
9:30 a.m. — We have a brief training on PTSD and trauma-related mental health issues. It's incredibly helpful because many of my clients have been through chronic trauma, and now I have a better understanding of why and how I should react. They have mandarins, so I eat one and sip on coffee.
11 a.m. — Snack on peanuts and drink peppermint tea. I plan a meeting with a colleague who has a client she has wanted to apply for SNAP for months, but it often takes our Holocaust survivor clients a long time to feel ready to deal with such a rigid government program.
1:35 p.m. — Heat up rice and lentils for lunch, and eat yogurt with fruit at my desk today because I am swamped with SNAP applications.
2:30 p.m. — I comment aloud that I was really hoping there would be chocolate around on Valentine's Day. My colleague tosses me a Ghirardelli Sea Salt Soiree square. Woo-hoo!
5:10 p.m. — Get home and chat with my roommate, who has finally emerged from her room after almost a week of the flu. I do a "Yoga with Adriene" video and then make eggs scrambled in dulse butter with kale for dinner.
7 p.m. — Head out for Galentine's Day with my roommate, decked out in eyeshadow and carrying a bottle of wine that's been sitting in my fridge. We split an UberPool because she's not feeling well enough to take the train. $2.61
7:45 p.m. — Finally arrive after one of the worst Uber rides of my life. I pass out Valentines that I made with the five-year-old I babysit to my friends. We drink wine, eat flourless chocolate cake, chocolate-covered strawberries, raspberries, crackers, and cheese, and catch up on everyone's life. So much friend love!
10:15 p.m. — Call another UberPool and split it. Spend the ride home chatting with my roommate and nixing the nine Hinge guys who are obviously feeling lonely on Valentine's Day and liked me. Once we get home, I take a quick shower and go straight to bed. $4.73
Daily Total: $7.34
Day Seven
6:30 a.m. — Wake up to the news of another school shooting. How awful. Sometimes I can't believe the craziness that we live in right now. I eat breakfast and also see there's an Aerie sale. I add underwear and a kiwi-print bikini to my cart but don't check out yet.
8:22 a.m. — After nearly an hour of crazy Boston traffic and angry drivers, I arrive at our partner agency, where I assist with SNAP work on a biweekly basis. I pour myself coffee from their pot and add coconut milk creamer from their fridge. I'm not sure what their policy is here and whether the creamer is for sharing, so I pour quickly and sneakily.
11 a.m. — Head out to my office and snack on peanuts once I get there.
12:30 p.m. — Some of us do a "Yoga with Adriene" video at lunch on a big projector screen. It's such a good midday reset.
1:30 p.m. — Heat up more lentils and rice, and eat chia pudding with tons of cinnamon that I made this morning. The Hinge guy cancels our date and asks to reschedule. I take this as a sign and don't respond.
3:15 p.m. — My coworker brings over gluten-free cookies that were up for grabs in our kitchen. I look at the ingredients and I can actually eat them! Sometimes it's hard following the low FODMAP diet because I have to turn down most things, so I'm very happy. I save them for later.
4:35 p.m. — Leave work and stop by Trader Joe's on my way home. I buy Joe's O's, toilet paper, eggs, organic chicken breast, ground turkey, cocoa powder, Greek yogurt, a spaghetti squash, canned crushed tomatoes, coconut milk, feta, frozen blueberries, blood oranges, zucchini, carrots, kale, spinach, lemons, limes, a potato, bananas, and ginger tea. I also buy Greek yogurt, granola, tortellini, baby carrots, and bananas for my roommate (which she Venmos me for). $56.68
5:30 p.m. — Get home and go for a three-mile run. Then I steam the spaghetti squash in my roommate's Instant Pot while making a sauce on the stove with the ground turkey, canned tomatoes, zucchini, and spinach. I also have fennel going bad in my fridge, so I slice and roast it.
7:45 p.m. — Eat while watching Cable Girls and have some of the cookies for dessert. My iPhone has been bugging me for over a year to buy more iCloud storage because it's been unable to back up. I freak out about the possibility of losing everything and finally get a larger plan. $0.99
10 p.m. — Head to bed early, excited for a weekend where I am no longer sick!
Daily Total: $57.67
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On top of a surprise Weeknd album and SZA finally releasing the music video for “Broken Clocks," there was another major Hollywood drop last night: 12 inches from Demi Lovato's raven black hair. The singer's longtime hairstylist César Ramirez gave her an asymmetrical bob and posted the results to Instagram in the wee hours of the morning. "New Cut New D...," he captioned the snapshot. Little did everyone know that the "cut" was actually a wig.
"We'd been toying with the idea of cutting her hair into a short bob, but since we've been in the process of growing her hair out, we were a bit hesitant," he tells Refinery29. "Since Demi has been on tour, it was the perfect opportunity to give her hair a rest from extensions and the everyday stresses of hot tools."
It turns out that Lovato has been wigging out for a while. "I made a bunch of wigs from my own brand, Wildform, for the tour," he says, noting that the official launch for the brand is in September. "I also made her a short wig to play with whenever she has the urge to go short. I always suggest this as a solution for anyone wanting a short cut, but isn’t ready to commit just yet. Trying a style out with a wig first will let you feel it out before taking the plunge it can also be a daily alternative."
Lovato's bob looks so realistic because Ramirez cut it on her head — the best way to really determine the best length and shape, he says. "I love chin-length on Demi because she has such a beautiful strong chin and neckline. The side part added a flirty vibe to her look for the night. I razored some layers into the wig for fun, youthful texture. It was very humid in Miami, so I used products with heat protection and anti-humidity. Amika's Blockade is good before any iron work, and then I spray The Shield, an anti-humidity spray that prevents frizz and keep hair from puffing up."
While we're in love, we're not completely shocked to see Lovato switching things up for spring. Around this time last year, Ramirez cut off at least 12 real inches of his client's hair, and posted the clipped ends to prove it. The end result was a wavy lob with honey highlights and soft bends. As for his next trick — who knows? "Demi did love the cut and style, but she also loved the fact that she could be long haired again the next day and maybe short again the next," he says.
For my 30th birthday this year, I traveled to Europe. The good times rolled but it also called for a nearly 7 hour flight across the Atlantic, more than enough time to take in few movies. The airline had a pretty extensive selection to choose from, one of which was the throwback classic, Beetlejuice. This year, the movie turns 30 right along with me and it’s one of the wacky films out of the ‘80s that I grew up watching over and over again. Watching it as an adult, however, the experience was a little different. The special effects were cheesy, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) is a creep on a level I hadn’t realized at age 12 and particularly offensive in today’s #MeToo era, and most importantly, I know more about the movie’s director, Tim Burton. Armed with a fresh set of eyes and a fully formed morality compass, Beetlejuice was even weirder this time around.
Burton specializes in dark fantasy films that blur the line between kid-friendly and full on terrifying. He is responsible for The Nightmare Before Christmas and the kooky remake, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, just to give you an idea. Beetlejuice falls right in line. It’s about the newly deceased Maitlands (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis), a couple haunting the house they were renovating together just before they died in a car accident. They befriend Lydia (Winona Ryder), the emo teenager who now lives in their house with her out of touch parents and is apparently a medium to the dead. After several failed attempts to scare the new living inhabitants away, they call upon a ghost menace, Beetlejuice, to help them with their predicament and get more than they bargained for. It’s a dark but colorful adventure that reimagines the immediate afterlife as an office building modeled after a carnival funhouse. It’s a busy hub of dead people from all walks of life who are costumed accordingly. I used to think that former blue-skinned beauty queen who died of suicide was particularly stunning. Like many of his other films, Burton toys with morbidity by sprinkling it with prismatic tones.
Unfortunately, Burton’s films and the fantastical worlds within them lose much of their luster (at least for those of us who know better) when confronted with a serious lack of people of color represented. The filmmaker has a history of not prioritizing inclusion in his movies. Over the course of a career that started in the '80s, Burton didn’t cast a person of color in a lead role until 2016, when he made Samuel L. Jackson an eyeball eating villain in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. In a 2016 interview with Bustle where he was confronted with this habit, Burton made some controversial comments about diversity attempts that made it clear that he was less than apologetic about who gets cast in his projects. "I remember back when I was a child watching The Brady Bunch and they started to get all politically correct, like, okay, let’s have an Asian child and a Black," he said. "I used to get more offended by that than just — I grew up watching blaxploitation movies, right? And I said, that’s great. I didn’t go like, okay, there should be more white people in these movies.”
Clearly Burton isn’t as creative in imagining a world that includes more than white people as he is in bending reality. So I don’t remember Beetlejuice as a blatantly racist movie, and still don’t (although, there is one scene towards the end where a witch doctor that appears to be a person of color silently hexes Beetlejuice that deserves further examination). But I can’t watch it without being reminded that there would never be a place for me in Burton’s living or underworld.
Update: According to designer Demna Gvasalia, his clothing company, Vetements is doing just fine. “To the disappointment of all the haters, we would like to declare that Vetements is in the strongest creative and financial state it has ever been,” he told WWD after an article posted in HighSnobiety claimed the label had seen its peak. "We are definitely not going out of business and the speculations about our sales figures are not only false and defamatory in its nature but also simply ridiculous.”
On Friday, he took to the brand’s Instagram to further address HighSnobiety’s claims, writing “Vetements does not support wannabe journalism based on lies and gossip.” Gvasalia also went on to say: “Fashion is not about hype, nor useless gossip or opportunistic pseudo journalism, fashion is about clothes. So is Vetements.”
This article was originally published on March 29, 2018.
Demna Gvasalia’s days of disrupting the fashion industry at Vetements could be over, because according to HighSnobiety, the brand’s days seem to be numbered.
Photo: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images.
Since its conception in 2014, Vetements has never played by the rules: It introduced an Eastern European-inspired aesthetic that included elongated sleeves, sleeves, deconstructed silhouettes, and oversized shapes to every street style star’s wardrobe, and was responsible for the revival of everything from Juicy Couture to Champion with its celebrity-favorite collaborations. Though the industry has been constantly captivated by its moves — not to mention those damn DHL T-shirts and those sock boots with the lighter heel — Vetements just isn’t selling the way it used to.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it was selling nearly $2K sweatshirts, or maybe it's because Gvasalia himself admitted he wouldn’t pay for his own designs, but retailers who spoke to HighSnobiety (anonymously) said the brand has lost its luster with clientele. “Everyone is waving it goodbye already,” one former luxury store manager said. “The prices get to the point where you can’t justify it any more and without that hype from the beginning to get people excited, they’re just like, ‘you’re having a laugh.’” A former Vetements employee echoed that sentiment, citing the company’s move to Zurich as the final straw that broke the HypeBeast’s back.
When Gvasalia announced in June that he was quitting the catwalk, it was assumed he was onto the next big thing — and that the industry would soon follow. “I got bored,” he told Vogue. “I think it needs to enter a new chapter. Fashion shows are not the best tool. We did the show in the sex club, the restaurant, the church. We brought forward the season, we showed men’s and women’s together. It’s become repetitive and exhausting. We will do something when there’s the time and the need for it. It will be more like a surprise.” But maybe that next big thing meant shifting all of his attention to Balenciaga? A buyer suggested as much to HighSnobiety, saying, “We’ve also heard from Vetements’ own internal team that the best designs were sent to Balenciaga. It seems like the second-grade designs are left behind at Vetements.”
That, or maybe Vetements just isn’t funny anymore now that everyone is in on the joke?
Today's Beauty Diary: A drag queen in New York City breaks down the yearly cost of wigs, stage makeup, glitter, and false lashes.
Name:Jan Sport Age: 24 Occupation: Full-Time Drag Queen Location: New York City Salary: My weekly salary of booking fees totals $600. As a drag queen, I often make tips at each of my shows as well. Tips can range anywhere from $25- $200 per show, depending on the crowd, the night, and the venue. On average, I would say I make about $100 at each show, which brings my total revenue to about $1,000 a week. Recently, I’ve also been lucky enough to have an out-of-town gig once a month that pays roughly $1,000. With that in mind, I am anticipating my income to be in the $60,000 range this year. Rent: My rent is $3,500 split between four roommates. I pay $850 a month plus utilities.
Growing up, I was a soccer player that went to an all-boys Catholic high school. My sophomore year, I gave up the soccer team to pursue theatre, which was a bit of a shock to the community. I was the real-life Troy Bolton. With the support of my parents and friends, I auditioned for, attended, and graduated from Boston Conservatory with a BFA in musical theatre. About two years ago, I found myself working as a singer on a cruise ship that toured Dubai and Abu Dhabi. That's when I really started getting into makeup. I would go to the Dubai mall and get makeup to experiment with, but because the culture was very conservative, I felt like I could never truly express myself unless I was on the ship.
When I got back to New York, a friend of mine told me that I should try a Kris Jenner illusion because she thought I could pull it off. As I was doing my makeup one night, I put on a random episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians in which Kris Jenner was trying to get on Broadway. Since I was a theatre queen myself, I knew I had to do something around it, so I made a mix, entered a variety show competition, won, and never looked back. A year and a half later, I'm a full-time drag queen and a member of NYC’s premier pop-vocal drag trio, Stephanie’s Child.
On average, I will make six appearances in drag each week. At each of my shows, I take on the role of host and entertainer. I engage with the crowd, asking them about their days, making jokes about current events, and performing numbers on numbers on numbers. I am a singer by trade, and I do like to bring that to my drag shows, but on top of that, I love putting a drag twist on pop culture references. For instance, taking the National Anthem performed by Fergie and mashing it up with videos from YouTube and Whitney Houston's National Anthem.
Hair: My drag look is a very feminine face with a sporty fashion sense, and I almost always wear wigs. Over the last summer, I only wore ponytails. Each of those cost about $25 and I have over 20 of them ( $500). I own about 20 standard wigs as well, and those each cost roughly $50 on average ( $1,000). However, of those 20, I do have four wigs that were professionally styled and those cost an average of $300 each ( $1,200). The only hair products I use every night in drag are Freeze-It hairspray, which I replace every three weeks ( $136) and Pump It Up hair adhesive, which I replace every two months ( $24).
Total: $2,860
Makeup: For the most part, my makeup stays the same, with minor alterations to my eyebrows, liner, and crease. A signature look used to be framing my eyes with six rhinestones, but now I’m doing ombré glitter in my crease. I’ll normally start off with a silver Ben Nye glitter (lasts a year; $7) and then ombré it out with a red Stila glitter (I actively use five shades of Stila Glitter & Glow on my face and finish them all in a month; ( $1,440/year) to give it the faded effect.
I use four Kryolan TV paint sticks for contour, base, lighter tones, and highlight (replenish every three months; $392/year). I also use the Anastasia Beverly Hills Sugar Glow highlighter palette on my cheeks (lasts three months; $160/year). Next, I set the highlights with super white Ben Nye powder ( $7) and translucent Ben Nye glitter ( $7), and the rest of my face with a fair shade ( $7). After that, I use Benefit brow pencil to sculpt my eyebrows ( $24). Then I use the Morphe 35B eyeshadow palette on my eyes applied with a Morphe brush set ( $48 for both). I use Eve Pearl eyeliner in black to wing my eyes (replenish every two months; $174/year).
For my lashes, I stack an Eylure x Nicole Guerrero pair and a Huda Beauty Scarlett lash, which I buy every month ( $324/year) After that, I contour more with two shades of Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Contour Powder ( $88) and Too Faced bronzer in Chocolate Soleil ( $30). I line my lips with a Nyx pencil I buy once a month ( $48/year), fill them in with one of the Stila glitters, and top it off with the Ben Nye translucent glitter. And then she’s a woman!
Nails: I very rarely get my nails done. Since I glue on nails as a drag queen, it's pointless for me to paint them, as the glue will take the finish right off. My glue-on nails cost about $8 a box and I go through a box once a week.
Total: $416
Fragrance: I’m currently wearing YSL’s Black Opium. I use a rollerball ( $28) and buy a new one about once every 6 weeks. The roller is more cost-efficient and I think you get more product out of it.
Total: $224
Treatments: I never get facials, treatments, or waxes, and I’ve never employed a glam team!
Total: $0
Yearly total: $6,256
Welcome toMyIdentity. The road to owning your identity is rarely easy. In this yearlong program, we will celebrate that journey and explore how the choices we make on the outside reflect what we’re feeling on the inside — and the important role fashion and beauty play in helping people find and express who they are.
I live in southeast London with my boyfriend, Rob, and we found this flat after being turfed out of our last place. It was a tiny, fourth-floor new build that had the most gorgeous views across East Dulwich, but the landlord was selling the building and we’re nowhere near the buying stage (and won’t be for some time, TBH).
But what seemed like a sad situation actually turned out to be a blessing. The flat we’re in now is much bigger, has more character (and by character I mean big windows and too much wood), and is just round the corner from our last place, so we got to stay in the area.
Photographed by Lottie Bea Spencer.
The cost of moving has been a real problem for us over the past few years. We’ve lived in four flats in two years, thanks to nightmare landlords and wanting to live alone rather than with others. Every time you move, agency fees, deposits and van hire drain your bank balance so I really hope we’ll be here for a long time now. I’m a real nesty person, and moving our things after just settling in makes me sad – although I’m so aware of our privilege in being able to afford housing in London as it is. Our rent is currently $1,999, and we could definitely find somewhere cheaper, but after years of huge houses with lots of housemates, we wanted our own place. East Dulwich is also fairly expensive compared to other parts of southeast London, but I have a full-on job as a fashion and beauty writer which involves running around central London for shoots, meeting PRs, and attending product launches and events. Coming home to a borough that feels like a village is really soothing and good for getting some headspace.
Rob and I have quite different priorities when it comes to finding a home. He’s super practical and looks out for sensible things like mould, how much energy we’ll use, and distance from a train station. I, however, am surface-level deep and focus on aesthetics… He whips me into shape and we compromise, though. This place is freezing in winter but hopefully will be glorious and warm all summer. It is very pretty, too...
Photographed by Lottie Bea Spencer. Video by Lottie Bea Spencer.
My favourite part of the flat is probably the bedroom. Sitting in bed on a Saturday morning with coffee and toast is divine. As the bed faces the huge window that looks out onto the park, there are no fewer than five dogs visible from my window at any one time, so it makes me really happy. We’re not allowed pets, so obsessively watching other people's is as good as it gets right now. The bedroom also has beautiful wooden floors, an exposed brick wall (ugh, I’m a total cliché) and big wardrobes – which is essential as I have a stupid amount of clothes.
Much to Rob’s chagrin, my overpacked wardrobe overflows onto the chair by our bedroom window. The chair was my grandma’s, and my most vivid memories of her are her sitting and smoking in it, so I adore it – plus look at the wonderful chintzy fabric! I’m ordered to remove the growing pile every week though, as it’s also Rob’s favourite reading spot.
Photographed by Lottie Bea Spencer. Video by Lottie Bea Spencer. Video by Lottie Bea Spencer.
I think your home is such a reflection of your personal style. Some of my friends are minimalists and have the most beautiful set-ups, but their aesthetic wouldn’t feel right in my flat and vice versa. For me, anything wooden, printed and textured is dreamy; from Persian rugs (and IKEA knockoffs) to knitted throws in bold colors. Of course, like any mid-twenties renter looking to make their home feel more homey, plants are essential. I can’t be trusted to look after them, but we have about 10 in every room. I love that all the trappings of ‘70s interiors – macramé, seagrass, and cheese plants – which were supremely uncool and old-fashioned back then, are everyone’s go-to now. In terms of practical decorating tips, these velcro strips are genius. When landlords don't nails in the wall, but you want to put your favorite prints up, these adhesive babies leave no marks, and hold even the heaviest of frames.
Photographed by Lottie Bea Spencer.
I’m pretty basic in my homeware shopping; H&M Home, Matalan, Etsy, eBay, Gumtree, Freecycle, and MADE are my go-to spots. Oh, and Oliver Bonas makes the nicest mugs and glassware sets but I try and support independent ceramicists, as their pieces are often the same price and made with love. IKEA is obviously wonderful, and I don’t trust anyone who says they don’t like it, but I’d rather buy a secondhand chest of drawers from one of nearby New Cross’ many furniture shops than there.
I’m yet to reach the upcycling stage of furniture owning, as while we’re renting I’m apprehensive about spending too much time and money on it – you never know if your stuff will fit in the next place you rent, so I’d rather contribute to my excessive wardrobe right now… That said, I still obsess over Instagram accounts that chart people’s renovations. Before and after pictures are my crack, and I get really into seeing other people’s lives play out via kitchen refurbs and bedroom overhauls. I think I might be old before my time, ya know.
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Our apartments are shining and spotless, all of our belongings are systematically color-coded, and not an inch of precious space is overcrowded or wasted...In our dreams. In reality, most of us weren't born home organization superstars; our apartments actually look more like a Miss Havisham wedding chamber nightmare than the above fantasy. But since the ice has melted and buds are beginning to bloom, we can't hide underneath layers of dust any longer — it's time to do the damn spring cleaning thing.
Since attempting to tackle this formidable task is overwhelming, to say the least, we decided to humbly consult experts for help. Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin of the trendy, Nashville-based home organization service and blog, The Home Edit, blessed us with their best advice on what to do (and what to avoid) when freshening up our spaces, post winter hibernation. Start small with a drawer and other miscellaneous spaces, going big and tackle your pantry, or tackle one project at a time until your surroundings are at the peak of organization. No, matter where you start, their tips will take you 14 steps closer to that spotless and color-coordinated dream apartment.
TIP 1 Don't: Feel like you need to tackle an entire room to feel accomplished. Do: Start with a small project, like that junk drawer you’ve been avoiding or your beauty product stash. The faster you see your progress, and how life-changing it is, the more motivated you’ll be to tackle the next project on your list.
TIP 2 Don't: Leave dust and dirt behind in an empty space. Do: Take the chance to wipe down all cabinets and drawers before placing items back in their designated home. It feels good to start fresh!
TIP 3 Don't: Skip the edit process. Do: Remove EVERYTHING from the space (it should be completely empty when you’re done, no exceptions!) and lay the items in front of you, grouped into categories. By doing this, it makes it visually easier to decide what to keep, toss, or repurpose, especially if you have any duplicates. Once you’re done editing, you can decide what items will have a designated “home” together. If you skip these steps, it’s easier to revert back to cluttered habits.
Photo: Courtesy of The Home Edit.
Linens & Laundry
TIP 1 Don't: Clutter up your laundry cabinets with various types of bulky detergents and supplies. Do: Purchase glass canisters that can fit the liquids, pods, or dryer sheets in bulk, so you aren’t having to run to the store to buy them as often. Plus, it doubles as a unique decor accent when stored on a countertop.
TIP 2 Don't: Stack items like towels, t-shirts, and linens. Do: Maximize space by rolling them neatly. If you don’t have access to shelving, these items can be rolled and stacked in a bin or basket.
TIP 3 Don't: Concentrate JUST on the aesthetic. Do: Create a space where function and form are equals. Think about it: You can buy all the brightly color-coded containers in the world, but if items are shoved haphazardly inside, it’s not helping anyone. Plus, by creating a beautiful AND well-maintained system, you’ll be motivated to keep it that way.
Photo: Courtesy of The Home Edit.
The Closet
TIP 1 Don't: Use mismatched or old hangers in your closet. Do: Purchase sets of space-saving slimline or huggable hangers. It’s the easiest way to transform your closet! You won’t have to worry about your clothing slipping onto the floor, plus the space will instantly look more refined and polished.
TIP 2 Don't: Take up valuable space with clothing you aren’t wearing at the moment. Do: Create seasonal bins for summer and winter. Place one on a high shelf, and one within reach, and rotate them as the weather changes.
Photo: Courtesy of The Home Edit.
The Pantry
TIP 1 Don't: Walk blindly into the store when shopping for organization supplies. Do: Measure the cabinets and shelving you are planning to use, and decide what items (baskets, dividers, jars, turntables) will help you maximize the space you have to create a system that works for you. When in doubt, we suggest buying extra items that you can return at a later date. You never want to be in the “ugh, I just needed two more!” situation.
TIP 2 Don't: Keep your pantry items hidden. Do: Use labeled clear jars, canisters, and divided turntables in your pantry for visible and easy access. For other bulk packaged items, embrace open bins that are easy to manage with general categories like: Breakfast, Dinner, Snacks, Sweet Snacks, Baking, and Cooking. Both will help you see what needs to be restocked so you won’t have to run back to the store when you forget the sugar, etc.
Photo: Courtesy of The Home Edit.
The Kitchen
TIP 1 Don't: Store loose fridge items without a container. Do: Designate categorized zones with labeled bins. For items like condiments, utilize a divided turntable for easy-to-spot access. Also, don’t forget to leave a space for leftovers!
TIP 2 Don't: Ignore the “hidden” storage areas, like under your sink. Do: Create a functional space by adding divided turntables to store your cleaning supplies or other items you use often, but don’t want shown. It makes it easier to find what you need, rather than having to dig through a dark abyss. Stackable open bins are another helpful option.
Photo: Courtesy of The Home Edit.
Storage Spaces
TIP 1 Don't: Keep items hidden in closed containers. D0: Utilize storage such as clear bins, open baskets, and divided turntables to provide easy access to items that you need within your immediate reach. Also, we believe in the power of labeling, which keeps your categories visible, and doubles as a guilt mechanism when you are about to shove an item where it doesn't belong.
TIP 2 Don't: Declutter your space ONCE and then leave it. Do: Make it a priority to carve out 5-10 minutes weekly to maintain your newly organized space. It becomes a huge time and money saver! When you can find where everything is, you won’t need to waste time searching for a certain item or waste money buying double. It all comes down to putting things away where you found them — simple enough.
Photo: Courtesy of The Home Edit.
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Sunscreen is far from the most popular or exciting product on shelves. It's misunderstood, underused, even despised. Gummies, on the other hand, are highly regarded across all ages. Kids love them as vitamins! Bachelor alum hawk them on Instagram! Ambien-fearing adults chew melatonin versions! So here's an idea: What would happen if you packed sun protection in gummy form?
One company — Sundots — has attempted to do just that, and claims its chewable gummy (which is still in pre-production on Indiegogo, a crowdfunding platform, but available in July) can help protect against sunburn and other UV-related damage, thanks to the fern extract polypodium leucotomos. Sundots suggests taking one gummy in the morning, unless it's an especially sunny day, in which case you can take a second mid-day, in addition to wearing sunscreen and physical protection.
The research that is out there on the ingredient, however, may not be the most reliable. Across the five published clinical studies on polypodium's protective abilities over the last 30 years that are cited on Sundot's FAQ page, only 50 people in total were used as subjects in the trials. And Sundots' product wasn't the one being tested, which dermatologist Adam Friedman, MD, says is problematic.
"This sounds like a bullshit attempt to benefit from the supportive data in Heliocare, a plant-derived oral supplement to be used with sunscreen, not in its place," says Dr. Friedman, who is not affiliated with either brand. "You can't take [another company's] data and apply it to a different polypodium product. It's extremely misleading."
Sundots co-founder Chris Tolles claims its intention was never for customers to use the product without additional sun protection.* "The derms you've spoken with are right to worry about anyone who suggests Sundots are good enough on their own — they're not," Tolles explains. "Nor is sunscreen, nor is UPF-rated clothing. The best sun protection always comes from a combination of the three, since they're each excellent at some things, and not at others."
Dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD, adds that while the ingredient in question has shown promise, he still has his doubts about this particular delivery system. "Polypodium leucomotos extract has been shown to give some protection against UVA rays in the setting of sun allergies, but the effectiveness of the product depends on the formulation. One brand containing the ingredient may be very different than another brand. I would want to see proven efficacy in clinical trials."
This isn't the first time ingestible sun protection has made headlines, either. Last year, the Colorado-based founder of Osmosis Skincare faced a lawsuit after claiming its Harmonized H2O UV Neutralizer made "scalar waves" that vibrate above the skin, effectively blocking carcinogenic UV radiation. The brand reached a settlement of $70,000 in the fraud case.
Neither the CDC nor ADA list gummies as an effective form of sun protection, and given that Sundots' claims have yet to be approved by the FDA, you should only try them in addition to a fully preventative routine. "You still need to apply sunscreen topically," Dr. Friedman says. It may not be the most fun part of your day, but it could save your life.
* Editors' Note: A previous version of this story implied that Sundots gummies were being marketed as a substitute for sunscreen. They are, according to the brand, meant to be used in addition to sunscreen. The story has been updated to reflect the change.
Fringe, unless it's the clip-in kind, can be intimidating, but that doesn't stop the age old question from bubbling up every few months: "Should I get bangs?!" Since almost every celebrity has tried their hand at the risky style, there's no shortage of places to draw inspiration. And with so many options to choose from, and countless styles to request, why shouldn't you experiment with fringe?
If you're still not convinced bangs are the one haircut you have to try at some point in your life, we'll let Bella Hadid — and her entire bang evolution — take it from here. Being a budding supermodel, Hadid gets to try a rainbow of different looks while on the clock, including ones most of us would never dare, like matching bleached hair and brows. But out of all the runway looks, it's her ever-evolving bang that stands out as Hadid's favorite to rock, whether she's working or off duty. Now, she's taking yet another crack at the timeless trend with what we think are her best bangs yet. But don't let us sway your judgement — see for yourself, ahead.
Click through to check out Hadid's best bang looks.
Back in October 2016, Hadid debuted these curtain, baby bangs. Sitting an inch or so above her brow, Hadid immediately proved to the world that this is the look she rocks best.
Photo: Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images.
Several months later, celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin made a house call to Hadid's apartment — with sharpened shears in hand. Still, we're convinced this blunt cut was a total fakeout.
Five months later, Hadid showed up to the CFDA Awards with a Scarface -inspired crop. But this wouldn't be the first time Michelle Pfeiffer's iconic lob and bang combo came back in the spotlight...
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images.
Days before we rang in the new year, Hadid celebrated in London with new wispy fringe we still use for inspiration at the salon.
Photo: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images.
If you haven't heard, blunt micro-fringe is in — and Hadid knows it.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images.
Dare we say it: These are Hadid's best bangs, yet. Today, in preparation for a new Dior campaign, the 21-year-old debuted this new cut on Instagram. Sadly, we're predicting these — like most of the above — are clip-in extensions. Still, that won't stop us from copying the look ASAP.
When you're Bella Hadid, you can get a minor trim and call it whatever you want. This time, it's brand-new "baby fringe" courtesy of hairstylist Sam McKnight. Not to be confused with baby — or micro — bangs, Hadid's face-framing layers are a subtle way to add movement to an old haircut.
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When stylist Edward Enninful assumed the helm of British Vogue as its first-ever Black and male editor-in-chief, a lot of promises were made; the biggest being an improvement — nay, a total revamp — of how the magazine features diversity. From its staff to its covers, most of what stood stale and pale under former editor Alexandra Shulman's reign would be reversed. Enninful's first cover, a celebration of Britain, was a hit, featuring Ghanaian-British model Adwoa Aboah and a provocative hashtag, #NewVogue. But every cover after, featuring subjects as white as Taylor Swift, fell flat.
But on Friday, with its May cover, British Vogue feels new again. Titled 'The New Frontiers,' the cover features a throng of the industry's top models, ranging from Latina model Paloma Elsesser, Indian model Radhika Nair, Adut Akech of South Sudan, Vittoria Ceretti, and more. And it makes history with Halima Aden becoming the first hijab-wearing model to front the British edition in 101 years. Of the belated moment, Enninful says he hopes the nine trailblazers, shot by Craig McDean for the issue, are a reflection of what the future of British Vogue looks like. And he responds to those who've called the editor out for his soft approach to the racial diversity he sought to highlight last year.
"When I say diversity, I want to be clear that it is never just about black and white for me," he writes. "It’s about diversity across the board — whether that’s race, size, socio-economic background, religion, sexuality. That’s what I want to celebrate with this cover." Just two months ago, its February issue took particular criticism when it featured Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie on its cover with the headline: "Why We Need To Talk About Race." As to be expected, Twitter wasted no time in letting him have it and accused the editor of whiteness.
Guys, what is going on with British Vogue? We were off to a great start and then the new year started off with Taylor and now Margot and Nicole? Is this #NewVogue or just the #OldVogue with a new EIC? https://t.co/OkuXOKc7nB
Amongst the aforementioned trailblazers, Enninful sees the cover as a promising start to the future careers of Faretta Radic, Yoon Young Bae, Fran Summer, and Selena Forrest, too. As for the rest of the industry, we find ourselves optimistic once again that the May issue marks yet another turn for British Vogue; the new chapter its readers were assured was written and ready to hit newsstands.
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The first question Cardi's new single answers is every question that people shot her way after that whole Offset cheating scandal. If you thought he got off scott free, here's some assurances that he probably did not. Oh, and that Cardi isn't here to put up with shitty relationship behavior. The second question it answers is the one about if "Bodak Yellow " was a one-off, or a one hit wonder: no, she's got a lot more bops in her. The stripped down nature of this song is in service to her clever lyrics but don't let that fool you. It's a jam.
The Weeknd "Privilege"
So The Weeknd dropped a (not so) surprise EP this week, ahead of his numerous headlining festival slots for spring and summer. As much as I enjoyed this last album, in all it's pop radio format friendly glory, this is a return to those earlier, darker days. The lyrics dip into his various breakups, seemingly, while the music is what makes it more like his early days; it's much more sparse and less driven by beats than by drones. This is the guy who lives his life after midnight, in the darkest corners of the world.
Kate Nash "Drink About You"
Kate's new album is out today and I recommend giving all of it a listen, especially if you like girl groups and garage rock. This track is a parciular favorite for me, because I'm sick and tired of being in hot and cold relationships where the dude makes me feel like I'm crazy. I think I'm gonna stay in a relationship with wine instead, it's more rewarding.
Maggie Rose "It's You"
If country music has been looking for its Adele, Maggie Rose is here to answer the call. Everything about this tells me she likes it old school, from the live recording in the round with her singes and band to the choice of instruments here to the way the first verse and chorus stay sparse to let her voice take the lead. This kind of stripped down track isn't made to be played on any radio after 1962. Retro, soulful, feminine: she's ready to bring you all of it.
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 me a comment below and tell me what you're listening to this week.
Between Wild Wild Country and the endlessly disturbing details of the NXIVM bust, cults are dominating the mainstream news cycle in a way they haven't since 1969. And yet, provided you're not breaking any laws, having a "cult following" remains a very good, generally benign thing. That is exactly what Sunday Riley has — a breathless legion of devoted fans and Sephora VIBs who worship the smart, high-performance skin-care line as if it's the only one on earth.
While it's not the only one on earth, it is one of the best that money can buy. Sunday Riley (who is a real person, by the way; she just prefers to stay behind-the-scenes at her brand, letting her formulations speak for themselves instead) has 180,000 followers on Instagram with just 13 individual products, which is no small feat for an independent company based out of Houston, Texas.
And today at Sephora, the brand is launching its first-ever foundation, a cruelty-free, skin-friendly formula called The Influencer. Available in 20 shades, Sunday Riley's latest addition is bound to be as popular as the others that have come before it — all of which we've tried firsthand. While we can't possibly confirm whether or not the following products will work for your skin, we can say that they're all deserving of their five-star reputations. So what are you waiting for? It's time to join the cult.
Arguably the line's buzziest — and best-loved — product, this multitasking formula contains everything your skin needs to become a brighter, clearer version of itself. Does it smell ever so slightly like sour milk that someone squeezed a lemon into? It does indeed, thanks to the high concentration of lactic acid. But this tingly treatment works so well at creating fresher, smoother skin overnight, it's easy to overlook the scent.
This innovative retinoid oil (that's right) earns high marks across the board for its plumping, fine line-fading properties. What's special about this bright-blue solution is that it effectively busts the myth that retinoids are always drying, instead working to reduce redness, calm irritation, and leave skin soothed — and not even a little bit blue.
There are some acne-fighting products that will make you wonder whether they're even doing anything at all, or if you've just been bamboozled into believing the marketing hype. This is not one of them. Packed with 10% sulfur, 4% niacinamide, and a handful of other antibacterial ingredients like tea tree oil, turmeric, and manuka, this mask goes on bright green and rinses away to reveal smoother skin free of planet-sized zits.
With a rich texture best described as buttery, this faintly citrus-scented moisturizer isn't suitable for daytime use, except for the very, very dry. But its potent combination of vitamin C, gentle chemical exfoliants, and a fruit-basket worth of oils and extracts make it the perfect reparative night treatment, without being too heavy.
This fast-absorbing dry oil redefines salicylic acid the way Luna does retinoids: by putting the typically drying ingredient in a soothing, skin-balancing formula that keep skin smooth and hydrated, not parched and flaky. It smells a little bit like sticking your head in a spice cabinet, but for acne sufferers in pursuit of minimized breakouts and a newfound glow, this is our one-and-done pick.
Our first impression was that this is the strongest-smelling vitamin C serum we've ever gotten a whiff of — but in a good, fresh-squeezed O.J. way, not the dreaded copper-penny kind. With a slightly heavier feel than we've come to expect from serums, this formula feels rich and nourishing and works as a nice dewy base under makeup, eliminating the need for moisturizer during the day on oily skin.
This hydrating eye cream, like many eye creams, is divisive. If you believe in a special moisturizer for the half-moon area under your eyes, then this one is excellent for brightening up dark circles and depuffing (especially when stored in the fridge); if you can think of 65 better uses for $65, then skip. Unless, of course, you're feeling open-minded... in which case, it wouldn't be the first time this formula in particular made an eye-cream skeptic change their tune.
It smells funky and might leave oil stains on your pillowcases if you get overzealous with it (and you're probably going to get overzealous with it — it's that good), but this oil, jam-packed with vitamins and cold-pressed seed oils, is insanely brightening, and leaves our skin looking like we've never seen the sun or environmental pollution in our lives.
The last thing acne-prone or broken-out skin needs is products that leave it stripped, which is why we can't recommend this creamy clay-infused face wash enough for a serious deep-cleanse that isn't harsh or drying. Our skin has never felt more... clean.
The name might bring the ocean to mind, but this water-cream hybrid does much more than hydrate: Its most targeted function is as a brightening treatment that uses dark spot-diminishing alpha-arbutin and papaya enzymes to clarify skin and fade discoloration. But this formula also provides immediate satisfaction in the form of a dreamy cooling sensation that makes skin feel instantly refreshed.
If mattifying is a major concern for you, then this unique toner — it transforms from a lightweight gel to easily-absorbed liquid — will do the trick, using bentonite clay to minimize shine all day long. It might be too drying for more sensitive, less problematic skin types that need a bit more moisture, but it smells like cucumber water, which is nice.
You probably won't notice major brightening results from any one cleanser alone, but this is an excellent cleansing oil for all skin types regardless. It's full of fatty acids to nourish as it dissolves makeup and grime, and natural AHAs and BHAs are a solid addition for gentle exfoliation that leaves skin feeling refreshed.
We can confirm that, if you close your eyes and use your imagination while massaging this luxe cleansing balm over your face, you might almost — almost — be able to forget that you're in your bathroom and not an actual spa. Yes, it also removes makeup and leaves skin feeling super fresh and clean, but any old cleanser can do that. This one is an experience.
If you're a self-proclaimed music junkie (as in, you practically sleep in headphones and have a record catalog that would put any collector to shame), you'll know that Houston isn't just the mecca for beyond-delish BBQ. Between speakeasy-like "secret" venues and a roster of buzzy young artists dropping hit after hit, the Lone Star State's biggest city is quickly cementing its influence in the underground scene.
So, inspired by the city’s newfound Golden Age of music, we partnered with Rimmel London to create four beauty looks that totally rock — from a star-studded cheek to a sunrise eye that’ll last all night. Sure, they might be more than a little extra, but think of them as the beauty equivalent to window shopping: They’re fun to look at and might even inspire you to create your own take on the lewk.
Loud Mouth
This amped-up look is sure to wow — whether you’ve just arrived at a sold-out gig at Mercy Night Club or plan to hit up the city's more underground scene. To create the lip look, first swipe on your favorite matte lipstick (we used Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colour in Fire Starter). Next, flaunt what your momma gave you by adorning your Cupid’s bow in gold shadow. Pro tip: To get a metallic effect, be sure to double up on liner. Start with a pencil formula to create the shape, and then give it one more pass with a damp angled eyeliner brush dipped in a pressed gold powder.
Star Quality
Having arguably more presence than some (if not most) performers themselves, this look will upstage even that uber-cool, tatted-up DJ at the show you hit up last Friday. To rock it, first create your smoky eye using a creamy black shadow. Next, stamp on your desired amount of stars using Rimmel London Ink Me Stamp Tattoos, making sure to apply enough pressure and holding it for a couple of seconds before moving on to the next star. Pro tip: For easy application, apply the stamps to an area that doesn’t move or crease — like your upper cheekbones or temples, for example.
Light Touch
This look is just as gilded as the shiny platinum records hanging on the walls of some of Houston’s most legendary record labels. Start by creating a solid base, and apply a liquid foundation featuring a natural finish. Next, apply a pressed gold highlighter on your highest points where sunlight would naturally hit your face: your cheekbones, Cupid’s bow, chin, and the bridge of your nose. Take your golden look to the next level by applying a golden shadow like Rimmel London’s Magnif’Eyes Mono Eyeshadow in Gold Record to your eyelids. Pro tip: Use a creamy liquid foundation — as opposed to a matte or powder formula — so that your highlighter has something to latch onto.
Rise & Shine
Inspired by those long nights when you were out 'til dawn at your favorite artist's show, this lewk blends warm shades of orange and gold from Rimmel London’s Magnif'eyes Eyeshadow Palette Colour Edition. To craft it, swipe the gold shade on your entire upper eyelids. Next, use a densely packed dome brush to pack on a pigmented orange hue above your creases — all the way up to your brows. Then, apply the same orange shadow to your lower lashlines, almost creating an upside-down cat-eye. Pro tip: If you’re having trouble creating a perfectly straight wing, use artist tape or a business card as your guide. Top off the look by lining your upper and lower lashlines with a jet-black liner and applying a few generous coats of mascara for good measure.
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