Just when you thought impeachment season was coming to a close, a new set of trials will determine President Donald Trump’s future. On January 15, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi officially sent over the two articles of impeachment passed by the House of Representatives, ending a 27-day stalemate between our two most powerful legislative bodies. This move also set President Donald Trump’s formal Senate trial in motion. And ICYMI, it’s been quite the wild ride on Capitol Hill.

This whole thing started back in August, when a whistleblower complaint alleged that Trump tried to use his office — and state officials — to force a foreign power to dig up dirt on a political rival, Joe Biden. The so-called Ukraine scandal rankled most everyone in Washington D.C. in the following months, when speculation over repeated attempts to impeach Trump suddenly became very plausible. And, it all came to a head on September 24 when Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry, which lasted through mid-December.

After the House of Representatives called several key witnesses to trial, the House took a final vote on December 18 to determine whether or not Donald Trump would be the third impeached President in U.S. history. On December 18, a 230-197 party-line vote in the House approved two articles of impeachment: obstruction of congress and abuse of power.

And that seemed like the end of it — Donald Trump was officially impeached. But because nothing bureaucratic is ever simple, impeachment doesn’t actually mean removal from office. That’s where the Senate trial comes in. Now, the Senate will have the opportunity to conduct their own trial based on the articles of impeachment, but this time to determine criminality. Ahead, we’ve detailed what the next steps are in the Senate’s impeachment hearings.

What is the difference between the Senate and House impeachment trial?

Now that Trump is impeached, his trial will move from the House of Representatives to the Senate. The House tried him for impeachment, whereas the Senate will try him on criminal charges and determine if he should be removed from office. To date, the United States has never removed a sitting President from office following a Senate trial, though two presidents before Trump were both impeached: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. 

Following the impeachment vote, Pelosi could’ve just held onto the articles of impeachment indefinitely and left Trump in limbo for as long as he holds office. But the House Speaker delivered the articles to the Senate on January 15, even handing out souvenir pens in the process.

When will the Senate impeachment trial start?

On Tuesday, January 21, the Senate will begin its impeachment hearings. In January, Pelosi named Reps. Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, Zoe Lofgren, Sylvia Garcia, Val B. Demings, Hakeem Jeffries and Jason Crow as the impeachment managers, functioning as prosecutors for the trial and responsible for making the House’s case for removal. Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that the impeachment managers would present the articles the following day, and began the process of establishing rules on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Will the Senate impeachment trial be televised?

Yes, the impeachment trial will be televised, but it will be very different from other congressional hearings you’ve watched on TV. This time, the Senate is controlling all cameras in the chambers and they will all have limited and fixed positions to avoid zoomed-in reaction shots. Although C-SPAN which is a cable-funded network, attempted to request cameras inside chambers, they haven’t received a response yet — and likely won’t. This essentially limits media coverage of the entire impeachment trial, which goes many precedents for reports, though it does mirror the same process as Bill Clinton’s 1999 Senate trial.

How will the Senate impeachment trial work?

Unlike a normal trial, instead of a judge determining what will and won’t be admissible, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will have the power to introduce rules, shoot down proposals, dictate pace and control essentially every other facet of the trial. On Monday, January 20, McConnell announced that he plans to give House impeachment managers and Trump’s counselors each two days to lay out their opening arguments in court in an effort to stick to his speedy trial, taking place entirely between 1pm and 1am on consecutive days.

McConnell also already indicated that witnesses will be a hard no, even though Democrats have only requested four. Trial rules are established by a simple majority — which the Republicans have at roll call, 53-47. Unlike a normal trial, instead of a judge determining what will and won’t be admissible, McConnell will have the power to introduce new rules, shoot down proposals, dictate pace, and control essentially every other facet of the trial.

Who will be involved in the Senate impeachment trial?

All 100 senators will be involved at the Senate hearings, even the ones who are currently campaigning, which means that Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Amy Klobuchar will have to be in Washington during key weeks leading up to the Iowa caucuses.  Chief Justice John Roberts will oversee proceedings and Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will also play his leading role in determining the Senate’s trial rules throughout the process, in addition to the seven representatives that will act as impeachment prosecutors as named by Pelosi. On Monday, January 20, Trump’s counselors submitted a 110-page brief to the Senate calling for a swift acquittal.

What does the Senate vote for in the impeachment trial?

A couple of things. The Senate doesn’t just vote on Trump’s removal, they also vote on all the rules of the trial. The Senate will listen to arguments for and against the removal of the president, and they’ll vote to decide whether he should be acquitted or found guilty of criminal charges. 

A super majority is needed to actually remove a president, which means that anything less than 67 votes would spell an acquittal. For context, no president has ever been removed by impeachment, although Andrew Johnson was acquitted by just one vote.

But, whether or not the president committed a crime doesn’t need to be a determining factor in any verdict during this trial. What matters is whether those crimes warrant a removal, in the Senate’s view. As a matter of fact, there are Republican senators — and his own Chief of Staff — that have already conceded the notion that the president probably did the things the House impeached him for doing, but those same senators haven’t given any indication they would vote to remove him from office.

What will happen to President Trump in the Senate impeachment trial?

If 67 senators conclude that Trump is guilty of crimes in the articles of impeachment, he will be removed from office. In his place, Vice President Mike Prince, who is next in the line of succession, will step into the President’s role. If less than 67 senators conclude that asking Ukraine to help take down a political rival is a removable offense, then Trump would be acquitted — and presumably emboldened. But as nearly every Democrat has reiterated, not impeaching Trump would’ve likely done the same thing. So now, we wait.

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If you’ve ever complained about stomach issues (I’ll spare you a list of specific symptoms), chances are, you’ve been told to try taking probiotics. The healthy microorganisms — often referred to as good bacteria — now come in the form of foods, supplements, and even skincare products.

Maybe you already have a favorite probiotic supplement. Or maybe you haven’t been able to find an option that works for you just yet. Either way, there may be a simple trick to boosting the effectiveness of the healthy bugs: taking them at the right time.

No need to set an alarm. To figure out when to take your probiotic supplement, consider your meal schedule, says Raphael Kellman, M.D., the author of The Microbiome Breakthrough. He suggests aiming to swallow them before or as you eat breakfast or at night before bed.

Why? “When you eat, there is a natural increase in digestive enzymes and bile salt production as your digestive system prepares to, well, digest your food,” explains Gregor Reid, Ph.D., the chief scientist at the probiotic company Seed. Those enzymes and bile salts can kill the bacteria in your probiotics long before they ever get to your small and large intestines, where their real work is done. Taking the supplements when you’re not digesting food (and therefore there are lower levels of these substances in your stomach) increases the chances that the bugs will survive their transit intact so they can influence your health. For these reasons, taking your supps after a meal might be a mistake, but before or as you start eating is an optimal window.

Studies back this up. One team of researchers found that the common bacteria Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium have the best chances of survival when taken up to 30 minutes before a meal. It noted that those taken 30 minutes after munching didn’t survive in high numbers. 

But most experts agree that consistency is more important than timing. Aim to take your probiotics around the same time every day. “Probiotics are transient microbes,” Reid says. They pass through your colon, benefiting you as they interact with other bacteria along the way, but then ultimately leave your body. So, you need to constantly replenish your supply, he says. “This is why continuous intake is important.”

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“Cheers to being real as fuck,” Alayah Benavidez announces at the midpoint of her Bachelor “Week 3” rollercoaster. If this installment of The Bachelor 2020 could have a more literary title, it would be Alayah’s words, as the episode investigates the validity of the 24-year-old’s TV persona. Even the former Miss Texas’ fellow contestants — including Hannah Ann Sluss and Shiann Lewis — signal that Alayah has captured the theme of the moment by gleefully yelling “Cheers!” in response. 

Gone are the fears of who is on the ABC reality series “for the right reasons,” a buzzy phrase that hazily captures the possibility of disingenuous competitors. In its place is the more direct-sounding terror over which players are “genuine” and “real as fuck” in a game that is becoming more and more precarious by the minute. 

The Bachelor might be more powerful than ever when it comes to social media relevance and viewership, but all of that influence has also tossed the series — that is supposedly solely about the search for true love — into a crisis of character. After all, who can be “genuine and real,” to quote controversial contestant Madison Prewett, when a lengthy Bachelor Nation career, millions of Instagram followers, and all of the financial opportunities that come with both are on the line from the moment a contestant hops out of the limo? 

The examination of Alayah’s Bachelor motives begins less than 20 minutes into “Week 3’s” hour-and-24-minute runtime and dominates the installment from there. As Bachelor Peter Weber enjoys a date with Victoria Paul, the remaining contestants are left to their own devices at home. Alayah takes this time to throw on a pilot’s hat, cradle an impossibly well-filled glass of red wine, and sit on the island in the Bachelor(ette) mansion’s kitchen. 

“Everybody, like, sees me and thinks because of pageants … that I’m like this sweet little elegant, proper thing,” Alayah complains. “Bro, I get nasty. I’m, like, very good at putting on face when I need to.” 

What Alayah doesn’t realize is that competitor Sydney Hightower is listening and visibly alarmed by Alayah’s admission. In a confessional that evening, Sydney accuses Alayah of being “all fake” and tells Peter as much the next day during the group date cocktail party. This is an allegation that tosses Peter into a tailspin, particularly since he lived through the two-faced hell of Luke Parker during The Bachelorette 2019. Peter is petrified by the idea of keeping someone like Luke in the mix as long as Hannah Brown did. 

Peter arrives at the “Week 3” pool party crestfallen and spends most of the day asking his women if they think there is merit to Sydney’s critique of Alayah. Multiple women, like Natasha Parker and Kelsey Weier (herself a pageant alum), agree that Alayah may be “turning it on” for the cameras. Victoria P. — another player from the pageant circuit — serves the death knell against Alayah during her one-on-one chat with Peter. Victoria claims Alayah asked her to keep their prior pageant friendship a secret from producers. To both Victoria and Peter, this is the same as lying. 

What no one wants to fully broach is why Alayah may be going through so much work to keep up appearances in the first place. 

The answer is that screen time success on the show translates to big opportunities once production is over. There are obvious next steps like Bachelor in Paradise invites for years to come or Instagram sponsorship deals. That latter road to financial improvement is the reason the “Week 2” Revolve group date felt so very cynical.  Women like fashion influencer Mykenna Dorn, who come to the show with massive social media clout, have been cultivating relationships with Instagram-famous brands like Revolve — or Shein and Lulus — for years. As The Bachelor funnels its contestants more followers, those women are poised to reap even greater deals with social media-first companies. Bringing Revolve directly into the show simply feels like cutting out the sponcon middleman.

Then, there are the IRL experiences that can easily translate to bigger things if contestants play their cards right. The most obvious example is a trip to an event like Stagecoach, which can lead to sponsored content in the moment, Paradise storylines later, and an increase in follower count in the long run (all of which becomes an exponentially improving feedback loop). 

Victoria P. comes the closest to speaking openly about the current Bachelor Nation ecosystem. She claims Alayah “was really open to all the ‘opportunities’ that will come after this,” whether she ends up with Peter or not. It’s this dark allegation that inspires Peter’s decision to send Alayah home that night. 

However, Pilot Pete does spend the episode focusing on one of the few supposed rocks in his cast: Madison Prewett. “She’s such a genuine person,” Peter tells cameras of Madison, using that official new buzz word. What Pete doesn’t know at this time is that his star contestant would be caught months later calling herself “genuine and real” on Instagram. The comment prompted a widely-believed fan theory that Madison Prewett thought she was using a self-created fan account for the kind words, but slipped up. The 23-year-old has seemingly denied the conspiracy and publicly “forgave” a friend for leaving the comment while still inexplicably logged into her account.

At point, the only “real” thing we know is that Instagram is eating The Bachelor alive.

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Welcome to Money Diaries, where we’re tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We’re asking women how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last dollar.

Today: Higher education marketer who makes $53,747 per year and spends some of her money this week on a digital thermometer for a snake.

Occupation: Marketing/Communications
Industry: Higher Education
Age: 39
Location: Northern Indiana
Salary: $53,747
Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $1,589.57
Gender Identity: Woman

Monthly Expenses
Mortgage: $0 (my husband pays the mortgage on our home, which is $825/month)
Loans: $0 (I finished paying off over $50,000 in student loans for my undergrad degree in October 2018. My husband paid his car off and I don’t have one.)
Health Insurance/Dental/Vision/Life/Disability (deducted from husband’s pay): $405
Hulu: $11.99
Amazon Prime: $119 annually
Medication: $35
Gym Membership: $48
Netflix: $12.99
Audible: $14.95
Ipsy: $12
Spotify: $14.99
Internet: $67
Phones: $115
Power: $80-130 (depending on season)
Gas (for home): husband pays
Water/Sewer/Trash: husband pays
529 Plan: $550 (both of us pay equal amounts)
Christmas Club (savings): $102
New Car Savings: $200
General Savings: $250
Home Repair Savings: $200

Day One

6:15 a.m. — Alarm goes off and I startle awake and think “hahaha, no.” Hit snooze.

6:25 a.m. — Take two. Up and at ‘em! I shower and get dressed for work, take the dog out for her short morning walk, bring her back in, and feed her. Then I pack enough Diet Cokes in my backpack to see me through the workday. I am a Diet Coke addict and it is a problem. Someone convince me to give it up, please! Having gotten ready for work himself, my husband comes downstairs and we both bundle up. Winter in Northern Indiana is truly brutal, but it hasn’t gotten miserably cold yet, so we’ve been spared the worst of it thus far… which just means there’ll be hell to pay in late Jan/Feb. 🙂 We hop in my husband’s car and he drives me to work and drops me off. Kiss goodbye and I’m off.

7:25 a.m. — I sit down at my desk, start my computer, crack open a morning Diet Coke, and take my medication. I work at a university and, in addition to a generous holiday break, I tacked on some vacation days to give myself a full two weeks off over the holidays, so it’s my first day back in two weeks. I open my email and make a handwritten to-do list for the day. Since I started my career in my 20s, it has been my habit to make to-do lists for the week, with a section for each day, on a legal pad. I recently switched to graph paper notebooks and I take weird, nerdy joy in making little checkboxes for each item and then checking them off. Where my list lovers at?

8:30 a.m. — My coworkers come in and we catch up on the details of each other’s holiday breaks. I was sick the entire break and none of my grand plans (tear down wallpaper in the guest room! Make lots of collage art! Hit my step goal every day!) came to fruition. It’s nice to catch up with everyone. Then, I continue plowing through email and I email my husband. We email all day at work. I joke that half our relationship happens over email. It’s a fun way to stay in touch throughout the day, though, and I smile each time a message from him pops up.

11:45 a.m. — I consider ordering Jimmy John’s for lunch but don’t. I’m a seasoned intermittent faster and I like to OMAD: eat One Meal A Day. I eat all my calories in one meal and I love it. Sometimes I do like to order lunch when I’m feeling peckish, though, and I remain flexible about my fasting window. Today, I’m not at all hungry at lunchtime, so I resolve to eat at dinner. That decision made, I crack open a book on my Kindle for PC app (James Fell’s The Holy Sh!t Moment) and read through the lunch hour.

1 p.m. — My coworker returns from lunch and brings a round of McDonald’s Diet Cokes for the office. Huzzah! (Now please lecture me on the evils of aspartame. I need it!)

1:30 p.m. — Weekly team meeting. It helps me get a handle on the ongoing projects that were paused for our holiday break. Then back to my desk and work. I also make arrangements for my mom to pick me up from work and take me by the pharmacy for a prescription decongestant that my doctor (finally) called in. Then, we’ll pop over to Hobby Lobby because she wants to pick up a cake plate for her dining room table. (We are both slightly obsessed with these and I collect them.) I work at my desk through the afternoon.

5 p.m. — I walk to a spot on campus where my mom will pick me up. I usually walk home because I don’t live far from campus and I like to use that time to decompress after work, get some exercise, and listen to audiobooks. Mom picks me up. We head to Walgreens to get my prescription, which costs $10.48. Then we hit up Hob Lob and HomeGoods. Miraculously, I do not buy anything. I think I am on stuff overload from all the holiday shopping. $10.48

6:40 p.m. — I walk the dog, eat my OMAD, and hang out with my husband and son. My son, who is 18 and taking a gap year, is house-sitting for some neighborhood friends but shows up once a day to hang out, get some more clothes from home, check on his pet snake, etc.

8 p.m. — Walk the dog one more time, read in bed with my husband (this time it’s The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste), and sink into blissful sleep around 10:30.

Daily Total: $10.48

Day Two

6:25 a.m. — Usual morning routine. I get up, walk the dog, pack my backpack for work, and my husband drops me off.

7:25 a.m. — Sit down at my desk and crack open a you-know-what to get me going. Check my email and get some work done before my coworkers start straggling in. I have three meetings today, but they should all be moderately painless (I pretty much hate meetings, in general).

8:30 a.m. — Check Facebook. I am reminded that my brother’s fiance’s birthday is coming up this weekend. I send her the cutest air plant in an amethyst holder from Plants and Beautiful Things ($32). She doesn’t like a lot of stuff and I also see that, in that vein, she’s asked for donations to The TLC Foundation for Body-Repetitive Behaviors (she suffered from trichotillomania) and I donate $10 in her name. Shopping online reminds me that I need to add trash bags to my online grocery cart. I order my groceries online from a local chain and always having a running cart going for the next grocery run. Trash bags added. Also, a bouquet of flowers in the name of #selfcare. 🙂 Time to email my husband. $42

10 a.m. — Meeting with supervisor and coworker to sketch out an editorial calendar for some video content. Relatively painless. At 11, I attend a team meeting. Yep, still hate meetings.

12 p.m. — Not hungry, so I’ll OMAD later (that acronym is apparently a verb, noun, and adjective for me). I finish The Shadow King at my desk. Then, I write a blog post reviewing it (highly recommend!) for my book blog.

4:30 p.m. — God, I am so over work today. I pack up, put on my tennis shoes, and hit the road for the walk home. I love my walks home because they are something just for me. They are also a money-saving experiment. When my car had a big repair come up in November, I decided I was tired of pumping money into an older car to keep it running. We sold it on Craigslist to someone who wanted to fix it. After calculating that it would probably be cheaper for me to not have a car for a while than to buy a new one, for which I’d need a loan, plus all the costs associated with one (insurance, maintenance, gas), I embarked on a one-month car-free experiment. Turns out I can mostly use my husband’s car or take a Lyft. My Lyft totals for the month were negligible compared to the cost of owning a car.

8 p.m. — My husband and I walk the dog around the block. Then I check on my son’s corn snake. She pokes her head out of her hiding spot to say hello when I pour water in her dish. Her little head is so alien-looking and cute. I check on her once a day while my son is house sitting because I worry that she gets lonely, lol. I feel like her tank is not that warm, but the thermometer reads 80 degrees. She looks fine and her eyes are not cloudy (which would be a sign that something is wrong). My son mentioned that he might need a new thermometer at some point though, so I think why not now? I order one for him on Amazon. I don’t mind paying — he’s trying to save money for college next year. Since we’re out of body wash, I order that too (Jason Relaxing Chamomile, my favorite). $17.11

9:30 p.m. — I stay up too late reading Stillwater by Nicole Helget. It’s delightful. I know 11 won’t sound late to many people, but I feel awful if I don’t get at least eight hours of sleep.

Daily Total: $59.11

Day Three

625 a.m. — Wake, shower, dog walk. It is windy AF today! And cold. I put on one of my favorite dresses, a navy blue A-line with a print of constellations and stars. It sounds twee, but it’s quite subtle and pretty. Gray tights and Chelsea boots complete the lewk. My husband takes me to work per usual. I sit down at my desk, Diet Coke, morning meds, open email, email husband. As I suspected, I’m feeling my “late” night and my eyes are tired this morning. I have two stories to write and two versions of an email newsletter to build. Let’s do this.

10:30 a.m. — Meeting with one of my least favorite colleagues and the director of our department who is very kind as a person but a somewhat incompetent leader. Also, she’s one of those people that expects to get work done in meetings rather than discussing what we need to discuss, then getting work done on our own. She makes me tired. Anyhoo, the meeting goes as expected and I head back to my desk.

12 p.m. — I’m actually hungry at lunchtime today, so my coworker and I order Jimmy John’s. I have a Turkey Tom, chips, and an oatmeal raisin cookie (insert drooling emoji). It doesn’t cost me anything thanks to the gift card my husband slipped into my Christmas stocking. Yay! I wanted to make this a no-spend day, but we need groceries. We’ve been living on a random assortment of what was in the fridge after our New Year’s Eve party, plus some other basics. I order groceries online and set a time to pick them up later when my husband gets home from work with the car. Total is $137.92. My husband and I divide bills and expenses between us mostly proportionate to our salaries and I pay for groceries. $137.92

4:30 p.m. — My coworker offers to give me a ride home (so sweet!) and I take her up on it because some items I ordered during break were delivered and are just sitting on our front porch for the taking. I usually have stuff delivered to my office, but I thought these would arrive while I was still home on break to receive them. Anyway, I get home and find two of the three packages. The one that held the thermometer and body wash has been stolen by porch pirates. I walk the dog, then arrange for Amazon to send me the missing items for free, this time to my office. I send a message to the neighborhood listserv. People always share when they’ve had a package stolen, I guess to remind others to be on guard. And sometimes people actually find the stolen items ripped open and tossed in one of the alleys.

6 p.m. — My husband swings home and picks me up and we go pick up our groceries. Get home, put them away, and he heads out to meet some friends at the local watering hole. I don’t want to go because I’m just too tired. Work is super busy this week and I’m already kind of fried. Definitely no energy for extroverting. I have eat some pretzel crisps, carrots, and low-calorie Swiss Miss. Yum. I read Stillwater while I eat.

8 p.m. — I walk the dog, prep for bed, and crawl in bed with Stillwater. My lights are out by 9:30.

Daily Total: $137.92

Day Four

6:25 a.m. — Dear god, I am exhausted. I am moving like molasses this morning. Still the usual routine, though: shower, walk dog, pack backpack, off to work. I tell my dog I have to go make money for her snacks. I sit down at my desk, crack open a Diet Coke, take my morning meds, check email, email my husband. I have a stomach ache and my life feels extra hard today. Usually a combo of my depression flaring, plus dehydration. I resolve to drink more water and hope that helps.

9 a.m. — One-on-one meeting with my supervisor. These are weekly. I have a super supportive boss. He’s kind and cares about me and his other direct reports. After years of working in environments that ranged from stilted to toxic, he is a breath of fresh air. He’s the kind of boss who, when you say you don’t feel good, says, “Just go home and rest.” What more could a cubicle warrior ask for, you know? I digress. The meeting goes well and I’m back to my desk for the long haul.

12 p.m. — Hungry again today. Also lazy and pressed for time so, you guessed it, I order Jimmy John’s. They deliver straight to my desk. While I eat, I hop on Reddit for a while and then put up a Facebook post asking a fun question and it gets tons of attention. I have fun answering the comments and chatting with the friends that respond. Love it when FB isn’t a total dumpster fire of political shit-talk. $15.06

4:20 p.m. — Sick of working, so I pack up and walk home. Today, it’s kind of warm for January, though drizzling slightly. I walk home and listen to the audiobook version of Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come by Jessica Pan and enjoy it very much. I arrive home and my son is there! He’s done house-sitting so he’s home for good now. It’s good to have him back. The dog is elated. He’s her person. She follows him around all evening staring up at him in adoration. I sit on the couch and we chat and watch some episodes of Shameless until my husband gets home.

6:30 p.m. — Tonight, with my son handling the late evening dog walk, I plan to introvert hard. I make myself some dinner (peanut butter, pretzel crisps, ramen noodles, veggies, and some peanut butter cups) and retire to my room to eat and finish up Stillwater. It’s such a good book.

8:30 p.m. — Read-in-bed time (affectionately referred to as “RIB Time” by my husband and me and, sorry no, it’s not a euphemism. We just read next to each other). After Stillwater, I move on to another book and then pass out around 9:30.

Daily Total: $15.06

Day Five

6:35 a.m. — Running slightly behind this morning. I shower and dress. I put on a cute mauve snakeskin print top I just bought on clearance from Maurices and I just love the soft colors. I always feel better when I like my outfit. Then I get the dog out in a hurry. Pack my backpack with Diet Coke and mixed nuts in case of lunchtime hunger, and we’re out the door.

7:20 a.m. – Sit down at my desk, Diet Coke, morning meds, check email, email husband. I am truly a creature of habit. My Facebook post has seen some more love overnight, so I jump in and comment.

10:30 a.m. — I set up a freelance designer to work remotely on a project via a computer in our office. It’s a tangled web, but it has to be done this way because we need someone who can code to work on the website, but she lives in Florida. I go back to my own desk and follow up on some story leads. I also edit some graphics and check our editorial calendar to make sure we’re good for content over the weekend.

12 p.m. — I’m OMADing today, so I spend my lunch writing a blog post on Stillwater. (Hope you’re not annoyed with my book talk, I just really love books.)

1 p.m. — Back to work, baby. No meetings this afternoon, what luxury!

2:45 p.m. — Why is this the longest afternoon of my life? Maybe some meetings would have broken up the afternoon.

4:20 p.m. — Annnd, I’m out! I walk home in unusually warm weather for January in Indiana. It’s almost 50 degrees out. Weird.

5:20 p.m. — Get home, greet my son, walk the dog for good measure, and fix my OMAD. Tonight it’s a snacky plate of salami, a bagel with butter, carrots and veggie dip, pretzel crisps, and applesauce. My son and I eat and watch Shameless until my husband gets home, then chat with him for a bit.

7 p.m. — I go upstairs and take off my makeup, change, and settle in for an evening of reading and an early bedtime. My husband reads with me, then finds something else to do at home when I’m ready to turn out the lights around 10. Woo Friday!

Daily Total: $0

Day Six

8:45 a.m. — Oh Saturday, how I’ve missed you! I can’t sleep any longer, but my husband goes back to sleep for a bit. He must’ve stayed up late. I get dressed and walk the dog. A steady rain is falling and it’s still unusually warm out. I slept quite a bit last night, but I am just dragging today. Moving like molasses. Before I got sick over break, I’d head right to my desk on my days off and start making collages. Today, my brain is sludge and I do not have the energy for art. I get a drink, take my medicine, and curl up on the couch with my Chromebook and read some blogs. I wait to see if my meds kick in and give me a boost of energy for the day.

11:11 a.m. — I end up reading a post by the Literary Ladies Guide on Facebook recommending that everyone read Frankenstein before they die. It gets me thinking about whether there is one book I would want everyone to read before they die. These thoughts turn into a blog post. I also decide to see if food helps my sluggishness and end up eating pretzel crisps and a bagel with butter. I also chug some water. It helps immensely.

12 p.m. — My husband has showered and comes downstairs. Turns out, he went to two different bars after I went to sleep and saw a band play. We chat and then decide that while it’s not raining heavily, we’ll go for a walk to get some exercise. We bundle up and head out. It is raining and the wind picks up so we stop at the neighborhood bar for a warm-up. I have two delicious white Russians and my husband has a mixed drink and a beer. We talk to the regular sitting next to us who manages to say, like, ten sexist things in the space of an hour. He reveals that he has a wife and a secret girlfriend and I think, “TWO women are in love with this joker?” There is no accounting for taste. We also chat with the newer bartender who organizes music shows in town. Then we head home. My husband pays.

3 p.m. — I shower, then head out to pick up a prescription ($10). $10

3 p.m. — I also pick up some curtains I had dry-cleaned. I bought them for $6 at Goodwill a few months ago and thought I could just wash them myself, but I couldn’t get that musty Goodwill smell out. When I pick them up at the cleaners, I am astounded by the bill, which comes to $77.70. So much for my inexpensive curtains. $77.70

3 p.m. — I head to Meijer and pick up two curtain rods, plus some lemon wax melts, and some earrings that were on clearance (I’m always losing earrings so I like to restock when I can). $27.26

6 p.m. — I hang the curtains in the guest room and clean it out. My son comes home from work and makes himself dinner. My husband helps me move the treadmill I never use out to the porch. I send an email to the neighborhood listserv and offer the treadmill for free to whoever wants to come over and lug it home. It’s gone within ten minutes. Wow. I continue cleaning and then lay on my bed and scroll through Instagram and Facebook.

7:30 p.m. — My husband and I take a Lyft to a local restaurant/bar that’s closing next week. He pays for the Lyft. My husband has enjoyed going to this restaurant because of the bartender, who is the kind of bartender who wants to make you the cocktail he thinks you need, rather than the cocktail you order. We meet three friends there, one couple and a friend whose wife can’t make it. They eat tapas and we all have several drinks. Service is slow and they are running out of various items since they’re closing soon. A friend of ours who is a chef in town comes by near closing and has a drink with us. He drops some hints about what’s next for the location after the restaurant closes. We leave at closing and my husband pays.

10 p.m. — My husband and our one friend whose wife couldn’t come decide to hit up another location. We head down the street to a dive bar. We frequented this bar in college and the owners live two doors down from us. Their son is bartending. Our city sometimes feels like an interconnected little world of people who mostly know each other. We have several drinks and play songs on the TouchTunes jukebox. My husband pays. (Note: My husband pays for a lot of our entertainment because he makes more money than I do. I chip in where/when I can.)

Daily Total: $114.96

Day Seven

12 a.m. — We make one last stop at the neighborhood bar (the same one we walked to earlier in the day). We take a Lyft and I pay ($9.81 with tip). We have some drinks and hang out, then walk home around 1:30 a.m. and head to bed. $9.81

9:45 a.m. — Hangover day! I get dressed and walk the dog. I’m hungover thanks to our busy night and I need some greasy breakfast. I take my husband’s car to McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts and bring back breakfast sammies ($8 even) and donuts ($10.69) for us. My son is up when I get home and we eat together. My husband comes down to join us. We veg on the couch together while my son plays Grand Theft Auto and I read some funny memes out loud to make us laugh. $18.69

12:30 p.m. — I’ve had enough of this hangover and I take some Ibuprofen and a very, very long nap.

6 p.m. — Told you it was a long nap. I feel much better and get up to take the dog out. Sunday night is “movie night” at our house. It has been since my husband and I were dating and he would come visit me when I lived at my dad’s house. The formula is order/pick-up food + watch something. It doesn’t always have to be a movie. Tonight we are both feeling lazy, so my husband makes us a frozen pizza and we eat it on the couch and watch House Hunters International. Our son goes out to see a friend of his at work and doesn’t come home until around 9:30.

8 p.m. — We head upstairs for RIB time. I start The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott and it’s… okay. I’m not sure if I’ll stick with it. I really want to read more historical fiction this year, but I find some of it so bland.

Daily Total: $28.50

We want to know: Have you ever had Group Chat drama? Are you in no fewer than 10 group chats — between iMessage, Instagram DM, Messenger, and Whatsapp? And are you constantly in fear of sending the wrong text to the wrong group? Or worse: sending something about the group to the group? Group chats are the ideal breeding ground for friend drama. Sound off here and tell us yours for a chance to be featured on the site!

Money Diaries are meant to reflect individual women’s experiences and do not necessarily reflect Refinery29’s point of view. Refinery29 in no way encourages illegal activity or harmful behavior.

The first step to getting your financial life in order is tracking what you spend — to try on your own, check out our guide to managing your money every day. For more money diaries, click here.

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On January 22, we mark the 47th anniversary of Roe V. Wade. But almost half a century after the Supreme Court decision, the future of abortion access is at risk. As Planned Parenthood puts it, it’s under an “unprecedented attack.” In 2019, 25 new abortion restrictions were signed into law in 12 states, and these laws hit hardest among people of color. Abortion is not just a political talking point; it’s necessary healthcare.

Planned Parenthood teamed up with We Testify, an organization dedicated to the representation of people who’ve had abortions, to create a short film about four people who are living full, empowered lives because they had access to abortion. “Ours To Tell” was directed by Rayka Zehtabchi, who helmed the Oscar-winning short film Period: End of Sentence; produced by Ventureland in association with PRETTYBIRD; and features actress Natasha Rothwell as narrator.

“Ours To Tell” introduces us to Ylonda, Nick, Hannah, and Brittany. We see their children, partners, and pets. We hear about their spiritual and political beliefs, and we learn about the financial obstacles they’ve faced. Then, they all share why they chose abortion: 

“Something in me was always just like no, no girl. This ain’t it. You can move beyond it.” 

“I knew that I needed to be the best mother that I could be to the children I had.”

“I was just not in a place where I could physically or emotionally handle a pregnancy, let alone a child.” 

“I wasn’t ready to be a good parent.” 

“As access to abortion hangs by a thread across the country, this film tells the critical story of what’s possible when abortion is accessible,” Alexis McGill Johnson, Acting President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement. “People’s humanity, their right to health, and their right to live life on their own terms cannot exist without access to safe, legal abortion.”

Director Rayka Zehtabchi said that it’s necessary to feature abortion storytellers who we rarely see in media. “Film has the power to challenge the conversation around critical social issues, combat stigma, and ultimately shift culture. ‘Ours To Tell’ disrupts common misconceptions about abortion — who has access, why, and how that access can help people lead rich and strong lives,” she said.

Renee Bracey Sherman, Executive Director of We Testify added, “Storytelling is one of the most powerful vehicles of change. I’ve seen it when sharing my own abortion story. The stories in ‘Ours to Tell’ mirror the experiences of people across the country, particularly people of color, queer and transgender people, and others for whom the full promise of abortion access has yet to be realized. This film expands our understanding of who makes the decision to have an abortion and underscores that access to health care is an issue of basic justice, which must be a human right, available to us all. ‘Ours to Tell’ makes clear that everyone loves someone who had an abortion.”

The four storytellers share their experiences, but they also have a message for viewers, too: “To people who are seeking abortion services, you are not alone. There isn’t anything wrong with you. You deserve compassionate care, you deserve loving relationships. Most importantly, that you’re loved. You’re so loved.”

Watch the short film below. 

“Ours to Tell” shows us the world we could have — one where all people are able to access the health care they want, need, and deserve — with compassion and support. That’s the future we are fighting for. To learn more and find out what you can do, go to ourstotell.org.

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Following much excitement regarding Beyoncé’s Ivy Park collaboration with Adidas — it immediately sold out following its launch on Saturday, January 18 — the line has received some valid criticism from the plus-size community. The collection, which includes maroon and orange accessories, clothes, and footwear, features a limited size range, from XS – XL. And for many, this feels surprisingly exclusionary, especially considering the artist has spoken frequently about the need for inclusion and representation.

“You can’t celebrate the inclusivity of your other projects, having plus-size dancers and background singers, but ignore us again when it comes to this. The exclusion is intentional and I’m tired,” tweeted essayist Candice Marie Benbow. “We can love her and still say Bey is wrong for Ivy Park’s size exclusion.”

We can love her and still say Bey is wrong for Ivy Park’s size exclusion.

You can’t celebrate the inclusivity of your other projects, having plus size dancers and background singers, but ignore us *again* when it comes to this.

The exclusion is intentional and I’m tired.

— Candice Marie Benbow (@CandiceBenbow) January 18, 2020

While Bey sent full wardrobes of the collaboration to stars like Reese Witherspoon, Cardi B, and Yara Shahidi ahead of the launch, Chicago blogger LaToya T. Wright penned an essay for The Curvy Fashionista, regarding the lack of size inclusion, pointing out, “No orange boxes were shipped to any plus size star.” She went onto say, “While celebs unpacked boxes filled with the complete collection, it looks like plus size women will be limited to the accessory category, some of the outerwear pieces and one of the four different sneakers.” Wright also noted that in December 2019, Elle Magazine reported that Beyoncé was designing “IVY PARK with everyone in mind” and that the press release distinctly states that the collection champions “values of inclusivity, community and diversity.”

“My team has worked hard with the adidas team in bringing my vision to life for this first collection and I am grateful and proud,” Beyoncé stated in the press release. “From the accessories to the clothes and footwear, I wanted to design and re-imagine pieces that serve as favorite armor for anyone who acknowledges the strength in their individual style and lives freely and boldly.” 

While the collection has been marketed as being gender-neutral, it is puzzling that size diversity was not accounted for. Wright commented, “It’s great to see that Beyoncé made IVY PARK inclusive for all genders but what about the plus-size men who also can’t fit in the pieces, either.” There’s also the fact that Adidas’ recent collaboration with Universal Standard, which goes up to size 4X, while Teen Vogue reported that the Adidas x Ivy Park collection had at some point been offered in sizes up to 4X via ASOS and Shoepalace.com.

Asos had the collection with sizes up to 4xl. Was this not available at other sites? pic.twitter.com/mVakvARJSq

— Krystal Metcalfe (@KrystalMetcalfe) January 18, 2020

“While we have plenty of options for plus size activewear, that doesn’t help the sting of being left out,” Wright wrote. “At least Adidas didn’t go to the fake inclusive route by hiring smaller plus-size models to promote the Ivy Park collection. But it’s still disappointing.”

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In 2016, Mari Andrew made a New Year’s resolution that, albeit simple, would eventually cause a seismic shift in her life and career (which, up until 2017, included stints as a writer, teacher, and working at a law firm, amongst other things). She vowed to post one illustration to Instagram every single day. Four years later, that daily habit (which she continued diligently for two and a half years) has garnered her more than a million Instagram followers, two book deals, a freelance career as an artist, and the opportunity to teach classes on how to experience creative transformation by being intentional about a daily artistic practice. 

While Andrew’s leap into the freelance world proved worth the risk, it wasn’t without its unexpected hurdles, and the important life lessons that shook out from them. Because however prepared you may be to actually make the switch from a 9-to-5 to being your own boss, the hardest part is often what comes next — the things no one tells you about. That’s why we tapped three women, including Andrew — who all use Skillshare to teach everything from branding 101 to establishing daily creative habits — to tell us the most surprising (and most important) lessons they’ve learned after becoming their own boss.

Mari Andrew

Mari Andrew’s habit of posting one Instagram a day, which eventually led to a full-fledged career as a freelance illustrator and author, is a testament to the advantages of starting small. You don’t have to abandon the stability of a 9-to-5 overnight in order to earn your stripes, and when you do eventually make the jump, be realistic when setting expectations and goals for yourself.

“You should ask yourself, How do I want to feel at the end of a season or at the end of the year?” she says. “And then work backwards from that, envisioning the person you want to be. I love setting goals, I’m naturally a disciplined person, and I think people forget or don’t realize how much fun it can be to work toward that.”

Most importantly: Don’t lose sight of why you loved your hobby or side hustle in the first place. When you become your own boss and you’re, like Andrew, “never not working,” you still need to maintain your original passion — otherwise, your work will suffer. 

“An interesting challenge to get used to when you’re working for yourself, especially in a creative career, is that it really bleeds into every part of your life. I think a lot about the relationship between work and creativity — what is my job versus what is my work? — because I’m always working. Because of that, my creativity has become almost like a relationship to me. It’s a relationship that I’m always working on.”

Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton

Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton and her husband Adam opened Chillhouse — the self-proclaimed “destination for modern self-care” that pairs facials and manicures with an in-house café — in 2017 with one goal: to create a space where New Yorkers could go and practice wellness on their own terms, without being told how to do “self-care.”

“We started to think about ways we could really own the [wellness] conversation,” Ramirez-Fulton says. “It felt like something was missing in the industry in New York: a place where you can enjoy the space and feel like you’re in a more relaxed state, versus feeling like it’s just the traditional coffee shop or just a traditional bar, you know? We really wanted to create a kind of hub that served lots of different needs.”

Three years later, the original Lower East Side Chillhouse location has revamped into a “face and body studio” offering massages, facials, manicures and pedicures, and infrared sauna sessions along with matcha lattes and a full service coffee bar. And in November 2019, a much larger Soho flagship with a new food and drink menu opened its doors. 

Ramirez-Fulton didn’t open Chillhouse with wellness landscape expertise, and getting acquainted with the ins and outs of a new industry meant lots of learning experiences (many of which she now divulges in her own Skillshare class on how to build an aspirational brand in the era of Instagram). Her best advice? Know your industry like the back of your hand (even — and especially — if you plan on disrupting it). If you don’t have that knowledge going in, come prepared with a willingness to learn and adapt. 

“I just assumed we were going to open up this cool, chic space and people would want to work for us. But it was very obvious from the get-go that we had to prove it was more than just a cool concept. That was humbling. You have to treat the industry with respect and understand what’s been done before and why.”

And with the trial and error of becoming your own boss, remember that sometimes it’s okay to fail. “If you find that there’s something that just truly isn’t really working, don’t be so hard on yourself and don’t be so emotionally attached to something that you are unwilling to make any changes,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to ‘fail forward.’”

Laci Jordan

If you ask Laci Jordan, she landed the gig of illustrating for R29 Unbothered’s Go Off, Sis podcast because she manifested it: with enough comments, DMs, and story mentions on Instagram to make almost everyone on the team take note. It was her “fiercest play on manifesting [her] future yet,” and a testament to the fact that Jordan believes in going after what you want, no holds barred. 

Just a few years prior, Jordan was working full-time as a graphic designer, but she didn’t know anything about vector illustrations — the illustration style she’s now known for — until she started taking classes on Skillshare (she now teaches her own class on beginner digital illustration). After years of coming home from her 9-to-5 and working on side projects until 2 or 3 in the morning, she’s now freelancing full-time, illustrating for an impressive array of brands and working on cultural partnerships for important moments like Black History Month. 

As a freelancer who is the boss of her own schedule, time management has been the most challenging thing Jordan has had to navigate. Learning how to recreate the structure that she had in her previous 9-to-5 turned out to be an important lesson in self-discipline. “I was sort of under the impression when I quit my job that I would have all this time, like a portal of unexpected time that I would have all of a sudden. But there’s a lot of days where I’m like, What did I do today? Like wait, What happened today? I realized that when you work a corporate job, you sort of have this machine, this schedule, and when you can quit that job you have to essentially recreate the same machine for yourself, for your own work.”

Jordan demands a lot of herself and her work, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t also making space for self-love; in fact, it’s a key part of her entrepreneurial philosophy. “It’s intimidating, but you really have to follow this urge to just figure out who you are. Just keep pushing,” she says. “I think a lot of people look forward to a certain point in life where you can say, Okay, I have it all figured out now, and that doesn’t really exist. I never really have it all figured out. You just have to keep your head down and focus on you.”

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Warning: Spoilers ahead for Sex Education season 2 finale, “Chapter 8.”

Sex Education’s Season 2 finale opens on a sex scene. After Lily (Tanya Reynolds) admitted that she doesn’t want to be “just friends” with Ola (Patricia Allison) at the end of Episode 7, Episode 8 opens with the new couple in bed together. But while Ola is in a striped top and jeans, Lily is decked out in a sexy alien costume (reminiscent of the costumes in the school’s outer-space Romeo & Juliet musical), complete with tentacles attached to her fingertips.  

All is going well until Ola slides a hand under Lily’s silver miniskirt. “Ow!” Lily yelps, and explains to Ola, “It’s not you, it’s me. I have something called vaginismus. My vagina’s like a Venus flytrap.”

Lily gives Ola a quick explanation of her condition, showing her a kit of five different-sized dilators that she’s supposed to insert into her vagina — though so far, she can only use the smallest one. “I think it’s because I put too much pressure on myself,” Lily says. After Ola asks, Lily explains that she does masturbate. “I just keep to the outside,” she says, which gives Ola an idea: mutual masturbation. Cut to the couple gasping in bed together as they both come.

Fans of the show are calling its portrayal of vaginismus groundbreaking — especially because it shows that the condition doesn’t have to mean the end of sexual pleasure. 

Vaginismus “is a spasm or contraction of the muscles around the vagina,” the nonprofit medical center the Cleveland Clinic explains. While it can happen during sexual activity, it can also happen while inserting a tampon or during a Pap smear. 

While the condition — including how common it is — isn’t well understood, the Cleveland Clinic notes that it’s “thought to be a psychological condition, although some physical conditions can contribute to it.” The list of potential causes includes anxiety, fear of sex, past sexual trauma, and negative emotions towards sex, as well as physical conditions including yeast infections, UTIs, vulvar vestibulitis (an inflammatory condition) and atrophic vaginitis (a painful condition caused by lack of estrogen after menopause). 

Vaginismus is treated both physically and psychologically, with counseling, Kegel exercises, pelvic floor physical therapy, and vaginal dilators. More rarely, Botox treatments are used to ease the painful spasms.

Dilators like the ones Lily uses aren’t meant to “stretch” the vagina, the Cleveland Clinic says. Instead, they help patients get familiar with the sensation: “The goal [is]… to give a woman the comfort of being able to place these safe devices both outside and inside her vagina, in the privacy of her own home.”

In 2014, Chloe Schildhause wrote a personal essay for Refinery29 about her experience with vaginismus. “While I didn’t go the Botox route myself, I did invest some time in meeting with a physical therapist who guided me through breathing techniques while I inserted dilators,” she wrote. “I then took this practice home with me; a few weeks later, I found that I was able to wear tampons for the first time. About four months later, I was able to undergo a vaginal exam. And, the following year, I was able to have sex without pain.” 

And though it’s not true for everyone, some people with vaginismus also maintain great sex lives by following Lily’s technique: focusing on the clitoris rather than penetrating the vagina.  As sex blogger Sasha Kazantseva, who is a lesbian, previously wrote for Refinery29 UK, “[I’ve had] vaginismus for the majority of my life, and I had no problems with it; I just practiced non-penetrative sex and explained it to my partners.”

Near the end of the episode, we see Lily in her bedroom by herself. After considering the smallest dilator, she instead picks up the second-smallest. To her surprise, this time, she’s able to insert it. As for what this means for her and Ola’s sex life? We’ll have to wait until Season 3 to find out.

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Brooks Laich is sharing his New Year’s resolution: Have better sex. The 36-year-old hockey player, who is married to Julianne Hough, opened up about his goal to “explore his sexuality” in a new episode of How Men Think, the podcast he co-hosts with Gavin DeGraw.

Asked if he thinks he’s great in bed, Laich gave a detailed answer. “One of my goals this year is to really explore like, learning about sexuality. The amount of time in my life that I’ve studied hockey, athletics, training, nutrition, pressure, high-performance mindset, all of that stuff… People think that sexuality is just the act of sex, of just having sex, and there’s so much more to it,” Laich said.

“Here’s a question,” he went on. “This is an honest question for everybody in this room, and every single person listening: Are you fully, 100% fully, expressed in your true sexuality? With your partner? With everything? You could not imagine having a better sex life? Are you truly there? I’m not either.”

Laich continued, “So that’s what one of my goals this year is to really dive into. So then we’re all essentially, that’s a state of suffering. We’re not 10s out of 10s. It doesn’t mean you’re the best performer. It just means, ‘Are you fully expressed? Do you even know who you are sexually?’ And I truly, to my core, do not. But I’m super excited about that journey to really learn about sexuality and also get better at the performance of it, but also just the understanding of who I am, who my wife is, that sort of dance.”

Laich posted a similar sentiment to his Instagram Stories in late December. Filling out a “2020 goals” template, he wrote, in part, “I want to be more: Open to all things and present in my relationships. I want to have: More space in my day. I want to learn: More about intimacy and my sexuality. I am most excited about: Stepping into a new version of me.”

That Instagram Story — and the absence of a wedding ring on Hough’s finger as she co-hosted NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly — sparked breakup rumors about the couple. Others have speculated that Laich’s new dedication to exploring to his sexuality may not be a sign of a split, but simply introspection, perhaps inspired by Hough’s revelation that she’s “not straight.”

In an interview with Women’s Health last year, Hough recalled, “I [told my husband], ‘You know I’m not straight, right?’ And he was like, ‘I’m sorry, what?’ I was like, ‘I’m not. But I choose to be with you.’ I think there’s a safety with my husband now that I’m unpacking all of this, and there’s no fear of voicing things that I’ve been afraid to admit or that I’ve had shame or guilt about because of what I’ve been told or how I was raised.”

From Laich’s comment in the podcast — “I’m super excited about that journey to really learn about sexuality and also get better at the performance of it, but also just the understanding of who I am, who my wife is, that sort of dance” — it sounds as if Hough is part of his plan for sexual exploration. The couple did previously open about how they incorporate toe-sucking into their sex life, after all.

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Valentine’s Day gifting can be tricky. You want to get your best friend, older sister, or work wife something small, yet thoughtful, but finding a present that she’ll actually use and appreciate is tough. Our advice is to skip the candy hearts and go for a jumbo coffee table candle in the chic, and decidedly non-cheesy, scent of Rose Water Meringue. What’s more, you can snag a pink jar (or three) right now at Bath & Body Works.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day 2020, everyone’s favorite candle destination just dropped a full assortment of self-care products. From three-wick candles to aromatherapy lotion, there are over 40 different ways to stock up now to win V-Day.

You can shop the B&BW Valentine’s Day shop either online or in your local store, but either way, the current selection is unmatched. With every kind of body-care product you can imagine — from Japanese Cherry Blossom body butter to Rose Vanilla shower gel — sold individually or in adorable curated sets, there’s something for everyone.

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Not only are the offerings styled in shades of pink, they’re all under $25, which means you can give a thoughtful gift that won’t put a dent in your checking account. Like most Bath & Body Works seasonal drops, these ones will likely sell out fast, so we’d recommend getting ahead of the rush — and, of course, don’t forget about yourself, too.

At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.

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In case you were wondering what might happen to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s home (or not) we have some answers. Epstein’s Upper East Side mansion, where he allegedly abused countless underage girls, might actually become a home for art, in an insane twist after his death. The Frick Collection, an internationally recognized art museum located across the street, is reportedly considering purchasing the sordid mansion as part of an expansion project. But, this possible solution would hopefully save everyone from wondering who would possibly want to live in Epstein’s former home.

Currently, renovation plans for the Frick include a controversial repurposing of the historic home-turned-museum’s music room in order to make more space for exhibitions and greater wheelchair accessibility. The plans have been met with multiple campaigns like Stop Irresponsible Frick Development, which seem to object to their plans entirely. Architect and preservationist Theodore Grunewald, the director of Save the Frick, believes that the music room could be maintained if the museum purchased a number of nearby houses — one of which happens to be Epstein’s townhouse. As one of New York City’s largest private homes its 21,000 square feet could certainly be put to good use. “I can’t imagine a family that would want to raise their children in that cursed mansion. It’s going to be hard to sell,” Grunewald told the New York Daily News.

Some, however, believe that it would not be enough. According to the Frick Collection’s chief operating officer Joe Shatoff, acquiring Epstein’s mansion isn’t the right move. “Our renovation and revitalization plan has been guided carefully by two key tenets — first and foremost, to preserve the unique, intimate experience of the Frick, and secondly, to ensure the long-term future of the museum and library,” Shatoff said in a statement to the New York Daily News. “A separate building across the street does not answer these needs and would not provide the critical adjacencies required to make it a functional solution.”

It would unquestionably need substantial redecorating whether it was purchased by the museum or as a private home. The mansion, valued somewhere between $55 and $77 million, reportedly remains decorated to Epstein’s design tastes which, if we’re honest, sound creepy as hell. A few key details about the interior decor: There is a giant mural of him in a prison yard; A life-sized doll hangs from a chandelier; And, a painting of Bill Clinton in a dress remains there, too.

Overlooking Epstein as the most recent owner, 9 East 71st Street has a history of being used for the good of the community. Built in 1930 by famous architect, Horace Trumbauer, the home is seven stories tall, has 40 rooms, and is located in one of Manhattan’s most expensive neighborhoods. It’s less than a block from Central Park and a short walk from other world renowned museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim.

In 1944, it was given as a gift by the original owner’s sons to the Roman Catholic Archbishopric of New York which used it as an annex of St. Clare’s hospital for convalescing soldiers returning from World War II. It was later purchased in 1962 and used as a school up until 1989 when Epstein’s mentor, Leslie H. Wexner, bought the property for his private residence. For reasons never explained that we will likely never know, Wexner gifted the house to Epstein, transferring the title in 1996 for free.

If the Frick Collection were to purchase it for its expansion, it would give a new lease on a property that, save for Epstein’s residence the past few decades, spent the majority of its existence as a building used solely to benefit and educate the public. It seems much more fitting that it is returned to its former use than remain forever in the shadow of a man’s crimes.

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