We may not have been able to see it coming, but a lot of things have gotten the glow-in-the-dark treatment since those celestial ceiling stickers were in every kid’s bedroom between the years of 1995-2000. That’s right: From nail polish to Yeezys to yes, condoms, it seems that anything can stand to be upgraded by a fluorescent, dimly gleaming makeover. Next in line for the retro trend? Your razor.
Now Billie, the direct-to-consumer shaving brand proudly taking on the Pink Tax, has served up its first launch of 2020: The Glow Razor. As you may have guessed, yep — it glows in the dark. Cool, right?
The spectacular arrival of the Glow Razor, which looks clear in broad daylight, immediately garnered some intrigued oohs and ahhs from R29 HQ. However, our initial reactions were soon replaced by an interesting scenario: Are people shaving their legs (and, ahem, other places) from a totally lights-out bathroom?
The answer? Maybe, but *hopefully* not. Our best guess is that Billie’s limited-edition handle and magnetic holder are probably just a fun sight to see in your bathroom before turning the lights out, or when you get up to pee during the wee hours of the morning. And if you’re reading this and are both blessed with night vision and passionate about saving electricity…well, this is definitely the razor for you.
The Glow Razor hits Billie’s website today, and you can order it as part of any Starter Kit for $9.
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Mandatory Credit: Photo by Shutterstock (10527240r)
Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visit to Bradford Town Hall
Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visit to Bradford, UK – 15 Jan 2020
Royals — they’re just like us! They wrestle with tough family problems. They experiment with highlights. And they’re vulnerable to the stress of parenthood. In fact, Kate Middleton opened up about her own new-mom struggles during a visit to Ely and Careau Children’s Centre in Cardiff, Wales this Wednesday.
“It’s nice to be back in Wales,” Middleton said, according to PeopleMagazine. Both the duchess and her husband, Prince William, had previously lived in Wales when he was stationed there during his time in the Royal Air Force. His position required extended time away from home and night shifts. Not ideal when you have a newborn.
“It was the first year and I’d just had George — William was still working with search and rescue — and we came up here and I had a tiny, tiny baby in the middle of Anglesey. It was so isolated, so cut off,” Middleton said. “I didn’t have any family around, and he was doing night shifts. So… if only I had had a center like this.”
The Ely and Careau Children’s Centre offers care, education, health, wellbeing, and development services for children and their parents, their website says. Places like these can be a crucial asset to people who need support while raising kids.
In a recent survey of new parents conducted by Refinery29, we heard a similar message to Middleton’s. “If I had known how isolating those first few months at home with a newborn would be, I would have planned for it,” Sandy, 43, said. “I would have reached out to other soon-to-be moms beforehand, so that I had those connections. I know you can join mommy groups after you have the baby, but I just felt so tired and not myself — not exactly in the best headspace to meet new people.”
Middleton was at the center to promote an early child development survey called “5 big questions under 5.” The hope is that the results will help shed light on the experiences of both children and parents in this stage of life — something that could be a helpful resource for new parents in the future.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 11: Nikkie de Jager attends the Marc Jacobs Spring 2020 Runway Show at Park Avenue Armory on September 11, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Marc Jacobs)
Last week, in an emotional video titled “I’m Coming Out” that has since garnered over 32 million views, beauty vlogger Nikkie de Jager — better known on YouTube as NikkieTutorials — revealed publicly for the first time that she is transgender. On today’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the Dutch makeup artist conducted her first interview since the announcement, sitting down with Ellen to discuss her journey as well as the reported blackmailing that forced her to come forward with her story earlier than planned.
“A couple of weeks ago, I got emails from a certain person, and he was not okay with the fact that I was ‘lying’ and wanted to expose that,” de Jager revealed of the unnamed person who she said threatened to out her to the press. “He had a very pressuring tone of voice, and he was like, ‘If we don’t get an answer by tomorrow, it’s out.’ I feel like his entire goal was to destroy my life. But, plot twist, that didn’t happen.”
When DeGeneres asked the YouTuber if she would’ve ever revealed that she was transgender had she not been blackmailed, de Jager opened up about her thought process. She recalled crying as she uploaded the video, and her fiancé, Dylan, encouraging her every step of the way. “I always wanted to come out with it, but it is such a thing that it’s like, how do you find the timing? There’s never the perfect timing,” she said. But, she added, “Now I get to be free.”
The content creator also took the opportunity to acknowledge her privilege asa white, blonde, cis-passing woman who started her transition at a young age, and whose parents offered her love and support throughout the process. It’s with this new understanding — that not everyone is so fortunate — that she hopes to inspire others. “I want to take this opportunity to hopefully inspire a lot of transgender people out there, even when you’re starting later on in your journey, that we need to accept that,” she says.
Before the interview was over, DeGeneres — with the help of Shutterfly — surprised the YouTuber with a $10,000 donation made in her name to The Trevor Project, a national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth.
As de Jager looks towards the future, she says she’s ultimately grateful for the support she has received, and the timing of when she was able to speak her truth. As she said to DeGeneres, “I was so happy that it’s 2020, and the acceptance is real.”
If you are a trans person in need of information and support, please call the Trans Lifeline at 1-877-565-8860.
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Just days after the couple resigned from their royal duties in favor of a more low-key lifestyle in Vancouver, Canada, both Harry and Meghan were spotted participating in “normal” activities: Markle went for a hike in the woods with Archie and their two four-legged friends, Oz and Guy. Harry flew commercial… and carried his own bag off the plane (shocking, I know). But if the duo’s new lifestyle isn’t sign enough that a new era has begun, their casual beanies totally are.
Before we examine Meghan and Harry’s respective winter accessories, though, it’s important to first take a look back at their beginnings. It was October of 2016; Prince Harry was giving his new girlfriend, then-Suits actress Meghan Markle, a tour of his hometown. Highly publicized paparazzi photos of the date documented the couple sporting a now-familiar set of matching beanies.
Of course, when you’re attending charity galas and polo matches on any given Tuesday, you can’t exactly show up wearing a regular old beanie. But now that Meghan and Harry have started fresh as non-royals, meaning that they can do whatever they want and wear whatever they want, it seems that they’ve returned to their old sartorial ways: wearing beanies, that is.
Markle’s cap of choice was a hunter green slouchy style courtesy of Madewell, which she paired with a long-sleeved black workout top, leggings, and lace-up hiking boots. Harry recycled a navy blue beanie that he’s been spotted in before, wearing it this time with a black puffer coat and jeans during his trans-Atlantic flight from the UK to Vancouver.
And since winter’s only just begun, we’re predicting a long season of beanie action from the once-royal couple. Join them in celebrating their newfound fashion freedom by shopping the four Meghan Markle-approved beanies below.
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On Tuesday, Utah moved to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ children, becoming the 19th and arguably most conservative state to make the pseudoscientific practice illegal.
The push was largely bolstered by support from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to which a majority of Utah’s state legislature belong. Republican Utah Rep. Craig Hall, who originally sponsored the proposal, praised the rule change in a statement as a measure that “will truly save lives.”
Conversion therapy seeks to reverse an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity by psychological or spiritual intervention. According to the Trevor Project — a national organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth — the practice can often result in amplified shame and stigma in patients, and parents who send their child to conversion therapy “risk seriously fracturing their relationship with their child.”
In addition to Utah, 18 states and the District of Columbia have enacted bans on the discredited practice since 2012, and a handful of additional states seem poised to join their ranks in the near future: Florida, Missouri, Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia all have similar bills on deck for the 2020 legislative session.
While the American Medical Association notes that the implicit assumptions of conversion therapy — “that homosexuality and gender identity are mental disorders and that sexual orientation and gender identity can be changed” — are “not based on medical and scientific evidence,” the practice is still widespread in many red states across the U.S. We’ve rounded up some of the other states in the U.S. that have banned the practice of conversion therapy in landmark cases that are pushing this measure forward on a national scale.
California
In a major victory for gay rights activists, California became the first state to pass a ban on conversion therapy in 2012, with then-Governor Jerry Brown signing the law banning children and teens under 18 from undergoing sexual orientation change efforts. In a statement on the historic legislation, Brown said that the ban would target “non-scientific ‘therapies’ that have driven young people to depression and suicide.” The bill had initially been sponsored by Democratic state Senator Ted Lieu, who said the law was intended as a tribute to a man who committed suicide after undergoing conversion therapy.
New Jersey
Although the Garden State followed California’s lead by moving to ban conversion therapy for children and teens in 2013, LGBTQ+ activists got a scare in 2019 after Liberty Counsel, a national religious and legal organization, sought to challenge the resultant law in the U.S. Supreme Court on the grounds that it violated First Amendment rights. Eventually, the high court declined to take up the challenge, leaving the New Jersey ban intact.
Maine
Most recently, Maine moved to install its own ban on conversion therapy in 2019, after a bill that had passed the state legislature the year prior was vetoed by then-Governor Paul LePage, a Republican. On May 29, 2019, newly-installed Democratic Governor Janet Mills moved to outlaw the practice once and for all, calling it “a harmful, widely-discredited practice that has no place in Maine.”
“By signing this bill into law today, we send an unequivocal message to young LGBTQ people in Maine and across the country: we stand with you, we support you, and we will always defend your right to be who you are,” Mills said during the signing.
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It’s a common situation: one of your roommates is moving out, and the remaining renters need to search for someone to replace them. You sit down to talk about your ideal new roomie. When this happened to me last summer, my roommate and I decided that the new addition should be over 25 and have lived in New York City for at least a year. This was our only real criteria, but a few months earlier in 2019 another set of roommates in Portland, Ore. had a seemingly strange and celestial one: No Capricorns. The housing ad didn’t state so explicitly, but one of the existing roommates specified this to a potential inquiring renter. The message, which went viral, read: “This Virgo/Gemini house is a special place where soft mutable signs get to run free untethered by cardinal authorities.” This uncanny request might seem like a one-off, but these picky roommates are far from alone in considering someone’s astrological sign.
Last January, Mashable shared a similar story of renters who turned down an applicant because she was a Pisces. In November, John Paul Brammer’s advice column ¡Hola Papi! (formerly published by Out magazine, now a Substack newsletter) featured a questioner who asked, “Should I fake my astrology sign to be more employable?” after discovering their Libra bosses prioritized other Libras as new hires.
In September, Fast Company detailed how some start-ups are incorporating astrology in their company culture and even the hiring process. Occasionally dubbed “astrology discrimination,” “zodiac discrimination,” or “zodiac shaming,” this practice isn’t illegal — Capricorns are neither a protected class nor a historically-oppressed group. But some astrology fans say it’s annoying and it’s becoming increasingly widespread, particularly in dating.
“I lost out on a hand-modeling job when the person casting asked for our signs,” she says. “She basically lit up when the other girl said she was an Aries and was nodding and saying yes, I sense that energy from you. Then she asked me what my sign was. When I said Cancer, her demeanor visibly changed drastically, and she just kind of politely nodded at me with a forced smile. I was torn between laughing and panicking because I couldn’t believe she would decide between us based on a zodiac sign.” Sepulveres did not get the job.
Bringing astrology into the hiring process seems to be rarer in the U.S. than in other parts of the world. In China, a 2017 survey found that 4.3% of college graduates looking for jobs had experienced discrimination based on their Western or Chinese zodiac sign, according to The New York Times. And in 2009, an Austrian insurance company’s ad expressing preference for “Capricorn, Taurus, Aquarius, Aries and Leo” candidates sparked an investigation, according to Live Science. (The investigation concluded that in Austria too, zodiac signs weren’t protected by law in the same way as gender, race, and age.)
But while losing out on a job because of your sign isn’t all that common in the U.S., losing out on a date seems to be more so. In January 2019, dating app Bumble introduced new filters to let you screen out, say, a Sagittarian’s profile.
It’s not limited to Bumble. My Twitter query brought several DMs from people who had strong feelings about never dating certain signs. Sara, a Libra, met her now-girlfriend, a Virgo, after specifying she preferred earth and water signs. “After dating a Sag, Aries, and Leo right in a row, I decided I wasn’t dating fire signs anymore ever, and I’m not sorry!” she says.
Similarly, Rae, a Scorpio, decided to stop going out with Libras after dating three seriously. “I was very over being the mean emotional Scorpio to their rational, fair, objective Libra,” she says. “I mean, oof! The gaslighting! The arguments that got passively dismissed with a shrug when they were wrong!” She’s now dating a “wonderful, lovely Cancer woman.” She adds, “We met while I was refusing Libras, so I can confidently say I wouldn’t have considered her as seriously as I did if she had been one. She also happens to have no major Libra placements, SCORE.” Rae has also been on the other end of zodiac stereotyping. She was once propositioned for a threesome specifically because she’s a Scorpio, a sign said to be particularly sexual.
Astrology’s current boom — about 30% of American adults now say they believe in astrology and popular apps such as Co-Star are bringing in millions in funding — might be perpetuating this behavior. When I search my work inbox, it only takes a few minutes to find press releases telling me the signs most likely to cheat (Leo), least likely to save money (Pisces), and most likely to fake an orgasm (Taurus).
Media publications do the same: YourTango has written about “the zodiac signs most likely to overeat” (Scorpio, Aquarius, and Gemini topped the list), and Romper published an article about the “four most emotionally abusive zodiac signs” (Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, and Capricorn). Even the New Yorkerand The New York Times are reporting on astrology’s surge in relevance. As someone who writes about the stars all the time, I’m not immune: I haven’t flat-out turned someone down because of their sun sign, but I was thrilled to discover a recent date was a Capricorn (said to be particularly compatible with Scorpios — I’m one).
There’s one sign that seems to get more hate than any other: Gemini. “The old me used to love a Gemini / like a threesome, f*cking with him every night,” Lizzo proclaims in her song “Soulmate.” But it’s not just the pop star who’s biased. One Gemini, Halle, says, “People recoil every time I reveal my sign, it’s ridiculous.” Another, Iayana Elie, explains, “People automatically assume that I’m two-faced or not to be trusted. I once went to an event where as an ice breaker we were asked for our name, and our sign. Once I shared mine, it got tense, and I just made a joke out of it. But it’s moments like those when I have to prove myself to a group of strangers.”
My sun is in Scorpio, but my Mars is in Gemini, and even that’s enough to bring on Gemini hate. When I recently attended an astrology workshop, the astrologer who gave me a reading told me I should get off social media because my Mars sign might lead me to cause Twitter drama, like a certain notorious Gemini, President Donald Trump. (I did not quit social media. Nor have I started any Twitter blowups.)
Trump might play a role in all the Gemini hate, says Courtney Perkins, the Gemini behind the popular astrology meme Instagram Not All Geminis. But he’s not the only factor.
“I think it’s just bandwagoning,” she says. “It’s done by people who don’t really know a lot about astrology.” There are good and bad people of every sign, she adds, and every sign has negative traits. “We could be calling Aries tyrannical, or we could be calling Cancers manipulative wet noodles,” she says. “For Gemini, people come back to the two-faced thing, but there are other signs of duality: Pisces, with two fish swimming in opposite directions, doesn’t make up their mind easily. And Libra is equally superficial, if not more so. Every fault that’s assigned to Gemini is shared by another sign.”
A post shared by not all geminis (@notallgeminis) on May 28, 2019 at 8:19am PDT
Perkins also gets to the heart of why so many professional astrologers are annoyed by “zodiac shaming.” Your birth chart is so much more complicated than just your sun sign. “My best friends are Scorpio and Capricorn, which should not work, but we all have water moons,” which makes them astrologically compatible, she says. “That’s something you cannot tell off a Craigslist ad for a roommate. With every different placement, there are so many things that factor into compatibility.”
All of this astro hate aside, there are two main factors when it comes to judging people based on their sign. First, there’s free will. “Saying you don’t want to live with a Gemini because you think Geminis are gossipy is one thing, but you may have a perfectly sweet Gemini roommate applicant who has worked really hard to learn to use their words for the better,” Perkins explains. “People can learn to curb their faults.” Second, and perhaps the biggest, is that while astrology has been around for a very long time, it’s not scientifically proven and is supposed to be fun — excluding people is not.
As Brammer — the ¡Hola Papi! columnist — says: “We have enough rules and oppressive structures in our day-to-day realities. We don’t need them in our stars, too.”
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 24: Lizzo attends the 2019 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)
But in the accompanying interview, the pop star shared that her confidence wasn’t always this strong. She opened up about her journey to self-love in a society that taught her to hate her body and her skin.
In her late teens and early twenties, Lizzo explained, she was in a relationship with someone who said he wanted to date someone thin. “Skinny guys like me,” she said. “But I remember he was like, ‘I’m a little guy. I need a little girl.’ ” She found herself trying to mimic Zooey Deschanel — “I can’t just wake up and be a white girl,” she said. When the relationship ended, she asked herself, “How can you be in love with someone when you’re not even you?”
“As f***ed up as it sounds, I needed that heartbreak experience,” she said. “I’m not sad, because I use the pain so constructively. It’s inevitable. The pain is human experience.”
After that breakup, Lizzo began working on her low self-esteem. “I’ve come to terms with body dysmorphia and evolved,” she said. “The body-positive movement is doing the same thing. We’re growing together, and it’s growing pains, but I’m just glad that I’m attached to something so organic and alive.”
But Lizzo also added that there’s her work deserves recognition regardless of her body — something some critics and interviewers miss. “I’m so much more than that. Because I actually present that, I have a whole career,” she said. “It’s not a trend.”
Now, Lizzo helps that her music helps others discover self-love. “As a Black woman, I make music for people, from an experience that is from a Black woman,” she said. “I’m making music that hopefully makes other people feel good and helps me discover self-love. That message I want to go directly to Black women, big Black women, Black trans women. Period.”
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Cute leggings are great, but they have to be comfortable and durable too. A stylish pattern means nothing if the waistband is constantly sliding down, or the butt turns semi-transparent mid-squat. You may think that in order to cop a pair of leggings to look nice, feel nice, and hold up, you'll have no choice but to shell out a lot of cash, or maybe wait for a great workout clothing sale and stock up. But you'd be wrong.
We've scoured the internet to find the best deals for cheap workout leggings that won't cause your wallet to take a hit. Check out our picks, and get your sweat on!
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. All product details reflect the price and availability at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
This cute pair includes Alo's signature airbrush fit with four-way stretch fabric. Insanely comfy and functional at the gym — but they wouldn't look out of place with a sweater and heeled boots.
These purple leggings are part of Target's new activewear line, and we can't get enough. Coming in at just $30 per pair, and with turquoise and black options too — what's not to love?
All in Motion Contour High-Rise 7/8 Leggings with Ribbed Power Waist, $, available at Target
High-waisted leggings are the absolute best — and this pair's jacquard waistband is extra-special. We love the color, the mesh panels, and the phone pocket.
Gymshark Legacy Fitness 7/8 Workout Legging, $, available at Gymshark
Every workout wardrobe needs a color-blocking moment. This particular pair of bright orange leggings also has a matching sports bra to pair it with for a daring set.
These animal-print leggings have more than 3,000 five-star reviews on Amazon. Commenters rave about everything from their squat-proof stretch to eye-catching patterns.
Colorfulkoala High Waisted Pattern Leggings, $, available at Amazon
I know we say this all the time, but now is actually the most wonderful time of the year — for the crackpot shoppers among us, at least. The real deal-hunters (you know who you are) waited in the wings for the Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday madness to subside; knowing that January would bring a fresh crop of markdowns that would last longer and come with less of a frenzied urgency. (Not that there’s anything wrong with taking advantage of that peak consumption moment — everyone has their own style.)
For those of us who prefer to bide our time and waited for the holiday hubbub to subside, the moment of reckoning is nigh. Everything is marked down, including the one investment piece that everyone is very much still shopping for: the winter coat. Puffers, toppers, wraps, you name it — if it goes over your outfit and keeps you warm, we’ve spotted it on sale. And, just because the discounts are flying right now does not mean that pickings are slim — there’s plenty to choose from in the outerwear sale section across the world wide web. So settle in with some tea and your laptop and prepare to start scrolling, because there is shopping work to be done.
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. All product details reflect the price and availability at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
Urban Outfitters UO Teddy Overcoat, $, available at Urban Outfitters
NOIZE Hannah Faux Fur Trim Puffer Jacket, $, available at Nordstrom Rack
ASOS WHITE Wool Check Fringed Coat, $, available at ASOS
& Other Stories Drawstring Waist Puffer Jacket, $, available at & Other Stories
Knox Rose Plaid Long Sleeve Shirt Jacket, $, available at Target
The North Face Hyalite 550 Fill Power Down Jacket, $, available at Nordstrom
Anthropologie Plaid Jasper Coat, $, available at Anthropologie
Everlane The ReNew Long Puffer, $, available at Everlane
Matériel Belted wool-blend felt coat, $, available at Net-A-Porter
Madewell Bonded Sherpa Cocoon Coat, $, available at Madewell
Planning a wedding is exciting. But it's also very, very hard work. In order to navigate it, you're going to need to arm yourself with an array of tools to help you stay on track (and sane). Using checklists and apps is a start, but sometimes picking up a good old-fashioned book is the most effective wedding-attack strategy.
Ahead we’ve rounded up 24 essential reads that detail-oriented fiancés will want to add to cart now. These bridal guidebooks can help you easily tackle everything from tricky timelines to subtle etiquette and all the other tiny nuts and bolts holding your big day together — plus, there are plenty of glossy picture-filled pages to peruse for added inspiration. Scroll on to find the ultimate planner that fits your wedding style to an organized and easy T.
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.
This book is here to remind you and your significant other that planning a wedding should be fun! The secret is choosing to do things the way you want them done, not the way tradition tells you it should be. In addition to information surrounding logistics and aesthetic, this pre-wedding literary tool will also help you navigate tricky opinions, budget conversations, and more.
Aleisha McCormack Bridechilla Wedding Planning Survival Guide, $, available at Amazon
Getting to "I do" requires a good deal of to dos, but there's a book for that! This planner includes checklists to organize all kinds of information while helping you keep track of each new idea when it hits. And if you know anything about Erin Condren, it's that she's the queen of the stylized planner — so we could only expect this iteration tailored specifically to your wedding needs is an excellent choice.
Oh Joy! x Erin Condren Floral Festival Metallic Wedding Planner, $, available at Erin Condren
Let the countdown begin! This stunning marbled organizer has an 18-month calendar to help you stay on track as the big day draws near. From fittings to tastings and everything in between, it has a bullet point checklist to make sure you've got all your bases covered for a wedding that'll be a total home run.
Your Perfect Day Bridal Planning Diary, $, available at Amazon
Personalize your planning process with this customizable organizer. In addition to leaving your own stamp on its covers, discover 8 tabbed sections and 170 printed pages of planning essentials so you're ready for the big day.
Starboard Press Customized Wedding Planner, $, available at Etsy
One thing you'll learn very early on in this process is that weddings are very expensive. But your budget doesn't have to break you, especially with this resource for planning a dream wedding at a realistic cost. Included are hundreds of practical tips, sample budgets, and creative inspo and alternatives to all the essentials you've been dreaming of.
Jessica Bishop The Budget-Savvy Wedding Planner & Organizer, $, available at Amazon
Scoring a handmade wedding planner is as easy as popping over to this bespoke book shop on Etsy — each of the detailed planners is filled with everything from organization worksheets to inspirational mood boards and more designed to keep you on track and within budget up until the big day.
BlushAndGoldInvites Luxury wedding planner book, $, available at Etsy
Not only does this book help you plan all the stuff pre- and post-nuptials (because there's also the engagement fête, bachelorette party, and honeymoon to think about!), it also offers plenty of tips to guide you in every step of this journey. There are even storage pockets so you won't lose
Sand & Leaves Wedding Planner Notebook, $, available at Amazon
Martha Stewart's eponymous wedding brand has been around since 1995 — which makes her the bona fide OG of weddings. Her latest book offers the same tasteful aesthetic and practical advice that you'll find in the pages of her magazine, along with 300 full-color photographs, loads of creative ideas, and tips for everything from choosing your color palette to orchestrating the perfect honeymoon sendoff.
In this definitive guide to LGBTQ+ weddings you'll find advice on every aspect of your big day, plus an entire wedding-planning checklist — sans heteronormative generalizations.
Weddings are complex events with many, many moving pieces. Pulling off a fabulous party without a hitch is not the whole story, however — there are awkward guest-list situations, issues with family, and more. This etiquette guide will help reduce your stress around all of these questions.
This is not a book per se, but perhaps even more useful during wedding planning. Erin Condren makes customizable wedding-planning organizers with monthly checklists to keep you on track, plus a place to work out your budget, seating chart, menu, and more. You can make the cover a personal photo collage, add your names and wedding date, or choose from one of the classic designs.
If you don't have an unlimited budget for your wedding (so, like, most of us), run, don't walk to get this book. Meg Keene, who also runs the website A Practical Wedding, will completely change the way you think about weddings — this is not an understatement. You may start to think of some of those traditional "musts" as not so traditional or obligatory anymore. Most importantly, it will help you focus on what really matters: how your wedding feels, not how it looks.
We suggest buying this as a companion to Meg Keene's A Practical Wedding. The unique thing about A Practical Wedding Planner is how it actually really gets your wheels turning. Not only does it provide useful tips and advice, but it also has many interactive lists and graphs throughout, which allow you to focus on what you really want. For example, in the first chapter you'll go through and circle all the things that are important to you, and create a wedding mission statement. And who doesn't love a good pie chart?!
Is mercury retrograde just in time for your big day? Never Throw Rice At a Pisces is the astrology lover’s guide to wedding planning. In it, astrologer Stacey Wolf offers insights about time of year, vows, and honeymoon planning, all geared toward your specific sign. We don't know if it's truly scientific, but we love this one anyway.
If you're not a poufy-white-dress, throw-the-bouquet, everything-matchy-matchy type of bride, read this book. In it, author Ariel Meadow Stallings chronicles how she got fed up with traditional weddings and decided to become the OG offbeat bride. There are also tons of helpful tips on budgeting, conflict mediation, and more.
Two words: Pretty pictures. Abby Larson, the founder of popular site Style Me Pretty, offers gorgeous inspiration for all types of weddings: classic, modern, rustic... You can pore over tons of real weddings full of unique, thoughtful personal touches and get ideas for days.
Ah, here it is, the OG of wedding-planning books from The Knot. It has everything: planning and budget worksheets, detailed timelines, money-saving tips, and plenty of gorgeous visual inspiration.
Perhaps the celebrity wedding planner in the country, Mindy Weiss offers this comprehensive guide to every single — and we mean, every single — aspect of planning your nuptials. For the hyper-organized (or those who aspire to be), she offers checklists galore and lists all the questions you need to ask each vendor. Plus, there's a budget worksheet that doesn't leave out one detail.
Yes, the DIY "moment" in weddings is over, but plenty of couples still incorporate homemade elements into their celebrations. This book is full of tutorials for everything from vintage-map votive candles to hand-sewn programs to fill your wedding with vintage charm.
Written by the creator of the popular same-sex-wedding website 2Brides2Be, Laura Leigh Abby, this book is "a wedding guide for the bride who exudes youth and style no matter what her age, who is inspired by innovation, and who wants to marry the woman of her dreams and do it her way. She is a visionary who is up to the task of blending tradition and rebellion, but she is looking for some practical wedding-planning advice." Abby shares her own experiences and advice on everything from picking vendors to wording the invites — and she's not afraid to break the traditional rules.
Bridesmaids need love, too! If it's your first time bridesmaiding and you need a little hand-holding in the form of a book, this is a great guide to throwing all the pre-wedding parties, staying within your budget, and generally being fabulous.
If you can't bear to see another twine-tied invitation — or, God forbid, a Mason jar — this book of modern style ideas is for you. Far from the usual rustic-romantic Pinterest fare, it serves up a feast for the eyes: Pick from eight vibrant color palettes, and pore over the chicest photos in your preferred hues.
Sometimes you need a good, old-fashioned workbook to keep everything organized when wedding-planning. In this 100-plus-page organizer, you can record details about your budget, parties, attire, invitations, flowers, music, honeymoon, and more. It even has plastic folders where you can stash your documents, receipts, samples, and more.
This book was originally published in 1994 — when same-sex marriage was not yet legal and symbolic commitment ceremonies were the norm — but has gone through a few editions. Tess Ayers and Paul Brown cover trends, fashion tips, and offer advice on how to deal with difficult family members. They touch on topics most bridal magazines don't, like how two brides can match their wedding dresses and how to find LGBTQ-friendly businesses.
This isn't your typical wedding-planning book, but then again, Jamie Lee isn't your typical bride. The comedian and star of MTV's Girl Code explores the more surreal aspects of wedding planning and approaches everything with an irreverent sense of humor. If you, like Lee, are an unconventional bride-to-be stuck in a traditional world, you might very well relate — and use her practical, no-nonsense advice.
Loverly is an excellent resource for all things wedding-related, so it makes sense that its book would be just as useful. The site's editors have broken down the process into three major parts (the big picture, logistics, and the big day), with easily digestible tidbits and advice that will help keep everything in check. This book is full of unexpected advice you won’t find in a typical planning tome — paired with inspiring real-weddings images.
The Bride's Essential Wedding Planner is a quick and easy guide to every part of your big day. We love the DIY, money-saving approach the book takes, and it also has fun compartments to house vendor business cards and make notes. Think of it as your very own customized workbook.
This handy, pocket-sized book is one you can easily carry around with you on the go. Don't be fooled by its smallness; the pages are filled to the brim with easy-to-understand checklists, big-picture queries, and day-of logistics. It’s got everything you need — and nothing you don't.
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As it turns out, Dorsey lives his life a little bit differently.
In a video for Wired, the 43-year-old answered questions from real Twitter users. One person posed a question about the authenticity of some rumors about Dorsey’s wellness routine. Namely that he meditates for two hours a day, spends 52 minutes a day in the sauna, and eats five meals per week.
Is this article satire? Among other things, it claims that @jack:
– Regularly meditates 2hrs each day – Spends 52 mins each day doing sauna + ice bath – Eats just 5 meals per WEEKhttps://t.co/Tk0K2CRc06
“Some of it’s real,” Dorsey confirmed. “I try to meditate two hours every single day. I definitely do not do a sauna and ice bath every single day, and I eat seven meals every week, just dinner.”
The practice typically involves eating only during a set time frame each day (say noon to 8 p.m.), then fasting the other hours.
Some people like intermittent fasting, but it’s not for everyone, says Amy Shapiro, RD, a nutritionist with Daily Harvest. “Many people can benefit from fasting up to 14 to 16 hours a day, however recent research shows that women do better fasting for shorter periods like 12 hours,” she says. Fans say the practice gives them more energy and helps them sleep better, though more studies need to be done to confirm its effectiveness.
“During the day, I feel so much more focused,” Dorsey raved on the podcast. “You have this very focused point of mind in terms of this drive. The time back from breakfast and lunch allowed me to focus more on what my day is.”
Others, though, find it leaves them hungry and foggy. Plus, the extreme meal pattern may not be sustainable long-term, Kelly Pritchett, PhD, RD, assistant professor in nutrition and exercise science at Central Washington University, previously told Refinery29.
It could put you at risk of nutritional deficiencies as well, since you’re eating less food overall.
In the Fitness interview, Dorsey noted that he eats just one meal between 6:30 and 9 p.m., and said for the most part, he sticks with protein, such as chicken, steak or fish, with spinach, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, or other vegetables.
Even Dorsey has to live a little, though. He’ll eat dessert, People Magazine reports. But since he tries to avoid sugar, he goes mostly for mixed berries, dark chocolate, and red wine.
“By having one meal a day, you limit your intake of healthy foods — along with unhealthy foods — and can miss out on adequate vitamin and mineral intake along with heart healthy fats and fiber,” Shapiro says.
The way anyone eats is a personal choice. But from a health standpoint, experts agree if you have a history of disordered eating, the practice isn’t for you. And in general, it’s smart to talk to a doctor before changing up your diet. That’s especially important for those with diabetes and blood sugar imbalances, says Alicia Galvin, RD, a resident dietitian for Sovereign Laboratories.
In other words, before you follow your favorite tech guru’s eating habits, have a quick chat with your doctor first.
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While a layered haircut is never a bad idea — be it a feathered face frame or retro shag — this season, there's a noticeable swing the opposite direction to the blunt, no-frills cut.
According to industry pros, the single-length haircut is classically polished, makes hair look healthier, and is designed for versatility. Garren, celebrity stylist and co-founder of R+Co, says the trend is kind of a back-to-basics movement. "From short pixies to long cuts, the razor-sharp structure signifies a certain freedom from excess weight," he explains, adding that the fuss-free shape can then be styled any which way to add interest.
For proof of the blunt cut's trend spike, scroll through your 2020 style guide — organized in ascending order by length — and let it inspire you to go straight across at your next appointment.
The Short Bob
Call it a short bob or an A-line pixie, but this length — falling between the cheekbones and chin — is one of the shortest blunt shapes to take off this season.Supermodel Kaia Gerber has slowly been taking her blunt bob shorter and shorter, last seen with a pixie-adjacent cut that stops at her ears.Actress Bresha Webb shows us how a short, blunt cut parted straight down the middle proves effortlessly chic.
The '90s Bob
According to Garren, the classic bob — an incredibly popular style in the '90s — is one that cuts, with razor-sharp precision, right at the jawline. Take your clean bob, add a blunt bang, and all of a sudden you've turned your classic cut Parisian.Actress Laura Harrier's latest haircut is proof that a true bob is best styled with curls.
The Chopped Lob
If you want a little more length — but like the same crisp effect — go for a blunt lob, which should stop right at your shoulders. From Jennifer Lopez to Jessica Alba, tons of celebs have tried the blunt lob length, most often wearing the style sleek and straight to emphasize the sharp shape.Writer and director Janet Mock recently debuted a lighted and chopped lob that almost kisses her shoulder blades.The Long Chop
You don't have to sacrifice length for structure. Let your strands fall well past your shoulders, then dust them straight á laLea Michele.You can wear extensions or a weave for even more length and that same refreshing bluntness at the ends. Here, Mixed-ish star Arica Himmel shows us how a lengthy blunt cut can still have big personality — just add accessories.
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Our underwear drawers showcase a nine-to-one ratio of ultra comfy granny panties (the higher the waist the better) and itty bitty lace bikinis and thongs thrown in alongside matching bralettes. The former is trusty and reliable, providing us with everything we need for lounging around the house, errand days (worn under extra baggy sweats) and well, every other occasion we can possibly wear them to. The latter, on the other hand, is kept for one occasion and one occasion only: Valentine's Day.
That might be a bit of an exaggeration. We do, in fact, wear lingerie more than once a year, but it is true that the frequency at which we do is getting smaller and smaller. So since it's probably been a while since your last big lingerie re-up, we're using February 14th as an excuse to do exactly that. Ahead, we've rounded up 16 sexy red lingerie sets that'll add a nice kick to your 100% cotton-filled underwear drawer.
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.
Calvin Klein Flocked Hearts Strappy Thong, $, available at Urban Outfitters
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Since the Oscars don't happen until February 9, many movie lovers are still thinking about 2019. But it's time to move on, people. The Sundance Film Festival kicked off on January 23, and new feature films, documentaries, shorts, and performance art pieces are on the way. Among this years entries, 46 percent of the competition films at Sundance are directed by women. That's an increase from last year's 42 percent. And while this, unfortunately, might not mean anything when it comes to your Oscar ballot, it's still exciting to see so many films, with so much variety, at a mainstream fest.
There are familiar names are showing at the festival this year. Director Julie Taymor will be showing her Gloria Steinem biopic The Glorias. Animator Brenda Chapman is making her live action debut with Come Away, about Peter Pan and Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Director Dee Rees is showing her Joan Didion adaptation The Last Thing He Wanted. And writer Emerald Fennell is making the move from TV to film with Promising Young Women.
And that's just to start. Read on for 23 Sundance movies directed by women to look out for this year, from a Taylor Swift documentary to a movie about what happens if aliens invade while you're on a technology detox. (And to check out the full list of entries from women head to the official Sundance Film Festival site here.)
Amulet
Directed & Written by Romola Garai Starring: Carla Juri, Angeliki Papoulia, Alec Secareanu, Imelda Staunton
Actor Romola Garai (Atonement, Emma) makes her feature directorial debut with Amulet, a horror movie about a homeless veteran, who is given a place to stay by a woman and her dying mother, only to find out there may be something more sinister going on between them. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Boys State
Directed by Amanda McBaine & Jesse Moss
This documentary follows a group of one-thousand 17-year-old boys participating in an experiment to design and build a government from scratch. The filmmakers set out to "remind us, ultimately, that democracy is not a spectator sport."Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Come Away
Directed by Brenda Chapman Written by Marissa Kate Goodhill Starring: Michael Caine, Keira Chansa, Angelina Jolie, Jordan Nash, David Oyelowo, Reece Yates
Director Brenda Chapman is known for her work at Disney and Pixar, including co-directing The Prince of Egypt and Brave. Come Away is her live-action debut, and it's an imagining of Peter Pan and Alice from Alice in Wonderland as siblings before taking off on their separate magical journeys. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Farewell Amor
Directed & Written by Ekwa Msangi Starring Zainab Jah, Jayme Lawson, Joie Lee, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Nana Mensa
Tanzanian American director and writer Ekwa Msangi tells the story of an immigrant family, who reunite after 17 years. The father has made a new life in New York City, and when his wife and daughter arrive, they struggle to reconnect with him, but find hope through dance. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
The Fight
Directed by Eli Despres, Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg
The Fightis a documentary about ACLU lawyers as they fight for civil rights during the Trump administration, specifically rights for immigrants, women's right to choose, and voting rights. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
The 40-Year-Old Version
Directed & Written by Radha Blank Starring: TJ Atoms, Oswin Benjamin, Reed Birney, Radha Blank, Peter Y. Kim, Imani Lewis
Radha Blank, who has written for Empire and She's Gotta Have It makes her directing debut with The 40-Year-Old Version, about a 40-year-old struggling playwright, who decides to get back in to rapping.Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
The Glorias
Directed by Julie Taymor Written by Sarah Ruhl & Julie Taymor Starring: Timothy Hutton, Bette Midler, Janelle Monáe, Julianne Moore, Lorraine Toussaint, Alicia Vikander
Based on Gloria Steinem's memoir My Life on the Road and helmed by Julie Taymor (Across the Universe, Frida), The Gloriastells the feminist icon's story using several different actors to portray different parts of her life. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Herself
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd Written by Malcolm Campbell & Clare Dunne Starring: Clare Dunne, Conleth Hill, Harriet Walter
Mamma Mia! and The Iron Lady director Phyllida Lloyd brings Sundance audiences Herself, about a single mother in Ireland, who falls on hard times and decides to build a house for herself and her daughters "literally and metaphorically pouring the foundation of her own future."Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
He's The One
Directed & Written by Jessie Kahnweiler Starring: Alexandria Churchwell, Luka Jones, Jessie Kahnweiler
This short film is a "dark comedy about falling in love with the one person you’re supposed to hate." Viewers will have to wait and see the "shocking discovery" that changes things for the lead character and the man she falls for.Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Hillary
Directed by Nanette Burstein
Hillary, a biographical documentary about Hillary Clinton, spans five decades of her life and includes interviews with the politician, as well as ones with those close to her and her adversaries. It also features previously unreleased footage from her 2016 presidential campaign.
Kajillionaire
Directed & Written by Miranda July Starring Richard Jenkins, Gina Rodriguez, Debra Winger, Evan Rachel Wood
Kajillionaire follows a family of con artists, who invite a stranger to join them on their next heist. But, this changes things for the family's daughter, who was raised from birth to be a scammer, but begins to see her life in a different light. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
The Last Thing He Wanted
Directed by Dee Rees Written by Dee Rees & Marco Villalobos Starring Ben Affleck, Willem Dafoe, Anne Hathaway, Rosie Perez
The Last Thing He Wanted is an adaptation of Joan Didion's novel of the same name. It's a thriller about a journalist, who goes from reporting to part of the story when she becomes involved in risky arms deals in Central America.Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Lost Girls
Directed by Liz Garbus Written by Michael Werwie Starring Gabriel Byrne, Lola Kirke, Thomasin McKenzie, Oona Laurence, Amy Ryan, Miriam Shor
Based on the Robert Kolker novel of the same name, Lost Girls follows a mother who takes a search for justice into her own hands after her daughter goes missing. Her daughter had become an online sex worker, and authorities blame her rather than working to find her and help her family.
Miss Americana
Directed by Lana Wilson
Miss Americana is a documentary about Taylor Swift, focusing on her recent decision to be more open about her beliefs and personal life and use her voice in a bigger way. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Miss Juneteenth
Directed & Written by Channing Godfrey Peoples Starring: Nicole Beharie, Alexis Chikaeze, Lori Hayes, Marcus M. Mauldin, Kendrick Sampson
Miss Juneteenth revolves around a single mom, who was once named Miss Juneteenth in a pageant honoring the day slavery was banned in Texas. With her life not turning out as she hoped, she's prepping her teenage daughter to become Miss Juneteenth, even if that's not what she wants. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Mucho Mucho Amor
Directed by Cristina Costantini & Kareem Tabsch
Mucho Mucho Amor is a documentary about Puerto Rican "astrologer, psychic, and gender nonconforming legend Walter Mercado," who rose to fame with his televised horoscopes, before disappearing from public life in 2007. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Promising Young Woman
Directed & Written by Emerald Fennell Starring: Connie Britton, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox, Carey Mulligan
Writer and actor Emerald Fennell (The Crown, Killing Eve) makes her feature directorial debut with Promising Young Womanabout a woman who pretends to be drunk and then makes the men who try to take advantage of her pay in order to cope with a trauma she experienced.
Save Yourselves!
Directed & Written by Alex Huston Fischer & Eleanor Wilson Starring: Johanna Day, John Early, Sunita Mani, John Reynolds, Gary Richardson, Ben Sinclair
Save Yourselves! answers the question: What happens if the Earth is attacked by aliens while you're enjoying a technology-free week away at a cabin? Well, you won't find out about it right away, to start. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Shirley
Directed by Josephine Decker Written by Sarah Gubbins Starring: Logan Lerman, Elisabeth Moss, Michael Stuhlbarg, Odessa Young
Shirley is inspired by the horror writer Shirley Jackson, but it's not a traditional biopic. Instead, it centers around a couple who end up living with Jackson and her husband in their home in a small Vermont town. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Us Kids
Directed by Kim A. Snyder
The documentary Us Kids follows the survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who became major activists and inspirations in the fight for gun control. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Wander Darkly
Directed & Written by Tara Miele Starring: Vanessa Bayer, Aimee Carrero, Beth Grant, Tory Kittles, Diego Luna, Sienna Miller
Wander Darklycenters around a woman who "finds herself in a disorienting state of limbo, unstuck in time and witnessing life from a distance," following a traumatic event. With her partner, with whom she shares a child, she tries to figure out exactly what happened to her and try to move forward. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Worth
Directed by Sara Colangelo Written by Max Borenstein Starring: Talia Balsam, Laura Benanti, Tate Donovan, Michael Keaton, Amy Ryan, Stanley Tucci
Worth is about the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, which had to literally assign a worth to the victims when deciding the compensation their families would receive. In the film, the attorney in charge of the fund is at odds with a community organizer whose wife died in the 9/11 attacks. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Zola
Directed by Janicza Bravo Written by Janicza Bravo & Jeremy O. Harris Starring: Nicholas Braun, Colman Domingo, Riley Keough, Taylour Paige
In 2015, a series of over 100 tweets went viral when a woman named A’ziah King posted about a wild experience involving a new friend and their journey to go dance in Miami strip clubs that turned incredibly dark. Now, that story has been adapted into a film, Zola, that "frames the protagonist’s narrative in a groundbreaking exchange that plays with and questions perspective." Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Embrace
Director: Jessica Sanders Written By: Kathreen Khavari, Chuck Neal Starring: Kathreen Khavari, Eddie Huang, Mitra Jouhari
Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Jessica Sanders is a Sundance regular. She directed and produced the documentary After Innocence, about criminal-justice reform, and End of the Line, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival for Refinery29’s Shatterbox series. In Embrace, she depicts the story of Iranian American medical student Kat, who tries to save her family by taking on a surprising side hustle.
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Let’s face it: Periods can be weird. At various times they might be clumpy, brown, and, yes, smelly — and usually this is all totally standard. But what does it mean if your menstrual blood is thin and watery?
There are a few possible explanations, and they depend on what your baseline looks like — and if you’ve made any major changes recently, such as going on hormonal birth control or beginning to train for a marathon. “[People] tend to worry when their period isn’t exactly the same as usual,” Raquel B. Dardik, MD, an OB/GYN at NYU Langone Medical Center, previously told Refinery29. “But there’s a large variety of what’s normal.”
Many people notice that the color and consistency of their period blood changes from day to day. That said, if yours is suddenly light and watery throughout menstruation, and it never was before, it’s a good idea to check in with your OB/GYN to see what’s up. Here are some possible explanations.
It’s the first (or last) day of your period.
Some people notice that the first or last day of their period are lighter, with thinner, more watery blood. As Healthline puts it, at the beginning of your period this is “new blood flowing quickly from the uterus.” At the end, it’s the result of a low, light flow.
You recently began hormonal birth control
Generally, people who use hormonal contraceptives have less heavy periods, so if you recently started taking the pill, for example, you may notice a change. As Bedsider, an online birth control support network, explains, “The hormonal IUD, the implant, the shot, the pill, the patch, and the ring will all make periods lighter. This is because these methods… make the lining of the uterus thinner. There’s less tissue in the uterus to shed.”
Another common explanation for a light, watery flow is perimenopause — the stage when your body is transitioning to menopause. This usually begins sometime in your 40s, though it can be earlier. According to the Mayo Clinic, during this time, your estrogen levels rise and fall unevenly, which can mean major changes for your menstrual cycle.
While there are many possible explanations for thin menstrual blood, if you’re at all concerned or curious, it’s always a good idea to visit a doctor, who can better evaluate your symptoms.
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Some days the hardest part of my workout is lugging all my equipment to and from the gym. The extra shoes, sweatshirts, headphones, phones, chargers, water bottles, extra weights, shower kit, pre-exercise snacks, post-exercise snacks... taken together it's heavy, not to mention awkward to carry.
Enter: a functional, durable gym bag. The right one can make all the difference, especially if you're currently relying on a hodgepodge of totes to get your stuff together.
We went through the depths of Amazon to come up with the absolute best gym bags you can buy on the site. These can fit all your gear, and will seriously simplify your trips to the locker room.
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. All product details reflect the price and availability at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
This sleek canvas backpack is water resistant, so it'll keep all of your favorite workout gear safe from damage. It's on the pricey side, but brilliantly designed: There's a false bottom that'll protect your possessions from damage even when you drop the bag on the floor.
NOBULL Waxed Canvas Duffleback, $, available at Amazon
Everyone needs a little pink pastel in their lives, am I right? This playful gym bag is cute and durable. It has a shoe compartment perfect for your keeping your sweaty sneaks away from the rest of your gear.
This classic Nike backpack gets an update from a bright and bold color palette. In addition to neon yellow, it comes in pink, blue, red — and the more traditional black, grey, and navy too.
Nike Brasilia Medium Training Backpack, $, available at Amazon
A one-shoulder sling backpack is ideal for yogis — especially ones who want to go hands-free on their way to class. Just strap your mat in and head on your way.
Aurorae Yoga Mat Carrier Bag, $, available at Amazon
This lightweight duffel won't add any weight to your baggage and comes in a ton of cute prints. It's also surprisingly spacious: One Amazon reviewer said they were able to fit in a two-piece bathing suit, towel, flip-flops, workout pants, sports bra, workout top, socks, size 7 sneakers, a padlock, large wireless headphones, and their phone with room to spare. Sold!
Vooray Burner Compact Gym Bag, $, available at Amazon
Carrying your yoga mat has never been easier with this travel bag from Y.U.M.C. Since the mat rests on top of the tote, you'll still have a ton of space inside to store your shoes, clothes, and whatever else you bring along.
Y.U.M.C. Travel Yoga Gym Bag, $, available at Amazon
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In case you missed it, a lot of internet "it" girls and other highly visible individuals are obsessed with soup right now. This is perfectly understandable: soup is, after all, the perfect winter meal — something hot and hearty that steams into your face as you sip it off your spoon. Sure, there is no seasonal embargo on soup. In fact, some might say that soup is as common and quotidian a meal as pasta or a sandwich and that nothing about it makes it special. But we think soup is actually somehow cooler because of it's un-specialness; it's like the edible version of normcore dressing.
And in the season of sick days, runny noses, and freeze-dried lips, it is also so much more than a foodie fashion statement. It’s a warm bowl resting on your belly, a cost-effective solution to dinner, and a quick and easy meal that you can prepare in the same bowl you’ll eat it from. What we're trying to say is: all aboard the soup train.
If you buy your groceries at Trader Joe’s, perhaps you've wondered what their extended soup offering looks like. Well, here is a list of some soups you should keep an eye out for on your next grocery run.
Pappa Al Pomodoro
This is naturally sweet and creamy tomato soup with enough chunk and flavor to be a standalone meal —for when you want something punchy to brighten up your desk at work. Hale & Hearty who?
Available only in the winter months in the freezer section. Priced at $3.69.
Hearty Minestrone Soup
If the word "hearty" is involved, you know the soup in question is a stick-to-your-ribs meal that boasts high scores on the coziness scale. Ten out of ten soup-loving Cool Girls give it the Cool Girl version of a thumbs up. Whatever that is.
Organic Split Pea Soup
This carton of this soup is $1.99. With a price like that, you can have the whole carton for dinner every day. Just dump it all in a pot to heat it up, and then ladle it into your bowl as you binge Cheer late into the night.
Tomato Soup (With A Twist)
Yes, tomato soup ($2.69) is the G.O.A.T., and yes, its bright red finish makes it one of the coolest soups. But it's not known for being the most filling, often relying on the decidedly less cool grilled cheese sandwich or Goldfish cracker to amp up the substance. But gnocchi, especially Trader Joe's tomato and mozzarella stuffed gnocchi, is a reliably thick companion to any meal.
Creamy Corn & Roasted Pepper Soup
If ever you struggle to make a meal out of hot vegetable smoothies, you can't go wrong by looking to the name for ways on how to – metaphorically – beef them up. Chunk it up with larger pieces of corn and red bell peppers that you browned in a pan. Or just enjoy with a side of corn on the cob.
Thai-Style Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup
This is probably Trader Joe's most-popular to-go soup. And it will go great with the scallion pancakes you'll attach to your team's Thai lunch order.
Trader Joe's Instant Ramen Cups
For $1.29, you can buy as many of these as you can carry and shove them into whatever cupboard (at work or at home) you reach into when you're feeling more thanjust peckish.
Carrot Ginger Soup
All I'll say is that I have, in fact, consumed the soup pictured here straight from the carton to wash down a jar of jalapeño-stuffed olives... and I've never felt sexier.
Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Red soups are the tastiest. Sorry to all other soup shades, but it's basically science.
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Today, Tinder announced a new batch of safety measures, including an integration with personal safety app Noonlight, Photo Verification, an in-app Safety Center, andadditionalmeasures to combat offensive messages. Over the coming months, these features will also be rolled out across Match Group’s other dating platforms: OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, and Match.com.
Let’s talk details. First, there’s the Noonlight partnership. This feature will let Tinder users note the person, time, and location of their date, and allows them to easily alert emergency services if they feel unsafe.
Next, there’s the photo verification feature. Seemingly designed to weed out catfish, this allows members to self-authenticate their photos by taking a real-time selfie. That pic is then compared to their Tinder profile photos with human-assisted AI technology. Verified profiles will get blue checkmarks so potential matches know they are who they say they are (or at least, they look like what they say they look like).
Another new feature called “Does This Bother You?” will detect potentially offensive messages in the chats. Powered by machine learning, DTBY will ask members “Does This Bother You?” in response to suspicious messages. If the user says “yes,” they can then report the message. A related feature, “Undo,” will ask users if they really want to send that potentially offensive message — and undo that message if the user agrees to take it back.
Finally, the Safety Center will include tools and resources for these new features. Right now, they’re all being rolled out in select markets, so if you don’t have it yet, don’t stress.
Time will tell how these tools will play out IRL — some have already raised concerns about data security — but Tinder is proud of their work. “Every day, millions of our members trust us to introduce them to new people, and we’re dedicated to building innovative safety features powered by best-in-class technology that meet the needs of today’s daters,” Elie Seidman, CEO of Tinder, said in a press release. “I’m proud to share these updates, which represent an important step in driving our safety work forward at an unmatched scale.”
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For some reason, primers are one of the most polarizing beauty products out there. For every person who swears by their smoothing and oil-controlling powers, another considers the extra step to be totally pointless. But love 'em or hate 'em, brands are making the category harder to ignore in 2020 thanks to tons of new launches that promise to do more than ever.
"Primers were typically used for makeup longevity, to fill in wrinkles, or smooth out skin, which is all amazing, but the next evolution is having good-for-your-skin ingredients as well," says Moani Lee, a celebrity makeup artist who works with Kacey Musgraves. But that's not all: The newest primers push the limits on how long makeup can last, brighten skin, and more.
We've rounded up all the latest primers for your consideration, ahead.
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.
Glamglow SUPERMATTIFY Clarifying Oil-Control Face Primer
Massage this primer balm (yes, balm) onto your face before makeup to not only keep oil at bay, but fight blemishes with a blend of skin-smoothing acids.
GlamGlow SUPERMATTIFY Clarifying Oil-Control Face Primer, $, available at Sephora
Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional: Hydrate Primer
If you're a fan of Benefit Cosmetics' bestselling The POREfessional primer, then get ready, because the brand dropped a remix. This new release has the same oil-free, pore-minimizing power, plus a hit of hydration thanks to hyaluronic acid.
Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional: Hydrate Primer, $, available at Ulta Beauty
Urban Decay All Nighter Face Primer
Speaking of remixes, Urban Decay's turned its popular All Nighter Setting Spray into a primer for when you need your makeup to last through theapocalypse — or just a long, humid day.
Urban Decay All Nighter Face Primer, $, available at Sephora
Physician's Formula Natural Defense Protect Your Prime Oil SPF 15
Smooth out your skin for makeup application while also protecting it from UVA and UVB rays, blue light, and pollution. Consider this lightweight oil the superhero of primers.
Physician's Formula Natural Defense Protect Your Prime Oil SPF 15, $, available at Ulta Beauty
Revlon PhotoReady Prime Plus Brightening & Skin Tone Evening Primer
Don't let winter's short days dim your glow. Created especially for those who crave brighter skin, this new primer is packed with blurring pigments, plus vitamins C and E, lactic acid, and lemon extract to make skin glow both immediately and over time.
Revlon Prime Plus Brightening & Skin Tone Evening Primer, $, available at Ulta Beauty
Bite Beauty Changemaker Skin-Optimizing Primer
Bite Beauty recently stepped into the complexion game with a new foundation, but didn't miss the opportunity to drop a primer, too. This hybrid grips your makeup to extend its wear while also delivering willow bark for oil control and hyaluronic acid for hydration.
Bite Beauty Changemaker Skin-Optimizing Primer, $, available at Sephora
JOAH Pore De-Activator Pore Minimizing + Mattifying Primer
Love tea tree oil? This under-$15 find is for you. It can be worn alone or under makeup to smooth out the skin, but it's also infused with tea tree extract to protect and heal .
JOAH Pore De-Activator Pore Minimizing + Mattifying Primer, $, available at CVS
Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer - Protecting Broad Spectrum SPF 30
We all know that wearing daily sunscreen is important, but adding it into a foundation formulation can sometimes mess with the color, so Laura Mercier created a weightless primer to extend makeup wear with a dose of SPF 30 to boot.
Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer - Protecting Broad Spectrum SPF 30, $, available at Sephora
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Radiant Booster Primer & Serum
Give your skin a hit of radiance with this serum-meets-primer hybrid, which you can wear alone or under makeup. With peptides and pearl pigments, the glow is real.
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Radiant Booster Primer & Serum, $, available at Rite Aid
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When we last saw the intrepid doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital on theGrey’s Anatomy fall finale, Bailey (Chandra Wilson) lost her baby, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) was butting heads with the new head of pediatric surgery, Cormac Hayes (Richard Flood), Jo (Camilla Luddington) got her first safe-haven call from the Station 19 firehouse and ended up taking the baby home with her, Maggie (Kelly McCreary) quit her job because she has started to doubt herself after losing her cousin on the table, and Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) found out that she’s four weeks further along than she thought, which means the father of her baby might be Link (Chris Carmack) or it might be Owen (Kevin McKidd).
And then to top it all off, a car crashed into the bar where Ben (Jason George), Captain Herrera (Miguel Sandoval), Jackson (Jesse Williams), Levi (Jake Borelli) and all the other residents were having drinks, so that was the big cliffhanger. But the other big cliffhanger happened in real life — Justin Chambers abruptly exited the show, so now Grey’s has to find a way to get rid of Alex Karev, which is A) going to ruin Jo and all the progress she’s made after the trauma with her birth mother, and B) deprive us of the best relationship left on Grey’s, that of Meredith and Alex’s friendship. That stinks.
But alas, let’s dive in to “Help Me Through the Night,” shall we?
First off, let’s get this out of the way — throughout the entire episode, I was on pins and needles wondering which resident the show was going to kill off. At various times, it seemed like it could be Helm (Jaicy Elliot), Schmitt, Parker (Alex Blue Davis), or Simms (Devin Way), Koracick’s (Greg Germann) new protege.
Thankfully, everyone survives the night. The biggest heartbreak of the episode is that after everyone is stable, Miranda finally takes a moment to cry about her miscarriage. It is absolutely gut-wrenching. Bailey is so tough that watching her breakdown is even harder than when other characters do it.
But because everyone survives the accident, the biggest news that comes out of the episode is that Owen (Kevin McKidd) realizes he has to stop waiting around and proposes to Teddy (Kim Raver). She says “no” at first because she doesn’t want him repeating old, destructive patterns, but he says he wants to start a new pattern: loving her for the rest of his life. It’s very sweet, though viewers know things are going to get pretty complicated when Amelia’s baby is born with bright red hair or something.
GREY’S ANATOMY – “Help Me Through the Night” – Following the car crash at Joe’s Bar and subsequent rescue efforts led by the Station 19 firefighters, Grey Sloan doctors work through the night to save the lives of their colleagues. Meanwhile, Amelia worries about sharing her pregnancy revelation with Link. Owen and Teddy take a big step, and Bailey deals with grief over her recent loss when “Grey’s Anatomy” returns THURSDAY, JAN. 23 (9:00-10:01 p.m. EST), on ABC. (ABC/Kelsey McNeal)
CHANDRA WILSON
In all seriousness, Amelia is freaking out because she’s not sure who the father of her baby is, while Link goes on and on to Jo about how in love he is with his baby that he hasn’t even met yet. Amelia wants to tell him about her news, but she can’t bring herself to do it, plus they get interrupted by Owen and Teddy’s big news, so she settles for telling Link that “they’re” having a boy. Oh, this is going to be so sad.
Meanwhile, the harrowing trauma for all the residents at least lets both Helm and Meredith forgive Schmitt for turning Meredith in — though honestly, what is there to forgive? He didn’t know what he was doing at the time, he thought he was helping.
Finally, Jo spends the night making sure the safe-haven baby is OK, which means she gets to meet the new head of pediatrics, Dr. Hayes. She immediately sees why Cristina (Sandra Oh) send him to Meredith and we can all see exactly what’s coming here — Meredith and Hayes are totally making eyes at each other, but DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) realizes he royally forked up by asking Meredith for time and space, so he goes to Maggie (Kelly McCreary) for advice.
What’s the over/under on how long Alex is “visiting his mom in Iowa”? Three episodes before they have to do something else with him? Do you think they’re going to kill him off? Ugh, I hope not. That would be awful.
It was nice to see Webber (James Pickens Jr.) and Owen come over from Pac North, but Chambers’ departure also puts a kink in that. Will they figure out a way to keep Alex at Pac North and we simply never see him again, while finding a way to bring Webber and Owen back to Grey Sloan? Maybe.
Also this:
Jo: “I did not steal a baby.”
Meredith: “Well, that’s what I said when I stole a baby.”
Link: “Why are people stealing babies?!”
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