While London is certainly not lacking in things to do, no trip to the region is complete without a detour to Bath and Bristol, just an hour and a half outside the city by train. Tucked away in Britain’s West Country, the two sister cities are only 13 miles apart — but they’re linked by more than just geography. They complete each other. Bristol is a city of the future, with a thriving bar scene, a lively contemporary art community, and a mission to go carbon neutral by 2030. On the other hand, Bath, just 20 minutes away, is precisely the opposite: a city rich with history, best known for its age-old architecture and romantic literary ties. Together, they make for an ideal British experience.

To see for ourselves, we ventured to Bath and Bristol, where we spent 29 hours exploring all the two cities have to offer with the help of VisitBritain. Watch while we lounge at towering Roman Baths, sample local gin, and ogle ancient architecture in Bath, before jumping on the train to Bristol to enjoy the local nightlife, the innovative food, and the musical stylings of an all-female DJ collective. Name a more iconic urban duo. We’ll wait…

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It just got even easier to shop on the 'gram: Starting today, with the addition of a new Checkout feature, users in the U.S. can shop for products from brands directly on the app. Now, instead of clicking on a product tag (the little shopping bag icon in Stories and grid) and being directed off-platform to buy it, you'll instead have the option to "Checkout on Instagram." From here, just choose your size and color, enter your email, billing information or Paypal, and address (which will be stored securely for future purchases), and place the order. You'll be notified when it ships and delivers right inside the app. Basically, shopping on your phone just went from taking five minutes to more like two and a half.

So far, this feature is available across more than 20 brands — including H&M, Dior, Kylie Cosmetics, Revolve, Uniqlo, Warby Parker, and Zara — with more coming soon. Before Checkout, the shopping experience was less streamlined, prompting users to leave the platform for the transaction, which resulted in lost interest and engagement in the process. (Raise your hand if you've ever clicked on a product with the intention of buying it and then gave up once you were directed to the vendor's site because you didn't feel like entering your information.) While this Checkout feature currently only lets you buy single items at a time, a spokesperson for Instagram told BuzzFeed that we might see a multi-item shopping cart in our futures.

Since last fall, Instagram has continued to develop its on-platform shopping experience — with the addition of shopping on Stories and the Shopping collection within the Saved folder (especially useful for when you want to save an item featured in a Story before it disappears). Today, more than 130 million people tap product tags in shopping posts every month (up from 90 million in September) — which is good news for direct-to-consumer brands looking to catch eyes on the grid. So if you weren't already addicted to your IG, good luck staying that way. But if in the middle of the shopping you're doing you need a little IG detox (and who doesn't from time to time?), here are our tips for keeping your Instagram decluttered and organized.

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Broadway and Girls star Andrew Rannells reveals that he was sexually assaulted by a Catholic priest as a teenager in an excerpt from his new memoir, Too Much Is Not Enough: A Memoir Of Fumbling Towards Adulthood. The memoir focuses on Rannells’ life before he became famous, covering his years growing up in Omaha, Nebraska and his early career in New York.

In the excerpt published on Vulture, Rannells writes that he decided to seek guidance from a priest about his recent sexual involvement with a forty-year-old man. When "things really started to get complicated with the forty-year-old," Rannells writes, “I was at a total loss for adult connection and assistance. My grades were plummeting, I constantly had a stomach ache, and I thought my life was crumbling around me."

Rannells chose a priest named Father Dominic, who he estimates was in his sixties at the time. “He seemed so strong, but so kind, and I was hopeful that he could save me from myself,” Rannells writes. He went to Confession, which at his Catholic school wasn't held in a private room. Instead, priests would set up two chairs close to each other, play music to muffle the sound, and “then you would basically just get right up in a priest’s face and whisper your sins. Sometimes he would close his eyes and grab the back of your neck firmly while you confessed. It seemed very ‘Roman Wrestler’ at the time, but looking back it was also very ‘Abusive Pimp.’”

When Rannells went to Confession, he writes, Father Dominic "grabbed my neck, as expected, and I started to talk. I started to try to explain what was happening with me, but I couldn’t make the words come out right. Instead, I started to cry. I was so embarrassed. Father Dominic squeezed my neck harder, and he grabbed both my hands with his free hand. His hands were like baseball mitts. We just sat there while I cried. He finally said, 'It’s okay. You’ve done nothing wrong..' It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, but it still felt nice.”

Then, Father Dominic kissed him: “He stood up and pulled me up with him. He hugged me tightly. I felt safe and heard and understood. Then, with unexpected force, he kissed me. On the lips. He muscled his tongue into my mouth and held the back of my head still. Then he released me and made the sign of the cross on my forehead. He smiled.”

Rannells was “stunned," he writes, and “mostly tried to avoid Father Dominic for the rest of the year.” But then, his mother invited Father Dominic, along with several other priests (including two that Rannells had had crushes on) to his graduation party.

When Father Dominic left the party, he asked Rannells to show him out, and he kissed him again. “I knew what was coming, but at this point, I didn’t care. I had performed and received numerous sex acts with a man I didn’t care about, and I just walked around feeling damaged. So what did I care if one more creepy man wanted to kiss me? What did it matter?” Rannells writes. “We stood at my parents’ front door and said our good-byes for the final time, and then he grabbed me by the back of the neck and forced his tongue in my mouth. I just stood there and let him. I didn’t kiss back, but I also didn’t move. He smiled at me and walked to his car. I went into our kitchen and slammed a glass of wine before going back out to the party.”

Rannells writes, “Cleaning up after the party, I felt a little numb. I thought, How many teenage boys have to deal with this shit at their graduation parties? Am I the only one? Or was Father Dominic just taking a tour of homes and forcing French kisses on young men throughout the city? If I had to kiss a priest at my graduation party, why couldn’t it have been a priest I wanted to kiss? More important, why did I have to kiss anyone?”

Rannells' memoir comes out at a time in which the Catholic Church is confronting numerous high-profile reports of child sexual abuse by priests over the past several decades. Last month, Pope Francis held a summit to address "Protection of Minors in the Church” in response to these ongoing reports of sexual abuse, as well as ongoing criticisms of the Church’s failure to remove priests they knew were sexually abusing children. It was the first summit of its type held in Church history, however, NPR notes that many Catholics were disappointed by the Vatican’s description of the summit as focusing on “prayer and discernment” rather than action.

If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call the RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

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Tomorrow, March 20, is the first day of spring — meaning that warmer weather and fresh flowers are in our future. But until the sun officially decides to shine and those buds begin to bloom, we'll have to rely on alternative sources for a floral-fix: a.k.a. ten online shops that deliver on-demand spring bouquets.

Don't waste time weeding through a mess of hit-or-miss florist options in your Google search bar, because we've curated a vibrant hit-list right here. And, yes, they ship nationwide. These chic online bouquets are sustainably sourced, uniquely designed, and can be ordered from the comfort of your own couch within days (even down to the day) of requested delivery. Scroll on to shop an early dose of spring blooms, from artful arrangements of pastel tulips to lilacs and more.

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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If you have a Birchbox subscription, you'll want to take a peek at your credit-card statement the next time that peach box arrives at your doorstep. After nine years of a flat fee of $10 a box, the subscription-based beauty company-turned-retailer has just announced a significant change to its pricing structure starting in April. Essentially, the new price you pay as of next month will depend on when you buy into the subscription service, and your status in the Birchbox loyalty program.

It's a little confusing, but here's how it breaks down: If you're an existing subscriber, on a month-by-month billing plan, your new monthly fee will be upped to $13 (from $10). If you're a brand-new Birchbox subscriber signing up any time after March 25, 2019, you'll be charged $15 per month on a monthly billing plan, or $13 per month if you commit to a full-year subscription. But, if you're an Ace member who's in the Birchbox loyalty program and spends more than $300 on the Birchbox site each year, then your subscription fee will stay put at $10 per month.

A post shared by birchbox (@birchbox) on Mar 8, 2019 at 9:01am PST

Judging by the updates to the pricing structure, it seems like Birchbox's new strategy is to encourage customers to buy all their beauty products on Birchbox.com to hit the $300-a-year cap and become an Ace member, thus earning the lowest $10-per-month subscription cost.

The company promises that the change in pricing structure will elevate the customer experience across the board. "The higher-value experience begins in April and will continue to evolve from there," Birchbox representatives said in a press release. "It will feature more customization options, new products, better personalization, and faster shipping, plus surprises along the way, like a sixth sample or special packaging."

The choice to bite the bullet and pay a little more or to rack up a $300 annual bill and keep your $10 box is 100% up to you. Regardless, it's always better to know now than to be surprised by your next bank statement.

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Netflix is officially the future. First, the streaming service made history by being the first network, or “network,” this century to have more Emmy nominations than HBO. Then, it went and tied the premium cable giant at the 2018 Emmys with both companies taking home 23 total awards.

So, it’s time to actually look into the future of Netflix. With 2019 in full swing, it's time to figure out what treats lie in our streaming future. And, the next year is already filled with ultra bingeable promise.

From new series like coming-of-age romp Sex Education and twisty party saga Russian Doll(starring an Orange Is The New Black fave) to new seasons of fan-favorites like 13 Reasons Why and Stranger Things, there is a lot to look forward to. Keep reading to get all the details on Netflix’s 2019 original series, including what they’re about, who’s in the casts, and when they’ll premiere. We hope your queue is ready.

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Searching for a fresh trend before it catches fire (and subsequently sells out) is, as Cher Horowitz put it, like searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie...A.k.a. impossible. While we can't always predict the next big thing to buy, we can catalog the best big things that are actually shoppable now. With a little help from our weekly column, The Sell-Out, we pulled together the top-selling products from the past year that are no longer sold out.

Instead of suggesting purchase alternatives, ahead we're delivering the real-deal trends that you can finally get your hands on — no restocks or waitlists necessary. Scroll on to shop the fire-catching finds from the most figure-flattering one-piece swimwear to viral rainbow-flecked rings, Cardi B's lipstick shade, the comfiest pair of French-girl heels, glowing sunscreen sticks, commuter backpacks, and more, along with the reasons why they sold out in the first place.

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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We’ve all been there: at the start of spring, ready to bare our limbs and take a break from all-black everything, but wondering just what trends are right for us. Luckily, Macy’s is here to show us the way with The Edit, a curated selection of its fashion-forward lineup. With three R29 editors as your guides, sussing out your style M.O. has never been easier...

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An Ex-Theranos Employee Is Responsible For Elizabeth Holmes' Black Turtleneck

Phyllis Gardner knew from the moment the 19-year-old student started talking about her “brilliant” idea that it wouldn’t work.

It was 2002, and the student was a Stanford University sophomore named Elizabeth Holmes. She had acne, brown hair, and a voice no lower than the next female undergrad. Gardner had been employed as a Professor of Medicine at the university since 1984 and was no stranger to mentoring. But something about this student was different. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“She came to me with [an idea for] a patch that would test for a microbe and then deliver antibiotics,” Gardner tells Refinery29 over the phone from her on-campus home. “I said, ‘Oh, that’s a lovely idea, but it won’t work.’ It was so naive. Antibiotics are not potent. That’s why you have big IV bags.” Gardner wanted to ask Holmes if she was “smoking dope,” but she didn’t. Instead, she told Holmes her idea wouldn’t work. The student, she says, refused to listen.

Now in her 60s, Gardner has been working in medicine, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and academia for more than 30 years. She also serves on the board of multiple medical companies. She’s someone you would want on your side if you were, say, an aspiring inventor in the medical field. But most of all, Gardner was, and is, a passionate advocate for women in the industry, and that’s what made her so frustrated with the young Holmes.

Holmes is now a pop culture icon, an emblem of fraud, a member of the Scammer Hall of Fame alongside Anna Delvey, Billy McFarland, and Lori Loughlin. She’s at the center of a new HBO documentary, The Inventor, a new 20/20 special, a podcast, and a 2018 best-selling book, Bad Blood — all of which Gardner appears in as a character witness for Holmes in her early years. Jennifer Lawrence will even be portraying Holmes in an upcoming feature film.

After their initial meeting, Gardner says Holmes came back once more with her patch pitch, and Gardner told her again that it was futile. Instead of belaboring the issue, she suggested Holmes find new mentors. Gardner was happy to be rid of her.

Then Theranos happened.

In 2003, the still 19-year-old Holmes secured backing by an impressive new board of mostly older white men (“It seems like at the beginning mostly men telling her yes, and not many people telling her no,” notes Gardner, who was friendly with many of the men on the boards). So she dropped out of Standford and introduced her grand concept to the world at large. The technology for Theranos evolved from that initial failed pitch to Gardner. As Holmes would describe in the now-eerie ads, Theranos was meant to revolutionize blood testing. Basically, a tiny prick on the finger would produce a drop of blood that could then be analyzed using their innovative new machine, The Edison. This, Holmes promised, would save lives by giving patients easier and faster access to blood tests with minimal invasiveness.

The world took notice of Theranos, but didn’t seem to notice that nothing about the technology actually worked. By 2007, the company was valued at $200 billion. In 2015, Forbes named Holmes the world’s youngest self-made billionaire, thanks to her eager and generous investors. But by 2016, her staff had grown confused and skeptical about what exactly the technology was that they’d been working on in their brand-new Palo Alto office. The cracks were starting to form.

It was very tough for me all those years, and part of it was that women were idolizing her. I didn’t like that they were idolizing a fraud.”

Gardner says she knew it all along; as a medical professional, she knew the technology behind Theranos did not — could not — work. So, when she was first contacted in 2015 by the Wall Street Journal’s John Carreyrou as he investigated the entrepreneur’s company, she wasn’t afraid to voice her opinion. “The hubris of that just drove me insane,” she said. “Don’t call her ‘brilliant.’ She is just a whipper-snapper kid. It was very tough for me all those years, and part of it was that women were idolizing her. I didn’t like that they were idolizing a fraud.”

Gardner would next see Elizabeth Holmes later that year, when she sat across from her in a board room on the Harvard campus. But this time, Holmes wasn’t pitching Gardner — they were peers.

Gardner had heard of Holmes’ nomination to the Harvard Medical Board months before this meeting. When she opposed it, she was told it was too late to stop it. Still, she thought this might be her opportunity to voice her opinion about Holmes in an official forum. Unfortunately, most people she spoke with were still under Holmes’ spell.

“Fast forward to 2015 — it’s the [day of our board] meeting, and the day Carreyrou’s Wall Street Journal article [comes out], and I’m quoted in it [speaking negatively],” she said.

Gardner didn’t confront Holmes directly that day, knowing that this was likely the first of many bombshell articles exposing her and Theranos.

As more and more Theranos whistleblowers, like Tyler Schultz (whose grandfather, George Schultz, sat on the company’s board and who currently lives two doors down from Gardner), and Erika Cheung (who worked as a medical researcher at the company form 2013 to 2017) came forward, more companies, investors, and journalists started reevaluating everything.

While much has been said (at Refinery29 and elsewhere) about this young woman’s wardrobe, makeup, hair, manicure, and falsely deep voice — and most of her champions and backers were older white men — Gardner is quick to note that the gender dynamics at play in Holmes’ downfall only go so far: “I don’t want anyone to think this has anything to do with anti-woman bias. This has everything to do with anti-sociopath virus.”

Theranos fully shuttered in October 2018. On LinkedIn, a few people still list it as their current place of employment. Holmes awaits her trial where she faces federal prison time (she’s also currently barred from serving as an officer or director of a public company for the next decade). The charges she faces, along with her former business partner and ex-boyfriend Ramesh “Sunny” Balwan, offers “a little vindication” for Gardner, but she maintains that ultimately — after being interviewed for the documentary, the podcast, multiple articles, and talking about it with her own circle of friends — she no longer cares. “I don’t need to be part of this story, and I mean that,” she said. “I just am glad that she is done shamming the world and endangering patients. It drove me crazy.”

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

Today: a marketing manager working in consumer goods who makes $30 per hour and spends some of her money this week on First Aid Beauty moisturizer.

Occupation: Marketing Manager
Industry: Consumer Goods
Age: 29
Location: Orange County, CA
Income: $30/hour
Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $1,750-$1,850

Monthly Expenses
Rent: $300 for my half. I live with my fiancé, N. My future father-in-law is our landlord. He's helping us save up for a house (which is incredibly generous), so we just pay HOA fees for now.
Student Loans: $250 (My parents pay for most of it — again, super grateful — and I pay a small portion.)
Health Insurance: $70
Phone: $0 (My company reimburses me.)
Car: $350 (My payments are $280/month, but I throw more at it.)
Car Insurance: $128 (I feel like I'm overpaying for this. I need to renegotiate.)
Netflix: $5.50 for my half
HBO Go: $7.50 for my half
Internet: $40 for my half
Electric: ~$25 for my half
Exercise Classes: $129
Vanguard Roth IRA: ~$460 (I max this out yearly.)
Retirement: $400 (My company matches up to 3%.)
Savings: I save about $500+ a month in cash. All in all, I have around $30,000-$40,000 in various accounts (retirement, savings, Roth IRA). I feel kind of behind since N. is a superstar at saving and investing. He's taught me a lot of good tips and tricks.

Day One

8:15 a.m. — Wake up! N. and I went to Big Bear with our friends for the weekend. The weather was horrendous last night. No snow, just gross cold rain. Our friends make us breakfast this morning, which is awesome. We eat eggs, sausage, Greek yogurt, tomatoes, and coffee.

2 p.m. — On the road back home. The road is super curvy — I try not to get carsick. The scenery is beautiful, so I just try to focus on that. We start talking about the Jordyn Woods and Tristan Thompson scandal. I don't know why I care, but I do. I haven't watched an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians in over five years, yet I still click on any BuzzFeed article that mentions their drama. WHY?

5:30 p.m. — Finally make it back to N.'s parents' house. His sister, brother-in-law, and adorable niece are over. She's one and a half and talks A LOT. N. is going to be the best dad ever. He takes her outside with him to play with our dog. She's loving it. He's so patient with her and loves talking to her.

7:30 p.m. — We leave N.'s parents' house and head to the grocery store so I can pick up some lunch and dinner stuff for this week. I purchase chicken, blueberries, carrots, asparagus, salad, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, English muffins, marinade for salmon, turkey wraps, tangerines, Flamin' Hot Nacho Doritos (!!!), and some other small miscellaneous items. Normally N. and I split groceries down the middle, but he recently got laid off, so I'm trying to help as much as I can, even though he tells me not to. I don't add the groceries into Splitwise and hope he doesn't notice. $52.70

8:30 p.m. — Finally home, and N. helps me put all the groceries away. I actually don't mind grocery shopping and volunteer for it as one of my “chores” that we split. I hate vacuuming the condo and cleaning the shower, so N. does that instead. I remember I have a $50 gift card at Macy's, so I put it to good use and purchase a pair of Levi's and a Clinique facial scrub ($18.61 after the gift card). $18.61

Daily Total: $71.31

Day Two

6:20 a.m. — Out of the shower and ready to do my routine. I hope I don't sound too American Psycho– ish with my regimen, but I use: Anastasia Beverly Hills Pencil, Smashbox eye primer, Urban Decay eyeshadow in Toasted, a dark brown pencil, Cover Girl mascara, SPF 30 moisturizer/sunscreen, Smashbox foundation, Hourglass Bronzer (so expensive, but it takes me years to go through bronzers), and Tarte blush. Then I finish it off with Urban Decay All Nighter spray and grab a lipstick to apply in the car on my way to work. It sounds intense, but it only takes about 15 minutes.

7:15 a.m. — Finish packing my lunch and I'm out the door. My commute is pretty long, but I deal with it by listening to podcasts. I really like Over My Dead Body, Court Junkie, and Generation Why. I'm into true-crime podcasts.

10 a.m. — I'm training a new person on some of my job duties as my role continues to expand. I have a great boss who is really awesome and encouraging. She wants me to be more focused instead of a jack-of-all-trades, so I can grow in my career path without being bogged down by smaller projects. I made it my mission in 2019 to volunteer for the hard stuff and figure it out as I go. She supports this initiative and tells me not to be afraid to just go for it. I read Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office, and it was encouraging for me. I've just started taking leaps of faith and not taking things so personally.

12:15 p.m. — I work on my schedule for the week. N. and I have a food tasting on Thursday night for our wedding. I am thrilled. Probably the only fun part of wedding planning, TBH. I check workout classes and notice my favorite instructors are teaching this week. I schedule four classes to attend. I try to do a minimum of three per week. And I schedule a manicure for this evening because I need one bad — my gels are peeling. Ugh. I text N. to let him know the dinner plans — we're making healthy chicken parm tonight. (It's basically baked instead of pan-fried and cut into thinner pieces.) It's a super easy and cheap weeknight recipe that gives us a few days of leftovers.

4:45 p.m. — Hit the road and try to beat out traffic. It's surprisingly pretty clear today, and it only takes me 40 minutes to get to the nail salon. I get a gel manicure — the same color I always get. The ladies at the salon laugh at me because they know “the usual” and have it out for me when I make an appointment. I'm a creature of habit. $36

6:30 p.m. — Remember that I forgot to get spaghetti and parsley for tonight's meal. I also grab Parmesan cheese and hummus. $10.70

8 p.m. — Dinner was really good, and we're all wrapped up with cleaning up. We flip on the Lakers vs. Clippers game. We're Clippers fans — which is always disappointing. Clippers, Angels, and Rams. Two out of three of those teams had disappointing seasons last year.

Daily Total: $46.70

Day Three

5:30 a.m. — I'm up before my alarm. I scroll Reddit and read the news. I don't know why I continue to torture myself with the headlines first thing in the morning. I guess I'd rather know than be totally oblivious. N. and I just had a conversation last night about how some people say “I just don't follow politics” and how that in itself is a privilege.

8 a.m. — Why do I have 30 emails already? I scan them to make sure nothing is on fire. Thankfully, it's not. A really annoying project I've been working on has been figured out, which is super exciting. I make coffee and an English muffin, go through the rest of my emails, and set a to-do list for the day.

11 a.m. — I check who's teaching my barre class today, and it's my favorite instructor. She's my soul sister. We're birthday-twin Capricorns who love Bravo shows. During her last class, she started the warm-up with “Don't Be Tardy for the Party.” This reminds me that I haven't watched the latest episode of Vanderpump Rules yet. I make a mental note to catch up on it when I get home tonight. N. pretends like he hates it, but he actually loves it. He gives all kinds of opinions about the show.

2:30 p.m. — In our team meeting, my boss goes on a two-minute speech about how awesome I am. I am mortified (I don't like attention), but it also feels really great. I've had a tough year with lots of learning, so it's great to see it all pay off finally.

8 p.m. — Finish eating leftovers from last night and flip on Vanderpump Rules. I love this show. I'm screaming at Kristen sage-ing Stassi out of her apartment. N. is also as amused. I mention that I want to catch up on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and he yells “nooooooo.” Housewives are something he can't get behind — he hates how they all talk over each other when they argue. Fair enough. He watches Vanderpump and Southern Charm with me, so I'll take what I can get.

Daily Total: $0

Day Four

7:20 a.m. — I was super slow today getting out of the house. Thank goodness I packed my workout clothes and lunch last night. Does anybody else feel more motivated to work out with cute workout clothes? I have these killer leggings from Lululemon (N. got them for me for Christmas) that I get excited to wear. You can say that they spark joy. I totally feel like I fit in with the rest of O.C. when I put them on. Ha!

8:10 a.m. — Arrive at the office, make coffee, and check emails. I'm thrilled and feeling way more relaxed about a project launch we have tomorrow.

4:50 p.m. — I see Madewell is having a sale. I love everything Madewell, but I'll wait until everything is on sale at Nordstrom Rack. Out the door and on my way to barre class!

6:45 p.m. — Barre class is finished. She made us do mountain climbers. I HATE mountain climbers. But I feel great after class and my skin is glowing. I wish I could mimic this look all the time. I've tried tinted moisturizers, skin tints, etc. — but it's never the same.

7 p.m. — Arrive home — we're making turkey tacos for dinner! N. and I make tacos and chat about our days. He's thinking of switching careers and has been doing some tests and studying at home while job searching to see if he's interested. I'm proud of him for not wallowing in defeat and thinking of trying something new.

9 p.m. — Read Bad Blood and doze off by accident. I wake up to N. moving my Kindle, charging my phone, and tucking me in for bed. I guess those mountain climbers got to me.

Daily Total: $0

Day Five

5:45 a.m. — I set my alarm earlier today so I can get to work earlier. I want to get a head start on some projects I have before everyone else gets in. Today is also the product launch, which gives me anxiety. I read my horoscope (lol), and it says that success is not necessarily defined by doing everything 100% right, but by being able to roll with the punches. I needed this today.

7:10 a.m. — After dragging, I'm running out the door. I wanted to leave a little earlier, but I'll still beat traffic. I take the coast to work. I'm not complaining. I turn on Spotify's #ThrowbackThursday playlist, and it's “Women of the '90s”–themed. I jam out to Meredith Brooks's “Bitch.” I'm trying to enjoy my commute instead of fighting it. It's a work in progress.

7:45 a.m. — Clock in and immediately check emails and do some product testing. It seems like everything is going okay. I've been here for four years now, and I think about making more money elsewhere, but I really love what I do, I love my coworkers, and my boss is really invested in me. It doesn't seem wise for me to leave just because of cash right now.

10:30 a.m. — Email my mom about our wedding food tasting today. We're all going together, and I think it will be really fun. It's open-house style, with lots of stations set up. I'm my mom's only child, and sometimes I think she's more excited for this wedding than I am. I don't mean that as a knock against N. — we talk about just wanting to get it over with and enjoy being married. Our families are pretty big, so there's a lot of excitement around the big day.

5:15 p.m. — Meet up with my parents and head into the tasting. OMG, the food is so good. The filet mignon sandwiches are the bomb, but they're an extra $20 a person. No. They have a craft cocktail bar, which is neat, but a definite no for me. It's interactive, so you muddle your own drinks and put fruit and syrup in them. I guess that's cool, but that's the last thing I want to do when I'm drunk. The rest of the options are fabulous, and it's really hard to make a decision.

8:30 p.m. — Stop and get gas at Costco. Gas is insanely expensive right now: $3.23 a gallon?!? $29.70

11 p.m. — Stay up late reading ghost stories about New Orleans and doze off.

Daily Total: $29.70

Day Six

7:20 a.m. — I spent too much time petting the dog this morning, so now I'm running behind. Traffic is lighter on Fridays, though, so I'm not worried. I listen to a “Women of Rock” playlist on Spotify and jam out to “You're So Vain” and “Celebrity Skin.”

8 a.m. — Stop and grab a bagel. The bagel is almost $4, which is totally insane. $3.98

4:50 p.m. — Leave the office and text N. He's at his parents' house helping them with some stuff and hanging out with his sister and niece. On my way, I stop by Sephora and pick up First Aid Beauty's Coconut Smoothie Moisturizing Primer. I am a FAB stan, so I'm excited to try it. I notice my skin is starting to become more combination and less oily as I get older. $28

7 p.m. — Head out to meet N.'s coworkers at...Olive Garden. We're cracking up because there are so many unique restaurants in the area and we choose OG. Sometimes you just have to have unlimited breadsticks. N. pays for our portion of the bill.

Daily Total: $31.98

Day Seven

7:50 a.m. — Wake up for my barre class. I'm a huge morning person, but it seems difficult to get up this morning. I slap on my new moisturizing primer to perk up my skin a bit. Maybe I've found it — the product that makes it look like I just worked out. It leaves a really natural glow on my skin.

9:45 a.m. — Class is over and I head home to make breakfast with N. Pretty standard — toast, eggs, and bacon. Nothing special. We are meeting his mom later to look at wedding bands.

3 p.m. — Head to the jeweler and try on my custom band. I can't wait to see what it will look like when it's finished. N.'s mom keeps telling me she wants to buy me earrings for my wedding day, which I think is such a lovely gesture. After the appointment, we go grocery shopping with her and she buys us Vietnamese coffee.

7 p.m. — N. and I head to the mall before it closes to get a gift for my stepdad's birthday. We try five different stores to find the perfect gift, and decide on a lightweight flannel shirt. N. and I split it. $40

11 p.m. — Finally finish Bad Blood. What a fantastic book and a wild ride. Highly recommend this one.

Daily Total: $40

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. Have questions about how to submit or our publishing process? Read our Money Diaries FAQ doc here: r29.co/mdfaqs

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When it comes to periods, “normal ” encompasses a lot of things. That's because different people have different flows, different cycle lengths, and different levels of cramps. But what about period length? We talked to Kristyn Brandi, MD, an OB/GYN and family planning specialist at Rutgers University, New Jersey Medical School in Newark, NJ, about what long periods could indicate.

According to the Mayo Clinic, normal menstrual flow can last anywhere from two to seven days, and irregular periods — in which the length of your period varies from month to month — are common, especially for people just beginning to menstruate and for people who are close to menopause. “Everyone's period is different, and there are some women who have long periods every period,” Dr. Brandi points out.

So instead of comparing your period to others’, compare your cycle to your own personal history. A period tracking app or another tracking method (like a bullet journal) will help you realize when something’s up with your period.

“Things to note are if your periods change from being lighter to heavier,” Dr. Brandi says. “There is often a cause of this, like fibroids, that your doctor can help you manage.” Other conditions that may cause overlong periods include uterine polyps, adenomyosis, uterine or cervical cancer, inherited bleeding disorders such as von Willebrand's disease, and liver or kidney disease. Taking certain kinds of medication, including anti-inflammatory medications and anticoagulants, can also lead to long periods.

Overlong periods can also be “a sign of a miscarriage where the pregnancy was never diagnosed,” Dr. Brandi says. This isn't unusual; according to the Mayo Clinic, between 10 and 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, but "the actual number is likely higher because many miscarriages occur so early in pregnancy that a woman doesn't realize she's pregnant." Your first period after a medical abortion may also be longer than usual.

If you recently started or changed birth control, that could also be a factor. Longer and heavier periods are a common side effect of copper IUDs, particularly in the first few months after insertion, as well as birth control shots and implants (again, during the first few months after you begin use). Your first period after taking a morning after pill may also be longer than normal.

In general, it’s best to check in with a professional. Dr. Brandi advises, “If your period lasts longer than a week, or you are having a heavy period with symptoms of being anemic (low blood count, like dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain), you should see your OB/GYN.”

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Three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared on May 3, 2007 from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal. Her story became an international sensation. What had become of the angelic, little, blonde British girl? Had she been murdered by her parents? Abducted and sold into a pedophilia ring?

It's been 10 year's and Madeleine's story still captures headlines. In March 2019, she was the subject of the Australian podcast Maddie, and a Netflix series called The Disappearance of Madeline McCann. So why do we remain captivated by the fate of this specific little girl, especially when so many other children go missing every day? The answer might have something to do with a phenomenon coined "missing white woman syndrome" by journalist Gwen Ifill to refer to the media's obsession with covering the cases of missing and endangered white women like Natalee Holloway, Elizabeth Smart, and Mollie Tibbetts.

While every missing person deserves attention, not all cases are treated equally in the media. In particular, there seems to be little interest in missing persons of color – even children as young at Madeleine. Zach Sommers, a law and science fellow at Northwestern University School of Law undertook a study to empirically prove the largely anecdotal theory that women of color receive different treatment from the media. He found distinct disparities in race and gender in both how often the media covered missing women of color, and in the intensity of that coverage once it did appear in the news, with the numbers overwhelmingly favoring white women and girls.

"A person's race plays into the types of assumptions we make," Sommers told Refinery29. "The labeling of teenagers as runaways tends to be racialized. There is a hierarchy of victims in the media and in society, where we are more willing to label a young white girl as blameless."

This blamelessness feeds into an old societal trope of "the damsel in distress" creating a cyclical process in which media producers present white victims as more relatable and media consumers find their stories, through repeated exposure, to be more "universal."

Ahead, we've highlighted the cases of young girls who all disappeared around the same time as Madeleine McCann and whose cases remain unsolved. The big difference? These girls are not white and their cases attracted just a fraction of the media coverage.

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Spring has long been considered the season of new growth, a harbinger of positive change and possibilities, the time of year when everything is born again.

Emerging from the safety of your bedroom after a long winter can feel a bit like being resurrected (like Jesus, on Easter), or resurfacing from the underworld (like Persephone, whose annual return would bring fresh flower blossoms), or at least waking up from a very long sleep: wide-eyed, bewildered, as if you're seeing everything around you for the very first time. Where do you even begin?

Start by shaking the cobwebs out. Take off that turtleneck; you won't be needing it where we're going. Say "what up?" to the sun, and your pasty arms, for the first time in six months. Once that first 65-degree day of the season hits and you exchange your dark winter mood for a sundress and a cocktail at the door, there's no shame in wanting to feel — and smell — like a brighter version of you, one who just sprung headfirst from a bouquet or rolled in a field of poppies.

These seven different floral fragrances, which smell like a Super Bloom with every spritz, will help you do just that. Isn't it wonderful, out here in the world?

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Bust out your bright coral lipstick: Spring is finally here. And with it, the biannual, holy grail of beauty sales — which means we're about two seconds away from revamping our top shelves. That's right, Ulta Beauty 's 21 Days of Beauty Event officially kicked off on Sunday and features so many new must-try buys 50% off, for one-day-only sales. There's truly no better time to go out on a limb and discover products you might not've splurged on if they weren't half off, no?

Since sales can be slightly overwhelming, we went ahead and highlighted our top picks for each day of the sale from here on out. Think: an extra-as-ever, chocolate-gold eyeshadow palette from none other than Too Faced; the Mario Badescu spot treatment so many of your friends swear by; and the loveliest, long-wear single shadows from Urban Decay. So click ahead to map out your shopping plan of attack this month — you don't want to kick yourself later for missing any one of these absolute steals.

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Amazon Prime shoppers are savvy. If you're one of them, you probably appreciate the fact that you can add a pack of toilet paper and a luxury lash serum to your cart and have them both land on your doorstep two days later. And now, your shopping experience is about to be even more streamlined, as Amazon has just launched its first skin-care line.

The exclusive collection, called Belei, includes 12 different skin-care products — from a retinol-based moisturizer to a vitamin C serum. They're all free of parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and fragrance, not tested on animals, and come in bottles sourced from recycled materials. “Our goal is to help customers spend less time and money searching for the right skin-care solutions,” Kara Trousdale, Head of Beauty for Private Brands at Amazon, said in a press release. “We took a simple, no-nonsense approach... developing products with ingredients that are both proven to deliver results and also offer customers great value for the quality.”

Whether your skin-care concern is dryness, fine lines around your eyes, or hyperpigmentation, scroll through to see the entire collection, ahead.

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Update: Back in December, model Kaia Gerber posted a poolside photo to her Instagram with some fresh ink on her ribcage. The problem? You couldn't make out all the details. But nearly three months later, Gerber's go-to celebrity tattoo artist, JonBoy, finally posted a close-up of the tat on Instagram, revealing that the mysterious ink is actually an angel, with a face in profile surrounded by wings. No word yet on the real meaning behind this tattoo, but it's safe to say that Gerber's got some kind of angel in her life.

This post was originally published on December 27, 2018.

With another nine months to go before her 18th birthday, Kaia Gerber is already a teeny-tiny tattoo connoisseur. In October, the 17-year-old model showed off a minimalist tattoo that reads "Jordan," her middle name, on her inner arm. Days later, fans spotted an outline of a miniature spaceship on her inner thigh. And in November, celebrity tattoo artist JonBoy posted a photo of Gerber's wrist with "I know " scrawled in cursive across the side.

Now, Gerber appears to be showing off her fourth new tattoo — that we know of, at least. In a photo Gerber posted to her Instagram on Wednesday, you can see her chilling poolside in a bucket hat and bikini (consider us envious) with some fresh ink on her ribcage.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kaia (@kaiagerber) on Dec 26, 2018 at 9:00am PST

While Gerber clearly favors dainty designs, this tattoo appears to be her biggest yet — even though we have yet to figure out what it is exactly. Is that an angel wing? A side-view of an open clam? A dragon? A bird? Instagram's zoom feature continues to fail us. What we do know is that Gerber — who is still under the legal age limit to get a tattoo in most states — would likely need the approval of one of her famous parents, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, to get inked. (Technically, California law prohibits anyone under the age of 18 from getting a tattoo, regardless of parental consent.)

While the design (and meaning) of the tattoo remains a mystery for now, it could very well be in honor of another family member. Back in February, her brother, Presley Gerber, got "Kaia" tattooed onto his arm. With a love for tattoos clearly running in the family, perhaps this new ink is an ode to him in return.

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While you were dragging yourself out of bed this morning, spilling coffee beans on the kitchen floor and staring at your open closet hopelessly, power duo Jason Wu and Eloquii were saddling up for a big announcement. After collaborating together last November on an ultra-luxe, very glamorous plus-size holiday collection, the design dream team is back for round two — this time with an array of warm-weather-ready dresses, suits, t-shirts and skirts, sized 14 to 28, just in time for spring's arrival.

"With the last one, I wanted to create a holiday-themed collection since one of the things Jason Wu — the brand, not me — is most known for is creating that special moment," the designer told Refinery29. "But with spring coming, I couldn't ignore the other side of the brand, which is full of feminine silhouettes and delicate florals." The two brands unite to give Eloquii customers access to Jason Wu's work with zero compromises on fit or price. When asked about which design elements he brought from his namesake collection to the Eloquii collab, he answered simply: "everything." "I want to make sure that everything I do is authentic to the brand, no matter if it's a collaboration or anything else," he explained.

And that's exactly what he's done. From pleated dresses in mix-matching prints to pin-stripes suits with impeccable tailoring, the second installment of his collaboration is, according to the designer himself, "quintessentially Jason Wu." And that extends to the collection's quality, too. "The way the Eloquii team and I worked together, we really tried to keep the prices very affordable, but despite that, there is a real elevation factor to what we created. Everything looks expensive, but it's still super affordable." Add to that the flexibility of a digitally-native company and Eloquii's mastery of fit, and you've got one hell of a team.

So, take a look at the 26-piece collection ahead (especially if you still can't figure out what the hell to wear today). You're guaranteed a top notch selection of pieces to choose from (just ask Michelle Obama, who gave Wu his start back in 2009) with expertly-crafted fits — all for $150 or less. Available today in-stores and online as well as, for the first time ever, via Nordstrom and Rent The Runway, this collection is just waiting to be worn all season long.

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For those recently fiancé-d, it's time to buckle down and sharpen your wedding strategy knife set. If you're more of a DIYer, then the internet is your budget-friendly planner partner in crime. Aside from housing endless inspirational Pinterest boards, blogs, and books, it's also home to one major marriage component: the online registry.

Registries were created to streamline and organize the gifting process from guests to couples. Back in the day this process was handled in-store, but in 2019 it now thrives on the world-wide-web where specialized sites and beloved brands digitally handle everything for you — from list distribution to gift shopping, shipping, thank you cards, and even charity to honeymoon funds.

Navigating the great sea of online wedding sites can feel daunting, so we went ahead and created an A to Z guide (from Amazon to Zola) of the absolute best. Scroll ahead for the stylish and thoughtful sites that will help make your big milestone feel a little more effortless.

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

Today: a program specialist working at a university who makes $55,000 per year ($156,000 when combined with her husband) and spends some of her money this week on CosRX acne patches.

Occupation: Program Specialist
Industry: University
Age: 34
Location: North Carolina
Salary: $55,000
My Husband's Salary: $101,000 + bonus
My Paycheck Amount (Monthly): $3,077.70
My Husband's Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $2,239.72

Monthly Expenses
Mortgage: $1,500 (I own a four-bedroom house that I share with my husband, daughter, and two dogs.)
Student Loans: $0 (Paid off.)
Health/Dental/Vision Insurance: Coverage for my daughter and me is taken out of my paycheck, and my husband is on his company's plan.
FSA: I contribute $80 a month for health expenses, taken from my paycheck
Parking: $29 to park at work, taken from my paycheck
Daycare: $1,491
Utilities: ~$200
Internet: $50
Netflix/Hulu/HBO/Amazon Music: $46
Car Insurance: $104
Cell Phone: $120
Retirement: I contribute 6% of my paycheck to my employer's system. I'll be vested next year. My husband has a 401(k).
Savings: I save about $1,000 a month. My husband puts in a variable amount. We have about $14,000 in savings now.

Annual Expenses
Amazon Prime: $119

Day One

5:30 a.m. — I wake up and hear my daughter, S., coughing in the other room. She's got a bit of a cold, and she had RSV last year, so every cold hits her extra hard. She probably didn't sleep well, poor thing. One of my dogs gets in bed with me for cuddles...and then throws up. I jump out of bed, turn on the light, and see that it's definitely bits of something that used to be alive. He's not a hunter type, so I'm assuming he found it. It looks awful. It smells awful. This has never happened before, and I am beyond disgusted. This is a great start to the week. I dispose of the disgustingness and immediately throw the comforter in the wash. I'll wash it again when I get home.

6:45 a.m. — I get S. up. She's very fussy. She definitely doesn't feel well, but no fever. I debate staying home with her, but between her and me, I've already had to take 3.5 sick days this year, and it's only February. I don't have much of an appetite after this morning's activities, so I eat a little cereal and S. eats some of a cereal bar. I take my coffee to go, drop S. off at daycare, and head to work.

9:30 a.m. — I get a notification that a Poshmark offer I made for a set of Static Nails pop-ons was accepted. Yay! I'm struggling with biting my nails, so I've been wanting to try these. $18.79

11:15 a.m. — I'm still having flashbacks to this morning. My brain doesn't want lunch, but my stomach does. Thankfully, it's leftover broccoli pesto and a couscous dish. While I eat, I pay an invoice from my counselor for yesterday's online appointment. I do counseling every other week ($25, paid with my FSA card).

2:45 p.m. — I browse internal jobs. I applied to one over two weeks ago, but I haven't heard anything back. I don't find anything for me, but I see one that might be good for a friend, so I pass it along. I also change my federal tax withholding, adding an additional $80. We did our taxes yesterday, and where we got about $5,000 back last year, this year we owe $1,800.

4:15 p.m. — I pick up S. and go home. I accompany the dogs to the backyard to see if I can find the rest of that animal. The offending dog makes a beeline to the area behind the shed. I shoo him away, and sure enough, there's a dead rabbit back there. I text my husband, E., who thankfully is almost home. He takes care of it.

6 p.m. — I make dinner (snapper with glazed carrots and rice) while E. deals with a very fussy S. The recipe doesn't come out the way I want, and then S. dumps her plate on the table, which doesn't put anybody in a good mood. After she goes down, I check the comforter after its second wash...and it's still slightly stained with rabbit guts, so I wash it again.

8:30 p.m. — We watch Last Week Tonight, and John Oliver talks about the controversy surrounding NC's ninth congressional district. Oh, North Carolina...I like it here, but we're never in the news for anything good. I check the comforter after the third wash. It seems clean, but even if I'm wrong, I've done all I can at this point, so I put it in the dryer. I grab an extra comforter from the guest room, read, and go to bed.

Daily Total: $18.79

Day Two

6 a.m. — My alarm goes off, and a few minutes later I hop in the shower. While I'm putting my makeup on, S. wakes up and starts crying. I quickly finish and go in to get her ready. She still doesn't feel well and mostly whines, cries, and screams at me. When she constantly makes noise like that, it really sets me on edge and I start to lose my cool. I actually leave her in her high chair and go upstairs for a few minutes, where I can't hear her. I'm not proud of this, but it's something I'm working on. When I come downstairs, she's suddenly in a much better mood, and we both eat breakfast.

11:30 a.m. — After a meeting with my boss, I heat up leftovers from last night for lunch, microwaving everything except the fish because I'm not a monster.

1:15 p.m. — I get a text from E. S.'s daycare called and said that her eyes are goopy. Another child got sent home with possible pink eye, so they're going to check her again when she wakes up from her nap. I noticed her eyes were goopy, but I thought it was just related to her cold.

2:30 p.m. — Daycare calls and says that they can't diagnose her with pink eye, but they need her to be out for 24 hours after she starts eye drops. I try to call her pediatrician to get her in for an appointment, but they transfer me over to the nurse advice line, a.k.a. the person whose job it is to convince you not to bring your child in. I leave a voicemail explaining that I do actually need to see someone. I was also supposed to go tour another daycare this afternoon because S.'s is closing soon, so I call to cancel that appointment and then pick up S.

3:45 p.m. — I clarify the pink eye policy with daycare, straighten things out with the doctor's office, talk to E. about who can possibly stay home with S. tomorrow, and then straighten out a completely unrelated issue with the pharmacy regarding S.'s inhaler. I take S. to the doctor on the off chance they say it's not pink eye and she can go to daycare tomorrow.

4:45 p.m. — Not only is it pink eye, but her cough/wheezing is worse, so they want to do a round of steroids. It's a good thing I brought her in ($10 on my FSA card). I go to the pharmacy to get her inhaler and to wait for her steroids and eye drops. The eye drops aren't in stock, so I ask E. to go to the other pharmacy while I wait here. He says he'll pick up dinner as well, since he won't be able to cook. I pick up her two prescriptions and head home ($32.87 on my FSA card). I start to get a stress headache. I knew my dog puking in the bed was a bad sign for the rest of the week...

6 p.m. — S. and I get home, and E. follows shortly with Mexican food ($19.98) and S.'s eye drops ($5 that I'll get reimbursed from the FSA). $19.98

7:45 p.m. — After S. gets to bed, we're both wiped. We finish season three of Stan Against Evil. Well, I do. E. falls asleep on the couch. I get ready for bed around 9, read, and go to sleep.

Daily Total: $19.98

Day Three

6 a.m. — My alarm goes off and E. is still sleeping. He usually gets up at 5, but he's staying home with S. today. When he gets up, he says that he thinks he's catching S.'s cold. This is unusual, as it's usually me that gets sick. As I'm finishing up my cereal, S. wakes up and starts crying. I get her dressed, and she's in a horrible mood. E. and I manage to get her to the breakfast table, but she doesn't want to eat. I wish E. good luck and head out with my coffee.

10 a.m. — I submit a claim to my FSA for the $5 that E. paid for S.'s eye drops yesterday. I really over-budgeted my FSA last year and had to scramble at the end of the year to spend it all (anyone need some Chapstick? I've got a ton!), so I want to make sure I'm on top of it.

11:15 a.m. — I'm going to an event at noon, but I'm not sure if there will be food, so I eat some leftover couscous before going, just in case they don't have anything.

11:45 a.m. — I drive to the event. I miss a good parking spot because a guy in a huge pickup truck is tailgating me. I eventually find one. They do have some snacks at the event, so I have some artichoke dip and a mini cupcake.

2 p.m. — The event was good — an all-women panel, which is unusual in academia. I got permission from my boss to work from home this afternoon, and I got all of my really essential stuff done this morning, so I head home. When I get there, S. is awake, which is surprising because it's usually prime nap time. E. said she woke up after 45 minutes and wouldn't go back to sleep. I say I'll watch her for a bit so he can go take a nap. While I try to work, S. keeps wanting to get in my lap, which is fine except she won't stop touching the computer.

3:30 p.m. — E. comes down and makes the two of us some tea. After extreme protest, S. takes a very short nap.

7 p.m. — I make dinner (eggplant and pasta), bathe S., and put her to bed...or try to, but she keeps fussing. I go check on her, and she's peed through her PJs and needs water. I know it's the steroids, so we oblige and put her back down. Eventually she calms and falls asleep.

8 p.m. — I try on some clothes I just got in the mail from Shein. They had an awesome T-shirt with a naked banana that I NEEDED to own. I added some stuff to get free shipping, and then went a little overboard because everything was so cheap...out of eight items, I'm returning four. But the naked banana shirt fits! I also decide to return a pair of boots I got from Thredup last week. They're exactly what I was looking for...except they're too small. I'll get about $82 back after those returns are processed. I pack up the returns, read, and go to bed.

Daily Total: $0

Day Four

6 a.m. — I get up and shower. S. is awake and crying by the time I finish getting ready. She proceeds to scream at me pretty much until we leave the house, pausing briefly to eat breakfast.

8 a.m. — It's payday! I pay my credit card bills and move $1,200 into savings.

10 a.m. — I got a few emails about the whole daycare situation. Long story short: my employer is closing it suddenly, with no alternative plan in place. I'm lucky because I think I've found S. a good spot not far from our house. I send an angry email suggesting that they give parents the ability to visit other day facilities without using their leave time, because I know some parents are already struggling. Literally the least they could do.

11 a.m. — There are a bunch of food trucks on campus today, so I walk over and get some beef sliders with provolone and chimichurri sauce. Very tasty! $10.72

1 p.m. — I am agonizing about whether to follow up on that internal job I applied to. I know I shouldn't, but it's been three weeks, and according to the application page, my materials aren't even under review yet. I write a short, polite email but don't send it.

4 p.m. — I go to daycare to pick up S. E. is home when we get there. He's still not feeling well, so he worked from home in the afternoon. S. wants me to read her ALL THE BOOKS.

6:30 p.m. — We head out to a casual restaurant to meet some friends for dinner. E. and I both get local beers, I get a personal pizza, and E. gets a chicken sandwich. S. gets a kids' mac 'n' cheese and applesauce, but the waitress accidentally puts her food on our friends' check. E. offers to pay them back, but they say not to worry about it. $34.27

7:30 p.m. — S. goes down for bed without a fight, which I hope is a sign she's on the mend. E. and I watch Ken Jeong's Netflix special and head to bed around 9.

Daily Total: $44.99

Day Five

6 a.m. — My alarm goes off and I hear S. awake already, so I get in the shower. She's still making noise when I get out, so I quickly get dressed and blowdry my hair (she's afraid of the blowdryer). She is yet again extremely fussy and whiny. I'm prepared for it this morning, though, so I don't lose my cool. She loves looking at pictures on our cell phones, so while she's crying at the breakfast table, I pull up Timehop and show her some old pictures. She immediately smiles, starts pointing people out, and eats breakfast. She even asks for more food. Magic. I wish I'd thought of this on Monday. We're out of cereal, so we both have cereal bars for breakfast. We go back upstairs so I can put on my makeup, which can be hard to do while wrangling a toddler.

8 a.m. — I'm in the office. HR said they got approval to let us tour alternative daycare facilities without using our leave time. I forgot that a new Hellboy trailer dropped overnight. I AM HYPED. Hellboy is my favorite comic, and this trailer is much better than the first one. I cannot wait.

10 a.m. — I get an email from Ulta about 7x points on select products, so I get a Beauty Blender and Urban Decay's setting spray. I also decide to try some Dermablend setting powder and CosRX acne patches. $93.91

11:20 a.m. — My blood sugar drops suddenly, and I feel like I'm going to be ill if I don't eat something immediately. This is why I eat lunch so early! I heat up leftover eggplant pasta from the other day.

1 p.m. — STOP THE PRESSES. I sent out my weekly email to a list I manage, and someone actually thanked me, saying that my list is very useful to them. Thanks of any kind is extremely rare, and I take a moment to appreciate it.

4:15 p.m. — I leave to get S. Traffic is bad because it's raining, and she spends the entire ride back crying for her daddy. I text E. at a red light and jokingly warn him that he better be home soon.

6:30 p.m. — Friends come over, bringing takeout Mexican food. (E. ordered and they picked up and paid him for their portion.) After we eat, E. puts S. to bed. We chat for a while and play Mario Party. At the end, Bowser was far ahead with seven stars, and then got both bonus stars, bringing the total to nine. And by Bowser, I mean me! Woo! Our friends leave around 10, and we go to sleep. $20

Daily Total: $113.91

Day Six

6:45 a.m. — S. is awake and making noise. E. feels really congested, so he jumps in the shower. I let the dogs out, feed them, and then get S. up. She's in a better mood than she's been in the rest of the week. E. takes over with S. and gives her breakfast so I can get ready. We're up a bit earlier than usual, so I take advantage of the time and do a chemical peel and a face mask. While I'm waiting for the mask to dry, I wash the pile of makeup brushes I've accumulated on the bathroom counter.

8:30 a.m. — We go out to a coffee shop for breakfast (second breakfast in S.'s case). Between the three of us, we get two flavored lattes, a slice of crumb cake, a chia pudding, yogurt, and a banana. We also get some coffee beans to take home. I take S. because E.'s not feeling well. She's pretty well behaved. $38.79

10 a.m. — We go to Target. My skin is always oily, but lately it's been extremely oily and extra breakout-prone, so I get two packs of oil-absorbing sheets and a Differin retinol cream. We also get two jugs of laundry detergent and a coloring book for S. I pay with a RedCARD so I save 5%. $73.59

11:30 a.m. — We eat the last of the leftover eggplant pasta for lunch and put S. down for a nap. While she naps, I get some chores done.

4 p.m. — We go out to a nearby shopping center with a park to meet some friends and their daughter, who's a bit younger than S. They're awkward toddlers, but I think they have fun. Then we shift over to a Greek restaurant for dinner. We get an appetizer, a kids' meal, two sandwiches, and a glass of wine for me. We forgot to repack the diaper bag with S.'s bib and placemat. Oops! We use a napkin as a bib and she manages to not make much of a mess. $47.83

6:30 p.m. — When we get home, I give S. a bath and put her down for bed. This is her last dose of steroids, so she should be more manageable in a few days. E. still doesn't feel well, so he wants to watch a movie we've already seen, in case he falls asleep. I pick Spy, and he falls asleep like 10 minutes in. At 9:30 I wake him up so he can go to bed upstairs. I read a bit and then go to bed, too.

Daily Total: $160.21

Day Seven

7 a.m. — S. wakes us up. E. goes downstairs to heat up some waffles for breakfast. I get S. up and ready, and she is in a terrible mood, especially when she realizes she needs to wait for breakfast. Constant screaming. Then when we get to the breakfast table, she doesn't even want to eat. Ugh.

8:15 a.m. — I dye my hair a new fun color. After I rinse, it looks pretty much like a normal red, so I'm a bit disappointed. At least it doesn't look bad, though!

9 a.m. — After planning our meals for the week, we head out to the grocery store. We spend about half the time wrangling S., but we usually go about the same time every week, so she's very popular there. We buy cereal, milk, and everything we need to make dinner for the next four nights (spaghetti with sausage, catfish and green beans, rice bowls, and charred Brussels sprouts salad). $101.88

11:30 a.m. — We eat leftover Mexican/Greek food and put S. down for a nap. While she sleeps, we watch Workin' Moms on Netflix and I put on my Static Nails. I think I may have gone a size too big on my middle fingers, but I don't think anyone will notice or care. I forget how my fingers are supposed to work for a while.

2 p.m. — S. wakes up a bit early from her nap and is all over the place. Since it's raining, we can't take her to the park or anything. E. says he's feeling a bit better, so he takes S. to the mall, just to get her out of the house and let her run around. I really don't want to do more chores...but I should. So I set an alarm for 20 minutes from now, and once that goes off I get up and vacuum.

4:30 p.m. — E. says S. was fine at the mall, but soon after they come home, she is showing the telltale signs of not feeling well. Her temperature is 103.7! Poor baby! We give her some medicine, and I hold her while we watch Sesame Street until dinner is ready.

7:30 p.m. — After we eat dinner (spaghetti with meat sauce) and put S. to bed, we discuss our plans for tomorrow. Unfortunately, E. and I both really need to be at work, but S. obviously can't go to daycare and the doctor had said to call if she developed a high fever. We work it out. As the evening goes on, I start to feel some congestion in my nose...so now I think all three of us are sick. Joy. I go to bed around 9 and wait for sickness to take me.

Daily Total: $101.88

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first drug to treat postpartum depression. According to the New York Times, on Tuesday, the FDA approved a drug called brexanolone to treat postpartum depression in adult women. The drug will be administered via injections into an IV and will be marketed under the name Zulresso.

According to the Times, brexanolone — a synthetic form of the hormone allopregnanolone, a derivative of progesterone — begins to work to treat moderate to severe postpartum depression within 48 hours. This is an improvement over antidepressants currently used to treat postpartum depression, which generally take two to four weeks to begin working, and sometimes show no effect at all. According to the CDC, in the US, about one in nine cisgender women who give birth experience postpartum depression, and the prevalence is higher — up to one in five — in certain states. (The CDC doesn’t provide information on the prevalence of postpartum depression in others who give birth.)

"Postpartum depression is a serious condition that, when severe, can be life-threatening. Women may experience thoughts about harming themselves or harming their child. Postpartum depression can also interfere with the maternal-infant bond. This approval marks the first time a drug has been specifically approved to treat postpartum depression, providing an important new treatment option," Tiffany Farchione, M.D., acting director of the Division of Psychiatry Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a press release.

However, Zulresso comes with a high price tag. Because of potential side effects — including dizziness, sleepiness, and, more rarely, fainting — it will only be administered through a restricted program. In this program, the patient must remain under medical supervision in a certified medical center while they receive Zulresso via IV infusion. Manufacturer Sage Therapeutics told CNN that this treatment will cost between $20,000 and $35,000 per treatment — not including the cost of the stay in the medical center. The treatment will also take 60 hours (people can continue breastfeeding during this time). It will be available in June.

Sage Therapeutics told the New York Times that they expect insurance companies to cover the treatment, however, insurance companies told the Times that they are evaluating brexanolone. Sage Therapeutics is also working on developing a more-accessible pill that would treat both postpartum depression and major depression, and expects to submit it for FDA approval within a couple years if clinical trials continue to show results.

While Zulresso will only be available to those who can afford it, studies indicate that low-income parents are at a higher risk for postpartum depression. A 2010 study by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that 56% of low-income urban mothers met the criteria for postpartum depression, compared to a national average of 14%. The CDC lists "stressful life events," "low social support," and "being a teen mom" as risk factors for postpartum depression. And though "poverty" isn't included on that list, it sounds like it should be.

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