Apple just dropped second-generation AirPods — and this time, everything's wireless, including the charging case.
Now, instead of plugging your AirPod case into the wall like you would any other Apple device, the new Wireless Charging Case gets juice just from being placed on a Qi-compatible charging mat, leaving one to wonder if an Apple-created Qi-compatible charging mat isn't far behind. And the case is super easy to use — an LED light indicator on the front shows the charge status from a glance.
The best feature of the new AirPods? Now they respond to "Hey Siri," just like the iPhone, iPad, Mac, HomePod, and Apple Watch. You can use the command to adjust the volume of what you're listening to, make a call, or ask for directions.
Also improved is the talk time. The new AirPods have an Apple-designed H1 chip, which allows for up to 50 percent more talk time compared to the original model, and enables faster connections so that you can more seamlessly switch between devices while listening to music. Same goes for the battery life — now you can have three hours of talk time just by charging your AirPods for 15 minutes.
The new AirPods and Wireless Charging Case are available for purchase on Apple's website and the Apple Store app starting today and will be available in Apple Stores starting next week. As far as pricing, you can buy the new AirPods with the standard charging case for $159 (the same price as the last generation), the new AirPods with the Wireless Charging Case for $199, or the standalone Wireless Charging Case for $79 (for those of us with the original AirPods who want to upgrade to wireless charging without throwing down $199.) Plus, you now have the option to add a personal engraving on both cases for free when you check out.
And if you're looking to trick out your Apple Watch, Apple dropped some really good new watch accessories today as well, including a chic new Hermès watch band collection, sleek new Nike+ bands, and a ton of new sport bands, sport loops, leather loops, and modern buckle colors. This product drop comes on the heels of some major Apple makeovers this week, from the all-new iPad Air and iPad mini to a major iMac performance boost, and ahead of a rumored big announcement at next Monday's Apple special event.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
With all due respect to the brothers Hemsworth, we're not taping pictures of rugged heartthrobs with five o’clock shadows to our lockers anymore. In 2019, we’ve officially entered our Soft Boy phase, with Timothée Chalamet, Asa Butterfield, Jaden Smith, and most recent Soft-Boy recruit, Cole Sprouse, leading the pouty, sensitive, Tumblr-friendly pack.
Sprouse doesn’t just play a Soft Boy on screen as Jughead Jones in Riverdale, but he's also one in real life. He loves photography, takes romantic road trips with his girlfriend and co-star Lili Reinhart, and has a degree in drawing maps. But perhaps the most defining soft quality of Sprouse is his hair, which he's likely twirling mindlessly above his forehead right now.
The guy touches and flips his hair back and forth like a modern-day River Phoenix — and we're not the only ones who've noticed. Christine Nelli, the celebrity groomer behind Sprouse's most recent looks, agrees. "He touches it all the time," says Nelli, who describes the actor's hairstyle as Johnny Depp in Cry-Baby — only messier and with a rocker edge.
Nelli explains that while Sprouse may be blessed with lots of hair and natural volume, he in no way wakes up with that perfectly tousled bedhead. Working with the oils on his scalp, she usually starts by massaging dry shampoo paste into his roots and misting a lightweight wave spray all over his hair. She then rough dries it, twisting the ends to add texture and definition.
Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty Images.
But even though those forehead-grazing waves are his calling card, the young star also likes to take some style risks. In fact, that Teddy-boy, rockabilly hybrid from this year's Vanity Fair Oscars party was all his idea, inspired by a photo he had saved on his phone. Nelli was fully onboard, especially since most of the actor's daily styles are restricted to whatever fits underneath his Riverdale character's gray beanie. After an hour of scooping out strong-hold gel and blowdrying his hair into place, Sprouse's vision came to life. The only problem: He couldn't touch it nearly as much as he's used to — a real Soft-Boy problem if we've ever seen one.
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.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Although most of us weren't born until decades later, it's common knowledge that the Woodstock festival of 1969 was much more than a concert on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York. Admit it: At least once in your life you've probably whispered to a friend that it'd be way cooler to trade in a Coachella ticket for a trip back through time to spend a long weekend celebrating peace and music, right? Now you can with this summer's Woodstock anniversary festival. But instead of seeing Joan Baez jam in a torrential downpour, you get to see Miley Cyrus... nude?
OK, Cyrus probably won't be nude at Woodstock, but she did announce her spot in the 50th anniversary concert lineup with a series of photos on Instagram, including a very naked photo with the caption, "Festival season is here, I’m queer, and ready to party!" As expected, it's garnering some interesting reactions from fans.
But for the first time ever, people don't seem concerned with the fact that Cyrus is naked. In fact, most people in the comments are excited that Cyrus is embracing her freedom to be naked as she so pleases. But some of her followers are praying that she finds some sunscreen before she finds her clothes (although both would seriously eliminate the potential for sun damage, as an astute Instagram user pointed out, saying the desert sun is too strong to risk a full-body burn).
Everyone really can't get over the fact that she's lounging in direct sunlight with nothing but a hat covering her face — an ironic decision considering how helpful bucket hats can be in preventing sun damage. One user put it plainly and wrote, "Sunscreen," while yet another offered a sincere suggestion: "u better put some sunblock on Momma!"
Lucky for Cyrus, she has a few months before she has to start packing for Woodstock. Let's just hope that between now and then she finds a bottle of SPF 45 — and some cooling aloe gel, just in case.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Back in the day, mood rings were our way of expressing how we really felt. Now, switching up our hair is how we outwardly display what's going on inside (although we wouldn't turn down rocking an adult mood ring, TBH). If we're going through a stressful phase, it's all ponytails and grease-disguising headbands. If we're trying to bring sunshine into our lives, we make an appointment for highlights. And if we need a complete revamp, a transformative cut is on the to-do list.
Clearly our favorite celebs are itching for the latter in 2019. We're well into a new year and the stars are fully embodying the "new hair, who dis?" mantra. Between Kerry Washington's fresh and sassy chop, Rowan Blanchard revealing a pixie cut on the Golden Globes red carpet, and Emilia Clarke's back-to-brown color change — there's already plenty of hair inspiration for us to gawk over.
And if the hair updates ahead are any indication of the year to come, it's safe to say that things are going to be changing a lot in 2019. Click through to see our favorite celebrity hair changes of the year so far.
After revealing a new blunt bob courtesy of Ashley Streicher, Mandy Moore told Access Live that her new look was not only about embracing her time off from work, but shedding dead weight in light of opening up about her former marriage to musician Ryan Adams.
Not too far behind on the bob trend was Kristen Bell. The actress debuted a sharp chin-length cut by Jenny Cho.
Lucy Hale is never shy about switching it up. The actress, who recently went blonde, posted a snap of her hair after going back to chocolate brown.
Logan Browning traded her shoulder-length curls for a short cut with curly bangs, also one of the year's buzziest cuts.
Pink hair has been popping up all over Hollywood, and Behati Prinsloo-Levine is the latest celebrity to take it for a spin. The model posed for an Instagram with rose-colored strands that look straight out of the '90s.
Charlize Theron hasn't had hair this dark since her role in Aeon Flux. Needless to say, she shocked us all when she showed up at to the Oscars red carpet with a polished, dark brown bob.
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images.
Just before the Vanity Fair red carpet, Takisha Sturdivant-Drew pulled out the scissors to give Kerry Washington a "trim." The resulting pixie is giving us pixie dreams for our next salon appointment.
Photo: George Pimentel/Getty Images.
Before her appearance on Saturday Night Live, Halsey took a page out of David Bowie's book, coloring her hair Ziggy Stardust-red. And this isn't her first switch-up of the year, either. The singer went blonde for a short period of time before experimenting with this new Kool-Aid color.
Karlie Kloss kicked off New York Fashion Week (and a new year) by shedding some inches. Her stylist Harry Josh cut seven inches off the model's hair, leaving her with a lob that dances right above her shoulder.
PHoto: Matthew Sperzel/Getty Images.
Julianne Hough created her own version of 2019's biggest haircut trend: the shag. The actress posed on Instagram with her bob and bangs chopped in wispy layers. The cut was done by her longtime stylist, Riawna Capri. According to Capri, Goldie Hawn was the inspiration for her client's new look.
For those blessed with curls, textured bangs are easily the freshest, most flattering way to make a change for the new year. Just ask hairstylist Ted Gibson, who gave Sandra Oh shaggy bangs that show off her glowing skin and bone structure. To shape the fringe perfectly, he cut her curls dry and styled the front pieces using his own Shooting Star Texture Meringue mousse.
Photo: Taylor Hill/Getty Images.
If you were having doubts about going platinum in 2019, Hilary Duff's latest dye job makes a convincing case to hit up your colorist. Celebrity stylists Riawna Capri and Nikki Lee took the actress' hair (which was already blonde) up a few notches with this bright icy color.
Photo: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage.
Amandla Stenberg tossed that "going lighter in the summer" rule out of the window when she dyed her formerly jet-black curls a shade of warm copper.
Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty Images.
For some, a pixie cut is a hard "pass," but not for Rowan Blanchard. Celebrity hairstylist Laurie Heaps took the actress' shoulder-length strands into an edgy, Natalie Portman-inspired cut. Heaps tells Refinery29 that her famous client wanted to embrace a new year with a new look.
Photo: JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP/Getty Images.
The blunt bob is here to stay — just ask Irina Shayk. The model walked the Golden Globes red carpet with a chin-length bob, courtesy of celebrity stylist Harry Josh, that made us want to run for scissors and chop all our hair off, too.
Jamie Lee Curtis took monochromatic beauty to the next level when she showed up to the Golden Globes with her hair lifted to a wintery white shade to match her red-carpet gown. Previously, the star already had a gorgeous salt-and-pepper style, but this snowy color is new for 2019.
Photo: George Pimentel/WireImage.
We didn't expect Lady Gaga to kick off her Enigma tour with anything other than a bang. And she's had several bangs in the last few weeks with many different hair hues. First, it was lilac, then it was silver. And now, she's got cerulean blue hair. Her stylist Frederic Aspiras used a mix of temporary hair color to get the look. What color will she bless us with next?
Photo: Daniele Venturelli/WireImage.
Hailey Baldwin entered 2019 with a new name and a new 'do to match. Her west-coast-trendy cotton candy pink locks are courtesy of Nine Zero One salon in West Hollywood.
Jada Pinkett-Smith, queen of the tapered pixie cut, dyed her signature style platinum blonde. "When that Sandy blonde drip you used to rock in the '90s still goes hard," she captioned an Instagram selfie — further proving that when it comes to beauty, she can really do no wrong.
The shag is still alive and well — just ask Sarah Hyland. The actress traded her long brunette hair for a choppy "shagadocious" cut with bangs, courtesy of Nine Zero One salon.
Related Video:
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
We’re all so damn busy trying to drink enough water, remember other people’s birthdays, fall in love, moisturize, and find personal fulfillment, it’s only natural that on occasion, things don’t go according to plan. The same is true of our sex lives.
Fortunately, when sex is involved, the Plan B One-Step® moniker is as apt as they come. In the realm of contraception, if your standard plan fails you (or is forgotten), it’s a go-to backup option for pregnancy prevention. No, it’s not an all-the-time solution (it's emergency contraception, after all), and it won’t protect against STIs/STDs, but for the moments when you find yourself in need of a "plan B," it may just be your eminent saving grace.
That said, there are still plenty of misconceptions surrounding this particular emergency contraceptive. Thanks to the proverbial peanut gallery, plenty of us have been led to believe that it may become less effective with each use (it won't), that it’s the same as an abortion pill (it isn’t), or that it only works the morning after unprotected sex or a birth control failure (it actually works when taken within 72 hours of said unprotected sex).
So, in an effort to arm you with all of the real, bonafide facts you’ll need to make more confident, informed decisions about your sexual health, we partnered with Plan B One-Step to talk to two experts — Pari Ghodsi, MD, spokesperson for Power To Decide, and June Gupta, MSN, associate director of medical standards at Planned Parenthood — about what actually happens in your body when you use this emergency contraceptive.
Illustrated by Hannah Minn.
On a micro level, each Plan B pill contains a hormone that’s similar to progesterone (your ovaries secrete progesterone each month to help the ovulation process along). If you read the box, you’ll see an ingredient listed as "levonorgestrel." This sounds like an obscure spell incantation, but it’s actually just the scientific name for a form of progesterone that was developed in a lab, rather than in your body. It's also the same hormone used in most popular birth control pills — just at a higher dose.
Once you ingest the pill, the hormone will release — and begin working to halt your ovulation process by preventing your ovaries from releasing any eggs.
Normally, as you begin ovulating, your body experiences a rise in a hormone called Luteinizing Hormone (LH for short). This lets your ovaries know that they should ramp up egg production because it’s baby-making time. In the midst of this process, however, Plan B works to prevent any of those eggs from being released into your fallopian tube for fertilization — which is why you should be taking the pill ASAP after unprotected sex. “It’s kind of like pulling the emergency brake on ovulation,” says Gupta.
“If you’re not ovulating, you can’t get pregnant,” Dr. Ghodsi adds. Unlike an abortion pill, Plan B prevents the pregnancy process before it can even begin. Without the union of sperm and egg, there can be no baby.
But before you go ahead and take the pill, there are some essential points to consider. For starters, we should address weight efficacy. You may have heard through the grapevine — or the internet — that Plan B won't work for women with a BMI over 25 kg/m2. The data is too limited to say for sure, but fortunately, the FDA confirms, "[We] continue to believe that all women, regardless of how much they weigh, can use this [emergency contraception] to prevent unintended pregnancy following unprotected sexual intercourse or contraceptive failure."
Next, you should know that it won't have any effect on an already existing pregnancy. It also can't be used as a regular form of birth control.
Illustrated by Hannah Minn.
“It can’t be taken preemptively, and if you have unprotected sex a second time after [just having taken] the pill, it won’t continue to work,” says Dr. Ghodsi. “It’s your plan B because it can only be taken when plan A fails.Plan B should be taken within 72 hours of your unprotected sex or birth control failure, but Dr. Ghodsi advises that the sooner it's taken, the better it works.
“Until you’ve taken the emergency contraceptive, you still may be ovulating,” she explains. “In the time between the unprotected sex and your Plan B dosage, it is possible that your eggs can be released, and fertilized.” The good news: When Plan B is taken correctly, seven out of eight women who would have otherwise gotten pregnant will not.
“Pregnancy doesn't happen right after you have sex — that's why it's possible to prevent pregnancy a few days after you do it,” Gupta adds. “Sperm can live inside your body for up to seven days after sex, waiting for an egg to show up. So, if you ovulate during that time, the sperm can meet up with your egg and cause [fertilization].”
On the plus side, if you do take Plan B in time to halt your ovulation, the levonorgestrel from the pill will exit your body within days. There’s no lingering — which is one of the reasons why the hormone continues to be so well tolerated among women, with minimal, short-lived side effects.
“After you take [Plan B], it's totally normal for your next period to be different from what you’re used to,” says Gupta. “It may come earlier or later and be heavier, lighter, or more spotty. Or it may be the same as it normally is. You may get an upset stomach, feel lightheaded or dizzy, or have tender breasts for a short while. Everyone is different, and every body reacts differently.”
Listen: Plan A doesn't always pan out. We get it. But rest assured that you can be confident in your Plan B.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
In our seriesSalary Stories, women with long-term career experience open up about the most intimate details of their jobs: compensation. It’s an honest look at how real people navigate the complicated world of negotiating, raises, promotions, and job loss, with the hope it will give young women more insight into how to advocate for themselves — and maybe take a few risks along the way.
Been in the workforce for at least eight years and interested in contributing your salary story?Submit your information here.
Age: 31 Current Location: Long Island, NY Current Industry & Title: Consumer Goods Manufacturing, Senior Product Specialist Starting Salary: $30,000 Current Salary: $71,000 Number Of Years Employed: 8 Biggest Salary Jump: From $30,000 to $45,000 in 2011 Biggest Salary Drop: None
Biggest Salary Negotiation Regret: "I regret not having been as clear with myself about what I wanted from the negotiation, aside from a certain dollar amount. Earlier in my career, my direct adviser was undergoing a transition, and so I knew a compensation conversation was coming. I saw this opportunity as one of the few I might have to get a bump in salary. But I didn’t really think about, or touch on, what other priorities existed for me.
"In retrospect, I realize that compensation is much more than just a dollar amount — it’s vacation time, when you’re working, how you’re working. My employer was willing to play ball, and had I considered ahead of time, I would have addressed the conversation more holistically and come in with a wider array of things I wanted to get out of the negotiation, such as additional benefits. Instead, I intimidated myself out of talking about the full list of options that I could have addressed."
Best Salary-Related Advice: "Just bite your lip and negotiate — employers don’t think emotionally about this process, and neither should you. Your work is a product that has the potential to bring value to an organization; you should get comfortable with the idea that you can (and should!) leverage this value.
"It took me a long time to realize this, which I think was because I wanted to view my contributions as a singular thing that I could offer, whereas in reality, I fit into a bigger equation. Your value to a company should be something you reflect on, knowing it can also depend on timing and the direction your company is headed at the time. No matter what, it’s good to go in with a clear sense of what you want and make sure that’s in line with what they can offer."
"I was studying cello in grad school and didn’t feel excited about it, so I ended up leaving after one semester. My plan was to search Craigslist and see if I could get some interviews lined up while I was in New York City for a trip.
"I found this job on Craigslist and told them that I was new to the area and willing to work, and they took me on after one interview. We hadn’t talked about money, but the owner called me and asked me my salary expectations.
"I remember this conversation vividly: I picked a salary number out of a hat because the job seemed like a good one, post-college. I didn’t consider what I thought I should be making to afford to live in Williamsburg at the time. The low amount I gave was probably why I got the job, and it was not enough. For a little while, I was able to make it work, and it was a good way to get my feet wet, but the money was not sustainable."
"After eight months, I started exploring other opportunities. I had a friend from college who, at the time, was in a role at a company that made strings for musical instruments, and it was opening an orchestral strings branch. I thought it sounded really cool — though, like many women, I didn’t know how qualified I was. I didn’t want to apply since I didn’t feel 100% qualified, but I figured it was an industry I was passionate about. Thankfully, my friend was able to help guide me.
"The application process took about two full months, which was a surprise for me at the time. But eventually I was offered the job. I was initially offered $40,000. I thanked them for the offer and told them I would love to consider it and get back to them.
"I knew my friend was making $45,000, and this salary transparency helped me so much, as it gave me context for my value. I also took time to consider how long my reverse-commute would be from NYC to Long Island (including the fact that I would have to pay for cab fare), and that helped me realize I needed to ask for more. I called them back the next day and told them that I’d be willing to accept the offer for $45,000. They agreed.
"The role I accepted was 'product specialist,' which was a new role that no one had done before. Basically, our department doubled when I arrived. I was on hand to help with a lot of things that my boss was unable to complete. One of the things I’ve always loved about this company is that they’re very scrappy and flexible, so I was able to learn so much about so many different areas. This is still one of my favorite things about product management. Especially as a musician making products for other musicians, I connected very personally to the work."
"A little over a year later, I had my first performance review. I knew I had done a good job, and my review was very positive.
"Standard raises at my company were 3-4% and I received 4%. But I later found out that my friend, who had a comparable title, got an 8% raise in her first year, which was confusing to me. She had a master’s degree, and her boss said they had lowballed her because they wanted to get her on board, and since he couldn’t get her the salary he wanted for her at the beginning, he wanted to make up for it.
"I was very grateful that she was open with me, and I still felt good about getting a raise on the higher end of what was considered normal. The thing was, I never really understood the correlation between the raise amount and performance. I didn’t know what number I should be hoping for, pushing for, or asking for and instead just took what I was given."
"I had a second review this year, because my first one was late. My manager, who was not very communicative despite the fact that we were a two-person team, was very positive about my quality of work.
"One of my ongoing frustrations was that I wasn’t receiving the kind of direction and communication I would have liked. The two of us sometimes struggled to understand each other, so my sense of my performance was kind of an unknown until these reviews. My understanding of what I needed to do to succeed was nebulous, since I never got the feedback in the moment."
"I had my annual performance review, and again I was told that I was doing a great job. By this time, my friend was having a very different review experience than me. Her manager would block off time to review things, and they would have long, in-depth discussions. He took the time to point out tactical things that she could do to improve throughout the year, and he also solicited feedback from her on how they worked together.
"In my case, I felt the review experience was sort of a boilerplate ‘This is how you’re doing, don't think about it too much.’ It felt almost like an inconvenience on my manager’s part.
"I quickly learned that you can have vastly different work experiences based purely on who is managing you. Of course, the onus isn’t only on them, but there is a possibility that your manager and someone else’s could be completely different, even if you are in essence doing a lot of the same work."
"I had my annual performance review, and again I was told that I was doing a great job and received a 6% raise. At this point, there was no official position between mine and my manager’s level, so I started feeling unsure if there was any room for me to grow.
"Because I had originated the role, it didn’t feel like anyone had considered what the career trajectory would be. There was no obvious path that my hard work was leading me down.
"After three or four years, I had gotten a little more seasoned and knew enough to start asking more questions and having conversations with people around me, including people in leadership positions. I began to ask questions about the long-term goals for my position. I’m glad I had the courage to challenge my manager and make it clear that if I couldn’t grow here, I would have to grow elsewhere."
"After a solid year, I received an 8% raise. My manager spent a lot of time out of the office (she’s a musician and often went on tour), and much of our team’s responsibility fell on me. My boss didn’t ever actually thank me, but I did get my biggest raise yet.
"I felt really mixed about the review and the raise. It was tough. I remember having a discussion with my friend, who was also feeling frustrated about his role. The topic of our raises came up, and he said I should be happy with what I got, but I expressed my frustration with having the same job title for so long. It was starting to feel like I wasn’t going anywhere. It was kind of a dark moment. I wondered: If I embodied all of these desirable qualities my company wanted in an employee, why wasn’t I seeing any growth?"
"As with all of my previous annual performance reviews, I received nothing but glowing feedback. But by this point, I had started to voice the desire to understand my position’s trajectory within the company. This included getting my team’s leadership in a room and telling them, explicitly, that I want a more senior role and was not willing to wait indefinitely for it. (This was terrifying.)
"By the time my review happened, nothing had really changed, other than the fact that they unveiled a new tiered structure which broke my position into three different levels. A few months before my review, two of my colleagues were promoted. My manager didn’t communicate with me about the options I had, and my understanding of where I was going was still extremely unclear. It was a difficult time."
"Shortly before this review, I was moved to work under my manager’s boss. This move shifted things a lot, and things started to get better almost immediately.
"I was given a 5% raise, and he made it clear to me that I was eligible to become a senior specialist 'when the role is created.' He told me what I needed to do to get a promotion and was very specific about the timeline. He was frequently in the office, in a way that my previous manager was not, so it changed my ability to access the information and feedback I had been needing."
"My team worked well together, but my boss eventually decided to leave the company for personal reasons. But he made it known that the promotion I had been unofficially 'promised' was one of the things he wanted to tie up before he left. So, after kicking a lot of ass with my team, I was finally promoted.
"I did not have to apply, but within a week he officially offered me the new role and showed me the salary. Because I kind of knew this conversation was coming, I’d talked with another colleague who had previously been offered the same promotion. It was helpful and gave me context to know how much they’d offered her, but I still had to think a lot about what I wanted for a salary figure.
"He initially offered me $68,000, and I asked if the offer was negotiable. I’d heard that the salary that I was offered was the same salary my male colleague was making in my previous, more junior role. I felt that I could be open, so in the same conversation, I shared that I would love to explore negotiating. I also cited this colleague’s salary as a reason why.
"It was clear to me that the negotiations would not be between me and my boss, but between us and the company. He was very much my advocate in this negotiation and was able to help me speak with our HR department. I told him that since there weren't a lot of ladder rungs at our company that gave me the opportunity to negotiate, I wanted to take this as seriously as I could.
"Eventually, he took the situation to HR, and he came back with a second number. It wasn’t what I was hoping for, and I think my body language said so. So I asked to speak with him and our director of HR to get more clarity on how these decisions were being made.
"Eventually, I told them I was hoping to hit $75,000, and they said they would see what they could do. In the end, they told me they were able to do $71,000. My boss gave me the agency to keep pushing, but told me that this was probably as far as I could get. In the end, I knew this negotiation had gone pretty far already — three rounds — so I accepted. But I’m not psyched and wish that I’d considered other deal sweeteners such as additional benefits while at the table. Still, I’m proud of myself for pushing and am grateful for my director’s guidance.
"Looking back, I wish I had removed my emotions from the game a bit earlier, so that I could see these potential moves, promotions, and title changes as strategic moves. I do think that I didn’t necessarily have to feel so emotional, and I could have had just as much movement without being as angry. This isn’t to say that my frustration wasn’t justified, but I now understand just how much bureaucracy, pandering, and wrangling goes into each of these decisions. Now that I’m on the other side, I get that a lot of the time your manager and company want to make things better for you, but sometimes there is a lot of stuff happening behind the scenes that may or may not be visible to you. Divorcing the emotions from the process can sometimes make the process a bit easier."
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
During his visit to the White House on Tuesday, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro said in his remarks that the U.S. and Brazil stand side-by-side "in their efforts to ensure liberties and respect to traditional family lifestyles, respect to God, our Creator, against the gender ideology or the politically correct attitudes, and against fake news."
President Trump vigorously nodded along with the entire statement, as the video below shows. The statement, which has several concerning parts, has not gotten a lot of media attention, but it's worth focusing on what exactly Bolsonaro meant by "gender ideology."
Bolsonaro, who has been called the "Trump of the Tropics," said in 2013 that "Yes, I am homophobic — and very proud of it." He has also said that he would rather have his son die in an accident than be gay, and that parents should beat being gay out of their children. He has tried to wipe references to LGBTQ+ rights, feminism, and violence against women from Brazilian textbooks. Meanwhile, Trump stood with him, proclaiming the two countries' "shared values" and exchanging soccer jerseys.
President Bolsonaro: "Brazil and the United States stand side-by-side in their efforts to ensure liberties in respect to traditional family lifestyles, respect to God, our creator, against the gender ideology, or the politically correct attitudes, and against fake news." pic.twitter.com/Vmk7AZoAWy
Trump recently announced a ban on transgender people serving openly in the U.S. military, which a judge recently said can't take effect even as the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the administration in January. His administration has also scaled back some workplace protections for LGBTQ+ people and argued that a federal anti-discrimination law would not protect LGBTQ+ employees.
The use of the term "gender ideology" is not accidental. The term was first adopted by the Vatican's Holy See and has since then been used around the world as a "catch-all phrase and short-hand for various anxieties about social change," according to Graeme Reid, the director of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch.
"Some have referred to the term as 'symbolic glue,' or an 'empty signifier,'" Reid writes. "It simultaneously means nothing and everything, but is consistently used to attack feminism, transgender equality, the existence of intersex bodies, the elimination of sex stereotyping, family law reform, same-sex marriage, access to abortion, contraception, and comprehensive sexuality education."
Humiliating and discrediting women is a big part of the anti-"gender ideology" movement, which has followed the spread of nationalism. "Donald Trump's ideological cousins around the world want to reverse the feminist gains of recent decades," Peter Beinart recently wrote in The Atlantic. Trump boasted that he can "grab 'em by the pussy" and his supporters chant "Lock her up" about Hillary Clinton (long after the election is over), while Bolsonaro told a Brazilian congresswoman in 2015, "I would not rape you, because you are not worthy of it." Crowds at Bolsonaro's rallies reportedly chanted that they would feed dog food to feminists, and, like Trump, Bolsonaro enjoys support from evangelicals who want to curtail abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.
Sanitized comments about "traditional family lifestyles," "gender ideology," and "politically correct attitudes" aren't just empty statements by politicians. They have the potential to do real harm to a population that is already vulnerable.
"LGBTQ youth are already at a higher risk for bullying, violence, and suicide," Amit Paley, CEO and executive director of The Trevor Project, told Refinery29. "The Trevor Project hears from LGBTQ youth in crisis every day who feel unsafe and alone, especially when people in positions of power erase or mock the identities and families of the LGBTQ community. Statements sending messages that being LGBTQ is inherently negative can encourage the harmful and discredited practice of conversion therapy, but now more than ever, world leaders need to share positive and affirming messages for LGBTQ young people to let them know they are loved, valued, and never alone."
We reached out to the White House and will update this story when we hear back.
If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or suicidal, contact The Trevor Project's TrevorLifeline 24/7/365 at 1-866-488-7386. Counseling is also available 24/7 via chat every day atTheTrevorProject.org/Help, or by texting 678-678.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Authorities have charged the mother of Trinity Love Jones in the 9-year-old's death. Trinity is the little girl whose body was found partially stuffed in a duffel bag near a hiking and equestrian trail in Hacienda Heights, CA, earlier this month.
Taquesta Graham, 28, was charged with one count of murder on Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. Last week, authorities brought charges against Emiel Lamar Hunt, a 38-year-old man who was reportedly in a relationship with Graham, in connection with the case. Hunt, who has a previous child abuse conviction, is also facing one count of murder.
Although a coroner ruled the case as a homicide, police have not released a possible motive or Trinity's cause of death yet.
On the morning of March 5, maintenance workers found Trinity's body in an embankment near a hiking and equestrian trail in Hacienda Heights. Police said they believe Hunt killed her on or around March 1 before dumping her body that day. Her identity was first unknown, and authorities said the overwhelming amount of help by the public helped establish it. Trinity's father, Antonio Jones, confirmed last week that the family believes the body found was that of their little girl. Police were also able to make a positive match via a family member's DNA.
"She's an angel now," Jones said outside the courthouse after Hunt's hearing last week. "Trinity's happy, she's in a better place."
Graham's family had previously told local news station KTLA that she was in custody, although the sheriff's department wouldn't confirm that information at the time. In a news release, police said Graham and Hunt were detained at a border patrol check point in Texas on March 8. Graham was held due to an unrelated warrant, while Hunt was released. He returned to California, and was arrested at a parking lot near San Diego International Airport in the early hours of March 9. Several days later, Graham was extradited to Los Angeles and booked for Trinity's murder. Both suspects will appear before court on April 16.
Anyone with information about Trinity's death is asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477) or by downloading the P3 Tips mobile app.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Branded: Try This Challenge - Visible - No Social Media
A “social media cleanse” may sound like any other fleeting trend in the wellness sphere, but unlike that CBD-infused celery-matcha, it’s something most of us actually need. For much of the week, we're glued to our chosen feeds: We take more time to photograph our meals than eat them, our news arrives in bite-sized tweets, and we devote more energy to sharing with our digital followers than we do to connecting with our actual, human friends. But how much of a difference does disconnecting actually make? To find out, we followed Refinery29’s Emily Curl as she took on a five-day social media fast.
Naturally, it wasn’t easy. But in the gaping hole left behind by all her standard online feeds, Emily found time to work out, tune in to inspiring podcasts and news outlets, and most importantly, reconnect in meaningful ways with the people in her life — without keeping her phone on the table through dinner. Thanks to Visible — the $40/month phone service that runs on Verizon's 4G LTE Network — she was free to spend limitless time calling, FaceTiming, and texting the people who matter(without shelling out extra cash on her phone bill). Watch above while she grapples with a world free of her go-to apps — and emerges victorious.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
When you think about how you want to wear your hair for a special occasion like prom, the biggest objective is to avoid the barrel-curled crunchy-with-hairspray effect that plagues so many #TBTs. Usually, the perfect hairstyle — one you'll still love scrolling through the Facebook photos weeks later — is just a leveled-up version of your usual go-to, with a little extra attention for good measure.
To help you design your perfect prom hair vibe, we've brought you some of our favorite formal-occasion updos on Instagram — all inspired by on-trend cool girls who aren't here for crunchy chignons. Whether you're feeling the polished fishtail braid or a more beachyhalf-up half-down look, scroll through the gallery ahead for 11 chic prom-ready updos, for a style you'll be into long after the impending hour-long photo op.
If you have super-long hair, the styling options are seemingly endless. If you're stuck, we recommend adding few chunky barrettes — and getting a back-facing shot at golden hour.
Go smooth with a glossy updo, purposefully pulling out your face-framing strands for dimension.
Laura Harrier's sleek, side-swept braid is already hair goals, but it's her edges — styled in glossy swirls and swoops along her hairline — that make the style extra special.
The on-trend prom-goer knows that sparkly statement hair pins are all the rage this spring — and they just happen to level up any outfit.
A slicked-back high bun gives all the attention to your gown and perfectly-placed cheekbone highlight.
A wide satin headband gives a loose updo a little extra pizazz.
According to celebrity stylist Laura Polko, the low bun is timelessly chic. “The goal of the low bun is to make it look almost effortless," she tells us. "The trick is to make a low ponytail and circle the ends, securing them in place with an elastic or bobby pins."
A rhinestone-encrusted ponytail sounds a lot blingier than it looks — in reality, it's a dainty sprinkle of sparkle.
If you want an updo that doesn't entail putting all your hair up, pull it into a deep side part and ladder a few glittery bobby pins down one side.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Welcome to Unfiltered, where we give our honest, no-B.S. reviews of the most buzzed-about beauty products, brands, and services on the market right now.
Say what you will about Glossier, and its shiny, happy ad campaigns featuring smiley, fresh-faced young women who have never experienced the existential dread of finding your first gray hair or, presumably, any sort of social anxiety whatsoever. What makes the company truly compelling isn't just the millennial-pink packaging (anyone can do that) or the celebrity fan base (significantly harder to land, but still manageable), or even the hordes of cool girls who espouse the virtues of the Solution at such length that you wonder if they're getting a cut of the proceeds.
What sets Glossier apart is the fact that it isn't just a beauty brand — it's a lifestyle. It's a Petra Collins dreamscape, the promise of a more beautiful world, a world that's wallpapered in Baker-Miller pink and where no matter which way you turn there's a Byredo Burning Rose candle flickering out of the corner of your eye. It's joining a cool, unconditionally supportive sisterhood every time you stock up on a $12 lip balm, getting one step closer to owning the purposely disheveled air of an off-duty model with every spritz of your perfume. (You can get even closer when you visit their brand-new permanent retail HQ in NYC, which is like stepping into a Marie Antoinette dreamscape for the digital age.)
And there's also the fact that some of the products are really, really good — like, buy them because they work good, not just "I saw five girls with messy bangs post this on their feeds so it must be great" good. So we tried them all, in the name of nailing down the very best of Glossier, the just-okay, and what you're better off skipping. Give in to the part of you that wants to buy into the pastel-tinged packaging and pop-up shops in stylish cafés — these Glossier products are worth adding to your Top Shelf.
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.
Oil-based makeup removers have a reputation for being greasy, but Glossier's milky iteration takes a different approach: The texture is definitely slick, but because it includes a micellar-water additive that draws dirt and makeup like a magnet, it takes it all off without leaving residue behind. The combination creates a soft and silky makeup remover, meant to be squeezed onto a cotton pad or swab and gently pressed over skin to remove away stuck-on makeup (even waterproof mascara) without any rubbing, tugging, or irritation.
This liquid eyeshadow piqued public interest after debuting on the Oscars red carpet, because if it's good enough for Salma Hayek and Tiffany Haddish, it's good enough for us, right? If you're looking for serious pigment, you won't find it here; rather, it's an "enhancer" of sorts that makes eyes look subtly prettier and more alive. That said, all of the shades are soft, sheer, and flattering, and the silky formula stays put — but it can be a bit chalky and difficult to apply without blending extensively.
Nobody solves a problem like the Solution — provided, of course, that problem involves dullness, clogged pores, dark spots, or any combination thereof. This gentle exfoliating liquid is the brand's most ambitious skin-care formulation yet, a wonder product that promises brighter, smoother, more balanced skin with regular use. The combination of AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs, totaling a 10% concentration, isn't as potent as some other similar products on the market, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it's a solid choice for sensitive skin, a pretty pink gateway drug into the world of acids.
Some people swear that there's nothing to You but soap and cucumber; for others, it's a complex, woodsy fragrance that smells different on everyone and settles into a dreamy skin-like musk that'll linger in your sweater for days. We're in the latter camp — You is a hazy, sweet blanket of a scent that even a total perfume snob could love.
The name almost makes it sound as if you won't get much pigment out of this tiny tube, just a vague cloud of color. That couldn't be further from the truth: The tiniest dot of Cloud Paint goes a long way, so be careful when squeezing. We like to use our fingers to buff the liquid onto the apples of our cheeks — pre-powder, post-foundation — for a youthful flush (in an I'm 16 and ride horses on the snow-capped mountains surrounding my elite boarding school in Switzerland kind of way).
This tinted powder delivers exactly what it says it will: a blurry, soft-focus finish that cuts down on shine and just makes skin look perfect, not chalky or visibly powdered. It's worth springing for the brush, too — it's soft and ideal for tossing in your bag for touch-ups. The real downfall is that the lineup could stand to grow several more shades.
The launches that gave us the buzzy Body Hero campaign are divisive. On the one hand, the oil cleanser-and-lightweight lotion duo is basically the fastest route to sexy skin in a bottle; on the other, the strong powdery scent doesn't do it for everyone. But it fades fast, so if you can bear to smell like a full-on bouquet from the shoulders down for a few minutes, the lotion is worth it for scoring soft, dewy limbs.
Glossier Body Hero Duo, $35, available at Glossier
Boy Brow is consistently one of the brand's top-selling products, and for good reason: It's got the perfect waxy, matte consistency to bulk up brows and keep them in place all day long. It really makes brows look thicker, and the teeny-tiny brush makes easy work of taming errant hairs.
These (barely) grown-up lip balms are simple: a standard moisture-locking blend of petrolatum, castor-seed oil, beeswax, and lanolin. They're thick, long-lasting, and work great on dry cuticles, flyaways, and anywhere else you could use a little hydrating boost, and off-label as an eye gloss. They are significantly more expensive than your average Vaseline, but they're also way cuter (and come in different flavors!), so it is what it is.
This soft, creamy concealer is medium coverage at best, but even so, something about the wax in its formula makes it highly adept at enhancing and brightening skin without looking caked-on or emphasizing pores. It leaves skin feeling hydrated and looking a hell of a lot fresher, and though the shade range leaves something to be desired, we've seen the five choices work for a surprisingly wide variety of complexions. Unless you're down with some shine, you'll want to set this one with powder — it has a dewy, almost sweaty finish, which isn't for everyone.
Glossier Stretch Concealer, $18, available at Glossier
If your skin is less than perfect as it is, you'll most likely want to eschew the Skin Perfecting Tint in favor of something that, you know, actually covers up whatever it is you're trying to hide. But if you already have genetically lovely skin that you're just looking to enhance, this sheer, satiny tint seems like just the thing to smooth and even out an already borderline-flawless complexion.
Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint, $26, available at Glossier
Haters will say that Generation G is just a glorified (and recently repackaged) tinted lip balm — but have you ever found another tinted lip balm that imparts just the right amount of soft matte color, that looks deliberately layered and blotted to just-bitten perfection with a single swipe? We certainly haven't.
The highlighter that made us believe in highlighter again is a unique specimen, an easy, user-friendly twist-up stick of dewy, non-sparkly skin. You can thank the hydrating oils in the core for that — unlike other cream highlighters, this one incorporates vitamin-rich moisturizers that only add to the supernatural sheen.
With a clear, water-gel hybrid formula that absorbs into skin without greasiness or any chalky white cast, this inoffensive sunscreen might just be a game-changer for anyone who usually avoids sunscreen for whatever reason. It's serviceable in that sense, but because of the significant amount of sweet orange-peel oil, sensitive skin types might want to stick with something more gentle. It does, however, smell very good.
Glossier Invisible Shield, $25, available at Glossier
For any one cleanser to be fundamentally perfect, it must be three things: gentle, effective, and versatile. Milky Jelly is all of those things, a skin-coddling wash that can be used on wet or dry skin to remove even waterproof makeup without ever feeling harsh or irritating. Skin is left feeling healthy, soft, and cared for — and the subtle rose scent is downright dreamy.
Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser, $18, available at Glossier
This traditional kaolin-clay face mask is boosted with nourishing ingredients like rosemary, pomegranate, spinach, and parsley — kind of like brunch at Urth Caffé, only for your face. It leaves our skin feeling soft and clear, but still well-hydrated, which is more than can be said for most pore-purifying clay masks.
Glossier Mega Greens Galaxy Pack, $22, available at Glossier
Like your thickest, most hydrating moisturizer on steroids, this creamy mask does what it says, soothing and quenching dry, dull skin. We suggest stashing it in the fridge once the weather warms up — its cooling, tall-drink-of-water effect is perfect for rehabbing skin post-sun exposure.
Glossier Moisturizing Moon Mask, $22, available at Glossier
One of the very first Glossier launches, the Priming Moisturizer is essentially foolproof, a silky, lightweight moisturizer that absorbs instantly into skin to create a solid canvas for makeup. It's not too hydrating, so you'll want to layer it over a serum if you're on the dry side, but its plumping, brightening claims are not exaggerated: This stuff works.
Glossier Priming Moisturizer, $22, available at Glossier
A richer, more nourishing take on the original Priming Moisturizer, this one's a proper night treatment, and feels super luxe going on. Packed with ceramides and fatty acids, it's excellent for hydrating oily and combination skin types while balancing, too — though if you're sensitive to essential oils, you'll want to give this lavender-laced formula a hard pass.
Glossier Priming Moisturizer Rich, $35, available at Glossier
Well, it's a face mist — and a very nice one, at that, comprised mostly of rosewater, glycerin, and honeysuckle extract.
Glossier Soothing Face Mist, $18, available at Glossier
A perfectly nice clear, non-sticky gloss that leaves lips hydrated and adds just the right amount of sexy sheen. It's not the most innovative, or the most affordable — but it does look good, so if you're committed to that aesthetically-pleasing Glossier lifestyle, this is one tube you'll probably want to keep at your desk for any Instagram opportunities.
We don't always watch movies and TV for realism. In fact, some of the best films are those that allow you to escape to a totally un realistic situation. Like, spring break in Mexico, except you have a lot of money. Or, perhaps a scenario in which your parents have decided to take you on a tropical vacation to the Bahamas. Or even that you'd go anywhere but your couch for spring break at all.
Spring break shows are especially guilty of getting our hopes up. While the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210 is in a swanky hotel in Cabo, you and your friends are likely shacking up in a double bed at the Motel 6 in Orlando. Ahead, 12 major lies spring break movies and TV shows told us.
Myth: That you and your aging father would ever be able to bond over sexual hijinks. As Seen In: Dirty Grandpa (2016)
Myth: You got to MTV's Spring Break à la Taylor Vaughn. As Seen In: She's All That (1999)
Photo: Courtesy of Miramax.
Myth: James Franco is there.* As Seen In: Spring Breakers (2012)
*Actually, this could potentially happen to you.
Myth: Your dad's like, "Pack your shit, we're going to the Bahamas." As Seen In: Holiday in the Sun (2001)
Photo: Courtesy of Dualstar Entertainment.
Myth: You and your crush randomly burst into song. As Seen In: From Justin To Kelly (2003)
Photo: Courtesy of 19 Entertainment.
Myth: You'll stay at a fancy hotel in Cabo that you definitely cannot afford. As Seen In: Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990)
Photo: Courtesy of Spelling Television.
Myth: Every male surfer you meet will be named Blaine, Zayne, or Kunu. As Seen In: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Photo: Courtesy of Universal Pictures.
Myth: The Shins will play at the dive club near where you're staying. As Seen In: Gilmore Girls (2007)
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Myth: You can go to Mexico by yourself, even though you're like 15. As Seen In: The O.C. (2003)
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Myth: This is a good opportunity to show your mom how responsible you are. As Seen In: Spring Breakdown (2009)
Photo: Courtesy of Code Entertainment.
Myth: This will be a spiritual awakening — in Fort Lauderdale. As Seen In: Where The Boys Are (1960)
Photo: Courtesy of MGM.
Myth: You'll become part of an MDMA drug ring. As Seen In: 22 Jump Street (2014)
Photo: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures.
Myth: You'll be at the center of a shark infestation. As Seen In: Spring Break Shark Attack (2005)
Photo: Courtesy of Von Zerneck Sertner Films.
Like this post? There's more. Get tons of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and cat videos on the Refinery29 Entertainment Facebook page. Like us on Facebook — we'll see you there!
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
H&M has been seriously busy over the last twelve months: designer collaborations (including Moschino and Eytys), a major H&M Loves NY campaign and more. But their latest release may be one of the international fashion retailer’s greatest milestones to date. This morning, the brand launched its long-awaited spring summer 2019 Studio collection, packed full of custom-made patterns, unexpected colors and bold silhouettes.
Last November, to sneak an exclusive peek at the now-available collection, H&M gathered press from across the globe, including Refinery29, at their headquarters in Stockholm. After touring the design studio, where we scoured the brand's extensive vintage archives and met the designers behind some of their most coveted red carpet looks, we gathered in a small showroom space to at last see what was in store for H&M Studio in 2019.
In comes a 58-piece collection, designed by veteran Studio designer, Angelica Grimborg, and styled by French Vogue 's Geraldine Saglio. Pegged by the team as "The Glam Explorer" collection, the pieces merge together to tell "the story of a strong woman, who travels from continent to continent loving the adventure and exploring the world and its nature. But, she does it with a touch of glam," says Grimborg.
Inspired by an image of rare mineral ponds in Sedona, Arizona, the collection features pastel hues reminiscent of these otherworldly ponds; natural shades to represent Utah's canyons and mountains at sunset and shimmering desert lights. These elements coalesce into everything from mandarine orange knitwear and zebra stripe suits to sequin dresses and custom-printed caftans — the Glam Explorer’s wardrobe, in other words.
Eschewing their traditional runway show in Paris, the team showed the collection "in an environment more suitable for its contents, somewhere adventurous," says H&M Design Director, Pernilla Wohlfarht. To Sedona it is, then! In the weeks leading up to the collection's release, the brand sent global ambassadors and press to the Arizona locale for an "immersive theatre event," including a water ballet spectacle by the Aqualillies, an acoustic performance by The Staves, “a fictive camp site,” a BMX stunt show, and a grand finale featuring a dance performance and an intimate concert by music superstar-in-training Maggie Rogers. Casual.
Grab a glimpse at the massive Sedona event, and of course, the long-awaited Studio collection, by clicking through the slideshow 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.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Constance Stellas, author of the bookSex Signs: Your Perfect Match Is In The Stars, says that when it comes to sex and long-term relationships, Aries is a good match with other Aries, as well as the other fire signs, Leo and Sagittarius. “They speak the same kind of impetuous language,” Stellas explains. “There are differences, of course, but they’re on the same page.”
The air signs are also a good match, with the exception of Aquarius, Stellas says. “Aquarius is a little bit distant for Aries,” she explains, though it can work for a fling. Gemini and Libra, however, are a better fit. Aries’ leadership qualities and Gemini’s changeability make for a sexually-charged match, while Libra and Aries are an opposites-attract situation, which could lead to conflict — or a lot of passion.
The earth signs are divided. “Virgo rarely works out because they’re too detail-oriented” for Aries, Stellas says. Capricorn is a better fit, but Capricorns and Aries approach privacy in different ways, and that could lead to conflict. And Taurus is a good fit for a fling, but Aries’ fast pace and Taurus’ slow one are incompatible in the long run.
Considering that Aries is a fire sign, it makes sense that water signs would be not a good match. Of the three water signs, Cancer is a particularly bad match, Stellas says. There's a lot of aggressive tension between the two signs. Meanwhile, Piscean energy is a little too chill for Aries, though a short fling can be fun. Scorpio’s fearlessness when it comes to sex means that they could have amazingly creative (and maybe kinky) sex with Aries, but long-lasting relationships aren’t in the stars. “They both have a great deal of power, but express it in different ways,” Stellas explains. “Aries has this kind of childlike glee, and Scorpio has this brooding intensity. Between the sheets, it’s intense, but it usually doesn’t last for a long time, romance-wise.”
Before you change your dating app bio, though, keep a few things in mind: two people with the exact same birth chart can still have different personalities (there are plenty of twins who are total opposites, after all). And even if you focus only on astrology, your sun sign (your “main” sign, the one decided by your date of birth) doesn’t give the whole picture when it comes to compatibility. Instead, you should look at your chart as a whole, paying special attention to your moon sign and the placement of Venus and Mars. For example, even though Aries and Cancer aren’t generally compatible, an Aries with a Cancer moon might have an amazing connection with a Cancer.
“It’s a balancing act in their own personality, as well as with the other person,” Stellas explains. “That’s what’s so fascinating about astrology, because it shows how we try to come to wholeness with all of the elements our chart.”
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
It all started with a sex tape, which was then parlayed into a reality show pitched to Ryan Seacrest as a "modern-day Brady Bunch." That show is now in its 16th season, and its subjects, the Kardashians, are perhaps the most influential family in the world. And they really know how to monetize that influence. Their collective worth exceeds $1 billion, and with each of the sisters' growing brands, that figure isn't showing signs of going down anytime soon. Ahead, how much each Kardashian is worth.
Kylie Jenner
As we recently found out from Forbes, the youngest KarJenner is the one with the biggest bank account, and is also the youngest self-made billionaire ("self-made" being a matter of interpretation). What started as a lip kit is now a beauty empire. Kylie Cosmetics' total value is at least $900 million, which, along with the cash she has taken from the business, adds up to a personal fortune of $1 billion. Because of Kylie's unprecedented influence, the company doesn't require much overhead. It outsources its manufacturing, packaging, shipping, and fulfillment, and only employs seven full-time and five part-time employees. Also, until recently, Kylie Cosmetics was sold exclusively online, but is now carried in Ulta Beauty stores.
Among Kylie's other ventures: The Life of Kylie, a one-season spinoff series on E! that followed Kylie, her business, and her friendship with then-bestie Jordyn Woods. She also rakes in a lot of money on Instagram. Last year, she topped Hopper's Instagram Rich List — eclipsing even her sister Kim K — because she reportedly makes up to $1 million on a single Instagram post. Kylie has 131 million followers (just two million less than Kim) and was only recently dethroned by an egg for the title of most-liked photo on Instagram.
Kylie also has a clothing line with her sister Kendall, appropriately called Kendall + Kylie, and has collaborated with OPI, Steve Madden, Puma, and more, as well as launched her own content website, app, and merch store called The Kylie Shop. Plus, she "wrote" two sci-fi novels with Kendall.
Kim K, Kris's former favorite daughter (that title now belongs to Kylie), has the most Instagram followers of all of her sisters — 133 million. In 2018, the second-oldest Kardashian daughter ranked #30 on Forbes 's list of wealthiest celebrities for her net worth of $350 million.
Like her youngest sister, Kim K has a beauty empire of her own. What started with a contour kit is now KKW Beauty, a cosmetics company that generated $100 million in revenue by July 2018. And Kim Kardashian owns all of it. Also, as with Kylie Cosmetics, there isn't much overhead. Manufacturing and packaging are outsourced, and marketing is free — all Kim has to do is post about her products on social media to sell them out. She also has multiple fragrances (like Kimoji Cherry, Kimoji Vibes, and KKW Body — the latter coming in a bottle that's shaped like a miniature replica of her body), her own LuMee phone case line, a kids' clothing line with her husband Kanye West called Kids Supply, a $60 million home in Hidden Hills, CA, a condo in Miami, and a home in NYC. Kim also has a video game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. Last August, it was reported that the game brought in $8.1 million in one quarter.
According to last year's Hopper Instagram Rich List, Kim can make up to $720,000 for a single Instagram post. Considering Kim isn't exactly a stranger to #sponcon, you can imagine how many zeros she's racked up just by posting on her grid.
The Kardashian-Jenner matriarch and inventor of the "you're doing amazing sweetie" momager lifestyle has a lot of hustles, to say the least. Across the board, she gets a 10% cut of all of her kids' business deals, which, when you stop to consider their total net worth of $1.56 billion, is a lot.
They don't call her KhloMoney for nothing. The third Kardashian sister is perhaps most famous these days for her Tristan drama — but when it comes to her business ventures, the most successful by far is her clothing line, Good American, which made $1 million in its first day in 2016.
She has also had a ton of brand deals (for everything from shakes that will supposedly make your stomach flat to Sugar Bear Hair vitamins), a collab with Kylie Cosmetics, a line with Becca Cosmetics, an Amazon-sponsored baby shower, and a two-season show on E! called Revenge Body. Plus, she's now executive producing a true-crime series called Twisted Sisters.
The eldest Kardashian just launched her newest business venture, Poosh, this week. The lifestyle and e-commerce website will focus on health and wellness, life and style, interior design, beauty, motherhood, and more (like "how to look good naked").
Kourtney has famously been involved in fewer business ventures than her sisters (a fact that has been turned into a storyline on KUWTK on several occasions, like the time Kourtney didn't want to be portrayed as an avatar in Kim's video game). But she's definitely okay in the money department. In addition to running several DASH clothing stores with her sisters, Kourtney has starred on many a spinoff series, like Kourtney & Kim Take Miami, Kourtney & Kim Take New York, and Kourtney & Khloé Take the Hamptons.Forbes listed her annual income in 2016 at $10 million. In addition to her starring role on the show (which has given way to her children's starring roles, literally since their on-camera births), Kourtney has done campaigns with PrettyLittleThing, Fashion Nova, and skin-care line Manuka Doctor.
The most private of the KarJenner clan, Kendall was the world's highest-paid model last year for the second year in a row — earning $22.5 million in just 12 months. She's been the face of a lot of brands, from Adidas and Estée Lauder to Calvin Klein, Stuart Weitzman, and Proactiv.
Like her sisters, she makes a lot of money on the 'gram. For her promotional Fyre Festival post, which landed her in some major hot water, she reportedly earned $250,000. She also has the Kendall + Kylie clothing line with her sister (plus those sci-fi books they allegedly wrote) and an $8.5 million Beverly Hills home.
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.
Calling all entrepreneurs:We want to hear from you! If you’re a freelancer or self-employed, we’d love to feature your Money Diary.Submit here.
Today: an attorney who makes $225,000 per year and spends some of her money this week on miso soup.
Occupation: Attorney Industry: Law Age: 26 Location: New York, NY Salary: $200,000 + $25,000 bonus Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $5,500
Monthly Expenses Rent: $1,275 (I split rent with my boyfriend — this is my half.) Student Loans: $0 (I just finished paying off the last of my law school loans!) Interest-Free Loan: $833 (I took a $10,000 interest-free loan from work that I put straight towards paying off my student loans that had a 7% interest rate. I've paid back around half of it so far.) Health Insurance/Dental Insurance: $240 Health Care FSA Contribution: $120 Transit: $100 taken from my paycheck Utilities: Anywhere from $35 to $150 (split) Phone: $0 (Work covers this.) Internet: $35.50 for my half Gym: Provided by work as a taxable benefit. I think I probably pay $60 a month in taxes on it. Hulu: $4 (I use a friend's, but I Venmo her a few dollars every month so we can avoid commercials.) Netflix: $0 (I use my parents'.) Apple Music: $9.99 401(k): $1,200 (I raised this from $300 as soon as I made my last student loan payment.)
Annual Expenses Amazon: $110
Day One
8:30 a.m. — My alarm goes off, waking me up in the middle of a completely bizarre dream. I close my eyes under the pretense of trying to remember the dream, but then doze off until my first (of three) back-up alarm goes off. I turn to my boyfriend, Z., who also needs to wake up. I hop out the door around 9:10 and catch the train just as it arrives at the platform. On my way in, I stop by the office cafeteria to pick up my usual — a plain Greek yogurt with berries and granola to sprinkle on top ($3.27). I also pour myself my first (of too many, if I'm being honest) coffee of the day. $3.27
1 p.m. — Things have been pretty slow at work for the past week, so I end up bored-snacking all day. For lunch I heat up a mishmash of roasted portobello mushrooms and sweet potatoes, sautéed spinach, and cauliflower rice mixed with black beans, all topped with hot sauce I keep at my desk. It's good, but not filling. I have white cheddar Smartfood Popcorn as well. I ordered a pack of 40 for $15 on Amazon, and it has been my go-to snack lately!
3 p.m. — The day is dragging on. I've spent most of it working on a pro bono case. There isn't any deadline looming, but because I know at the drop of the hat I can be flung into an assignment that could take up essentially every waking moment, I do my best to take advantage of this slower time to get ahead. Even still, I need a break. I visit The New Yorker 's website but I've hit my free article limit for the month. They have a promotion of 12 articles for $6, so I sign up. It also comes with a free tote bag, which explains all the New Yorker bags I see on the subway. Great free advertising for them! $6
6 p.m. — I leave work and I'm still hungry despite snacking all day. There's a Sweetgreen right at the subway entrance by my house, so I stop by on the way. I order a Guacamole Greens, subbing the chicken for mushrooms and the tortilla chips for cheese crisps (yum!!). I eat at home, and it's delicious. Z. comes home from work a couple hours later and joins me in bed to watch The Detour on Hulu. We're a few episodes in, and it's funny, but I don't find myself feeling excited to watch it. We've been struggling to find a new show to watch together now that we've finished The Handmaid's Tale and The Good Place.$12.79
Daily Total: $22.06
Day Two
8 a.m. — I wake up a little earlier today because I didn't shower last night. I manage to only press snooze twice before rolling out of bed. Z. and I end up leaving together for work, and we make it out the door around 9, which is a bit earlier than normal. I have a training at work that starts at 10, so I want to be able to settle in at my desk first without rushing. I make it to the training and fill up a plate with the free breakfast. The training is interesting and a welcome change of pace from my normal work day.
2 p.m. — I have a client intake meeting for a pro bono case. These are always my favorite, and the rest of the morning/early afternoon fly by. Next thing you know, it's 2, and I still haven't eaten lunch. I swing down to the cafeteria and buy a tuna sandwich with carrots and a pickle on the side. I resist getting cheese on it, but I do have it heated up because there is something a bit more satisfying about a warm lunch. Not to mention our office is always freezing, so I will take any warmth I can get. $6.10
6 p.m. — I'm able to leave work at a reasonable time again. I know that I'm going to be swamped again soon, so I try really hard to not feel too guilty about it. I'm yet again ravenous, despite having eaten an extremely large tuna sandwich just four hours ago. On the subway home, I pop onto my Sweetgreen app and order a Hummus Tahina salad but substitute the falafel with warm portobello mushrooms. I manage to work mushrooms into almost every salad I get there — I'm obsessed. $13.61
6:30 p.m. — I feel bad about ordering Sweetgreen two nights in a row, especially when I have time to make dinner myself. I get off the subway a stop early so I can stop by Duane Reade and pick up some Mint Chocolate Chip Enlightened Ice Cream. Because a $6 pint of ice cream is clearly the solution to feeling bad about reckless spending. I also pick up a pack of paper towels while I'm at it. I swing by Sweetgreen to pick up my salad and then head home. $9.48
7 p.m. — On the walk home, I call my dad to catch up. I love taking advantage of commuting time to talk to family. At home, I dig in to my salad. Z. is going to be at a work party until late tonight, so I lounge around and text my friend, A., to make plans for Friday night. It turns out he has a date planned, but he inspires me to try to get a group together to do trivia. Then I dig into my ice cream and turn on Friends from College. Depressing.
11:30 p.m. — Z. comes home from the party and gets into bed. Just in the nick of time to save me from myself, as I was about to start the second season of Friends from College — which A. warned me is even more depressing than the first. We talk for a few minutes before saying goodnight and falling asleep.
Daily Total: $29.19
Day Three
8:15 a.m. — It's Friday! Z. is able to work from home today, so getting out of bed is even harder than normal. I hop in the shower and then get ready a bit slower than I should. At 9:20, I get an email from a partner asking to hop on a call at 9:45. I throw on my coat and run out the door. I manage to catch a train as it pulls into the station and make it to my desk at 9:46 — nice!
10:15 a.m. — After the call, I meander on down to the cafeteria to get my usual Greek yogurt with strawberries and granola ($3.27). I have to hold off on eating it because I'm getting blood work done at 10:30 and need to fast until after. At the appointment, they have a pile of free Luna bars, so I snag a Chocolate Dipped Coconut one — yum. I'm a little worried about my blood test results, as my lifestyle has definitely slipped a bit over the past year as some stressful periods at work derailed some of my fitness and nutrition habits. I vow to make more of a conscious effort to make smart health decisions. $3.27
1 p.m. — A friend from college is in my office building for a meeting, so we decide to catch up over lunch. We go to Beyond Sushi, a vegan sushi joint, and each get the lunch special — a sushi roll and a side. I pick up the check. Like every fast casual place in the area, it's packed during lunch. As soon as we get our food, we squeeze our way out and eat outside. It is bizarrely warm, and we're able to eat outside! We discuss our jobs, ambitions, and his upcoming wedding. He's marrying one of my best friends from college. $29.22
4:30 p.m. — I leave early because work is slow and I need to pack. Z. and I have been texting all afternoon about taking a spur of the moment weekend trip to Philadelphia, and we decide to do it! He books the bus tickets leaving Saturday morning and returning Sunday evening ($56 for both) and the hotel for Saturday night ($220) on our joint credit card. Once we moved in together, we realized sharing a credit card that we put all shared expenses on made the most sense. We just split the balance every month — easy! $138
6 p.m. — I decide to take advantage of the great weather and go for a run outside for the first time in months! I'm a huge baby when it comes to the cold, so anything below 65 degrees is too cold for me to run in. I do a 30-minute run in Central Park (how I missed it!) and then hop in the shower. When I get out, Z. and I decide to call the sushi place downstairs to get takeout for dinner. We split three basic rolls, a fancy roll, and each get a miso soup. It's $14.60 for my half. $14.60
8 p.m. — Trivia time!! We are cutting it close on time, but luckily the bar hosting trivia is only 15 blocks away, so we can walk. We meet our friends there and grab a booth. This is our first time doing trivia at this bar, and it turns out to be much easier than the other spot we have tried. I personally like it, but the more serious trivia buffs of the group are not impressed. I get a question right (Q: What was St. Patrick's original color? A: Blue!) and allow myself to bask in the glory of my genius for about 30 seconds before admitting that I only knew that because I read it last night. We end up in ninth place out of 24 teams — not bad. I had two ciders. $17.13
10:30 p.m. — We get home, finish packing, and crawl into bed by 11.
Daily Total: $202.22
Day Four
6:50 a.m. — This is the earliest I've woken up in a while. Z. hops in the shower and I start getting ready. On our way out, we stop at a bodega to grab a bottle of water for the road and then take the subway down to Penn Station. We're early, so we stop at a Dunkin' to get a large black coffee on the way into Penn Station. Once we're in, Z. realizes he's hungry. We spy another Dunkin' and he grabs a breakfast wrap. I brought a big Pink Lady Apple to eat on the road, but my hands feel gross after the subway, so I decide to buy some hand sanitizer ($2.50). Then we hop on the bus, which leaves exactly at 8:30. $7.80
10:30 a.m. — We arrive in Philly exactly on time. The hotel is less than a 10-minute walk away from the station, so we walk over and they offer to let us check in early — score! Then we make our way up to the room, which ends up being a huge corner room with a kitchen — double score! We drop off our bags and then walk around a bit before making it to our noon reservation at The Love, a restaurant that was recommended to us by friends. We share a plate of biscuits with maple pepper butter spread, I order a South Philly frittata, and Z. orders chicken and waffles. The Love does not disappoint. We pay with our shared credit card, so I pay half. $24
2 p.m. — With full bellies, we head to the famous Rocky Steps. We take a few pictures and soak in the view before deciding another snack is in order. Z.'s friend recommended Tahina Shakes from a local falafel joint called Goldie. We're skeptical, so we order one to share, with a plan to get another dessert at a second location. I also order a side of pickles. We pay with our shared card. The shake is out of this world!! I am beyond shocked, and instantly regret only ordering one. $3
3 p.m. — We head to Reading Terminal Market to get a famous Beiler's donut. We manage to wriggle through the herds of people and I set eyes on some of the richest, most glorious looking donuts I've ever seen. I head toward the end of the line, only to realize the line curves around the edge of the restaurant stall and continues for another 30 people. No way. Instead, we head to a market stall with no line, and grab a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie and a cup of coffee. Then we get out of there! $3
4 p.m. — We head back to the hotel room for a nap before getting ready for the evening. On the way, we grab three water bottles at CVS, which we put on the shared card ($3). I hop in the shower, get ready, and we're out the door at 5 to head to the Chili's right next to the hotel. I'm reluctant to admit that I've travelled to a new city to eat at a chain restaurant, but I love Chili's chips and salsa, and they don't have one in NYC. After waiting 20 minutes, we plop down at the bar and get an order of bottomless chips and salsa and two drinks each. We have a reservation at 7:30 that we need to get to but have trouble getting the bartender's attention for a bill. When we finally get it, we pay in cash so we don't have to wait for him to run the card, and we bolt! $22.50
7:30 p.m. — We make it to our first dinner reservation. Since we're only here for one night, we decide to make the most of it and get food and drinks at several places. I order a fancy drink with tequila, chili, and blood orange soda. Z. orders a mixed drink with some dark liquor that makes me gag. We also get an octopus appetizer and a margherita pizza. Z. ends up getting a second drink, and when the bill comes, tries to pay for it himself because he feels bad. I refuse, and we pay with our shared credit card. I also tip the bathroom attendant ($1). $86
9 p.m. — On to our third location of the night — a speakeasy. We end up waiting in line for 20 minutes outside of an unmarked door as the doorman lets people in a few at a time. When we're let in, we're informed of the rules (no cellphones, pictures, cash only, etc.) before being led into a half empty bar — what a joke! Kudos to them for maintaining an air of exclusivity I guess, but we're not impressed. We sit at the bar and each have an overpriced cocktail. It's cash only, so Z. pays ($36).
10:30 p.m. — Our last and best stop of the night! We had heard great things about this restaurant but were only able to get a 10:30 reservation on such late notice. We went for it anyway, though. We order two cocktails, two veggie sides, and the gnocchi to share. Wow! The food is indescribably good. We vow to make a second trip to Philly solely to have the chance to have a full meal here. We can't resist dessert after how good the meal was, so we share a chocolate brownie with ice cream, too. Again, incredible. We put the bill ($102) on our shared card and leave the restaurant just before midnight to head back to our hotel. $51
Daily Total: $197.30
Day Five
9 a.m. — I wake up at 9, jump in the shower, and get ready for the free walking tour we booked! First we grab a quick bite at the hotel's complimentary breakfast bar — I have Greek yogurt topped with granola and and coffee in a to-go cup. We then check out and leave our backpack with the front desk to hold for the day. The tour starts promptly at 10:30. The tour guide is a little too rehearsed for me, and Z. enjoys it more than I do. We decide to tip $20, which Z. pays, because it was a huge group.
1 p.m. — We have brunch plans with one of Z.'s friend across town at 1:15, so we hop into an Uber that I pay for ($8.59). After not using the bathroom since before the tour, I'm about to pee my pants, so I bolt out of the Uber and run to the restaurant and into the bathroom. Once in the stall, I realize I left my purse (but not my phone) in the car. I called immediately, and the driver meets me on the corner he dropped me off at. I gratefully hand him $10 to thank him. Only later do I realize the Uber app automatically charges $15 when a driver has to turn around to drop off a lost item. Oh well. $33.59
1:20 p.m. — Disaster averted, we are finally about to sit down to brunch. Z.'s friend is great, and the brunch flies by. We each have two mimosas, I have salmon eggs Benedict, and Z. has a burger. We put our half on our card, so I pay half of that. $44
3 p.m. — After brunch, my sweet tooth is throbbing again. We head back to Reading Terminal Market to give Beiler's donuts another go. This time, they're closed. I guess it wasn't meant to be. We each get a $1 coffee at the same stall as yesterday, and then head to Federal Donuts, our second choice. We share a Mexican Hot Chocolate Donut, which we put on our card. It's good, but we know in our heart of hearts that Beiler's would have been better. (I pay for half of both coffee and donut.) $2.38
4 p.m. — We head to Goldie for another Tahina Shake (don't judge!), this time opting to share a Turkish Coffee-flavored one. We (I) also get a falafel pita sandwich, because Z.'s friend said they were to die for. Z. is borderline disgusted with my ability to eat almost the entire pita sandwich, but is trying not to show it. He tries one bite and agrees it's good, but is too full to indulge further. We put it on our card. $7.50
5 p.m. — Back on the bus home! We arrive at Penn Station at 6:50 p.m., hop on the subway, and are in sweats on our couch by 7:15 p.m. We revel in having a whole relaxing night of the weekend left. We decide to watch The Godfather Part II, but it's been taken off Netflix, so instead we watch The Breaker Upperers while snacking on some edamame and tangelos. We go to sleep by 11.
Daily Total: $87.47
Day Six
8:10 a.m. — Wake up, shower, and take the subway to work. At work, I dig into a strawberry Icelandic yogurt from Trader Joe's for breakfast that I have in the fridge. Then I head down to the cafeteria and buy three small tangerines to eat later. $1.20
1 p.m. — There's an event at work today that comes with free lunch. I don't always take advantage of this because it usually requires sticking around for a lecture, but I have the time today. I load up my plate.
3:30 p.m. — I get a few more things done at work and eat the tangerines I bought earlier.
6:30 p.m. — I gleefully leave work at a reasonable time. Once I get home, Z. and I can't decide what to have for dinner. After 30 minutes of indecision, we decide I'll get Sweetgreen for pickup and he'll get a chicken and rice platter. I end up ordering the Hummus Tahina again, and again substitute the falafel for warm portobello mushrooms. We head to pick up Z.'s food first, and while in line, decide to get two falafels on the side to share (I put mine on my salad). We finish the meal by heating up Trader Joe's Brookies (squares that are one layer of chocolate chip cookie and one layer of brownie) topped with vanilla ice cream. Not my healthiest day. I have trouble falling asleep, maybe because of all the sugar, and end up dozing off around 1 a.m. $13.51
Daily Total: $14.71
Day Seven
8 a.m. — Wake up a little earlier than normal because Z. showers after me and needs more time today because he needs to shave. I get into work around 9:35 and head immediately down to the cafeteria to get my Greek yogurt with berries and granola and coffee. I also grab a tangelo to eat later. $34.07
11 a.m. — I'm already thinking about food, despite having just eaten my yogurt. I have a meeting at noon, so I order Chop't for pickup at 1 p.m. I get the Guacamole Greens salad but modify it so that instead of tortilla chips, I get parmesan chips. After my meeting, I walk by a line of what looks like 40 people, trying not to look to gleeful as I skip the line to pick up my food. It's good, but there isn't enough dressing. I finish the meal with a tangelo for dessert. $10.08
3 p.m. — I'm getting sleepy, so I head to the kitchen for my third coffee of the day. Then I head back to my desk, open a bag of SmartFood white cheddar popcorn, and read today's Money Diary before getting back to work.
7:30 p.m. — Next thing I know, the sun has already set. I pack up my computer to finish a few tasks from home and hop onto the train. Z. is still at work, so I peek into the fridge to see what I can make myself for dinner. I settle for avocado toast on the Ezekiel bread I keep in the freezer and a few eggs.
9 p.m. — It's time to change the sheets, so I strip the bed and throw them into the full hamper. I begrudgingly realize laundry needs to be done, so I stuff the contents of the hamper into the laundry bag and lug it to my laundromat. Luckily, it's on the same block as our apartment, so it's not a huge hike. I still feel weird about it, but we pay to have our laundry washed and folded for us. But I try not to let myself feel bad because our apartment doesn't have laundry in it and spending what free time I do have in a laundromat is just not worth the extra $5 I would save. I put it on our shared card, so I pay half. $18.19
9:45 p.m. — Z. gets home, and we head to the gym. He recently got a membership at the same gym as me, and we do our best to go a few times a week. Some weeks are better than others, but after a weekend of treating ourselves in Philadelphia, we decided to take working out seriously this week. We run for 30 minutes and then call it a night. It's hard making it to the gym late at night after a full day, but it beats waking up in the morning to do it!
10:30 p.m. — I shower first, and then while Z. is in the shower I call my parents. They live on the west coast. The distance is hard, but the one benefit is that I can call them late at night and it's still a reasonable time there. I fill them in on the events of the weekend before crawling into bed, exhausted. Unlike last night, I'm out almost immediately. Who knew exercise was better for your sleep than Brookies and ice cream?
Daily Total: $62.34
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 outour guide to managing your money every day. For more money diaries, clickhere. Have questions about how to submit or our publishing process? Read our Money Diaries FAQ doc here:r29.co/mdfaqs
We want to know: Did you pay for your engagement ring?Engagement rings are expensive, and these days, it isn't always practical to expect one person to pay for it. Below, we want to know: did you pay for your engagement ring? Or part of it? What was the process like?Fill out this formfor a chance to be included in a story on our site.
We’re working on a story that takes a look at how real couples manage their money.We want to know how you navigate finances with your significant other. What irks you? What stresses you out? How do you feel about where things are at in your relationship? To be considered for an upcoming piece as a part of a special love and money package, please fill out this form.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
In Refinery29'sSweet Digs, we take a look inside the sometimes small, sometimes spacious homes of millennial women. Today, 31-year-old Ria Smith and her husband Hugh share their luxe two-bedroom apartment in Newark, New Jersey.
When Ria and Hugh first got engaged, they were drawn to the idea of a loft apartment. But after two years of tiny windows, brick wall, and zero separation of living spaces, the couple got tired of it and started itching for something new.
So when Ria got an email saying a new development was open and looking for renters, she decided to check it out. "I was just being nosy, and wasn't planning on moving," she says. "Our lease wasn't up, and we weren't looking to move, we just heard there was a new building down the block."
After a tour of the apartment, the couple was sold, if only because of the floor-to-ceiling windows. "We got out of our lease a whole year early and moved in," Ria says.
Still, despite it being a new development, the couple behind the newly-launched e-design company Hunter Hue had to make some adjustments to make the space fit their modern decor. First up: Painting the walls a stark flat white. Watch the video above to see exactly what they left their loft for — and read on for decorating tips and the nitty gritty details.
Did you two have a broker's fee to deal with?
"We did not have a brokers fee because we came and checked it out ourselves. We also got one month free because it was a brand new building, which was just taken off from the deposit. The security deposit we did a traditional 1-month's rent, and we had also a dog fee which was $500, and then we have dog rent which is $40 a month per dog."
What is the most expensive thing in your apartment?
"The couch was the most expensive. It was about $3,000 we got it from West Elm. It’s leather, and it’s just a really beautiful couch and we just didn’t want to go with a standard material because we have two dogs and they sometimes have accidents."
Do you have any design tips or tricks?
"With art, we kept it to one art piece per room mostly. We like single, large pieces. It's clean and modern and sometimes if you put too much art on the wall, it clutters the space. Because we wanted an open feel, we decided to go with single large pieces."
What has influenced your home style?
"I work for an interior decorator and my husband just has a great design eye so we do it together. He honestly has a better design eye than I do, and has a lot of talent. Our style is pretty modern Scandinavian, open, clean, and simple. Ultimately, we want it to feel like a hotel, and if a guest comes they can feel comfortable."
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Fashion designer Marc Jacobs married his longtime partner, model-turned-candlemaker Char Defrancesco, in a lavish celebration of their love in New York City on Saturday evening.
Not surprisingly, the couple’s celebration was full of meaning — and fabulous fashion.
The couple has been together for more than three years. Last year, E! News reports, Jacobs proposed to his love at Chipotle with a flash mob performing a choreographed dance to the Prince classic “Kiss.”
The iconic designer shared some of his prep on Instagram, revealing he had a selection of ties and footwear ready for the event, writing, “Choices. A gurl needs options.”
Jacobs shared a photo of his wedding ring and a meaningful onyx diamond penguin pin that he and Defancesco both wore. "Penguins have only one partner and mate for life. A great example of faithfulness and fidelity," he wrote.
The newlyweds arrived at their wedding reception at The Grill in Manhattan in high style, E! News reports, with Jacobs wearing a dark suit with white tie, and Defrancesco in a stunning green velvet jacket with black pants.
Of course, a wedding reception this epic had to have a major cake and entertainment. The couple cut into a five-layer cake, after live performances, dancing, and a video sharing their love story.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen has resigned from her post, President Donald Trump announced Sunday evening. Her departure is reportedly part of a massive overhaul at the department, led by White House adviser Stephen Miller.
"Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, and I would like to thank her for her service," Trump tweeted. "I am pleased to announce that Kevin McAleenan, the current U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, will become Acting Secretary for @DHSgov. I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job!"
Nielsen, who replaced Retired Marine Gen. John Kelly as head of DHS when he was tapped to become the White House's chief of staff, became the youngest person to occupy the role at the age of 46. During her confirmation hearing, she faced intense criticism because she had no previous experience leading an organization the size of Homeland Security, the government's third-largest agency.
Trump had a contentious relationship with Nielsen, at times blaming her for not being tough enough when it came to immigration enforcement and feeling frustrated that she didn't implement his hardline immigration policies with enough gusto. He repeatedly scolded her at Cabinet meetings, questioned her loyalty, and mockingly called her "Bushie" in reference to her experience working on President George W. Bush's administration.
Nevertheless, Nielsen was a reliable foot-soldier of the White House and became the face of the administration's outrageous zero-tolerance immigration policy, which led to the forced separation of thousands of migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border last year. Nielsen's false claims and cold defense of the policy led to calls for her firing. She was even heckled out of a Mexican restaurant for her role in the border crisis.
Her resignation comes just days after President Trump withdrew his pick to run the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) department, Ronald Vitiello, without giving Nielsen a heads up. Trump reportedly wanted a nominee that would steer ICE in a tougher direction, according to media reports.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Michelle Pfeiffer has made a career out of being unpredictable. At one time, she was Catwoman, purring unforgettable lines like, "Life's a bitch, now so am I." A decade earlier, she was Elvira Hancock in Scarface — a role so iconic that people recreate it every Halloween. In the past 10 years alone, she's played the ultimate villain in Hairspray and Bernie Madoff's wife.
Now, at 60, she's taking on an entirely new role as the founder of her own fragrance line called Henry Rose, which is launching with five different unisex scents. Even for Pfeiffer, this pivot seems highly unlikely, especially given how she went without wearing a single drop of perfume for 10 years.
"Around 2004, I stumbled upon the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database," says Pfeiffer, who shares two children, Claudia Rose and John Henry Pfeiffer, with Hollywood producer David E. Kelley. "I went down the rabbit hole, and started searching everything I and my children used. What I found is that whenever fragrance came up, it would be flagged as 'high hazard.'" That's largely due to the lack of transparency around the term 'fragrance' on ingredients lists.
Pfeiffer decided to give up perfume for an entire decade, and start focusing on creating a fragrance she could trust. It was harder than she anticipated. "I thought, Maybe I can try to develop one with a cosmetic company," Pfeiffer says. "I approached a few, and they were not interested in being transparent in the ingredients. I didn’t feel comfortable putting my name or face on something that I wouldn’t wear myself. I got discouraged pretty quickly, and shelved it for a while."
Years went by, and as more people started paying attention to what was inside of their personal care products, Pfeiffer decided to give it another shot, approaching International Flavors & Fragrances with the idea of creating the first fine fragrances that are EWG-certified with a completely transparent ingredient list. They bit, and for the last year, Pfeiffer has been involved at every stage — from selecting the perfumers and ingredients to making sure the brand is environmentally conscious. (The bottles themselves are made from NEO-Infinite glass — 90% recycled, 100% recyclable — and have soy caps.)
If you've noticed, despite this being a celebrity fragrance, it's not very celebrity fragrance-y. It's not called something like "Pfeiffer Perfumes," and she isn't planning on putting herself on much of the marketing materials, either. According to her, there's a reason for that. "I really took to heart advice that I got that people have become a little bit suspicious and doubtful of celebrity endorsements," she says. "I felt that it was very important that the brand stand alone and that the credibility stands separate from me."
Despite her not planning to star in any kind of ad campaign for Henry Rose, Pfeiffer has clearly left her mark on the line. For one, the line is named after her children's middle names: Henry and Rose. One scent, called Jake's House, is inspired by a smell that was in her grandparent's bathroom in North Carolina. "My grandfather's name is Jake," she says. "It smells very soap-y and clean." Another scent, Torn, was inspired by the Old Spice her father used to wear, while the scent Fog is inspired by Pfeiffer's summers in San Francisco.
Now, given Pfeiffer's long list of unforgettable roles, we had to ask: Which Henry Rose scents would her most memorable characters wear? "Obviously Catwoman would wear Dark Is Night," Pfeiffer says. "Susie Diamond [from The Fabulous Baker Boys] might wear Torn. Sukie [from The Witches of Eastwick]... she would wear either Fog or Jake’s House. And Last Light they all might wear to lunch."
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
