Celebrities have both money and connections, and this time of year, tht can only lead to on thing: seriously impressive holiday decorations.
Over the past several weeks, celebs have been sharing photos and videos of all the ways they're decking out their homes for the holidays. Actors, talk show hosts, reality TV stars, and singers have been showing off all kinds of over-the-top, festive decor from classic bright red baubles to trendy additions like hot pink trees. Some of these celebrities put out the decorations themselves with the help of their families, while others employed the help of professionals and brand partners. Either way, the results have left feeling like our tiny apartment Christmas shrub is sorely lacking.
Take a look ahead to see the best, most over-the-top holiday decorations celebrities have set up so far this year.
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Not in our lifetime has the importance of voting been made more clear than in the past couple of years. It's a red alert that affected record voter turnout (particularly among young voters) and key wins for women in the midterm elections last month. Less urgently, it has informed one most nostalgic surprises of the season: limited-edition bath bombs from Lush.
Lush announced today it will drop 12 new bombs (all vegan and cruelty free, of course) on December 26. Each is a winner of a special election held by the brand in which Lushies (the company's passionate fanbase) voted their all-time favorite scents and styles back into production. And they brought back some pretty deep cuts.
To start, there's the long-awaited comeback of one of the first bath bombs to have ever been sold by the brand. Long-loved and lost fragrances from holiday seasons past were also resurrected. One special item from this year's limited edition, drag-inspired holiday collection gets an extended run, thanks to a surge in votes, while a handful of other winners have been formulated to match other products' coveted scents. Picture: a cult-favorite avo co-wash reimagined as a bath bomb that spills dark green into your bathwater. Can you think of a more delightful way to be reminded of the power of the polls?
Of course these suckers, which are available online only, are going to sell out fast, so ... well, you know the drill. See every single winner, including Yog Nog's triumphant return, 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.
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Our beauty resolution for 2019 is to perfect smudged makeup — and we're going to do it without so much as touching an eyeliner.
That's because some of the lipstick trends about to infiltrate the red carpet, Instagram, and our morning commute require a hazy, imperfect finish, according to makeup artist Robert Sesnek. He pegs the soft-focus look as the biggest burgeoning trend for 2019. "It's very unfinished in application, and almost smudged into the lip line — not ultra defined and done by using a lip pencil," Sesnek says.
An easy way to nail the look? Powder lipsticks, another trend makeup artist Carola Gonzalez eyes for 2019. These innovative new formulations, configured in both pans and bullets, feature suspended pigment, and transform from creams to matte powders upon application for serious makeup magic. Get both artists' tips for nailing blurred, messy-on-purpose lip looks, ahead — along with the lipstick colors they say are about to be trending hard in 2019.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
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Is it just us, or have hair-color trends reached a fever pitch over the past year? From winter white and red velvet to Lady Gaga going lilac just this week, people — famous and otherwise — are branching out like never before.
It's not just the trends that have changed — it's also the advancement of aftercare systems like Wellaplex and Olaplex that have opened up a whole new world of possibilities in hair color. So what's next? We asked London-based color-trends forecaster Zoë Irwin and technical director Robert Eaton, both of Wella Professional UK, to tell us what they think we'll all be obsessed with in 2019.
Ahead, four exciting ways to face the future with really, really good hair.
This story was originally published on Refinery29 UK.
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Welcome toMoney Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last dollar.
Today: a sales coordinator working in consumer goods who makes $46,250 per year and spends some of her money this week on the book What If This Were Enough? by Heather Havrilesky.
Monthly Expenses Rent: $769 split with my partner, A. ($384 each) Student Loans: $219 (I'm on an income-based repayment plan and I have $21,650 left to go.) Credit Card Payments: $300, or more if I can swing it. As of October 2017, I had over $9,000 in credit card debt. Now just over a year later, I have over $2,000 left to go at 0% interest. It's been a tough lesson, but I've crushed it and the end is in sight! Cell Phone: $114 (I'm on my own plan — my partner has a flip phone.) Utilities: ~$75, split with my partner Renter's Insurance: $15 Health Insurance: $37 Therapy: $25 copay per visit Audible: $14.99 Netflix: $7.99 401(k): 4% of my paycheck with company match Savings: I have $1,500 in my emergency fund.
Day One
7:45 a.m. — Shit, we both overslept. I nudge A. awake and plod over to the kitchen to get breakfast and lunch packed while he's in the shower. Breakfast is a pack of instant grits, a hardboiled egg, and a banana. Lunch is pasta fagioli that we meal prepped earlier in the week.
8:15 a.m. — I drop A. off at the local T station. The bus in front of our apartment building recently cut service, so we're trying out a new routine this morning to park at the station a half mile away. It fails — there are no spots left, so I continue into my office where there's free parking and A. heads downtown. Overall, I prefer public transport, because my weekly fares are typically less than the cost of gas for A.'s car. It's paid off, and we take turns paying the gas on it, but I try to do more if I use it more often.
9:45 a.m. — My morning starts chaotically with a lot of phone calls. I prepare the grits, eat the egg, and fix a cup of coffee with hazelnut creamer.
12:45 p.m. — I heat up the pasta fagioli. It's made with Barilla protein pasta, which keeps me satisfied until dinner usually. I finish off with the banana.
3:56 p.m. — I spent a lot of time on the phone today! I mute my conference call and polish off two clementines.
5:45 p.m. — Heading home! I stop by the grocery store on the way to pick up soy sauce, sesame oil, and parmesan cheese per A.'s request (not all for the same recipe). $13.54
6:15 p.m. — I heat up some leftover chicken, vegetables, and rice, and A. makes a teriyaki sauce. We chat and go about our evening routine — making food and washing dishes.
7:30 p.m. — We watch an episode of The First on Hulu and share some pieces of dark chocolate and red wine. We head to bed around 10.
Daily Total: $13.54
Day Two
7:35 a.m. — Don't do much better with the alarm this morning. I get tea and breakfast ready. A. is meeting a friend for lunch today, so I take the leftover Indian food from his birthday dinner earlier this week! Yum.
8:15 a.m. — Drop A. off at the T again and we agree to discuss a plan for our commutes next week.
9:15 a.m. — For breakfast I have two pieces of toast from a loaf of bread I keep in the work freezer. I top them off with a single packet of Justin's Vanilla Almond Butter.
10:30 a.m. — I check my bank account and move $5.73 to my second checking account. Every day I try to check my current balance and round down to the nearest even $5 or $10 increment by moving the difference into my other account. I manage to save $75-$100 each pay period this way, and I make an extra debt payment with that money.
12:10 p.m. — I get a Facebook notification that a band A. and I want to see is touring. I decide to surprise him. The tickets are $20 each, but of course I get slapped with those additional fees. Looks like we're going to Buffalo for Valentine's Day weekend! $56.35
12:45 p.m. — I heat up my leftover Indian food and my boss calls right before I take my first bite. Sigh.
5:45 p.m. — Home time. I usually like to chill and have downtime on Fridays rather than go out, which also keeps more money in my pocket, too. A. and I hit the liquor store: I buy a Malbec Bota Box, A. gets whiskey and vermouth to make us Manhattans. Yum! $21.39
6:15 p.m. — We have our Manhattans and chat, and then eat the last of the pasta fagioli when we're hungry. We finish the last episode of The First and fall asleep before 10.
Daily Total: $77.74
Day Three
4:35 a.m. — Saturday morning starts off with our cat knocking a glass of water off the bedside table. She knows A. is mad at her and sulks off for the rest of her witching hour instead of crying incessantly.
9:30 a.m. — Sleep in a bit after the cat fuss this morning. We start the day slow: drink tea, shower, then talk about our meal planning for next week before we go to the grocery store. We're going to a brewery this afternoon for a friend's birthday and I plan to bake cupcakes instead of buying a gift. For breakfast, we fry an egg and some onions and top it off with the last of some rice and lentils we cooked this week. I am satisfied. (We ate every bite of all the food we prepped this week! Gold star!)
10:30 a.m. — We hit the grocery store. During our morning planning, we noticed we have four or five open packages of corn tortillas in the fridge, so we make a meal plan to eat those up this week. We're also going to prep ground turkey chili and salsa chicken, so we buy ingredients for those (plus a few other things): chicken thighs on special; red, black, and white beans; snacking fruit; some squash and zucchini, red and green peppers, diced tomatoes, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, chicken stock, ginger, olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs; and cat food. I buy the cupcake ingredients as well. Total comes to $82, and we split. $41
3 p.m. — We relax and do our own thing until it's time to go out. I bake the cupcakes, do some other chores around the house, and listen to the A Funny Feeling podcast while A. works on some music. He's involved in a lot of musical projects in the area, so it's always great to hear what he's working on. We have a quick bite of lunch before leaving the house. We finish the last of the pasta — finally! We also get coffee to-go at a coffee shop before getting in the car. I treat. $5.14
3:30 p.m. — Since we have to travel to another side of town for this outing, we decide to visit the Strip District on the way there, where there are a lot of speciality grocers. It's a big tourist destination so it's usually packed, but the weather is bad and it's late in the day, so this is a good opportunity. We decide to add a mushroom cream pasta as a late birthday treat for A. and shrimp gumbo to our meals this week, as well as a few other specialty things we are running low on. We visit Penn Mac to buy fresh pasta and bread, Wholey's for the shrimp (and we're delighted to find they have massive collard greens, too), Lotus for okra, and Reyna's for Jamaican curry powder, tamales, and salsa. We trade off paying, so I buy the groceries at Reyna's and Lotus. $21.75
4:45 p.m. — We get to the brewery! Most folks are there already, but I really only know the birthday girl, so we situate ourselves near her. The cupcakes get descended on pretty fast. It's a cool place, but the warehouse environment doesn't absorb noise, so it's hard to hear everyone. The birthday girl and her husband order pizza for the group, and I have a few slices. A. and I have a beer each and he covers our tab. On the way home, I log into my banking app and send her husband what I hope is a fair share for the pizza. They didn't ask anyone for money, but I know it's a lot to feed eight people and I want to contribute. $25
7 p.m. — We get home in time to watch the Pitt football game. My attention span isn't great for sports, so we share a few glasses of wine and I putter around the kitchen during the game. I have a pie crust in the fridge and decide to bake a pumpkin pie for tomorrow. I never get it quite right, and I feel like this kind of pie is always better made a day ahead.
10:30 p.m. — Bedtime!
Daily Total: $92.89
Day Four
8 a.m. — I wake up and take a shower. A. is already up and in the kitchen. When I come out, he's made an amazing breakfast casserole with some of our many tortillas. Genius! We tuck in and chat. He's off to the studio today to record one of his music projects and is pretty excited.
10:30 a.m. — It's unseasonably warm — 61 degrees in December! I have plans today to hang out with a friend who lives close by. I say goodbye to A., wish him luck, and walk the mile to her house.
11:15 a.m. — My friend and I chat over coffee and catch up while her boyfriend makes stewed chicken with homemade pita bread, which smells divine. I have a bite, even though breakfast wasn't that long ago. We have The Final Table on Netflix playing in the background.
1:30 p.m. — My friend is also a big meal prepper, so I run along with her on her errands but don't need anything myself. Once we're back, she puts together a lovely black bean soup.
4:30 p.m. — I head home to get a head start on dinner, as well as make turkey chili for the week. I prep all the ingredients for the mushroom pasta and get everything in the Dutch oven for the chili by the time A. gets home. We have Manhattans again and I hear all about his session, which sounds like it went super well.
6 p.m. — The sauce comes together quickly for the mushroom pasta. I'm a bit nervous to cook the fresh pasta, as I'm not sure what to expect, and unfortunately it doesn't unfurl from its little nests as beautifully as I had hoped it would. Nevertheless, it tastes amazing, and we have a little fresh parm over it.
8 p.m. — We turn the Steelers game on and eat the pumpkin pie over halftime. It's a late game and I also don't care a whole lot about it, so I go to bed when I'm sleepy.
Daily Total: $0
Day Five
7 a.m. — My alarm goes off. I go about packing my lunch and make it onto the 7:45 a.m. bus.
8:30 a.m. — I need to get better at drinking water, so I have a full glass, and then I make fresh coffee and eat some of the breakfast casserole A. made yesterday instead of going straight to my laptop.
10:45 a.m. — I finish up a conference call and then eat a banana and drink more water.
1:05 p.m. — I check my bank account and move $7.63 to my other checking. First business day of the month stinks: All the bills are coming out today! I'm in good shape, though. I heat up my lunch and take a break from my screens for a while.
3:45 p.m. — Afternoon lull. I snack on my clementines while on mute on a conference call and drink some green tea. I'm not really needed on this call, so I use some Amazon credit to buy a Kindle book: What If This Were Enough? by Heather Havrilesky. I am not familiar with her, but it seems like my style. $5.48
5:30 p.m. — Head home. A. just got out of the studio and is able to pick me up at the T station, so I don't have to walk home in the crappy weather. We make guac and have the salsa chicken he made this morning with corn tortillas.
9:45 p.m. — Bedtime after a quiet night.
Daily Total: $5.48
Day Six
7:30 a.m. — Wake up and do my morning routine as usual. I drop A. off at the station. (I drive on Tuesdays because I see my therapist in the evening.)
9:15 a.m. — Settle into the day at work. I check my bank account first and move $5.07 to my other checking. For breakfast, I eat a grapefruit and some breakfast enchilada casserole.
12:45 p.m. — This day is flying by — I have been moving around a lot getting items shipped to the sales reps. I heat up chili for lunch and catch up on the internet. I'm super excited to see NPR voted my favorite album of 2018, Be the Cowboy by Mitski, as #2 for 2018!
5:45 p.m. — I decide to check out a local bookstore for a book written by a local gal I heard on a podcast. I get flustered trying to park in that part of town, and they don't have the book anyway.
6:30 p.m. — Make it just in time for therapy, where my doctor hands me a statement I've been dreading. He sometimes gets behind on his billing and he's pretty old-school and only accepts check payment. This would have hurt me more in the past, but I've been setting my copays aside after each session, so I'm ready for it. $225
8:10 p.m. — Make it home. I'm annoyed to see my apartment lot is full, even though we're all guaranteed a spot. I back out to try to find street parking, when there is a thud and crunch. To my absolute horror, I've backed right into a car parked on the street across from the lot. I see A. in the window looking at me and I gesture for him to come outside.
8:45 p.m. — We wait a bit for the owner of the car, and I cry a lot. I've never had an accident before. A. is completely cool and calm, isn't upset with me at all, and talks me through what needs to be done. All the houses around us are dark, so it's not clear where the car owner might be. Our bumper is totally fine, but the backdoor of the other car is crunched. We leave a note with our number and plate number, and put it in a sandwich baggy under the windshield in case it rains overnight. Inside, A. starts the incident report on the insurance site. He owns the plan and I'm covered on it.
9:15 p.m. — The owner calls and doesn't sound angry. We finally have a little dinner and a whiskey after the drama of the night and watch some TV before bed.
10:15 p.m. — I'm going to sleep.
Daily Total: $225
Day Seven
7 a.m. — I have a meeting this morning at 9. I'd usually drive, but I still feel bad about last night, so I plan to take the early bus. I set out A.'s lunch and pack my own.
9:30 a.m. — Meeting ends. I have a banana and eat a piece of focaccia toast from our Strip District adventure. I check in with A. and he still hasn't heard from his insurance agent.
11:45 a.m. — I get some busy work cranked out to distract myself from the car. Then I check my bank account and move $5 to my other checking. A. isn't sure what his deductible is, but I plan to pay in full for this accident. I'm worried it will be $1,000 and I will lose almost my entire emergency fund. (But that's why I have it.) I am planning to be consumer debt-free by February, but maybe now this will have to get pushed back a few months. I affirm to myself that I have worked hard on my financial goals and have made good financial decisions in 2018 to get out of debt. I will be able to rebuild that emergency fund easily if it does get completely depleted, even if it means a slight postponement of my ultimate goal.
1:15 p.m. — I need a grilled cheese. I abandon my prepared lunch and get one from a cafe, plus a can of Diet Coke. FEELINGS. $5.63
3:45 p.m. — A. gets back to me. Amazingly, since his car wasn't damaged, no deductible is owed. The insurance accepts responsibility. He also has accident forgiveness, and his rate won't go up. I cry with relief, but feel like there should still be some consequence. We discuss splitting the premium.
5:45 p.m. — Dinner is salsa chicken. The mood is cheerful after the good news from the insurance agent. We have a quiet evening doing our own reading and internet-ing until bed.
Daily Total: $5.63
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Lady Gabriella Windsor, daughter of the Queen’s cousin, will get married at St. George’s Chapel in the spring followed by a reception at Frogmore House, where Harry and Meghan also had their reception. The “Meghan Markle” effect is out in full force.
There is no need to set your alarms for the early hours of the morning to watch it on TV, however — Lady Gabriella, who is 50th in line to the throne, is marrying fiancé Thomas Kingston in a small, private ceremony. Senior royals will attend the wedding, but not all of them are expected to attend like they did for Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s big day, reports Rebecca English, the Daily Mail’sroyal correspondent.
If your distant cousin had a wedding that looked almost exactly like yours, it might be cause for some juicy family gossip, but in this instance, it makes sense. Lady Gabriella Windsor has many of her own family memories at the chapel and nearby Frogmore House, a Jane Austen-esque estate that has been a quiet oasis for the royal family for over 300 years. Gabriella, along with Harry and Eugenie, all spent Christmas there. Additionally, Gabriella’s grandparents, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, are buried at Frogmore’s Royal Burial Grounds. Given that she is having a more intimate family wedding, it seems like she picked the perfect spot to celebrate the event.
Lady Gabriella is the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. If that sounds vaguely familiar to you, the princess (Gabriella’s mother) was the royal family member who wore the racist brooch to the Queen’s Christmas luncheon last year when Meghan Markle came to meet many of Prince Harry’s family members for the first time.
A decidedly more private affair, this will just be your typical, more laid back Royal Wedding — but by non-royal standards it is still a pretty big to-do.
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Update, December 22, 2018: Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has released the names of the 11 people he granted clemency to on Thursday, and Cyntoia Brown was not on the list.
Haslam said in a statement, "These individuals have made positive contributions to their communities and deserve pardons, or are individuals who will receive another chance to become contributing members of society by virtue of their commutations.”
Haslam is expected to make a decision on Brown's case next month.
This story was originally published on December 20, 2018.
With less than a week to go before Christmas, another organization is signing on to the campaign to free Cyntoia Brown — the woman currently serving a life sentence for killing the man who solicited her for sex when she was just 16 years old.
On Monday night, racial justice organization Color Of Change announced that it had partnered with several other organizations, including the Nashville chapter of Black Lives Matter, the #MeToo Movement and the Highlander Center, to launch a new website dedicated to appealing to Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam to grant Brown, now 30, clemency.
The movement to secure Brown’s freedom has been picking up steam nationally as of late, with prominent celebrities including Rihanna, Ashley Judd and Kim Kardashian lending their names and star legal teams to the cause. And apparently that zeal also extends to the less-famous folks eager to see Brown freed: In a press release, Color Of Change said that a national call it had hosted on Monday night had over 1200 registrants.
In a statement, Color Of Change senior campaign director Scott Roberts said that the organization had joined others in launching freecyntoiabrown.org because “survivors of violence deserve protection, not imprisonment.”
“We cannot continue to live in a world where survivors and young people are being harshly punished with zero regard for the trauma and life experiences they have endured,” Roberts said. “Elected leaders have a duty to ensure justice, and with Governor Haslam leaving office by early next year, he must immediately ensure that Cyntoia receives the justice she rightfully deserves.”
Legal experts have argued that a 2012 Supreme Court ruling, which deemed mandatory life sentences for juveniles without the possibility of parole unconstitutional, should be retroactively applied to Brown’s case, which was decided in 2004.
Haslam, who leaves office next month to make way for incoming Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, who is also a Republican, said previously that he is “reviewing every aspect” of the case, but has yet to reach a final decision on whether or not to grant Brown clemency.
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A newly elected Utah lawmaker, Andrew Stoddard, believes that every gun owner should be responsible for their firearms and the harm they might inflict, whether they are in their possession or someone else’s. On Wednesday, lawmakers announced “Lauren’s Law” to address just that.
The law’s name is in memory of Lauren McCluskey, a student at the University of Utah who was murdered by Melvin Rowland, a man she briefly dated, with a gun he borrowed from a friend. McCluskey reportedly ended the month-long relationship after discovering that Rowland had lied about his age, name, and criminal past. Rowland was already a convicted felon on parole at the time, making it illegal for him to own a firearm, but there was nothing stopping him from using someone else’s gun. Had campus police reported McCluskey’s claims to law enforcement, Rowland would have been in direct violation of his parole and arrested immediately.
There were no ramifications for the man who loaned Rowland the gun because, according to campus police, he didn’t know about Rowland’s plans. Current law states that a gun owner cannot be prosecuted unless it can be proven that they intended to help someone commit a crime, or if it is proven that the owner knew it was illegal for the borrower to carry a gun. Unless prosecutors can prove this gun owner knew Roland was a convicted felon – and therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm – he will not be held accountable.
McCluskey’s mother, Washington University professor Jill McCluskey, believes the person who loaned Rowland the gun should be prosecuted. Last month, she tweeted, “It is a great responsibility to own a gun.”
The person who lent Lauren's killer the gun needs to be prosecuted. It is a great responsibility to own a gun. #ForLauren
Stoddard, a newly elected representative for the 44th District of Utah, agreed. When “Lauren’s Law” came across his desk, he decided it was time to try and hold gun owners who loan their firearms accountable. The law would also apply to guns that got into the wrong hands after not being securely stored. “It will make people think twice before they loan their gun to someone else, or don’t leave it in a safe, or leave it in their car," Stoddard told The Salt Lake Tribune.
Stoddard believes that a consensus can be met despite the vast difference of opinions on gun control. “I think right now there’s really a consensus that people who own guns, people who don’t, they’re all for responsible gun ownership,” he told the Tribune.
Stoddard has spent much of his career working with victims of domestic violence, and this bill is the third proposal he has introduced to expand Utah’s laws on the subject.
The legislation announcement comes on the heels of a University of Utah report on the shortcomings of the university’s efforts to investigate McCluskey’s reports of harassment and sexual extortion from Rowland. A formal case was not opened until a week after she made the report.
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For her newest Hearth & Hand with Magnolia collection, sold exclusively at Target, the designer and former reality TV personality is introducing bed linens in her signature farmhouse-chic style. “A well-thought-out bedroom begins with a bed that looks and feels comfortable,” Gaines told the retailer. “My new bedding collection is all about layering soft linens and textiles like patterned pillows.
On sale in stores and online on December 26, the new collection features everything from textured comforters to cozy blankets, sheet sets and comfy throw pillows. Prices for the bedding items in the line range from $19.99-$129.99, so they won't break the bank.
The collection also includes plants, artwork, and candles, perfect for anyone who wants to give their home an upgrade in the new year. Here's a sneak peek at some of the items we will be adding to our carts soon.
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While performing at the Super Bowl is rumored to have been a major money move for Cardi B, the rapper has reportedly said no thanks.
One of her reps told Page Six that while there wasn’t a "solid offer" for the rapper and new mom to perform at the Super Bowl, "there were talks about it.” But the rep made it clear that “[Cardi] was not particularly interested in participating because of how she feels about Colin Kaepernick and the whole movement." The rep also shot down rumors that Cardi B would have said yes if she had gotten her own set and a million-dollar payout.
The movement Cardi B’s rep says swayed her decision is #TakeAKnee, formed by Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who protested racial injustice and police brutality against people of color by kneeling during the National Anthem.
Cardi B’s refusal should come as no surprise, given that back in February she reportedly told TMZ she will not perform at the Super Bowl until Kaepernick is hired again. Given that has yet to happen, it’s safe to say football fans won’t be hearing “I Like It” during halftime anytime soon.
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How does one know when holidays are really here? It's easy — all you have to do is pay attention to when celebrities start posting festive Instagrams, which, as everyone knows, is the universal signal for the start of the holidays. (Everyone does know this, right?)
This year, celebs have made it extra simple for us. Thanks to posts from Reese Witherspoon, Kylie Jenner, Justin Bieber, and Chrissy Teigen, there is absolutely no doubt that it is officially time for holiday cheer. Here's how your favorite celebrities celebrated the holidays this year.
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In 2017, the consumer and retail research firm NPD Group reported that, after years of being the most slept-on category in beauty, skin care was making a huge comeback. Skin-care sales rose again in 2018, a significant 13% increase from the year prior, spawning futuristic skin trends soon set to replace almost everything sitting in our medicine cabinets.
Don't get us wrong: We love the chase for newer, cooler, faster-acting products as much as any diehard on Reddit, but that doesn't mean our wallets can keep up with our #SkincareAddiction. If you thought buzzy ingredient newcomers like bakuchiol and adaptogens sounded kind of expensive, well, you're not wrong. Luckily, frugal shoppers don't have to miss out on the biggest skin-care innovations of the year — all they need to do is visit the drugstore.
The drugstore makeup and hair launches coming in the new year are good (like, really good), but the skin-care products are about to be even better. Think self-heating face masks for under $6, tiger grass-infused body balms that soothe irritated skin instantly, and good-for-you sunscreens that work alone and under makeup. Keep clicking for the cheap skin-care products you need to know about (and own) in 2019...
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
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Welcome toMoney Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last dollar.
Today, a summer intern working in land management who makes $9.25 per hour and spends some of her money this week on mango kombucha. Note: this diary was written last summer and is the last entry in our Your Spending In Your State series.
Occupation: Summer Intern Industry: Land Management and Development Age: 20 Location: Kauai, Hawaii Salary: $9.25/hour Paycheck Amount (Biweekly): $533
Monthly Expenses Rent: $0 (I'm living with my parents for the summer back home. It's my last summer before graduating and entering the “real world,” and my first one since high school that I've spent at home.) Spotify Student: $5 Hulu Basic: $8 (I pay for this, my parents pay for Netflix, and we all have access to both accounts.) Phone: $0 (My parents pay.) Health Insurance: I'm on my parents' plan until I turn 26. (#ThanksObama) College: I'm on an academic merit scholarship that covers my tuition, and other outside merit scholarships cover most of my other costs. Since my scholarship renewal is contingent on maintaining a high GPA, grades are very important to me. My parents contribute about $2,500/semester from a college fund to cover basic costs like books and transportation. Savings: I put $500 into my Roth IRA every six months and am trying to build up my checking account for next semester, as it was decimated during my study abroad semester (I was not permitted to get paid at my internship because of my student visa).
Day One
6:30 a.m. — I wake up and have scrambled eggs with leftover gyoza filling from last night for breakfast, along with fresh mangos from my best friend's farm and figs from our backyard! Being home for the summer makes me appreciate the wonderful things from my island that I took for granted before moving away.
10 a.m. — Two hours into work, I have a coffee from the office Keurig and a KIND bar.
1 p.m. — Lunch from home: shiso musubi (rice balls), leftover gyoza, takuan, and ahi poke. My mom just returned from a trip to Japan and is way too excited about using the kawaii bento accessories she picked up.
4:30 p.m. — I fill up gas at Costco using my mom's card ($23.33). Gas here is so expensive that this is the only place we fill up for the rebate, and I don't have my own Costco card.
5 p.m. — Finish work and stop at my local juice shop to pick up a mango kombucha. (I get 50 cents off for bringing a reusable bottle!) This company supports a total of 30 local farms on the island and only sells reusable bottles. And their workers are the sweetest! $4.50
5:15 p.m. — I go for a three-mile run along the ocean. Not paying for a gym, plus killer views, and occasional whale spottings make me wonder why I go to college on the East Coast.
8 p.m. — Mom and I cook sukiyaki and brown rice for dinner with fresh watercress on the side, and I pack the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
9 p.m. — The Bachelorette is on! My mom and I munch on ice cream from the freezer while we watch.
Daily Total: $4.50
Day Two
6:30 a.m. — I wake up and see that my grades from my semester abroad came in! I did well in most of my classes but got one unexpected B. I shoot off emails to the professor and my advisor while eating an avocado and chicken sandwich for breakfast. (The avocados are free from our friend's farm.)
7:30 a.m. — I call my best friend from study abroad on my way into work to vent about the grade. She's the best and I miss her.
9:30 a.m. — Office Keurig coffee and leftover KIND bar for snack.
1 p.m. — Leftover sukiyaki and rice for lunch with a raw egg. A coworker went to a Filipino restaurant nearby and brought back cascaron for dessert, and another coworker brought in homemade matcha ice cream!
5 p.m. — I meet my dad after work for our favorite hike and we trail run three miles up and down the mountain. He is 56 and still kicks my ass.
7:30 p.m. — I make beef, broccoli, salad, and brown rice for dinner for my dad, my grandma, and myself. (My mom is working.) Afterwards, I read more of Labor of Love by Moira Weigel, a really interesting book about the history of dating that I'm renting as a free library eBook!
Daily Total: $0
Day Three
6:30 a.m. — Wake up and eat breakfast: avocado sandwich on whole grain again with fresh mango.
7:30 a.m. — I study economics and love that there are so many accessible, well-made, and free podcasts available on the topic! I listen to Planet Money on my way into work.
12 p.m. — I'm selling a bathing suit that doesn't fit me properly on eBay, so I run to the post office during lunch. I make $152 after fees and spend $28.78 on expedited shipping for the buyer, so I net $123.22.
12:15 p.m. — I'm tired of Japanese food, so I go to the Costco food court (my happiest place) and get a chicken bake for lunch. I also grab a free strawberry guava juice from the company fridge. $2.33
5:30 p.m. — There's a swell on the south side of the island, so I meet up with my dad after work and we surf until the sun goes down. When we get out of the water, we realize someone has stolen our car keys! This has never happened to us before on the island, and it's super disappointing. We call a friend to bring us a spare.
9:45 p.m. — By the time our friend comes and we get back to our side of the island, everything but fast food is closed. I'm starving and exhausted, so I go through the Taco Bell drive-through and get a cheesy potato burrito. $3.68
Daily Total: $6.01
Day Four
6:30 a.m. — Up and at 'em! I have cereal with chopped apples and bananas from our friend's farm and fresh pineapple.
8 a.m. — Get to work and make a Keurig coffee.
12 p.m. — I go on a lunch run with my boss and she treats me to a pineapple tea. I eat leftover beef broccoli and brown rice for lunch.
5:30 p.m. — I stop at my local juice shop to pick up more kombucha. Mango mint jalapeño for me and strawberry guava for my mom. I get a free shot of ginger juice, cinnamon, lemon, and honey. $9
6 p.m. — I would usually go for a run now, but I'm exhausted, so I FaceTime with my friend instead. He is interning in Silicon Valley this summer, and I try to convince him to use that sweet tech cash to come visit Kauai for a weekend.
7:30 p.m. — I treat my friend to dinner as a thank you for driving 90 minutes roundtrip to bring us our keys last night. My parents have a date night, so I bring my grandma with us as well. We go to her favorite sushi restaurant and order miso soup, seaweed salad, three rolls, and green tea. $77
8:30 p.m. — I crack open my AFOQT book for an hour. I'm studying to become an officer in the Air Force after graduating – I want a break after undergrad before hopefully going to law school. I also feel strongly that our military should be more diverse, and I'm ready to put my money where my mouth is.
Daily Total: $86
Day Five
5:30 a.m. — I wake up early for a phone interview for a fall internship at a cool start-up. It goes well, and I'm excited about the prospect! Afterwards, I eat a BLT with avocado from our friend's farm and some honeydew melon.
7:30 a.m. — New Freakonomics Radio episode! The drive to work flies by.
8 a.m. — Work! My coworker gives me the top of a pineapple we ate yesterday and suggests I try to plant it in my house. I do some research and decide to give it a try.
12 p.m. — Our office is playing tennis today! And my coworker brought in Chinese chicken salad and homemade banana lumpia for everyone for lunch.
5 p.m. — I go home and help my mom prep for the dinner party we're throwing to thank our farmer friends for all of the recent goodies – five of our good friends come over and we make slow roasted salmon, garlic risotto, chicken masala, eggplant parm, and a caprese salad! I've typically only come home for a couple of weeks every year since I graduated high school because my college is so far away, so spending time with my family and friends feels absolutely amazing.
11:30 p.m. — I help clean up and then hit the hay.
Daily Total: $0
Day Six
8 a.m. — I wake up and text my friends about breakfast. My friend's roommate from college is visiting Kauai for the first time, so we go to our favorite local diner and order loco mocos, oxtail soup, and banana macadamia nut pancakes to split. $15.08
11 a.m. — We stop at our favorite local boutique to check out the new arrivals, but I ate too much at breakfast and feel too bloated to try anything on. We go for coffee at another local shop and I get an iced coffee. $3.05
12 p.m. — I get home and nap, clean, and watch a few episodes of The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu. I read the book a few years ago and loved it, and the show is just as good!
6 p.m. — It's Bon Dance season — a Buddhist summer festival that we look forward to every year. I meet a friend and we drive down to the Bon Dance with my grandma in tow. (She's too old to dance now, but likes to sit and watch.) We dance for hours while snacking on shaved ice, daikon, musubi, and nishime. As per tradition, the church provides free dinner for dancers.
10:30 p.m. — I get home, finish up the leftover risotto, and sleep. After studying abroad, living a more chill lifestyle has been exactly what I need.
Daily Total: $18.13
Day Seven
8:30 a.m. — It feels so nice to sleep in! I make avocado toast for breakfast.
12 p.m. — It's a family tradition to do a deep clean every Sunday, so I help out by scrubbing the toilets and folding towels.
2 p.m. — More of The Handmaid's Tale! I'm officially hooked.
5 p.m. — My dad, mom, grandma, and I pile into the car and drive to the south side. Grandma is stoked to see a couple of monk seals chilling on the shore! We swim for a while and then go to our favorite hot dog place, where I get a Polish dog with Lilikoi mustard and mango relish and then chocolate gelato for dessert ($12, Mom pays). I'm so lucky to have parents that can afford to have me home for the summer.
8 p.m. — We drive home. I hop in the shower and then scroll through Instagram before going to sleep.
Daily Total: $0
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We have a lot to be excited for in 2019, stargazers! For starters, three solar eclipses will occur this year. The first one, a partial solar eclipse, happens in Capricorn on January 5 or 6, depending on where you live. This event will occur between Saturn, the planet of structure, and Pluto, the planet of transformation. And, since this eclipse occurs in go-getter Capricorn, we'll feel compelled to focus our collective attention on our work lives and ambitions. If you’re planning on starting a new business and following a new career path, meditate during this eclipse before moving forward with your plans.
We will have our first lunar eclipse on January 20 to 2o during a full Leo moon, which will leave us feeling emotional and raw. This lunar eclipse will give us a chance to reflect on how we are seen in the world and how we think about self-presentation.
Our second total solar eclipse occurs on July 2 in Cancer, while the second lunar eclipse of the year occurs in Capricorn on July 16 . This particular eclipse will sextile with Uranus, making it a much more lighthearted than 2019's first lunar eclipse. You may find that you want to change who you spend your time with — you may even wish to branch out and find a whole new community. Come winter, we'll have an annular (ring-shaped or total) solar eclipse in Capricorn on December 26. This eclipse will put work back on our brains, highlighting any work habits that need adjusting.
Jupiter, the planet of luck, will square against Neptune, the planet of dreams and idealism, three times this year — and they haven’t squared against each other since 2006! Watch out for high expectations and overspending around January 13, June 16, and September 21. If hope is hard to come by on these days, relax and remember that challenges arrive in order to teach us important lessons.
And that's only scratching the surface of 2019's celestial activity — read on to find out what’s in store for your sign.
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Instagram may be just seven years old, but it’s damned near impossible to remember how we got on without it. For beauty lovers, the social-media platform has given us a steady stream of new celebrity cuts, product leaks, and a surge of of-the-moment hair color trends. But the app has also made for an influx of homogeneous beauty looks, because we all get bombarded with the same well-liked posts.
Because the Instagram algorithm is clearly biased, sussing out micro, localized trends feels tougher than ever. Which is why we went analog to nail down the coolest haircuts and styles — not just in one localized city, like New York or Los Angeles, but the biggest trends all around the world. We asked beauty insiders with major stamps on their passports to key us in to the brightest hair trends hiding beneath the surge of likes. What we found was anything but redundant.
From Seoul to Sydney, Berlin to Toronto, these are the haircuts and styles that are getting real-life likes in international salons.
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An 8-year-old boy from Guatemala died while in custody of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol late on Christmas Eve, the agency said Tuesday. Though CBP hasn't released his name, the child was identified by Guatemalan authorities as Felipe Alonzo-Gomez.
Felipe is the second migrant child to die while in immigration detention at the southwest border this month alone. Jakelin Ameí Rosmery Caal Maquin, a 7-year-old girl from Guatemala, also died while in custody of CBP in early December. The deaths have only intensified questions about the dire conditions in immigration detention centers across the country, including those ran by CBP, and whether federal agents are equipped to take care of the most vulnerable detainees.
According to CBP, the child and his father were detained when they crossed into the U.S. on December 18. They were originally held at the El Paso Border Patrol Station in Texas and then transferred to the Alamogordo Border Patrol Station in New Mexico on Saturday. (Per the agency's guidelines, migrants are not supposed to be detained for more than 72 hours in CBP holding facilities before being transferred to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.)
After being detained for six days, Felipe was "coughing and appeared to have glossy eyes," according to a CPB official. He was then taken to the Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center for medical treatment, where physicians diagnosed him with a common cold and held him 90 minutes for observation. The child was prescribed amoxicillin, a common antibiotic, and ibuprofen to deal with his fever before being released.
But in the evening, Felipe grew nauseated and vomited. CBP said the father initially refused further medical treatment, but then agreed. Despite how overcrowded border facilities have become, there was no EMT officer on site to attend Felipe which led officials to take him back to the hospital. He died there shortly before midnight on Christmas Eve. (Original reports stated that Felipe died early on Christmas morning, but CBP has since then updated its timeline.)
In the wake of Felipe's death, CBP announced it plans to review its policies on the "care and custody of children under 10 both at intake and beyond 24 hours in custody." The agency will also be "conducting secondary medical checks upon all children in CBP care," with a stronger emphasis on detainees under the age of 10.
Felipe's death happened while the government has been partially shut down over President Donald Trump’s demands for Congress to allocate funds for his border wall. Meanwhile, Felipe's father remains detained, waiting to be transferred to ICE custody.
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Ahead of her Las Vegas residency, which is set to begin on Friday, Lady Gaga is proving what it really means to be an enigma. Beyond just keeping the details of her show, Enigma, a mystery (though we're sure it'll be incredible), Gaga continues to keep us guessing when it comes to her look for the show, too.
Just days ago, fans were flipping over Gaga's new dusty lilac hair on her fiancé's Instagram feed. Now, she's ditched that hair color for something far more dramatic and Vegas-appropriate, debuting new silver hair on her Instagram over the holidays.
In a very Gaga move, she revealed the new hair while stepping off a (most definitely) private plane in Vegas, with one of her adorable French bulldogs in tow.
Gaga's rocked this silver shade before. Most notably she wore the grayish hue on the 2015 Grammys red carpet and on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine in 2010. But unlike those looks, this color appears to be actually dyed onto her real hair, as opposed to a wig or extensions.
Welcome toHype Machine, our hit-list of the top reviewed products across the web — according to a crowd of die-hard shoppers. Call this your 4-star & up only club, with entry granted by our devoted-to-the-goods shop editors.
From gift shopping to party planning and feast prepping, the holidays can dry us out — figuratively and literally. Which is why, amidst the annual festive hustle, it's important to stop and invest in our health with one of the season's top home buys: a humidifier. For this week's edition of Hype Machine, we're tackling the air enhancement devices that won't moisturize tapped-out bank accounts but will soothe tired skin and achy sinuses during the harsh months ahead.
Humidifiers are engineered to add moisture to dry environments, and according to Medical News Today, "people are more likely to benefit from a humidifier in the cold months, when cold air dries out the lungs, nose, and lips. Also, some types of central heating can dry out the air indoors." With five different types (steam vaporizer, ultrasonic, evaporator, impeller, and central humidifiers) and seemingly endless styles available, we hunted down the 11 best options out there — according to the glowing reviews of air-quality aficionados. Scroll ahead to shop the top-rated humidifiers that will turn your dry winter spaces into hydrated, self-care oases.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
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These days, you can get just about anything delivered. And since it's becoming more popular to cook health-conscious meals at home, typical takeout is being crowded out by weeklong meal-subscription delivery boxes that come right to our front doors. We're talking about fresh ingredients, picked for us, and prepackaged with recipes tailored to our specific dining preferences. Hey, this sounds pretty damn convenient — especially as we gear up to start the new year on a healthier, cook-more-meals-at-home foot.
But before we all run out to sign up, there are a few questions to answer: How much do these services actually cost? And which one (if any) of the dozens out there is right for us? For the full 411, we sought out and rounded up (from A to Z) the most popular meal-delivery subscriptions available today. Scroll ahead to find out which could be the one to help you kickstart your new year cooking regime.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
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BeautywithMi, hosted by Refinery29's beauty writerMi-Anne Chan, explores the coolest new trends, treatments, products, and subcultures in thebeautyworld. Never miss an episode by subscribing here.
Avocado mania hit its peak in 2015 when, according to the Washington Post, avocado consumption eclipsed 4 billion — a record high for the pitted fruit. Since then, avocados have graduated from a Sunday brunch star to a key player in a multitude of different beauty applications. This year alone, a handful of products featuring the fruit hit stores, including Glow Recipe's Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask and First Aid Beauty's Hello FAB Bendy Avocado Concealer.
Although I've got lots of products with the fruit dotting my vanity, it was a treatment featuring the stuff that got me out of the house and into a spa. Last month, I tried Premiere57's Avocado Body Wrap, an hour-long experience designed to hydrate and exfoliate dull skin, especially skin that's been neglected all winter long.
But first, a warning: If you're not comfortable being close-to-naked as an esthetician gives you a head-to-toe cleanse and scrub, you probably won't like this treatment at all. If you can get past that though, you might enjoy the process. The treatment ends with the full-body application of an avocado oil-infused mask, after which your body is swaddled in a foil-like blanket that traps in heat allowing you to drift into sleep for 20 minutes while the mask works its magic. Peep the video above to see how it all wen.
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