Month: April 2019

April 25, 2019 at 07:19AM by CWC This morning, I woke up, checked my calendar, and then immediately exclaimed to my ficus, “It’s April 25th, and all I need is a light jacket!” Seriously—Cheryl Frasier (of Miss Congeniality fame) was on to something brilliant: Today really is the perfect date, because it’s not too hot and it’s not too cold. Now that all those puffer-style parkas have been packed away and our anorak armor is no longer a necessity for warding off early April showers, it’s officially windbreaker season. And I, for one, could not be more excited. While leather or denim jackets may seem like the more obvious choices of outerwear this time of year, I’d like to go ahead and argue that windbreakers are actually the most multi-purpose of the bunch. Hear me out: Not only can they function as full-on athletic gear (seriously—pop on one for a run and you’ll be getting checked out as frequently as a cutie with a French Bulldog), but they’re also legitimately stylish. It seems like all of the trendy millennial girls of Instagram (you know, the Jenner-Hadid-Bieber collective) are always pairing an ’80s inspired track jacket with a pair of biker shorts, or tying one around their waist with some low-slung jeans. And I’m not going to lie: It looks cool. Plus, they’re waterproof. If your romantic life is anything like mine these days, finding an IRL perfect date can admittedly prove to be a challenge (a complete stranger recently asked me

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April 25, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC I love using blush, and I wear it every single day, but I will admit that I have no idea what I’m doing when I apply it. Whenever I swipe some on, I feel like a child playing in her mother’s makeup bag. It’s pretty much a guessing game as I dab a cream variety on my cheekbones, blend, and hope for the best. Well, you guys: No longer. I asked some makeup pros for their very best application tips, so that my blush application is no longer a guessing game, and I can get it right every time. “To me, blush is the most essential beauty product to wear,” raves Molly R. Stern, celebrity makeup artist, who says it’s her absolute favorite cosmetics product. “It enhances the complexion and gives the skin a youthful glow.”  Here, I give you the full guide to nailing blush in one fell swoop (er, swipe). Find the right blush color While browsing makeup shelves, the number of different blush colors out there can be dizzying. From almost-neon brights to muted pinks and browns, you’ve got a lot to choose from—and there are smart tactics for finding the right one for your skin tone. “I tend to look at undertones of the skin first, and then choose a color that will either compliment the tones or counteract anything that you’re steering away from,” says celebrity makeup artist Neil Scibelli. “For example, if I see someone already has

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April 25, 2019 at 04:54AM by CWC I always have to mentally prepare myself before going to Ikea, and I’m sure I’m not alone. As you’re navigating the crowds within the never-ending maze of Swedish home goods, in search of the perfect picks to spruce up your space, it’s easy to get stressed. To make it through your list without breaking into tears before you reach the kitchen showroom (it happens!), you might want to reschedule your Ikea shopping trip. For the best Ikea experience, the consensus is that Monday mornings are the best time to shop. Since weekends can be super crowded, employees have said it’s by-far the quietest time to make your way through each department. Monday is also the best day to score deals. Another employee tells Apartment Therapy that due to all the customer returns (and items broken in-store) over the weekend, the discounted as-is section is often nicely stocked with closeouts, returns, and display items. If you can’t make it to Ikea on a Monday mornings, we get it. (You might want to save the faux dentist appointment excuse for something more significant.) Janice Simonsen, Ikea’s U.S. design spokesperson, has four Ikea shopping tips you should know before you go. The Ikea shopping tips you need to know, according to an employee 1. Go any weekday morning (or night) Many people work on Mondays, which makes it really hard to get over to the store to beat the masses. Simonsen says most weekday mornings will

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April 25, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC I feel like every time I scroll through Instagram, I’m seeing some kind of recipe with medjool dates in it: energy balls with dates, smoothies with dates, vegan cookies with dates. When did dried fruit get so cool? Yes, medjool dates (which are basically just one of several varieties of date) are having a big moment in the wellness world as a beloved “natural” sweetener alternative. But are they actually good for you, or is it just like eating glorified candy? Here’s what a registered dietitian has to say. What are the benefits of medjool dates? First off, here’s the lowdown on medjool dates’ nutrition. A serving of two dates (pitted) has: 133 calories 1 gram protein 0.5 grams fat 36 grams carbs 3 grams fiber 0 mg sodium 32 grams sugar That’s…quite a bit of sugar. (There’s a reason they taste so sweet!) However, medjool dates offer up a lot of other nutritional value. “These dates are a great source of potassium, an essential mineral that most Americans do not consume enough of,” says Kelly Jones MS, RD, CSSD, LDN. A serving will get you about 334 milligrams of the mineral, similar to what you’ll find in a small banana and about 13 percent of what you should eat every day. “Potassium is important for controlling fluid balance and regulating your heartbeat and blood pressure,” she says. Dates also provide some calcium and phosphorus, both of which contribute to bone health and the prevention

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April 25, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC I’ll admit—I love sitting. I’m a fitness devotee, sure, but when I’m not dying in SLT or getting my steps in by walking around New York City, I prefer to sit. Of course, I’m also well aware that a sedentary lifestyle is no bueno and comes with a slew of negative impacts on your health. So thankfully, there’s a new study that calculates exactly how much working out you have to do in order to combat the all too common sit-heavy lifestyle. The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, asked 149,077 men and women to fill out a questionnaire about their physical activity over the course of 8.9 years. And they found that those who were constantly sitting without moving were at a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality. In other words, if the participants were sitting for six or more hours per day and were getting less than 150 minutes a week of exercise, they were at a higher risk of dying of a heart attack. But it wasn’t all bad news: Researchers discovered that those who exercised for roughly 150 to 200 minutes per week countered those cardiovascular risks to some degree. But the risks were “all but erased” for participants who engaged in at least 300 minutes of physical exercise per week, which nets out to roughly 45 minutes per day. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends 150 to 300 minutes per week of “moderate

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April 25, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC If you’ve ever had any kind of relationship with someone who frequently needed validation, had trouble establishing trust, or felt distant (and who hasn’t?!), you’re already familiar with some hallmark signs of adult attachment styles—whether or not you’re aware of it. The relationship-personality test de rigueur, the 5 Love Languages (you can take the quiz here to learn yours!), can help you understand the ways in which you and your S.O. experience love. But adult attachment theory outlines certain styles—secure, anxious, fearful avoidant, and dismissive avoidant—that provide a framework for understanding how you relate to others and your ability to establish intimacy, says licensed clinical psychologist Dina Wirick, PhD, who has done research on attachment style. “Your attachment style develops in infancy through your bond with your primary caregiver,” says Dr. Wirick. “This forms the way we see ourselves, others, and the world. It becomes part of who we are and is part of our personality.” “[Attachment style] forms the way we see ourselves, others, and the world. It becomes part of who we are and is part of our personality.” —clinical psychologist Dina Wirick, PhD Basically, your attachment style is part of your subconscious, but pretty important to your everyday life—kind of like a GPS for navigating interpersonal relationships, says social worker Erica Cramer, LMSW. “It helps us determine which relationships we want to pursue and which ones we should avoid. When we reach a crossroads in a relationship, it enables us

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