Author: CityWomen

November 16, 2018 at 08:11AM Even as a full-blown adult, I’m always amazed when people guzzle down plain black coffee in all its bitter glory without adding anything into it to make it taste less, well, aggressive. (Whether or not those people are psychopaths, though, remains up for debate.) Over the years, I’ve tried taking a sip just to see if things have changed, and it always results in a puckered-up face that looks like I downed a glass of lemon juice or a shot of mezcal. And evidently, there’s a simple explanation why: I’m not a genetic “super-taster” like other effortlessly cool coffee drinkers of the world. In a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers found that your genes play a big role in how bitter flavors are experienced, and that’s exactly why some people love coffee and others can’t deal. After comparing preferences for coffee or tea of more than 400,000 participants ages 37 to 73—and noting whether they carried bitter taste receptor genes or not—it became clear those who do carry bitter taste receptors for caffeine tended to be bigger coffee drinkers than the average, well, Joe. And I mean serious fanatics: They gulped down more than four cups every day and enjoyed the taste while they were doing it. According to the researchers, every copy of the bitter taste receptor gene someone had upped their chances of being a big coffee drinker by 20 percent—and because of their ability to enjoy the bitterness, they were dubbed “super-tasters” of caffeine.

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November 16, 2018 at 07:38AM The Mercury retrograde has a way of making everything go berserk. The astrological period, which starts today and lasts through December 6th, has a reputation for adding a particularly wonky vibe to your relationships. But in order to stop the celestial event from hijacking any chance you have at a civil Thanksgiving dinner, rockstar astrologer Susan Miller says you just need to follow one simple communication rule: Be crystal clear. “No, you don’t have to overcommunicate, but you do have to be clear, because you’re probably picking up the wrong info. And the person hearing you might be picking up the wrong information,” the world-famous Astrology Zone founder said at a recent event for American Greetings in New York City. “No, you don’t have to overcommunicate, but you have to be clear because you’re probably picking up the wrong info. And the person hearing you might be picking up the wrong information.” —Susan Miller She adds that people are more likely to read into conversations during this time, so a simple comment can easily snowball into a perceived slight. “People tend to say, ‘What do you mean by that?’ So you have to just be a little less judgmental so that you make sure that you communicate clearly,” Miller says. For example, be sure to very carefully mask the fake compliment you give your cousin about the gelatinous cranberry sauce she serves up on Turkey Day. And if your parents’ criticism feels a little more biting than usual,

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November 16, 2018 at 06:59AM Every woman in your life could use a little pep talk once in a while. You know how hard your best friends work, how ridiculously jam-packed their schedules are, and how generally exhausted they are—not to mention the impressive amount of BS they put up with on the daily. Because it’s easy to forget, sometimes you need to be the one to remind them just how badass they really are—and all it takes is caffeine and some words of encouragement. Rachel Elizabeth Cargle, who’s a total badass in her own right as a New York City-based activist, writer, and lecturer, started a weekly tradition months ago that’s helping build up women in her own life and beyond. Every Friday—dubbed #FriendCareFriday—she reminds her followers to “love on a friend” by Venmoing them $5 to $10 for their morning latte with some words that lift them up. “Tell them how proud of them you are…even if it’s just for making it through the week,” she wrote on Instagram. “Invest into each other. Into each other’s mental health, into each other’s happiness, into each other knowing that we are loved and cared for and ultimately enough.” It’s such a simple act, but it makes all the difference—and you can do it whether you live in the same city or 1,000 miles apart. “I started doing #FriendCareFriday after seeing Rachel Cargle post about it, and it really is such an easy way to show some love to your friends, whether it’s one who had

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November 16, 2018 at 02:00AM When dealing with temperatures, you’re often playing a game of opposites. Hot AF outside? Wear less clothing and keep a cooling face mist on hand. When it’s freezing, on the other hand, you might want to layer up sweaters and also serums underneath thick moisturizers to keep the dry, cold air out. And really bizarrely, using this same temperature logic, you can help to address certain skin-care concerns as they arise. The A-ha moment occurred when I was getting a facial from superstar celebrity esthetician and founder of Spa Radiance Angelina Umansky, who applied the time-tested cold spoons to my complexion, which was afflicted with redness. In the same way that cold helps to battle inflammation-provoked puffy eyes, so too, does it work on inflammation-induced redness. “I love using cold,” says Umansky. “I’ve noticed the skin brightens up better when it’s cold compared to when it’s warm. You want to get inflammation out.” “The skin brightens up better when it’s cold compared to when it’s warm.” —Angelina Umansky It’s kind of like when you ice body parts after a hard workout to get rid of lingering inflammation…only you’re doing so for the sake of your skin. And this goes beyond the spa. “Wash with cooler water and take a not-so-hot shower—your skin will react better,” says Umansky. “Any time people breakout, it’s always a good rule to take the heat out because there’s a lot of heat in the skin. It’s about cooling it down.”

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