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
Category: 2019 Health
Monday is the best day to shop at Ikea, according to employees
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
Sick of bananas? You can get just as much potassium in two medjool dates
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
Science says *this* is how much exercise you need to offset sitting all day long
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
Learn your adult attachment style to improve every relationship in your life
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
The Well+Good Cookbook is officially here!
April 24, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC After a year of vision-boarding, taste-testing, and tapping into the Well+Good community of healthy foodies, experts, and luminaries for their culinary know-how, it’s official: The Well+Good Cookbook is finally here! The goal? We wanted to find out what wellness gurus actually make on a regular weeknight—or day-time lunch, or rushed pre-office morning. The result is an eye-opening peek into the kitchens and recipe faves of some of the smartest people in wellness, with serious ease (and healthy benefits) at the center of every genius recipe. The Well+Good Cookbook is filled with go-to meals you can whip up in a pinch (like celeb nutritionist Kelly Leveque’s flaxseed chicken tenders), or roll out for a show-stopping Netflix night with friends (just throw an egg on Lea Michele’s shaved radicchio, Parmesan, and truffle pizza). And because there’s no better way to kick off a cookbook launch than with a cocktail party, we did just that on April 16, bringing together cookbook contributors over a few of the book’s standout recipes. Scroll down for a peek at some of the wellness luminaries and recipes you’ll find in the The Well+Good Cookbook. We took over Williamsburg’s Egg Shop (executive chef Nick Korbee’s Whitefish Niçoise Salad was selected for the book cover!) for an evening of drinks, Photobooth sessions, and taste testing of some of the book’s party-friendly apps. Speaking of party-friendly apps, Well+Good Council member McKel Hill’s Sweet Onion Dip was a hit. Well+Good co-founders Alexia Brue and
First comes love, then comes…a shared address, if you’re dating in today’s society
April 24, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC My grandpa likes to recall the story of when, in high school, he saw my grandma for the first time and told his friends, “I’m going to marry that girl.” Well. I highly doubt that the men who like my photos on Hinge are coming to that same immediate conclusion, given the number of times a match has opened conversation with something along the lines of “wanna smash?” I mean, I have so many questions: Like, smash? That’s what you’re going with? Does that ever work for you? And, not a question, but someone please come and put me out of my dating misery because things are rarely fun, rarely hopeful, and rarely romantic. Clearly, we’re not in the same dating world my grandparents inhabited. The way in which we, as a society, approach love has changed drastically in the last few generations and decades. Common steps in a relationship formerly followed the trajectory of date, get engaged, get married, move in together, have kids. Now, TBH, it feels like a huge milestone to simply have a toothbrush at someone’s place…and even then, unless you’ve DTR, that person could still be dating other people. While noting the differences between my situation and that of my grandparents, I couldn’t help but wonder—said in my best Carrie Bradshaw voice—what are the new relationship milestones? Perhaps most strikingly is the order shift between “get married” and “make a family home.” It used to be widely taboo
OK, TMI: Why does coffee always make me poop?
April 24, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC We’ve all been there: You’ve just finished your morning oat milk latte when you start to feel some…uh, movement below decks. You need to go to the bathroom. Like, right now. (If this doesn’t sound familiar, you’re just a liar.) Basically, coffee and pooping seem to go together like vibrators and orgasms—while it’s not a prerequisite to make BMs happen, it certainly seems to speed the process up so to speak. While obviously regular BMs are good for your health…what is it about coffee that makes you head to the toilet ASAP, and does it happen to everyone? Here’s what the experts have to say. Why does coffee make you poop? There are actually a lot of things at play here. For starters, the caffeine in coffee causes your intestinal muscles to contract, says Kelly Jones MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, which helps…ahem, move things along. However, it’s not just a caffeine thing—there are compounds in coffee itself that can make you poop. “Coffee, both regular and decaffeinated, can stimulate the movements of the distal (the lower end of the large intestine) colon,” says Kate Scarlata, RDN, LDN, a FODMAP and IBS expert. Specifically, Jones says chlorogenic acids and N-alkanoyl-5-hydroxytryptamides (try saying that five times fast) both stimulate the production of stomach acid, which helps move food through your digestive system. “Coffee stimulates the release of two hormones, gastrin (released in the stomach) and cholecystokinin (released from the small intestine),” adds Scarlata. “Gastrin increases
Treat your muscles with the new Theragun that costs half as much as the original
April 24, 2019 at 12:14PM by CWC There are very few times in life when something you really want (but can’t quite swing financially) gets a major price slash. Tuesday was one of those sweet, serendipitous occasions in the fitness world. With the launch of two new percussive therapy devices, Theragun has now made it possible to treat your sore muscles to one of their recovery devices for $300 less than the cost of the original device. The features on the G3 ($399) and the liv ($299) vary slightly from the flagship G3PRO ($599), which is intended for use by level-10 athletes. The G3PRO comes with two speeds of repercussion and six attachments to fit an adjustable arm for targeting large and small muscle groups. The G3 is similar with four attachments and a fixed arm. And finally, the lightest model at 2.5 pounds, the liv is the utilitarian workhorse of group with two attachments. While previous iterations of the Theragun were loud enough to drown out conversation clear across the room (we passed it around the office anyway), all three of the current offerings are almost whisper quiet. You wouldn’t necessarily want to, say, bust one out while your roommate is meditating, but you could definitely sneak in some percussive therapy while watching TV. For the unordained, the Theragun is a dream come true for your aching muscles. In a review from late 2018, beauty and fitness director Ali Finney wrote: “Nowadays, to the left of my couch sits
How patchouli made its triumphant return to perfume bottles everywhere
April 24, 2019 at 10:51AM by CWC In American culture, patchouli has traditionally brought about a very specific image from the “free love” era, featuring long hair, incense, and tie-dyed wall hangings (think: a scene out of That ’70s Show). But long before its most recent hippie-era history, the musky scent was used in a number of East Asian practices, popping up in rituals everywhere from India to the Middle East. It was popular in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, and brought to Europe in the days of Napoleon Bonaparte via the Silk Road. In 2019, the rich scent has made a resurgence in the fragrance industry, taking on a new life entirely. That’s for good reason: While the aroma of patchouli is undoubtedly linked to memories of peace and love for many, it also has its fair share of positive properties. “Patchouli is soothing to the nervous system, grounding and centering,” says Amy Galper of the New York Institute of Aromatic Studies. “It supports the flow of energy and circulation and eases feelings of irritability and stagnancy discomfort during women’s cycles.” And, fun fact! When you blend patchouli with sandalwood, ylang ylang, or jasmine and sandalwood, she says that i can offer some aphrodisiac properties (in case you’re looking for something to spritz yourself with ahead of a romantic evening). Modern perfumers, it seems, are taking note. “I grew up in the ’60s and ’70s in San Francisco,” says Katharine L’Heureux, founder and CEO of Kahina Giving Beauty of her