May 13, 2019 at 10:49AM by CWC Applying sunscreen is a crucial step between moisturizer and makeup in my morning routine year-round. But it doesn’t stop with my face and neck. In the summer when I’m no longer bundled up in crewneck sweatshirts and jeans, the rest of my skin needs all the protection it can get. While I can apply sunscreen to my arms, legs, and shoulders with ease, getting an even coat on my back without a helping hand is the ultimate struggle. Luckily, there’s a simple tool to the rescue. The Kingsley Lotion Applicator ($7), with an impressive 839 5-star reviews on Amazon, has a 15-inch wooden handle and foam applicator that makes applying sunscreen to hard-to-reach areas a breeze. Think of the handle as an extra arm: After squeezing some sunscreen onto the foam paddle, just reach it over your head to coat your back in a few swift motions. You can also use it with self-tanner for a summery glow on without a bunch of unsightly streaks. After you apply sunscreen or lotion, simply rinse it clean with warm, sudsy water and hang it up to air dry until your next outing. Before you stock up on sunscreen, go with some reef-safe options that will keep you (and ocean life) protected all summer long. Also, if you’re wearing makeup, these choices will let you reapply without messing it up. Continue Reading… Author Tehrene Firman | Well and Good Selected by iversue
Category: Fashion
Fillers are injecting themselves into the wellness convo and honestly, it’s awesome
May 13, 2019 at 09:57AM by CWC At Well+Good, we love a good beauty hack and a holy-grail dupe. But one of our favorite things is taking a closer look—at labels, at our habits, at the stigmas that sometimes still prevail in the beauty industry. In our new series Beauty Geek, we’ll be dusting off our glasses to get nerdy with the science of skin care and explore the many ways that beauty serves us in our everyday lives. Join us. I’ve just rolled onto my right side and propped myself up on my hands. And in the dimmed light of the palo santo-scented studio, just before bowing to acknowledge the light and love in every person, my yoga instructor directs the class to soften our brows. “Yeah, right,” I think to myself. Because, while some people strive to nail a perfect crow pose or get their heels to the ground in down dog, all I want is to be able to relax my over-expressive, constantly furrowed forehead. Enter… Botox? A recent report from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery indicated that in 2018, 72 percent of the doctors surveyed saw an uptick in the number of patients under 30 years old requesting cosmetic surgery or facial injectables (Botox and facial fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane). This accounts for a 24 percent climb from 2017. Coincidentally, stats like these coincide with mega-gains in the clean beauty industry, which is poised to reach $25 billion over the
Well+Good TALKS: Beauty State of the Union 2019
May 13, 2019 at 09:47AM by CWC What’s happening in skin care and makeup, and learn about the people and brands who are killing it in 2019. Don’t miss this very special TALK! W+G’s beauty team joins with leading industry experts to give you the hottest beauty take of the moment. Learn who’s changing the game (hi, Rihanna and friends). Get the scoop on genre-breaking products, and the innovative ingredients we’re incredibly excited about (CBD included)! And hear what big trends we’re calling, so you can stock your medicine cabinet accordingly. EVENT DETAILS Wednesday, May 22, 2019 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Location: Made by We | 902 Broadway, New York, NY 10010 THE PANEL Rachel Lapidos | Well+Good Beauty + Fitness Editor For the past 3 years at Well+Good, Rachel’s been slathering on all manner of beauty elixirs in the name of research and trend-spotting. She’s interviewed Bobbi Brown, Miranda Kerr, Dr. Perricone, and more, reporting on everything Well+Good readers need to know for their best skin ever. Rachel has a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and has previously written about everything from culture and fashion to private equity. Christine Chang | Co-Founder of Glow Recipe Christine has an extensive background in the beauty industry, which lead her and Sarah Lee to launch Glow Recipe in 2017. With the mission to create a US hub for the best of Korean beauty, the duo also developed Glow Recipe Skincare, an innovative line, that includes the best-selling, waitlisted Watermelon
Forehead breaking out? The surprising reason your hat could be to blame.
May 13, 2019 at 09:26AM by CWC Over the years of doing my own laundry, I’ve learned a few things: to separate my whites and colors (RIP to all my old white T-shirts out there), to beware of dryer sheets (for the sake of my skin), and to never wash my jeans (it’s a thing). But a quick romp through the Internet led me to a startling realization: I should be washing my hats, too. Hats—the head ornaments that cover bad hair days and shield your precious skin from the sun’s damaging rays—withstand your sweat while you’re wearing them. Because of this, they can be a sneaky cause of breakouts. “A particular type of acne called ‘acne mechanica’ is typically caused by the use of tight items against the skin, like hats, helmets, and headbands,” says Rachel Nazarian, MD, a board-certified dermatologist with New York’s Schweiger Dermatology. “The friction forces of these items against your skin, coupled with the sweat and bacteria that form underneath, can cause a breakout on your forehead.” That’s not to say you have to immediately ditch your baseball caps so that your skin stays clear. It’s all about choosing the right fabric hats, and keeping them clean. “Prevent breakouts by wearing breathable fabrics for your hat, like cotton as opposed to poly-blends, wear them loosely rather than tight against the skin, and wash them often,” she says. Just be extra careful with your baseball caps: “They can trap sweat on the skin and prevent evaporation,”
8 slow fashion brands that are anything but basic
May 11, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC The fashion industry’s carbon footprint is no joke: Its “long supply chains and energy intensive production” contribute to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and consumes more energy than the shipping and airline industries combined, according to the United Nations. But, thankfully for Mother Nature and eco-conscious fashion enthusiasts, more and more slow, sustainable (and uber stylish!) fashion brands are popping up, proving that you don’t have to sacrifice style for the sake of the planet. Slow fashion is all about quality over quantity. The most sustainable way to shop is to build your wardrobe with timeless staples you’ll wear season after season, rather than loading your cart with trendy pieces that are out of style (or disintegrate) before you wear them twice. Take things a step further by choosing brands that are making a conscious effort to reduce their footprints. Whether you’re just getting into the slow fashion game or you’ve been wearing vegan leather for, like, forever, check out these 8 slow fashion brands that are helping preserve the planet—and look good doing it. Reformation The Los Angeles-based brand is known for its effortless, feminine pieces, which is why it’s become a go-to for cool girls around the globe. But the label’s Instagram-worthy dresses aren’t its only draw. Reformation makes sustainability cool by constructing its clothes out of renewable plant-based fibers, repurposing vintage clothes, investing in programs that replace the resources they use, and maintaining green business certified retail stores
Can’t do a single pull-up? Here’s how to get strong enough to do 50
May 10, 2019 at 12:09PM by CWC Attempting to execute some of the moves spotted in my gym’s weight room really zaps my self-esteem. (Shoutout to the dude with the single-arm pull-ups.) It’s simple to forget that a whole lot of work goes into nailing those exercises from start to finish. At some point, that beast on the bar probably used negative pull-ups to earn the strength it takes to hoist a human body in the air. And you can use the negative training technique to build your strength, too. I’m going to give it to you straight, this technique involves taking the part of a move that’s usually a bit easier (like the downward movement in a push-up), and changing the pace so that it feels like you’re moving through molasses. Then, you get to take a break during the part of the exercise that would usually leave you shaking (like the upward movement of a push-up). “A negative is referring to the deceleration portion of a movement,” says Brandon Hirose, master trainer at Crunch Gym’s 59th Street location in New York City. “Many people refer to this as the ‘stretch’ or extension of the muscle or muscle groups working.” The trainer says that moves like negative pull-ups and negative push-ups helps to build the strength necessary to perform the full exercise. “It breaks down the move, making it a more realistic feat if practice is consistent,” says Hirose, adding that the technique is often used for a type
Getting a tattoo affirmed that my body is a dictatorship, not a democracy—and I’m the HBIC
May 09, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC In June 2018, I got my first tattoo—at age 41. Less than a year later, I now have 10. After spending months agonizing about the right font, the proper placement, and the perfect size, I got my first design from rock-star artist JonBoy—four tiny, block-lettered words in Spanish behind my left elbow: “Que no me manques.” It translates to “that you shouldn’t be missing to me,” a phrase my great aunt Fortuna used to utter reflexively like a mantra at the end of phone calls. I’ve always loved it for its brokenness and the way it sounds like it could be the title of a short story or an indie film. I got my second tattoo a month later. This time, I went for a semi-abstract piece of flash art by Sarah Gaugler of Snow Tattoo that sort of resembles an evil eye surrounded by a heart surrounded by haphazard swirls and dots. Where I’d thought about every detail of my first tattoo endlessly, I picked my second on a whim—pointed to it in a portfolio booklet and surrendered my forearm without blinking. I’ve fallen in love with tattoos because they are the physical reminder that my body is not a democracy, it’s a dictatorship, and I am the one in charge. Since then, I’ve made trips to downtown Manhattan celeb hot spot Bang Bang (where artist Eva Karabudak planted roses behind my right elbow and Dragon left some more on my right
Wait, have I been wearing the wrong shoe size my whole life?
May 09, 2019 at 11:28AM by CWC The perfect pair of kicks can start a revolution. However, the opposite can lead to your downfall. If your toes feel like they’re being suffocated, or your heals are popping out with every step, you’ve probably got the wrong shoe size. On Thursday, Nike announced the impending summer launch of Nike Fit, a new feature of the company’s mobile app that scans your feet to determine the best size shoe in every pair of Nike sneakers. Michael Martin, vice president of Nike direct products, growth and innovation, says the new tricked-out app addresses a common problem. “For [Nike] shoes bought online, 27 percent of them are returned because of bad fit,” he tells Well+Good, noting that the figure likely falls short of estimating the number of runners, walkers, weightlifters, and everyday athletes going about their daily lives without perfect companions for their feet. Why? It doesn’t account for those who can’t be bothered to return the shoes, or those who stick it out with a pair they’ve mistaken for their sole-mate. “People are so accustomed to their shoes fitting one way or another that they’re just sort of resigned to the fact,” he says. Nike’s app seeks to remedy that. While a specific launch date has yet to be announced, we’re putting our foot down now—we will no longer wear shoes that don’t fit us! Period! The end! Not only is it plain uncomfortable to feel out of sync with your own sneaks,
Top healthy chefs reveal how to make the gluten-free, vegan chocolate chip cookies of your dreams
May 09, 2019 at 11:00AM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_20aY1mGxg] Have you ever tried to make a better-for-you version of your favorite treat? Things can go awry even when you follow a recipe to a T, and swapping out ingredients can end in disaster. That’s why we’re launching Alt-Baking Bootcamp, Well+Good’s newest video series aiming to help you remake your favorite classic treats with a healthier spin. While the foundation of classic baking is butter, eggs, and flour, chefs Mia Rigden and Jenny Dorsey are here to prove that you can rehab most of your favorite desserts to suit your health and dietary needs—without compromising on flavor. Their first challenge? Chocolate chip cookies. “Whether you’re trying to eat a little healthier, you’re vegan, or you have some dietary restrictions this recipe is for you,” says Rigden, who is also the founder of RASA, a nutrition and lifestyle coaching brand. (And because they’re egg-free, you can eat the dough!) However, baking is a particular science—which makes swapping ingredients a bit of a challenge. Here’s how Dorsey and Rigden made a chocolate chip cookie that’s completely vegan and gluten-free: 1. Use a “flax egg” instead of actual eggs The first pillar of baking: eggs. “Eggs are used as a binding agent in cookies,” Rigden says. But obviously they’re a no-go if you’re vegan or have an egg allergy. That’s why she suggests using flax eggs instead—basically a mixture of flax seeds and water that mimics the binding properties of eggs in baked goods. One flax
Reformation’s first shoe collection makes kitten heels sexy, and I’m not mad about it
May 09, 2019 at 07:01AM by CWC There is really no easy way to say this, so I’ll just spit it out: Reformation has made kitten heels sexy. I know. The brain explosion emoji pretty sums up my mood RN. If you had told me two months ago—nay, two weeks ago—that I would be using “kitten heels” and “sexy” in the same sentence without the slightest hint of irony, I would’ve had some very strong opinions, but here we are. 2019 is a ride, isn’t it? The kitten heels, which are making me question everything I thought a knew about myself (even more so than 30 minutes ago when I batted other fans in the Jonas Brothers Happiness Begins tour pre-sale), are part of Reformation’s newly launched shoe collection. The collection launches with 11 styles, including espadrilles, flats, and high heels. “We wanted Ref Shoes to feel like an extension of our clothing so the designs are inspired by the feminine and vintage silhouettes that we love so much,” Yael Aflalo, Reformation founder and CEO, says. Playing perfectly into Reformation’s aesthetic, the shoes are sexy while also being sustainable. On average they save 52 percent CO2 emissions, 70 percent water, and 65 percent waste compared to most other shoes in the US. “Since starting Reformation in 2009, we’ve definitely seen a shift in the fashion industry’s approach to sustainability,” Aflalo says. That said, when it comes to footwear, she believes more work needed to be done, which made it difficult to