February 18, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC It’s Saturday morning, and I’m waiting in line at REI to buy $80 climbing shoes when I realize something: There’s a very real chance my boyfriend and I are morphing into the same human being. That’s because a year ago, I would have cited my fear of heights to get me out of anything that involved ascending much higher than my local New York City’s street level. (“I can’t go to a rooftop bar with you! It’s too high!”) But after several months of dating, my love interest somehow convinced me to try his go-to hobby of rock climbing, and I was into immediately. I fell in love with a human being, and now I own climbing shoes! Expensive ones! I’m still having fun, and I’m still happy—romantically and otherwise—but a nagging voice in the back of my head keeps asking: Am I losing myself in this relationship? Dominique Samuels, PsyD, resident psychologist for relationship-health app Emi Couple, says patients often come to her wondering just that, whether they’re sacrificing their own individuality and melding into their partner’s identity. So, if you’ve ever experienced a similar thought, at least take comfort in knowing you’re hardly alone—and, according to Dr. Samuels, there are a couple reasons you may be feeling this way. 2 reasons for wondering whether you’re losing yourself in a relationship 1. You’re afraid of commitment. You think you’re losing yourself in a relationship because you’re nursing a very real desire to actually
Category: Beauty
The 5 best wellness retreats for Black women
February 17, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC It’s hard to pin down the exact moment in a Black woman’s life when she may begin to feel the weight of the world on her shoulders. For some of us it happens seemingly in childhood, while for others it might strike much later, like when entering the workforce. While we, Black women, are not a monolithic group, many of us do share similar experiences with the familial and societal pressures placed upon us, and because of that shared experience we recognize the power of community-minded growth. The assumption that we must take on Superwoman-like roles in a society that wasn’t built for Black women can—and often does—take a toll on us. Our need to shed the toxicity of workplace microaggressions, police brutality, and a government that continuously makes adverse decisions against our well-being is real. An overarching issue is that while Black women exhibit high rates of depression, we are also not likely to have adequate mental health care. The rise of so many WOC-led communities, like Sad Girls Club and Black Girl In Om, does provide hope that we at the beginning stages of a collective healing journey. And it’s completely necessary, because, simply put, Black women deserve a break. These are the five best wellness retreats for Black women. 1. The Colored Girl’s Imara Retreat View this post on Instagram Forever #mood… realizing all things are connected & walking fully in our #power. #IMARA2019 A post shared
Your step-by-step guide to treating (and preventing) eyebrow dandruff
February 17, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC Your scalp can get flaky, your skin can get flaky, and even your eyebrows can get flaky once in a while. Most people have tips and tricks on hand for dealing with these flakes, but when the issue morphs into dandruff (you’ll note that small white flakes turn into flat, oily yellow ones), your solution isn’t simply to exfoliate. And if you’re dealing with a bout of eyebrow dandruff, that sentiment rings doubly true. Usually, flaking—whether it’s on the face, the scalp, or the brows—happens because of excessive dryness. But dandruff is actually caused by an oil-loving yeast. “Contrary to popular belief, dandruff isn’t caused by dry skin, but rather by a fungus… the same one that causes scalp dandruff,” says Michelle Wu, master therapist at Evertrue Microblading. “The presence of this fungus causes itchy, flaky skin.” And no one’s exactly going for the flaky look when they’re grooming their brows. What causes eyebrow dandruff Dandruff is caused by a yeast-type organism found on the scalp called pityrosporum ovale (P. ovale) or malassezia furfur (M. furfur). “These happen from the division of cells,” says trichologist Penny James of Penny James Salon. “In normal skin conditions, the stratum corneum consists of about 30 layers of closely consistent keratinized cells. When the skin has flakes over it as is the case with dandruff, there are about 10 layers badly formed, with haphazardly arranged cells that have moved from the stratum gerninativum [the deepest layer of
I’m a Sephora beauty director, and I just can’t hide how great these 4 concealers are
February 16, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC In the best of skin times and the worst of skin times, I have always, always swiped on a concealer. The beauty product is one of those that stands the tests of acne, aging, sleepless nights, and every reality in between. And when I talked to Sephora beauty director Jeffrey English, I learned that he, too, has a long and loving partnership with the best concealers. “I’ve always had a really strong relationship to concealer because I feel like—as a male, when you start getting into grooming and you really look into makeup—I think concealer is one of the first products that you grab for because you know you really want quick results, fast,” he says. Over his years as a makeup artist, English has narrowed down the five concealers that never (never!) leave his makeup kit. Curious about what they are? Sephora beauty director Jeffrey English names the 4 best concealers at Sephora 1. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, $30 “I would be remiss not to talk about the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. I think that that is the tried-and-true. It’s a Sephora favorite, and it’s really been living and breathing at the Sephora beauty studio,” says English. The formula’s velvety texture makes it stand out among the rest, and once it’s on, it dosen’t budge. “I like this particular product because it’s great for self-setting, so you don’t have to put any powder on top of it to kind of keep it in
The best acne treatments at Ulta all cost less than $30
February 15, 2020 at 12:30AM by CWC Every dermatologist will tell you shouldn’t pop your pimples. But sometimes the angry ones refuse to be ignored. Some bleed. Some even grow hair. But no matter what, they all need to GTFO. From salicylic acid to benzoyl peroxide and niacinamide, there are tons of acne fighting-ingredients. Ulta has a ton of acne treatments to choose from, so you’re never stuck without the proper tools. The best part? Many of the best-sellers are under $30. These are the best acne treatments available at Ulta 1. Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, $17 This cult-favorite is one of the most beloved acne spot treatments. It’s made with quick-drying ingredients like salicylic acid, calamine, and others to shrink whiteheads while you sleep without irritating your skin. 2. THE ORDINARY NIACINAMIDE 10% + ZINC 1%, $6 The Ordinary is known for having the most affordable, yet effective serums on the market. Niacinamide helps lighten dark spots and calm inflammation while zinc aids in wound healing. 3. Proactiv Emergency Blemish Relief, $20 Pimples can’t stand a chance against this powerful spot treatment. It contains a double dose of benzoyl peroxide to target acne-causing bacteria, and allantoin to moisturize and soothe the skin. 4. Urban Skin Rx Clear Skin Cleansing Bar, $15 This cleansing bar is daily cleanser, mask, and exfoliator in one. Just wet your face, rub the treatment into your skin, and allow the lather to sit or one to two minutes, and then rinse. It’s full of anti-bacterial
How to be *fully satisfied* tonight—and every night
February 14, 2020 at 11:30PM by CWC Alisa Vitti—pioneer of female biohacking, Johns Hopkins alum, women’s hormone health expert, and founder of the period-positive platform FLO Living—is sharing more from her latest book, In the FLO. It’s full of radical, groundbreaking information meant to help women understand and reconnect with their unique biological rhythm, just as nature intended. This book shows how mainstream health plans, self-care routines, fitness regimens, time management schedules, and even the power morning concept are all founded on a system that only optimizes male biology, and leaves out the specialized and cyclical needs of women. In this piece, the Well+Good Council member shares how to have better sex more consistently by understanding the infradian rhythm: a long-ignored biological rhythm that, when properly cared for, can help you restore energy, reduce brain fog, and thrive overall. If you’re a woman and you’re reading this, chances are that your sex life isn’t as good as it could be. In a 2015 survey by Healthy Women, 60 percent of women said just that. It’s not just a matter of quantity of sex (though a 2017 study found that Americans are having less sex than they did 10 years ago). It’s a matter of quality. Every day, I hear about unfulfilling sex from the women who come to me for hormonal help. They’ll say, “Last week, I had sex and it was fireworks. This week, it’s flat. Maybe there’s something wrong with me.” We often internalize these different experiences as
‘Situational cleansing’ is the best thing to happen to skin since soap itself
February 14, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC Adapting your beauty routine to your skin’s mood is nothing new. After all, you wouldn’t use a clay mask on a dry complexion, or—the horror!—squalane on an oily forehead. Now, would you? The need to switch up your skin care the way you’d switch up your wardrobe is fueling many areas of the beauty industry, including cleansing. And the new-to-market brand Holi Frog coined the term “situational cleansing” to help describe exactly why. “Routines may rule our daily lives, but we should listen to our skin and what we’re doing to it at the time of every wash,” says Emily Parr. “Skin is just like anything else: it has different needs at different times.” Parr’s splashy line of functional cleansers has popularized the practice of giving your skin a diagnostic before more mindfully reaching for a product. Mamina Turegano, MD, a dermatologist with Apostrophe, agrees that different circumstances do call for different cleaners, and says these reasons can be wide-ranging: “different seasons, workouts, travel, different geographic locations, being on certain medicines, going through a stressful period, or having certain skin conditions—like acne, rosacea, or eczema [all call for different cleansers],” she explains. View this post on Instagram Triple threat. From left to right: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Shasta to gently resurface & rid skin of congestion, texture + dullness Tashmoo to pamper and replenish moisture-sapped skin Superior to rebalance and hit the 'reset' button ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Clean up your act. A post shared by HoliFrog (holy-frog) (@holifrog) on Nov
A nutritionist explains why diets don’t really work
February 14, 2020 at 01:30PM by CWC The word “diet” feels like a relic of the past, but some modern eating plans can be just as restrictive as the cabbage soup diets of yesteryear. As McKel Kooienga points out, these trendy, quick-fix plans don’t help people develop healthy habits with food. Here, the Well+Good Council member makes the compelling case for leaving diets in the dust—and developing a different, more positive relationship with what you eat. Have you tried a diet before? When we have new clients in our Wellness Coaching practice, our clients on average try three diets, plans, or trends prior to coming to see us for sustainable solutions. And they’re not alone! This is becoming increasingly more common with so much information online, new trends, and new quick-fix plans coming out weekly. But here’s the thing: the very idea of dieting is incompatible with developing healthy habits around food. Diets don’t work for most people—and here’s why. 1. Dieting encourages short-term thinking Dieting isn’t sustainable, or else it would “work” for everyone for life, and we wouldn’t see so many diets and trends pop up. We all have unique lifestyles and bodies to honor, and most diets don’t consider pillars of our health beyond size and weight. That also goes for diets and plans that have a start and end date: 21-day this, 30-day that, 5-day other. What are you supposed to do after that time period? Most people who find themselves in this start-and-stop cycle end
Transform your favorite powder foundation into a tint with this 1-step hack
February 14, 2020 at 03:00AM by CWC My skin is as sad and dry as unbuttered toast, and achieving a luminous glow that doesn’t disappear the second I step away from my vanity is no easy feat. There is nothing—and I mean nothing—that I like more than having dewy skin. The rise of face oils has been my saving grace, and I just learned a hack that makes it even better—mix it with a powdered foundation to make a DIY tinted face oil. Merrady Wickes, a makeup artist and beauty director for The Detox Market, says you can mix a loose powder foundation with your favorite oil or balm to customize a tint. This is the kind of intel that keeps me going when dry winter air just won’t let be be great. DIY tinted face oil has many benefits. If you already have a powder foundation you love, like the Bare Minerals Original Loose Powder Mineral Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 ($32), you can use that. It’s a great way to get more out of what you own instead buying a tinted face oil (please don’t be mad at me, Kosas Tinted Face Oil. I still love you). If you don’t own one, Ulta’s Mineral Powder Foundation ($14) is a great budget-friendly option. Wickes loves the Alima Pure Satin Matte Foundation ($28) because it only contains four mineral ingredients, making it great for those with sensitive skin. If you don’t already have a face oil, you’ll want to make sure you get one
The 3 most common mistakes you make when you’re stressed—and what to do instead
February 13, 2020 at 11:00PM by CWC Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion states “what goes up must come down.” But stress is not bound by the constraints of physics—it just goes up and up and up. Psychotherapist Jennifer Silvershein, LCSW, of Manhattan Wellness says that many of us wind up amplifying the mental health harms already placed upon us by our jobs and relationships—even when it’s the last thing we want. Since the signs of stress don’t always hide in plain sight, Silvershein tells me she usually sees her patients contributing to their own mental strife in three ways. Below, she shares what they are so you can stop, take a minute, and do a little introspection to ask if you’re stressing yourself out even more than necessary. A psychologist names the 3 mistakes you’re making when you’re already super-stressed 1. You’re labeling everything as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ to avoid the complexity of a given situation “When individuals are stressed out they want a simple clean answer. They want to put a label on something as good or bad because if it’s unclear, it’s going to take more mental energy, and when we’re extremely stressed we’re already at capacity,” says Silvershein. “When we begin seeing things as all or nothing, or black or white, it leaves no room for flexibility, curiosity, and typically makes us feel trapped and extremely rigid in our choices.” In the long run, this type of binary thinking will actually harm you more than it helps