September 12, 2019 at 04:24PM by CWC When it comes to choosing a foundation, there are a lot of decisions to be made. What color do you want to use? What texture? Do you need to be grab one with skin-care benefits? And should you be opting for an oil-free foundation, or something else? While we can’t exactly shade match you from the Well+Good offices (sorry!), we can help you figure out the answer to that last one. To find out when you should be using a water-based, oil-free foundation, we chatted with the pros, who shared how to apply them and the best ones on the market right now. “People choose to wear oil-free foundation when they are tackling sensitive, acne-prone, or oily skin,” says makeup artist Jamie Greenberg, adding that it’s the best bet for these skin types, or for anyone who runs hot and sweats off their makeup. “If you have the above skin types, a foundation that contains oil can clog pores, move on the skin when you run hot, and won’t set as easily. Foundation with oil doesn’t always clog pores, but many people with sensitive skin complain of this issue. Oil-free foundation is a little lighter on the skin, will reduce natural oils from your face, and give you a natural finish.” According to Julia Dalton-Brush, veteran makeup artist and founder of B3 Balm, matching an oil-based foundation with oily skin can sometimes make your skin look greasy, and not in the “dewy, radiant” way
Category: City
Checks+Balanced: How a 27-year-old freelancer in San Fransisco finances her wanderlust to travel the world
September 12, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC Even in a world where questions about menstrual cups and the ins and outs of sex are completely (and blessedly) normal, somehow the ever-ubiquitous use of money remains a touchy subject for many. People want to live their healthiest life ever, but—#realtalk—it can add up. Have you ever wondered how your colleague who makes less than you do (or so you think) can afford to buy a $5 matcha and a $12 chopped salad every day? Or how your friend’s budget allows her to hit up $34 fitness classes three times a week? It’s enough to make anyone want to ask, “Ummm, excuse me. How do you afford that?!?” That’s where Well+Good’s monthly series Checks+Balanced comes in. By lifting the thick, tightly drawn curtain to expose how much women of varying income brackets spend on wellness, we’re spreading transparency and hopefully providing some inspo that’s possible to copy. Because no matter how much you make, it’s possible to cultivate healthy habits that work within your budget. This month, meet Michelle, a 27-year-old living in San Francisco who prefers the freelance life to a full-time gig largely because of the flexibility to travel it affords her. Check out how she juggles her responsibilities as a contract-based project manager, fitness trainer, and travel blogger. (She has great tips for how to travel cheap!) Keep reading to see her spending habits. Here, a 27-year-old fitness trainer and freelance project manager living in San Francisco shares her creative tips for financing her world travels. Graphic: Well+Good Creative
Why you should treat all of your relationships like fruit salads instead of smoothies
September 11, 2019 at 10:17PM by CWC Healthy relationships have been described many ways throughout the course of human history, but a new analogy comes straight out of Hot Girl Summer. According to Dan Siegel, MD, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, we should think of our relationships as fruit salads and not smoothies. You may be thinking, “I’ve never thought about any of my relationships as a smoothie, does this apply to me?” Also: “Now I’m hungry and feel compelled to buy a $12 smoothie from Whole Foods.” First, yes it does. And second, I love this journey for you. I also love this analogy, because it involves two of my favorite things: chopped fruit and talking about my failed relationships. Essentially, what we’re supposed to get is that a “smoothie” relationship is not healthy because you blend together and lose yourself in the relationship, while a “fruit salad” relationship allows you to maintain your independence and sense of self while still being connected to your partner. “We are often taught that romantic relationships should ‘complete us’ or be our everything,” says Dee Stacey, certified sexual health educator for Blume. “But this isn’t actually a healthy relationship practice!” We’ve been fed (ha!) this idea that true love means you simply cannot go on without the other person. While it can feel good to “blend” into another person, it will not feel good to lose your identity. While it can feel good to “blend” into
What your doodles say about your personality (besides ‘I can’t draw’)
September 11, 2019 at 06:31PM by CWC During my yoga teacher training, I was enthralled with the “Om” symbol, my one and only doodling muse. I drew it everywhere—in the margins of my notebooks, on my hands, in the sand at the beach—but I never stopped to think too much about the motivation behind such a repetitious act. That is, until graphologist Tracey Russell explained how to decode the meaning of doodles and what each style says about your personality. “Doodling is proactive daydreaming, produced casually and unconsciously—often on auto-pilot—whilst the writer is busy focusing on something else at the same time,” says the handwriting expert. “Doodles are not intended for any particular recipient. This means that doodles are the complete free-flow of uninhibited symbols, ‘live and direct’ from the subconscious.” Each doodle is like a secret map to your psyche. While most will begin with basic, universal shapes like a circles, squares, and triangles, how they evolve from there can paint a pretty interesting picture of the goings-on between your ears. “For example, drawings may consist of single objects, mini scenes, childlike scribbles, shapes or even complex patterns,” says Russell. They may be precise or slapdash, big and invasive, or small and insignificant. Many are repetitive but rarely look like works of art.” At the end of the day, how you draw is as unique to you as your fingerprint or eye color. That said, Russell does have a few ideas for what certain doodling habits may say about
4 steps to stop imposter syndrome from putting out your charismatic fire
September 11, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC If I’ve learned one thing from life in New York (and about 40,000 re-watches of Almost Famous), it’s that the best way to come across as charismatic is to act like you belong. Charisma gets results; it’s why the best way to walk into a music venue without a ticket is with your head held high. So it’s not shocking to learn that imposter syndrome (AKA the often unwarranted fear that you don’t belong or aren’t worthy of your position) can impede your charisma factor, as reported in a recent New York Times article. But, um…how do you stop internalized issues such as imposter syndrome from stifling your charisma? And furthermore, is it even possible to learn how to be charismatic? Well, it helps to regard charisma as a forward-facing, perception-based personality trait that’s not necessarily reflective of anyone’s inner self. “Charisma is a public quality,” says clinical psychologist and author of I Know I’m in There Somewhere: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Her Inner Voice and Living a Life of Authenticity, Helene Brenner, PhD. “It’s not a quality you have in private with the people you are really close to. Charisma is not about intimacy; intimacy requires vulnerability, allowing someone to see you as just human, with flaws and weaknesses like everyone else. Charisma is almost the opposite of that.” Meaning? Faking it is essentially the name of the game, especially because being uncharismatic can be a problem in the pursuit of getting
How to make sure that you have good form when you’re working out alone
September 11, 2019 at 03:11PM by CWC We called it back in 2017: Digital fitness is one the rise. More than ever before, you can now get world-class trainers in your living room. It’s made working out easier and more accessible than ever, and while there’s no doubt that at-home fitness is a great way to get in a sweat sesh, if a fitness pro can’t see you, they can’t know if you actually have good form and are doing your workout the right way. But let’s be honest, having a trainer watch you work out via your phone is not only unrealistic (and like a tad creepy), it makes verbal cues trainers give even more important. “I think that programs have to start from the basics and really explain techniques and modalities, and explain the exercise from beginner to the most advanced level,” says Bergen Wheeler, national director of mind body innovation and talent at Exhale. “There should be different level classes, and each class should offer explanations and modifications for more challenging moves.” If apps are going to be offering classes for anyone, they have the responsibility to offer them for everyone, too. A lot of this comes down to hiring talented instructors, who can coach students into proper form without actually having to see them do the moves. “When you’re a great instructor, you know the top five things in any position that your client is going to hit,” says Brynn Putnam, creator of The Mirror, adding that
5,000 retinol products have launched in the past 3 years, but we’re most excited about this drugstore diamond
September 10, 2019 at 08:01PM by CWC With years of dermatologist intel under our belts, we’ve always said that retinol is one of the few skin-care products that’s almost always worth splurging on. But with the launch of Olay’s Retinol24, which you can get at the drugstore as of today, we’re seriously reconsidering that sentiment. Retinol is having a major moment: In the last three years, more than 5,000 new retinoids have been released onto the market, according to research done by Olay. But despite its popularity, the skin-transforming ingredient generally tends to get a bad rap for being irritating… which is something Olay is trying to do away with in its latest formulation. “Retinoids don’t have to irritate—it’s not a part of their mode of action, like a laser or chemical peel where injuring your skin is actually a part of the process,” says Frauke Neuser, MD, Olay’s principal scientist that spoke with a group of editors at the launch event. “It’s literally a side effect, and you want to get rid of it.” The brand’s three newest retinol products—which include a nighttime serum, moisturizer, and eye cream—have officially raised the bar on what we can expect from affordable, over-the-counter retinoids. They combine retinol and retinyl propionate, which are small vitamin A molecules that penetrate the skin deeply in order to thicken the epidermis and help smooth the texture of the surface, with soothing ingredients like glycerin, peptides, and niacinamide that help nourish the skin on top of that.
This comfy neck pillow is the only way an off-duty flight attendant gets any sleep on a plane
September 10, 2019 at 05:46PM by CWC Getting comfortable on an airplane isn’t easy. And falling asleep during your flight is particularly challenging, what with the shrinking leg room and reclined-seat battles. Sarah Foster, a New York City-based flight attendant behind the blog Flying with Foster, knows this all too well. Some days she’s working up to four flights in a single day. While she doesn’t get much a chance for shut-eye while she’s on the job, she takes full advantage of a super soft neck pillow on the weekly flights she takes off-duty. If anyone’s an expert in choosing a travel neck pillow that’ll help you get some sleep in the sky, it’s Foster. “Comfort and functionality is very important, but I personally look for something I can pack easily over anything else,” she tells me. “I live out of a suitcase most of the time and it can get hard to fit everything I need in my carry-on, so something that’s easily portable is the most desirable quality to me.” Photo: Trtl After hundreds of flights, Foster’s travel neck pillow of choice exceeds the standards for comfort and portability. The Trtl Pillow ($30), which wraps around your head like a scarf. It’s soft, machine washable, and—most importantly—prevents you from nodding as you’re falling asleep by holding your head upright. “This is—in my opinion—the best travel neck pillow if you’re looking for one that’s easily transportable and won’t take up a lot of space in your luggage,” Foster says.
How to tell if you’re using *too* many skin-care ingredients at once
September 10, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC As I once learned after eating an entire bag of Sour Patch Watermelons that left me with an actual sugar hangover the next morning, there is definitely such thing as “too much of a good thing.” And this morning, as I layered my moisturizer on top of my hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and AHA serums, I had a thought that stopped me in my tracks: Could this principle apply to skin care, too? In other words, is it possible to use too many active ingredients at the same time? “There’s no limit on number, but I think most dermatologists would agree that less is more,” says New York City-based dermatologist Dhaval Bhanusali, MD, FAAD. “Especially if ingredients are drying, like exfoliators, you can strip away the good oils and actually cause compensatory hyper-secretion of oil into the pores and more breakouts.” As in—your skin will produce more oil, which, he says, is one of the major culprits behind adult acne. “There is not one magic ‘one size fits all’ number of actives that a person can use,” confirms board-certified dermatopathologist Gretchen Frieling, MD, noting that people have different skin care types, conditions that they wish to address, and tolerance levels for products, all of which can influence how your skin responds to different ingredient cocktails. While there may not necessarily be a thing as “too many” actives, if you do plan on combining a whole bunch of them at once, you’ll want to
7 under-$50 leggings that stand up to even your sweatiest, most high-intensity workouts
September 10, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC Workout clothes are akin to sushi in my mind: I’m extremely wary of a deal or discount. And so, I often admittedly question just how good a pair of inexpensive workout leggings that cost under $50 could possibly be. Now, before you start rolling your eyes at my choice to continually spend more on workout leggings than many pay for actual real-life everyday wears, I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that you’ve never been in a heated yoga class, sweating it out 110-degrees, trying to balance on a single toe while your top rides up and bottoms slip down. The thing is, I tend to go to so many sweaty hot yoga classes these days that I can’t possibly keep up with the laundry. So I’ve started buying more. And more. And more. All that money spent on leggings, though, has had me on the hunt for more affordable options that actually work. And guess what? I’ve found not one, but seven that have passed my test for performance wear. And spoiler: I’m pickier than most. From Danskin, Adidas, Target, and more, find my favorite workout leggings under $50…that are actually awesome, price tag aside. Photo: Danskin Danskin Classic Supplex Body Fit Ankle Legging, $36 These were actually my first legging loves back in the day before I turned to other trendier (… and pricier) options. But honestly, maybe I should have just stuck to the classics. The tights I’ve