November 28, 2018 at 06:30PM The time has come—the torch has been passed, rather—and you are now the intended hostess of your very own holiday gathering. But whether it’s a holiday potluck, cocktail party, or low-key affair, it only takes a moment for the excitement to wear off… and the panic to set in. But before you start on a nervous rampage of your space looking for anything vaguely festive and chic, relax: It just takes a few simple tweaks to totally revamp your party space. And Caldrea’s aromatherapeutic home-keeping products will be your BFF in bringing to life the celebration vibes. We all know how our noses start making conclusions before our minds do, which is why any holiday home makeover starts with scent. To that end, find everything you need for a full fragrance story—including classy cocktails, matching greenery, and the finishing touches below. Keep scrolling for celebratory cocktail recipes and chic decor inspo that you can shop—plus the exquisitely fragrant room sprays to match. What you need if you’re hosting… friends Go for a cocktail that’s laid-back but still beautiful, like a Moscow Mule. Grab your shiniest—and cutest-when-clanking-for-Insta-story—mugs and pour in some vodka, add in a little bit of ginger beer, and then squeeze half a lime. Top it off with a zesty dose of grapefruit juice to give it a little something extra. Continue the light and refreshing aromas in your powder room with Caldrea’s Ginger Pomelo Hand Soap, with distinct ginger and grapefruit scents that mirror the bold flavors
Category: Relaxation
Honest-to-god poop docs answer your 6 most common questions about BMs
November 28, 2018 at 01:09PM “Everything comes down to poo,” J.D. and Turk once sang in the musical episode of Scrubs. They weren’t wrong—you can tell a lot about your health from your BMs. But for something that we all do on the regular, most people rarely ever talk about their poops openly. It’s not exactly the best brunch topic. Admit it, there are definitely some major things about your poo that you’re dying to ask but are too embarrassed to bring up. Luckily for you, I went to the experts—the brave docs who have devoted their lives to the study of the gastrointestinal system—to get to the answers to the most common healthy poop questions they hear. “I see chunks of food in my poop! Is this normal?” “When you see undigested food, it’s most likely high-fiber vegetable matter—remnants of fiber we eat,” Samantha Nazareth, MD, NYC board-certified gastroenterologist, says. The most common culprit she sees during colonoscopies: corn, because our digestive system can’t break down the cellulose that makes up the outer hull. And food in your stool isn’t necessarily a bad thing, adds Niket Sonpal, MD, adjunct assistant professor of clinical medicine at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. “When the GI tract is performing properly, it takes 24 to 36 hours for food to pass through your system,” he says. But: “If you see anything sooner than that or notice that your poop is [also] floating, oily, or giving you cramps, it could be a bigger issue like an
12 foods that are good for your heart (including, yes, avocados)
November 28, 2018 at 09:27AM Here’s a shocker: According to new research published in the journal Circulation, 31 percent of people hospitalized for heart attacks in 2010-2014 were young women. Add to that the fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, and it should be pretty clear to everyone that heart problems are not just an old dude thing. Thankfully, there are some simple tweaks most women can make to ensure their heart stays healthy, like combining cardio and weight training, having mind-blowing sex, and doing household chores (honestly I’m less excited about that one). But experts agree that eating certain foods can also nourish your ticker in a major way, and can help reduce your risk of having things like high cholesterol and heart disease when eaten as part of a healthy lifestyle. Here, two doctors share 12 foods that are good for your heart as well as how to eat them to reap the benefits. While “heart healthy” doesn’t always translate to delicious (looking at you, whole wheat pasta), consider these legit-delicious picks added to my regular meal prep rotation: 1. Salmon “With its appealing hue and buttery texture, salmon is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids,” says Jaclyn Tolentino, DO, of Parsley Health. “Increased consumption of salmon has been proven to decrease inflammation, triglyceride levels, blood pressure, and your risk of stroke or heart failure,” thanks to the presence of those fatty acids, adds Elroy Vojdani, MD, IFMCP, functional medicine practitioner and founder of
7 converted rental properties that will make you feel like you’re living in an HGTV show
November 28, 2018 at 07:08AM When you’re planning a vacation, a common course of action is to book your rental spot or hotel room, then make a long list of all the must-see tourist attractions that you want to visit during your stay. But what if you could score a two-for-one deal? Well, thanks to some converted properties available for rent, it’s more than possible to hunker down in one of the coolest—and, TBH, most Instagram-worthy—attractions around, wherever you may be. Vacation rental platform HomeAway features a number of converted, unique homes in destinations worldwide. There’s a converted windmill in Greece, complete with a lavish private pool and sea view; a home in Costa Rica, built inside an airplane, with the jungle just outside your window; and a train caboose in North Carolina, with a backyard full of buffalo to ogle. So the next time you’re looking for an unforgettable travel experience, it’s safe to say these are some of the best to start with. Check out the converted vacation rentals that double as cool tourist attractions. Photo: HomeAway 1. Converted theater in Lee, MA Back in the day when it functioned as a theater, this space hosted some pretty impressive visitors, including President McKinley, inventor Nikola Tesla, and mathematician Lord Kelvin, according to its listing. But now you can rent out the 7,700 square root playhouse that’s filled with fine art, two kitchens, seven sleeping areas, an in-house yoga studio, and tennis courts—not to mention lakefront access for some serious R & R. Average
How to give a killer maid of honor speech that’ll actually benefit your career
November 28, 2018 at 03:00AM Being a maid of honor comes with some major responsibilities: planning a bachelorette party, shopping for the dress, and, of course, making a meaningful speech at the reception. Regarding that last line item on the to-do list of the bride’s right-hand lady, the and nerves and stakes are both undoubtedly high, but the payoff can be huge—in more ways than one. Turns out that special, tearjerking speech can actually be repackaged and repurposed in a way that’s totally useful. (And no, not in the same vein as a bridesmaid’s dress you can “totally shorten and re-wear!” Cue: eye roll.) Not to be hyperbolic or anything, but a MoH speech can make or break a wedding—and a friendship, for that matter. But when you get the skills necessary for an epic oration down pat, you can also apply ’em to your job, thus propelling your career to new heights. Upcycle your killer MoH speech for career gains The key to a great MoH speech is zeroing in on the positives and not paying attention to bumps in the road, even if for comic relief, says lifestyle and etiquette expert Elaine Swann. “You should focus on the positive traits of the bride, the couple, and how much positivity and hope they bring to others.” Wendy Toth—career coach, Power Suiting founder, and two-time maid of honor—echoes that sentiment, adding that you should “never want to publicly embarrass” the bride. But sometimes it’s tough to decipher whether a certain anecdote
These shower bombs offer the perks of a long bath without draining your time or tub
November 27, 2018 at 10:02AM While the idea of lounging in a warm, bubbly bath is great, there are a few different realities that get in the way of that happening: A) you #dontgotnotimeforthat, B) someone couldn’t pay you all the money in the world to soak in your apartment’s tub—one that no amount of scrubbing will ever make feel clean, and C) your bathtub is, well, non-existent. Whatever the case, you’re in luck: There’s an easy way to make your showers just as much of a stress-relieving oasis as baths—you just need a shower bomb. And Lush has you covered. The company just released Lush Moods, a collection of new products that want to change your vibes and state of mind through aromatherapy. Aside from mouthwash tabs and bubble spinners (like a fidget spinner, except one that creates bathtime bubbles), there are also shower bombs that fizzle into a smooth mousse, essentially putting you in an essential oil-filled steam room. (Mmm, sounds nice.) Plus, you can wash with them, just like you would in the bath. Right now, there are four different options for $3.25 each that are all vegan and cruelty-free: Koyaanisqatsi, which uses ylang-ylang to return anyone whose life feels out of balance to a state of equilibrium, Karma, which uses turmeric to cleanse and purify the skin, Sleepy, which has ultra-relaxing French lavender oil to help wind down those who shower at night, and Not Sleepy, for morning showerers who need a burst of energy from lemongrass oil. Instead of setting
Coming to a complexion near you: a yoga glow without ever hopping on a mat
November 26, 2018 at 11:42AM If you’ve ever caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror after 60 minutes of vinyasa flow and thought “damn, girl,” (in a Ryan Reynolds voice, of course) you know that the “yoga glow” is more than just a myth. And the latest beauty trend to hit our Instagram explore pages involves recreating the elusive post-savasana skin with makeup—no actual yoga required. The hashtag #yogaskin has recently racked up hundreds of posts on the ‘gram, with women swapping their head and shoulder stands for a mixture of foundation and highlighter to achieve that faux yoga glowy complexion. “Immediately after a yoga class, the blood flow to your skin is optimized, especially skin of the face when downward and forward poses are practiced,” explains Dr. Adarsh Vijay Mudgil, MD medical director of Mudgil Dermatology, of why your skin tends to look so good when you step off the mat. To mimic this down-dog dewiness, British makeup artist Sara Hill created the “Yoga Skin Technique,” which according to her Instagram feed, promises “healthy, glowing, hydrated, radiant, sheer and natural [skin]” and “skin that looks like skin at its very best.” View this post on Instagram The Yogaskin Technique I created to make the skin look lit from within. Healthy, glowing, hydrated, radiant, sheer and natural. Skin that looks like skin at its very best. ︎Step One – Cleanse and prep your skin as normal. Let your skincare absorb fully before adding the next step. ︎Step Two – Apply a small amount of primer (silicone free).
A sleep therapist’s 5-step, ZZZ-inducing meditation that works every time
November 26, 2018 at 08:38AM There are plenty of reasons why it’s hard to fall asleep at night. There’s the stress of the job, an overly packed schedule, too much caffeine late in the day (damn you, deadlines!), a pup hogging the bed—you name it. To make matters worse, unfortunately there’s no magic solution that’s instantly going to make you doze off the second you close your eyes, but one sleep therapist does have a method—with a solid track record, BTW!—that’s worthy of adding to your sleep arsenal. Meditation has been long-proven to not only help you ditch the anxiety and worries keeping you up at night, but also to prepare your body for sleep, putting you into a fully relaxed state. While there are different types, London-based physiologist and sleep therapist Nerina Ramlakhan, PhD, swears by “acceptance meditation” for quality shut-eye, which she says has perks beyond just waking up totally refreshed and energized. “Being hard on yourself stops you from letting go. It stops you from feeling at ease and accepting rest and deep sleep. Practicing loving self-acceptance is an important step toward a good night’s sleep,” she writes in The Little Book of Sleep. So, how exactly do you achieve self-acceptable—especially past your bedtime? According to the Daily Mail, Ramlakhan has a five-step ritual that can help wind down in a loving way and reach “sattvic” sleep, which restores, heals, and realigns your body on both a mental and physical level. The next time you’re having trouble dozing off, try this
Is Saturday night happy hour making your Sunday scaries worse?
November 25, 2018 at 02:00AM I was talking to a friend over coffee the other day who told me that she hadn’t experienced any “Sunday scaries”(you know, the existential dread about the work week ahead that keeps you from fully enjoying half of your weekend?) after she stopped drinking alcohol for two months. Consider my mind blown. And okay, while there are some health benefits to drinking wine, on some level we all know that downing a few $5 happy hour margs every weekend isn’t necessarily the best thing for our bods. But could alcohol be affecting our anxiety in more than a oh god did I really text that hot guy from the gym 10 times last night way? (Definitely not speaking from personal experience.) Short answer: Yes. “Alcohol is a central nervous depressant that interferes with sleep cycle, which means you might not get the restful sleep that you need,” says Rachel O’Neill, Ph.D., professional clinical counselor and Talkspace provider. “Any impairments in quality of sleep can certainly impact mood and functioning.” Studies have also shown that disrupted sleep seriously increases anxiety. Alcohol, especially too much of it, can have a big physiological effect on your bod, says Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, stress management, diet and nutrition expert and author of “365 Ways to Boost Your Brain Power: Tips, Exercise, Advice. Once digested, alcohol breaks down into acetaldehyde, a “particularly potent toxin that can damage all tissues in the body, including the brain,” she says. This guy messes with
The 6 drugstore nail-kit buys that’ll let you fake a salon mani-pedi
November 24, 2018 at 08:52AM There was a time in my life where I was getting manicures once a week—it was a luxury that I treated myself to, and also a way to help keep my nail biting at bay. There’s something about having healthy, manicured nails that makes you feel like you can take on the world (even if you’re the kind of person who spends five minutes looking for your keys before realizing they were in your hands all along). But eventually, I had to accept that I am very much not a mani-every-week person for a variety of reasons. For one thing, setting aside time to relax and get my nails done started to actually trigger my anxiety (LOL, because of course it would). Round-trip, this ritual began to eat into my time and became the opposite of what I had intended. For another, I’m but a humble writer and weekly manis became an expensive habit that seemed overly indulgent. So while I still love to treat myself to the occasional salon mani, most times you can find me doing my own nails while I rewatch Parks and Rec—I just had to get the right tools first. But, good news: There are tons of quality drugstore nail products out there, which let you build a kit like the pros use for less than $40. The only thing missing are those dreamy hand massages… Drugstore nail-kit essentials Buy Now Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream $6 Buy Now Japonesque Velvet Touch