Let’s talk about Summer Fridays: the Instagram It Girl of skincare. The one with the minimalist beige tubes and the kind of packaging that makes you rethink your entire bathroom aesthetic. If Glossier is the effortlessly cool girl who probably drinks iced matcha year-round, then Summer Fridays is her slightly older sister who has a yoga mat in the trunk of her Tesla and knows what “skin cycling” is. Origins: Two Influencers Walk Into a Lab… Summer Fridays was founded in 2018 by beauty influencers Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland—because if anyone knows how to market a serum, it’s women whose job
Thought the Reflecting Pool Was a Giant Swimming Pool. I Wasn’t Totally Wrong.
You know how you grow up with these weird mental images of places you’ve never been? Like, you hear “Mount Rushmore” and picture four giant heads just chilling in a field like forgotten Easter Island statues. Or you hear “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” and imagine everyone in New York constantly tripping over inflatable Snoopy. For me, it was the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. I had never been, but I was absolutely convinced that it was the biggest swimming pool in the world. Not “reflecting” like “thoughtful,” no. Reflecting, like, “the sun glints off my goggles while I do a killer backstroke
The Hundred Years’ Snore: A Review of King Henry VI, Part 1 (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Joan of Arc Fanfic)
Let me be brutally honest with you: if you asked me to recommend a Shakespeare play to get you hooked on the Bard, King Henry VI, Part 1 would be somewhere near the bottom of my list. Possibly underneath it. Possibly buried beneath a heap of dry parchment in a dusty cathedral library in medieval France, where it belongs. And yet, here I am. Reading it. Reviewing it. Because I’m committed to the bit. What Even Is This Play? Okay. King Henry VI, Part 1 is basically the prequel to the prequel of Richard III. It’s the Star Wars Episode I of the Shakespeare History Cinematic
White Wine Vinegar — Fancy Fermented Friend or Overrated Pantry Diva?
If you’ve ever stared at your shelf of half-used condiments and thought, “Do I really need four kinds of vinegar?” — congrats, you’re officially an adult. And one of those vinegars is probably white wine vinegar. She’s a little tart, a little delicate, and sitting in your cabinet like she knows she’s better than plain white distilled but not quite bougie enough to be balsamic. So let’s break it down. What is white wine vinegar? Where did it come from? Why does it taste like sophistication in a bottle, and do you actually need it? Or is it just the Live, Laugh, Love wall art of
A Brief History of Washington, D.C. (aka how America’s capital became a hotbed of monuments, scandals, and overpriced sandwiches)
Washington, D.C.—that politically-charged swamp-turned-status-symbol where ambition goes to put on a tailored suit and yell into a microphone. But like every power player, this city has an origin story. So grab your metro card and a sensible pair of walking shoes, because we’re time-traveling through the surprisingly messy, mildly shady, and definitely weird history of America’s capital. The Birth of a City (That Nobody Really Wanted) Back in the late 1700s, America was still figuring things out. They’d kicked out the British, written some spicy new rules called the Constitution, and now they needed a capital. But choosing one? Nightmare
I Made Walt Disney’s Favorite Chili — And It Was Mid
I’m not saying Uncle Walt didn’t know his way around a good story or a charming mouse in red shorts, but when it came to chili… the man may have been coasting on nostalgia. According to The Official Disney Parks Cookbook by Pam Brandon and the “Disney Chefs”, this recipe—now served at the Carnation Café on Main Street, U.S.A.—was Walt’s favorite meal. And I mean, cute! Historic! Culinary Disneyland lore! Of course I had to make it. I just wish the results lived up to the legacy. Let’s Talk Ingredients First off, this recipe is trying to do a lot. You’ve got two
The Scented Truth: Fragrance in Cosmetics
You know what sucks? Spending $85 on a moisturizer that smells like a botanical garden and then finding out it might be ruining your skin barrier and inflaming your sinuses. Welcome to the chaotic world of fragrance in cosmetics—where everything smells suspiciously like roses, but costs more than your student loan payment. Let’s sniff our way through the history, science, and scandal of cosmetic fragrance. Yes, that’s a sentence I just typed on purpose. 💐 A Brief History of Smelling Fancy Fragrance in cosmetics is not new. Ancient Egyptians were slathering themselves in scented oils around 3000 BCE because hygiene was a flex and a
An Open Letter to Victoria, British Columbia (From a Tourist Who Was Just Going to “Pop In” and Accidentally Fell in Love)
Dear Victoria, You mischievous little imp. I came to you thinking, “Cute place. Bet I can knock it out in a weekend.” What I didn’t realize was that you’d quietly rearrange my internal compass, ruin me for every other small coastal city, and have me googling ferry schedules and real estate listings like I was starring in a Hallmark movie. Let’s start with the harbor. Are you kidding me with that view? Boats bouncing, seaplanes landing like it’s no big deal, seals occasionally popping up to say, “Hey, this is our neighborhood too.” Meanwhile, I’m standing there with a coffee and an
Padma Lakshmi: Culinary Queen, Jewelry Icon
If you’ve ever found yourself watching Top Chef and caring more about the earrings than the entrée, congratulations! You, too, have fallen under Padma Lakshmi’s spell. Let’s get one thing clear: Padma is not just a host. She’s a cookbook author, producer, activist, mother, UN Goodwill Ambassador, and yes, an absolute fashion juggernaut. And while she serves up plenty of jaw-dropping red carpet looks, her true style secret weapon is her statement jewelry. Not content to let a borrowed diamond necklace do the talking, Padma comes armed with bangles that could double as armor, earrings that dare gravity to step up, and necklaces
A Whirlwind Tour of the Royal British Columbia Museum (aka: I Tried to Be Cultured but Got Distracted by a Glowing Sea Lion)
Back in July 2017, my man and I took a trip to the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, BC. And look—I’m ashamed to admit how long it took me to write about it. Because this place? Delightful. Absolutely, gloriously delightful. You know what wasn’t delightful? Realizing mid-selfie that the full name of the museum didn’t fit in the frame. That’s a lot of syllables, y’all. Let’s Start With a Confession I’m not what you’d call a museum scholar. My approach is more along the lines of: • Step 1: See shiny things. • Step 2: Gasp. • Step 3: