Healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is one which helps to keep and improve people's health and well-being.Many governments and non-governmental organizations have made big efforts in healthy lifestyle and health promotion.
Mental Health
Mental health can be considered a very important factor of physical health for the effects it produces on bodily functions. This type of health concerns emotional and cognitive well-being or an absence of mental disorder.
Public health
Public health can be defined in a variety of ways. It can be presented as "the study of the physical, psychosocial and socio-cultural determinants of population health and actions to improve the health of the population.
Reproductive Health
For the UN, reproductive health is a right, like other human rights. This recent concept evokes the good transmission of the genetic heritage from one generation to the next.
Health
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
vendredi 5 mai 2017
The Huda Beauty Lip Strobes are Almost Here – See Them in Action
If you've been freaking out over the Huda Beauty Lip Strobes, you're not alone. Huda Kattan has been teasing her new product for weeks now and we couldn't wait to get a first look at some swatches. She officially unveiled the products on Instagram, and they did not disappoint.
Her post revealed that the 12 shades will be available in June, and she accompanied the reveal with some swatches on her Instagram story. The shades are ultra shimmery and transforms her lipstick from a matte finish to a metallic one. Huda went on to show that you can also use the Lip Strobes as liquid eye shadow, and applied the shade Fearless to her lids, creating a gorgeous rosy eye look.
We can't wait to pick up these versatile products, but the official release date hasn't been announced yet. We're hoping that Huda posts even more sneak peaks of the product in the meantime, because we're eager to see all of the colors in action.
The Huda Beauty Lip Strobes are Almost Here – See Them in Action
If you've been freaking out over the Huda Beauty Lip Strobes, you're not alone. Huda Kattan has been teasing her new product for weeks now and we couldn't wait to get a first look at some swatches. She officially unveiled the products on Instagram, and they did not disappoint.
Her post revealed that the 12 shades will be available in June, and she accompanied the reveal with some swatches on her Instagram story. The shades are ultra shimmery and transforms her lipstick from a matte finish to a metallic one. Huda went on to show that you can also use the Lip Strobes as liquid eye shadow, and applied the shade Fearless to her lids, creating a gorgeous rosy eye look.
We can't wait to pick up these versatile products, but the official release date hasn't been announced yet. We're hoping that Huda posts even more sneak peaks of the product in the meantime, because we're eager to see all of the colors in action.
29 Chic Tiny Tattoos That Actually Look Like Earrings
Sleeping in earrings is never a good thing - you can either ruin your jewelry or the skin on your lobes. But remembering to take them on and off - especially after a glass of rosé - is also a pain. One way to ensure that your ears are always decorated without bothering with jewelry is to get a chic ear tattoo.
We combed through Instagram to find earring tattoo ideas. Top trends include cartilage "hoops," classic studs, and faux dangling pairs. Keep reading to see! And if you're more adventurous, check out these gorgeous helix ear ink looks.
Noah Cyrus's "Stay Together" Is the Perfect Summer Anthem
Noah Cyrus is back with another banger. Ahead of her performance at the MTV Movie & TV Awards this weekend, the singer dropped a music video for her single "Stay Together," and it's incredibly catchy. Not only do the lyrics about staying up all night make for the perfect Summer jam, but the beat definitely reminds us of a slowed-down version of Miley Cyrus's "Party in the USA." With new music coming from both singers later this year, the world better get ready for a Cyrus takeover.
29 Chic Tiny Tattoos That Actually Look Like Earrings
Sleeping in earrings is never a good thing - you can either ruin your jewelry or the skin on your lobes. But remembering to take them on and off - especially after a glass of rosé - is also a pain. One way to ensure that your ears are always decorated without bothering with jewelry is to get a chic ear tattoo.
We combed through Instagram to find earring tattoo ideas. Top trends include cartilage "hoops," classic studs, and faux dangling pairs. Keep reading to see! And if you're more adventurous, check out these gorgeous helix ear ink looks.
Why the New Healthcare Bill Is a Slap in the Face to Sexual Assault Survivors
The House voted on May 4 to repeal Obamacare with the American Health Care Act (AHCA). The bill would leave 24 million people without insurance, and among some of its most infuriating and antiwoman provisions, it would allow insurance carriers to consider sexual assault a "preexisting condition."
The bill contains the MacArthur-Meadows amendment, which would allow insurance companies to review your medical history and decide whether or not you qualify for coverage. It would eliminate the current protection for preexisting conditions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). While that's upsetting on its own, the new bill also includes language that would make sexual assault, postpartum depression, and even C-sections "preexisting conditions." The amendment is a blatant attack on women's right and is laughable considering the White House made April "Sexual Assault Awareness Month." That same administration is now turning its back against the same women it once claimed to support.
If the AHCA does become law, it could force people who are sexually assaulted to make a choice no one should have to make: whether to report the crime and risk their insurance coverage or stay silent to protect it.
Under the AHCA, you'll have to decide if reporting a sexual assault is worth losing your health insurance. KEEP CALLING. #VoteNoAHCA
- Ross Johnson (@Rosserford) May 4, 2017
Ultraviolet, an organization dedicated to fighting sexism, released a statement on the vote, calling it a "declaration of war on women." The group continued with, "Today's vote by Republicans sends a cynical message to survivors of rape and gender-based violence: 'You're on your own.'" It also called the vote "the beginnings of a serious national healthcare crisis - one which will cut off millions of Americans from health insurance coverage."
Two hundred and seventeen Republicans voted yes for the AHCA, while 20 voted no and one abstained. Every single Democrat voted no. The bill will now head to the Senate, where it is expected to be met with resistance. However, that doesn't mean citizens can rest easy. Call your senators to let them know what you think of the AHCA.
These Will Be the Hottest Wedding Trends of 2017
Wedding trends have a way of creeping up on you, usually scattered a little bit here and there, until BAM something you thought you'd never see at a wedding is the norm. (Like, remember when every wedding had spray-painted little plastic toy animals?) The trends on the horizon for 2017 include some of these subtle changes, often influenced by social media themes in other nonwedding areas, but some are distinctly unconventional in a way that feels more like a substantial shift than a swiftly passing fad. Quite frankly, couples are doing weddings the way they want to do them, whether it's weirdly outlandish or pared-down and personal.
Here's what we're predicting will be all over your Instagram in the coming months! #GetReadyForWeddingSeasonHashtags
The Handmaid's Tale Author: "With Trump, People Are Starting to See It Can Happen Here"
Image Source: Getty / Rich Fury
Margaret Atwood knows a thing or two about authoritarian governments. She was living in West Berlin in the 1980s at the time when she wrote The Handmaid's Tale, her classic novel about a dystopian America under the rule of authoritarian Christian men. During her time there, the German city was encircled by the Berlin Wall and the Cold War raged. Under the circumstances, she experienced some of what her main character, Offred, encounters in the republic of Gilead: namely, the feeling of being spied on and the clever ways people trade information under duress. But her research didn't stop there; she turned up several other instances of man-made oppression as she wrote like bans on reading and education, public executions, gag orders, slavery, the history of American polygamy, and the children of Argentina's "disappeared."
"When I wrote The Handmaid's Tale, American exceptionalism was prevalent, but it's less so now. With Trump, people are starting to see it can happen here."According to Atwood, history's examples of crushing, dictatorial regimes are plentiful because "power can shift into the wrong hands easily and quickly when certain preconditions are present," she told POPSUGAR. "The availability of jobs and money are based on the principle of supply and demand, so when either of these becomes scarce, people panic and seek a change in leadership." Indeed, opportunistic would-be leaders know this.
In light of her seminal book becoming a new TV series on Hulu - and the uncomfortable parallels we're seeing between the story and our own political environment - we connected with the author to talk about literature, power, and the Populist movements sprouting up around the globe.
The Inciting Incident
Atwood hails from Canada, but legend has it her heritage can be traced back to Mary Webster, a woman accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts during the Salem witch trials. She says this personal history motivated her to write a story about a society that rounds up its women and strips them of their basic rights. And she was keen on sending Americans a message: don't think it can't happen here, because it already has. "When I wrote The Handmaid's Tale, American exceptionalism was prevalent, but it's less so now. With Trump, people are starting to see it can happen here." Atwood's dystopian tale, something of an oracle, does feel as - if not more - relevant now than it's ever been.
The Recipe For a Dictatorship
In The Handmaid's Tale, there's a running theme throughout: a tug of war between the freedom from and the freedom to. Curious about this distinction, we asked Atwood which of these freedoms is most conducive to a healthy society. "People often think that one of these freedoms is preferable to the other," she said. "But each has their drawbacks when taken to the extreme. The key is finding a balance between the two."
She went on to describe the difference by sharing her recipe for a dictatorship. She asked us to draw a diagram as part of the exercise.
Following her instructions, we . . .
- Drew a large circle in the middle of a sheet of paper and dissected it with a line running from top to bottom, drawing arrows at both ends of the spectrum.
- Then, we labeled the arrow pointing upward "Dictatorship: Freedom From" and the arrow pointing downward "Anarchy: Freedom To."
- Next, we found the middle of the spectrum - which is also the center of the circle - and we marked it with a bullseye, labeling it "Center: A Balance of Both Freedoms."
- Finally, we wrote the words "Left" and "Right" in their respective halves of the circle.
With the diagram in front of us, she explained that a dictatorship promises its citizens the freedom from, which is a type of freedom best described as protection and security. On the opposite end of the spectrum, anarchy promises the freedom to, which is the freedom to do anything without consequence. A pair of quotes taken from chapter five of The Handmaid's Tale put this in context:
"There is more than one kind of freedom. Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Women were not protected then. Now you are being given freedom from. Don't underrate it."
"Now we walk along the same streets, and no man shouts obscenities at us, speaks to us, touches us. No one whistles."
Atwood went on to say both the Right and the Left are capable of creating either a Dictatorship or Anarchy, although we can avoid these extremes by striking a balance between the ideologies. The bullseye - or sweet spot, as she calls it - is a perfect state of harmony where we enjoy our own individual freedoms without infringing upon others' freedoms. When we asked her how a government could achieve this balanced state, she was quick to reply: "A more equitable distribution of money in society."
She noted that in the US in the 1950s, for all its faults concerning civil and women's rights, there was a more even distribution of wealth than we have now. The result was the strongest middle class the world has ever seen, and in turn, a period of relative stability. Family units were more stable because they had savings in their coffers and the fear of ending up on the street was less of a threat. It's well documented that money (or the lack thereof) is the leading cause of stress in relationships, so for all the talk about "family values" in this country, it would behoove both the Right and the Left to put their money where their mouths are. Atwood says that when Trump talks about "making America great again," he's referring to this previous golden age of the American middle class, yet the policies he's proposing are in direct opposition to making this a reality.
Image Source: Netflix
The Thing That Will Save Us All
Our conversation with Atwood was sobering but not without brightness. We asked the author to share her thoughts on the role literature plays in society, and her response was hopeful:
"A novel is the closest you will ever get to being inside another person's mind. With film, it's visual; you're watching a character go through an experience, just as we do in our daily interactions with people. But with a novel, you are reading and processing a character's direct thoughts as they go through the highs and lows of the human experience. You are literally thinking their thoughts, therefore, it's the closest we can get to standing in another person's shoes. Studies have shown that reading literary novels increases our ability to experience empathy. No other art form can give you this same experience."
Empathy is hot topic right now. Educators at every level - from preschool teachers to college professors - are touting the benefits of social emotional learning and emotional intelligence. It seems they are catching on to what Atwood already knows: empathy may be our best hope for a healthy, unified society, and fiction is the conduit. Indeed, in a time rife with political uncertainty and an Us vs. Them way of thinking, literature - and the TV shows inspired by it - may be the thing that saves us all.
The "Secret" Reason This Mom Buys 2 Extra Mother's Day Cards Will Crush You
Jill Robbins has a secret: she buys two extra Mother's Day cards every year, one for each of her sons' birth mothers. Although Jill has three children, she jokes that only her daughter "came into the family the regular way," as her sons were both adopted from China. Every year Jill buys a Mother's Day card for each boy's biological mother, but unfortunately, they never get to those moms halfway across the world - they make it into a shoe box.
"I've done this every year that we've had them. I write little snippets of what they've done and accomplished every year, what their challenges and accomplishments have been," Jill wrote in a post to her blog's Facebook page, Ripped Jeans and Bifocals. "I write these notes during my quiet time, after everyone else is in bed. I re-read my words and then I seal the cards. And then I put them away in a shoe box that sits on my closet shelf because I don't know what else to do with them. I don't have any place to mail these cards, you see."
The mom continues, explaining that there's sadly no such thing as an open adoption in China as there are laws "that prohibit a mother from making an adoption plan, aka giving a baby up for adoption." Because of this, children are abandoned and entered into the social welfare system, which is when they're able to go up for adoption. After someone becomes their parent, there's no paper trail to follow back to their past, to their birth mamas.
I know my boys' birth mothers waited and watched until their babies were taken to safety. I KNOW. I just do. I know they loved these children and I know their actions were something they deemed necessary. I don't need to know the reasons. Their motives don't need to pass any sort of litmus test with me. I have a pretty happy life. I don't want for much, but if I could have one wish I would want my boys' birth mothers to know the babies they carried are safe and loved. Cherished. Thriving. Part of a family. So, I buy those cards every year. I write in them. Somewhere on the other side of the world there are two women who would probably give anything to get them.
Jill says that she continues to write these cards that will never be sent mostly for herself, as a form of gratitude toward the women who gave her gifts in the forms of her sweet boys. Because adoption is so complicated and emotional, Jill is sharing her "secret" with the world in the hope that someone struggling on either end of an adoption can find some peace in the process. She added, "Maybe another mama like me will realize that she's not alone in those reflective moments she had about her kids' birth mothers."
The Handmaid's Tale Author: "With Trump, People Are Starting to See It Can Happen Here"
Image Source: Getty / Rich Fury
Margaret Atwood knows a thing or two about authoritarian governments. She was living in West Berlin in the 1980s at the time when she wrote The Handmaid's Tale, her classic novel about a dystopian America under the rule of authoritarian Christian men. During her time there, the German city was encircled by the Berlin Wall and the Cold War raged. Under the circumstances, she experienced some of what her main character, Offred, encounters in the republic of Gilead: namely, the feeling of being spied on and the clever ways people trade information under duress. But her research didn't stop there; she turned up several other instances of man-made oppression as she wrote like bans on reading and education, public executions, gag orders, slavery, the history of American polygamy, and the children of Argentina's "disappeared."
"When I wrote The Handmaid's Tale, American exceptionalism was prevalent, but it's less so now. With Trump, people are starting to see it can happen here."According to Atwood, history's examples of crushing, dictatorial regimes are plentiful because "power can shift into the wrong hands easily and quickly when certain preconditions are present," she told POPSUGAR. "The availability of jobs and money are based on the principle of supply and demand, so when either of these becomes scarce, people panic and seek a change in leadership." Indeed, opportunistic would-be leaders know this.
In light of her seminal book becoming a new TV series on Hulu - and the uncomfortable parallels we're seeing between the story and our own political environment - we connected with the author to talk about literature, power, and the Populist movements sprouting up around the globe.
The Inciting Incident
Atwood hails from Canada, but legend has it her heritage can be traced back to Mary Webster, a woman accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts during the Salem witch trials. She says this personal history motivated her to write a story about a society that rounds up its women and strips them of their basic rights. And she was keen on sending Americans a message: don't think it can't happen here, because it already has. "When I wrote The Handmaid's Tale, American exceptionalism was prevalent, but it's less so now. With Trump, people are starting to see it can happen here." Atwood's dystopian tale, something of an oracle, does feel as - if not more - relevant now than it's ever been.
The Recipe For a Dictatorship
In The Handmaid's Tale, there's a running theme throughout: a tug of war between the freedom from and the freedom to. Curious about this distinction, we asked Atwood which of these freedoms is most conducive to a healthy society. "People often think that one of these freedoms is preferable to the other," she said. "But each has their drawbacks when taken to the extreme. The key is finding a balance between the two."
She went on to describe the difference by sharing her recipe for a dictatorship. She asked us to draw a diagram as part of the exercise.
Following her instructions, we . . .
- Drew a large circle in the middle of a sheet of paper and dissected it with a line running from top to bottom, drawing arrows at both ends of the spectrum.
- Then, we labeled the arrow pointing upward "Dictatorship: Freedom From" and the arrow pointing downward "Anarchy: Freedom To."
- Next, we found the middle of the spectrum - which is also the center of the circle - and we marked it with a bullseye, labeling it "Center: A Balance of Both Freedoms."
- Finally, we wrote the words "Left" and "Right" in their respective halves of the circle.
With the diagram in front of us, she explained that a dictatorship promises its citizens the freedom from, which is a type of freedom best described as protection and security. On the opposite end of the spectrum, anarchy promises the freedom to, which is the freedom to do anything without consequence. A pair of quotes taken from chapter five of The Handmaid's Tale put this in context:
"There is more than one kind of freedom. Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Women were not protected then. Now you are being given freedom from. Don't underrate it."
"Now we walk along the same streets, and no man shouts obscenities at us, speaks to us, touches us. No one whistles."
Atwood went on to say both the Right and the Left are capable of creating either a Dictatorship or Anarchy, although we can avoid these extremes by striking a balance between the ideologies. The bullseye - or sweet spot, as she calls it - is a perfect state of harmony where we enjoy our own individual freedoms without infringing upon others' freedoms. When we asked her how a government could achieve this balanced state, she was quick to reply: "A more equitable distribution of money in society."
She noted that in the US in the 1950s, for all its faults concerning civil and women's rights, there was a more even distribution of wealth than we have now. The result was the strongest middle class the world has ever seen, and in turn, a period of relative stability. Family units were more stable because they had savings in their coffers and the fear of ending up on the street was less of a threat. It's well documented that money (or the lack thereof) is the leading cause of stress in relationships, so for all the talk about "family values" in this country, it would behoove both the Right and the Left to put their money where their mouths are. Atwood says that when Trump talks about "making America great again," he's referring to this previous golden age of the American middle class, yet the policies he's proposing are in direct opposition to making this a reality.
Image Source: Netflix
The Thing That Will Save Us All
Our conversation with Atwood was sobering but not without brightness. We asked the author to share her thoughts on the role literature plays in society, and her response was hopeful:
"A novel is the closest you will ever get to being inside another person's mind. With film, it's visual; you're watching a character go through an experience, just as we do in our daily interactions with people. But with a novel, you are reading and processing a character's direct thoughts as they go through the highs and lows of the human experience. You are literally thinking their thoughts, therefore, it's the closest we can get to standing in another person's shoes. Studies have shown that reading literary novels increases our ability to experience empathy. No other art form can give you this same experience."
Empathy is hot topic right now. Educators at every level - from preschool teachers to college professors - are touting the benefits of social emotional learning and emotional intelligence. It seems they are catching on to what Atwood already knows: empathy may be our best hope for a healthy, unified society, and fiction is the conduit. Indeed, in a time rife with political uncertainty and an Us vs. Them way of thinking, literature - and the TV shows inspired by it - may be the thing that saves us all.
Pulse Nightclub Will Be Memorialized as "Sanctuary of Hope" in Orlando
In the aftermath of the deadly 2016 mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL, the scene of the massacre is officially being turned into a permanent memorial site. "The community most impacted by this horrible event in our history should determine the future of the Pulse site and how their loved ones and the events of that day should be memorialized," said Pulse owner and onePULSE Foundation director Barbara Poma. She later added, "We will not let hate win."
According to Poma, the goal for the Pulse memorial will be to "create a sanctuary of hope around this tragic day in American history," and the effort will be guided with input from many of the 58 living victims of the shooting and the families of the 49 deceased.
"What began as a place for fun and joy is now sacred ground," Poma told news outlets of the memorial effort, which will be headed up by the onePULSE foundation. "We must never forget the true focus of the project."
The site already serves as a memorial, with candles, signs, rainbow flags, and more tokens of grief and solidarity from mourners placed along the fence surrounding the nightclub. Now that the club will be turned into a permanent national memorial (and eventually a museum), the Orlando community will have a place to grieve, educate others, and pay respects for the foreseeable future.
Drew Barrymore: "I Want to Be the Rock That Floats"
I enter through a grand wooden door of a mansion in Monterey, CA - we're talking Big Little Lies status with sweeping views of the Pacific in front of me. I'm there to interview Drew Barrymore, who is in the midst of an elaborate photo shoot for Barrymore Wines, a wine label she has developed in partnership with Carmel Road. She has just released the 2016 Monterey Rosé of Pinot Noir ($23), a wine I'll try while catching up with the ever-quotable actress. As I step into the foyer, Drew cuts across the room, half sandwich in hand to take her lunch break. She stops upon recognition and draws me in for a hug.
"It's been a year," Drew sighs. "What a year it's been," I echo. Last April, we sat at a sunny window seat, sipped Rosé a little too early in the day, and discussed everything but her relationship status on what might have been the most challenging day of her life. The afternoon before, she and Will Kopelman announced their divorce. "[E]ventually you start to find grace in the idea that life goes on," the two said in the official press release. Those words seem to ring true for Drew. We have a lot to discuss.
I'm led down rugged stone steps in the back yard to a flat, leaf-blanketed nook. After her break, Drew floats down the steps to join me, wearing a floral BCBG dress. A teal-and-indigo Missoni cardigan hangs off her shoulders. She scrunches her tussled hair - it's become somewhat of a legend since this year's Golden Globes.
The man responsible for Drew's hair is Daniel Howell (he goes by Mr. Daniel). He uses a diffuser to dry her hair "without breaking up the natural wave pattern," Mr. Daniel tells me. Then, he wraps the midsection of the completely dry hair (not the roots or the ends) around a curling iron to "enhance and define the texture." To finish, he mists her hair lightly with Evian to soften "that curling, ironed look." Fine mineral water spritzed in her hair isn't the only reason Drew looks so luminous.
Drew's eyes glow thanks to her makeup artist Debra Ferullo, who uses Drew's own line of makeup, Flower Beauty. Debra combines the Foxy Brown Shadow Quad and Shimmer and Shade Eyeshadow Palette and dresses the waterlines with Long-Wear Eyeliner in Brownstone. I can't help but become transfixed when Debra pats something iridescent on the center of Drew's lids. It's the Astral White Pigment found in Pat McGrath Labs DarkStar 006, and it ignites the rosy shadows into a luscious, pearly glimmer. Drew looks damn good - and I know that sort of stunning beauty comes from feeling good too.
We sit alone on wooden stools set next to a rustic table styled for the shoot. The sun and sea breeze dance around us. It's completely silent save for the distant noise of waves crashing on the rocky cliffside and leaves rattling on the treetops. We sip our glasses of Rosé. It's tangy and thirst-quenching and tastes like a memory of a cold, rocky coastline. It juxtaposes the warm day nicely. This moment, these surroundings, Drew and I both breathe in the splendor and smile at one other. I start the interview with a simple question and hope she gives me an honest answer.
"How are you?" I ask earnestly. She responds, "We're all going through so much hard, wonderful, amazing . . . it's blessings; it's lessons; it's hardship; it's life. I guess, I don't know what the definition of life is. I now know the meaning of my life, because of my daughters, but mine is one little tiny speck in the universe. It's nice to not be pretending everything is perfect all the time, because it isn't, but I do love happiness and joy and optimism. I'm not a depressive type; I don't want to be around them. I don't even want to watch a dramatic movie right now. I can't, it's too heavy."
POPSUGAR: You recently said something in an interview that made me think, "Yes! I want this to be my mantra." You said, "I want to be optimistic, problem-solving, solution-oriented. I want to make people happy." How do you live by those values even on hard days?
Drew Barrymore: I can't get caught up in darkness. I just don't. I always want to gravitate towards light. I love picking yourself up or surviving or being grateful for the good stuff and not getting lost in the tough stuff. The discipline is so natural for me.
PS: It seemed like this year was really good for you . . . The public appearances you made, you seemed so radiant. What inspired that?
DB: It was a really hard year actually. I tried to put on a brave face. I felt it in the moment and I never felt inauthentic, but it wasn't without its reality checks and struggles. When you have a big life change, it takes a long time to get used to either the new format or the understanding that you need to create a new dream. Or if things didn't work out, mourning the death of that dream. It's hard, because that's a very private journey. If I read something that's really intense and depressive, I will face it; I will try - but there's plenty of times I also run away. I think it's trying to find a balance between the positive and the negative. They don't exist without each other. It's the polarity; it's two sides of a coin. You can't get one without the other. I don't wallow. I can't stand it.
PS: You mentioned creating a "new dream" for your life. Do you mind sharing it?
DB: My life is so different than what I thought it would be when I engaged in this new chapter. Whether it be like married-with-kids or living-in-California, all these funny things you tell yourself about what your plan is and then your plan goes out the window. I think it takes a while to transition, but you will get there if you get yourself there. I'm excited about the work you have to do. Happiness takes work. It doesn't always fall off trees or come easily. You really have to be someone that doesn't fall prey to being sad. I don't want sad, I can't be sad, I don't want to be about sad; I avoid sad. It inherently envelops you, so do everything that you can to escape it all the time.
My best friend Nancy Juvonen always loved to say "Happiness is a choice." When I was a kid I would say "happiness is a choice;" it's so hippy and lovely. Then as a woman, it's the word "choice" that's the war. That's the valiant effort to be happy, sometimes takes a lot of work.
"My life is so different than I thought it would be."
PS: I'm sure that involves habits. Did you form any new ones this year?
DB I did a lot of exercise to feel good in my mind. Whether my body changed or not was superfluous. The discipline of going somewhere and sweating or moving gave me all the more incentive to go to the corner store, get the slice of pizza after, and completely annihilate everything I had worked for - but my brain felt good. Physicality was a big wake-up call for me.
Not to like sit in the shit but workout and walk and keep my headphones with me everywhere I went. I loved listening to music again. You have kids; you have a family and you kind of lose touch sometimes with habits, as you said, rituals that you had before. You're so overwhelmed and distracted, and it's so wonderful and you're so present with it. You, in a good way, lose yourself. And then, over time you start to find things that you had love for, and they come back. Music has been a big one for me.
PS: Who are you listening to right now?
DB: I'm so obsessed with Solange's song with Blood Orange "Losing You", "I Dare You" by The XX. Fun, great songs. Those are my two favorites right now, and I'm sure they're not even the current this week.
PS: I think songs find us at the right time.
DB: I walked by this woman at a burger stand the other day and she was telling her friend - really trying to painfully figure things out. I was like, "Yup! Isn't everybody." Their life is so relevant to them, and their problems are so big. The way that they solve them is so interesting. I don't think anyone is coasting on this earth. I think everybody does feel incredible struggles. Any day that you're not held down by the struggle, celebrate it! Be present, because I feel like I lost sight of that for a while going through hard stuff. And now, I'm really enjoying the good moments."
"Any day that you're not held down by the struggle, celebrate it!"
PS: No one would ever know that about you. How you live is an example to many.
DB: Know it's no rodeo clown, like "Everything is awesome!" I really worked hard on myself and things and struggled to get to a good place, to a better place.
PS: You're involved in so many projects too. How do you do it? How do you become an entrepreneur in so many facets?
DB: My personal life never affects my focus on work and [the] joy that that work brings me. That's a really important lesson for my daughters - Have a good work ethic. I really enjoy applying myself. I like the distraction that it causes. Having kids now obviously I dial back the time I spend at work so I can be more with my kids. But when I get back to work or get to do work, I'm very focused and psyched. All moms feel so much guilt all the time, so the more time you spend with your kids the more you time you also enjoy being able to step away and do something that makes you want to make them proud. I think my whole life, work has been a very important and positive thing for me. It never was something that made me feel unhappy or disengaged from life. It always makes me feel like I'm plugged in, in a really healthy way.
"I want to be the rock that floats."
PS: So many of our readers come to our site, because they may be in a rut, whether it's in a relationship or a job that's not working. What advice do you have to offer?
DB: Get yourself out. Be brave. Don't leave before you're ready, because you should know that you tried everything. So there's a conviction and a confidence when you step away from something that may or may not be conducive to your life. I think if you run away too quickly, you're going to have that "Oh God did I try everything?" feeling. Try everything. Make it work. Do everything you can. If it's not working, then know when the signal is and move on. Change. Try something different.
PS: I love that idea of confidence with conviction. How have you find that for yourself?
DB: I stay in it until it no longer works.
PS: Did anyone teach you that confidence?
DB: No, because I grew up in such an inconsistent family dynamic. I don't know why I have a rock-like behavior but I refuse to be the rock that drowns. I want to float and live and survive. I want to be the rock that floats.
PS: I'm watching Santa Clarita Diet and I'm dying laughing, meanwhile my boyfriend is white as a ghost. "She's just eating fondant cake body parts," I keep telling him!
DB: Exactly! Victor [Fresco], the creator and I, we don't think it's that gross or gory. I'm like, "Is something wrong with us, Victor? Seriously." People are losing their lunch. Hopefully, I would suggest not eating while you watch the show, [so] you can get into [it]. Aside from all the blood and guts, it's about a family and the human condition. I found the show at a time where I knew I was getting divorced. It was very helpful [for] me to have this man say "I've been married to my wife for 25 years and if she woke up one day and everything was turned upside down, how would I deal with it?" I thought that's so hopeful and cool. Set to a really f*cking weird back drop. I loved it.
"Aside from all the blood and guts, [Santa Clarita Diet] is about a family and the human condition."
PS: Have you started filming season 2? Can you provide any more details?
DB: We start in like a month and a half and I'm so excited. Victor took me to through the whole second season, because I produce the show. I get to be privileged to know what I'm going into which really helps, because TV is so mysterious. I wouldn't know how to sign up as an actress. What if I'm signed up for something I don't like? I have nothing to do [with the writing]. This man comes up with all this crazy sh*t that I'm totally into. There's such humanity and normal themes behind it that I can relate to it. I think it comes from my training with E.T. You can have aliens, but it's in suburbia. It's in your backyard.
I would not know what to do if you put me in outer space. I'd be like, "Where the f*ck am I?" I love science fiction. I'm all for it, but I would be lost as an actor. Make it in a backyard, in a house in a suburbia and I'm good to go. Back to the Future? Time travel, but it was suburban, so you believed in it. Don't go so far away from home. Home is the best theme. You can do flesh-eating, time travel, aliens, but you're watching human beings go through it, so you have a nicer relatability at the end of the day.
PS: Can you tease anything about the "crazy sh*t" that goes down in season two?
DB: Weirdly, Netflix is secretive, so they don't allow it. I'm always like, "Is it that serious that we can't give a story line away?" But they're pretty private. I like it, because they're internet savvy. They know how quickly something will go. They're a very cool partner to work with.
PS: Do you anticipate working more with TV now that you've had this experience?
DB: I have no idea where my life is going and for the first time in my life, I find that to be the most liberating feeling I've ever known. I've always been untethered in my life. Sometimes out of that chaos, you want to create stability. I'm at a moment right now where as long a my daughters have stability, then I like the life adventure and not knowing where it's going. Ironically, my daughters, every time I present an airplane ticket to them, they're like, "Where are we going?!" They're so excited. I'm glad we didn't stay still. Staying still is a very easy thing to fall into. It can be as easy as going out on a Saturday and trying to discover a new thing. It doesn't have to be grand. Getting out of your comfort zone, creating an adventure is really good.
25 Daddy Yankee Songs That We Can't Live Without
We've been bumping and grinding to Daddy Yankee's beats for well over a decade. So we're taking a minute to reminisce about all the teen bashes where his music was playing all night long. All those nights we spent dancing to "Gasolina" (who could ever forget that one), "Rompe," "Pose," and many more.
Did you know that the album that gave us "Gasolina," Barrio Fino, in 2004 debuted at the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Latin Album chart, making it the first reggaeton album to do that and eventually becoming the top-selling Latin album of the decade? There's a reason people call him the "King of Reggaeton."
Keep scrolling to see what we're calling the ultimate Daddy Yankee playlist.
Behold, the Full Cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
At long last, the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy has arrived! The original's quintet of Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and Dave Bautista, have returned, but that's not all. There's a bizarre new role for Kurt Russell, and a new more newbies. Unfortunately, previously announced stars Glenn Close and Nathan Fillion did not make it into the final cut. Let's hope for a reel of deleted scenes to surface! Keep reading to see the entire stellar cast, and get all the other details floating around out there.
Crystal Succulent Planters Are the Trendy Desk Accessory of Your Dreams
We've already witnessed the charming results of combining succulents and birdcages, and now we've stumbled upon an even cuter duo to fuel our never-ending plant obsession: crystal succulent planters! Geode-inspired home decor products have been on the rise lately, but when you bring adorable baby succulents into the picture, it's just too cute to pass up. The rough, jagged edges of geodes offer a lovely contrast to the smooth succulent leaves, making for one heck of an Instagrammable desk accessory.
A few different vendors sell their own versions of these unique beauties (we suggest either Botanicals by Bella or AirFriend!). Ahead, we've gathered the dreamiest photos of crystal planters to inspire you to give the boho-chic trend a try in your home.
Drew Barrymore: "I Want to Be the Rock That Floats"
I enter through a grand wooden door of a mansion in Monterry, Calif. - we're talking Big Little Lies status with sweeping views of the Pacific in front of me. I'm there to interview Drew Barrymore, who is in the midst of an elaborate photo shoot for Barrymore Wines, a wine label she has developed in partnership with Carmel Road. She has just released the The 2016 Monterey Rosé of Pinot Noir ($23), a wine I'll try while catching up with the ever-quotable actress. As I step into the foyer, Drew cuts across the room, half sandwich in hand to take her lunch break. She stops upon recognition and draws me in for a hug.
"It's been a year," Drew sighs. "What a year it's been," I echo. Last April, we sat at a sunny window seat, sipped Rosé a little too early in the day and discussed everything but her relationship status on what might have been the most challenging day of her life. The afternoon before, she and Will Kopelman announced their divorce. "[E]ventually you start to find grace in the idea that life goes on," the two said in the official press release. Those words seem to ring true for Drew. We have a lot to discuss.
I'm led down rugged stone steps in the back yard to a flat, leaf-blanketed nook. After her break, Drew floats down the steps to join me, wearing a floral BCBG dress. A teal-and-indigo Missoni cardigan hangs off her shoulders. She scrunches her tussled hair - it's become somewhat of a legend since this year's Golden Globes.
The man responsible for Drew's hair is Daniel Howell (he goes by Mr. Daniel). He uses a diffuser to dry her hair "without breaking up the natural wave pattern," Mr. Daniel tells me. Then, he wraps the mid-section of the completely dry hair (not the roots or the ends) around a curling iron to "enhance and define the texture." To finish, he mists her hair lightly with Evian to soften "that curling, ironed look." Fine mineral water spritzed in her hair isn't the only reason Drew looks so luminous.
Drew's eyes glow thanks to her makeup artist Debra Ferulla, who uses Drew's own line of makeup, Flower Beauty. Debra combines the Foxy Brown Shadow Quad and Shimmer and Shade Eyeshadow Palette and dressed the waterlines with Long-Wear Eyeliner in Brownstone. I can't help but become transfixed when Debra pats something iridescent on the center of Drew's lids. It's the Astral White Pigment found in Pat McGrath Labs DarkStar 006, and it ignites the rosy shadows into a luscious, pearly glimmer. Drew Barrymore looks damn good - and I know that sort of stunning beauty comes from feeling good too.
We sit alone on wooden stools set next to a rustic table styled for the shoot. The sun and sea breeze dance around us. It's completely silent save for the distant noise of waves crashing on the rocky cliffside and leaves rattling on the treetops. We sip our glasses of Rosé. It's tangy and thirst-quenching and tastes like a memory of a cold, rocky coastline. It juxtaposes the warm day nicely. This moment, these surroundings, Drew and I both breathe in the splendor and smile at one other. I start the interview with a simple question and hope she gives me an honest answer.
"How are you?" I ask earnestly. She responds, "We're all going through so much hard, wonderful, amazing . . . it's blessings; it's lessons; it's hardship; it's life. I guess, I don't know what the definition of life is. I now know the meaning of my life, because of my daughters, but mine is one little tiny speck in the universe. It's nice to not be pretending everything is perfect all the time, because it isn't, but I do love happiness and joy and optimism. I'm not a depressive type; I don't want to be around them. I don't even want to watch a dramatic movie right now. I can't, it's too heavy."
POPSUGAR: You recently said something in an interview that made me think, "Yes! I want this to be my mantra." You said, "I want to be optimistic, problem-solving, solution-oriented. I want to make people happy." How do you live by those values even on hard days?
Drew Barrymore: I can't get caught up in darkness. I just don't. I always want to gravitate towards light. I love picking yourself up or surviving or being grateful for the good stuff and not getting lost in the tough stuff. The discipline is so natural for me.
PS: It seemed like this year was really good for you . . . The public appearances you made, you seemed so radiant. What inspired that?
DB: It was a really hard year actually. I tried to put on a brave face. I felt it in the moment and I never felt inauthentic, but it wasn't without its reality checks and struggles. When you have a big life change, it takes a long time to get used to either the new format or the understanding that you need to create a new dream. Or if things didn't work out, mourning the death of that dream. It's hard, because that's a very private journey. If I read something that's really intense and depressive, I will face it; I will try - but there's plenty of times I also run away. I think it's trying to find a balance between the positive and the negative. They don't exist without each other. It's the polarity; it's two sides of a coin. You can't get one without the other. I don't wallow. I can't stand it.
PS: You mentioned creating a "new dream" for your life. Do you mind sharing it?
DB: My life is so different than what I thought it would be when I engaged in this new chapter. Whether it be like married-with-kids or living-in-California, all these funny things you tell yourself about what your plan is and then your plan goes out the window. I think it takes a while to transition, but you will get there if you get yourself there. I'm excited about the work you have to do. Happiness takes work. It doesn't always fall off trees or come easily. You really have to be someone that doesn't fall prey to being sad. I don't want sad, I can't be sad, I don't want to be about sad; I avoid sad. It inherently envelops you, so do everything that you can to escape it all the time.
My best friend Nancy Juvonen always loved to say "Happiness is a choice." When I was a kid I would say "happiness is a choice;" it's so hippy and lovely. Then as a woman, it's the word "choice" that's the war. That's the valiant effort to be happy, sometimes takes a lot of work.
"My life is so different than I thought it would be."
PS: I'm sure that involves habits. Did you form any new ones this year?
DB I did a lot of exercise to feel good in my mind. Whether my body changed or not was superfluous. The discipline of going somewhere and sweating or moving gave me all the more incentive to go to the corner store, get the slice of pizza after, and completely annihilate everything I had worked for - but my brain felt good. Physicality was a big wake-up call for me.
Not to like sit in the shit but workout and walk and keep my headphones with me everywhere I went. I loved listening to music again. You have kids; you have a family and you kind of lose touch sometimes with habits, as you said, rituals that you had before. You're so overwhelmed and distracted, and it's so wonderful and you're so present with it. You, in a good way, lose yourself. And then, over time you start to find things that you had love for, and they come back. Music has been a big one for me.
PS: Who are you listening to right now?
DB: I'm so obsessed with Solange's song with Blood Orange "Losing You", "I Dare You" by The XX. Fun, great songs. Those are my two favorites right now, and I'm sure they're not even the current this week.
PS: I think songs find us at the right time.
DB: I walked by this woman at a burger stand the other day and she was telling her friend - really trying to painfully figure things out. I was like, "Yup! Isn't everybody." Their life is so relevant to them, and their problems are so big. The way that they solve them is so interesting. I don't think anyone is coasting on this earth. I think everybody does feel incredible struggles. Any day that you're not held down by the struggle, celebrate it! Be present, because I feel like I lost sight of that for a while going through hard stuff. And now, I'm really enjoying the good moments."
"Any day that you're not held down by the struggle, celebrate it!"
PS: No one would ever know that about you. How you live is an example to many.
DB: Know it's no rodeo clown, like "Everything is awesome!" I really worked hard on myself and things and struggled to get to a good place, to a better place.
PS: You're involved in so many projects too. How do you do it? How do you become an entrepreneur in so many facets?
DB: My personal life never affects my focus on work and [the] joy that that work brings me. That's a really important lesson for my daughters - Have a good work ethic. I really enjoy applying myself. I like the distraction that it causes. Having kids now obviously I dial back the time I spend at work so I can be more with my kids. But when I get back to work or get to do work, I'm very focused and psyched. All moms feel so much guilt all the time, so the more time you spend with your kids the more you time you also enjoy being able to step away and do something that makes you want to make them proud. I think my whole life, work has been a very important and positive thing for me. It never was something that made me feel unhappy or disengaged from life. It always makes me feel like I'm plugged in, in a really healthy way.
"I want to be the rock that floats."
PS: So many of our readers come to our site, because they may be in a rut, whether it's in a relationship or a job that's not working. What advice do you have to offer?
DB: Get yourself out. Be brave. Don't leave before you're ready, because you should know that you tried everything. So there's a conviction and a confidence when you step away from something that may or may not be conducive to your life. I think if you run away too quickly, you're going to have that "Oh God did I try everything?" feeling. Try everything. Make it work. Do everything you can. If it's not working, then know when the signal is and move on. Change. Try something different.
PS: I love that idea of confidence with conviction. How have you find that for yourself?
DB: I stay in it until it no longer works.
PS: Did anyone teach you that confidence?
DB: No, because I grew up in such an inconsistent family dynamic. I don't know why I have a rock-like behavior but I refuse to be the rock that drowns. I want to float and live and survive. I want to be the rock that floats.
PS: I'm watching Santa Clarita Diet and I'm dying laughing, meanwhile my boyfriend is white as a ghost. "She's just eating fondant cake body parts," I keep telling him!
DB: Exactly! Victor [Fresco], the creator and I, we don't think it's that gross or gory. I'm like, "Is something wrong with us, Victor? Seriously." People are losing their lunch. Hopefully, I would suggest not eating while you watch the show, [so] you can get into [it]. Aside from all the blood and guts, it's about a family and the human condition. I found the show at a time where I knew I was getting divorced. It was very helpful [for] me to have this man say "I've been married to my wife for 25 years and if she woke up one day and everything was turned upside down, how would I deal with it?" I thought that's so hopeful and cool. Set to a really f*cking weird back drop. I loved it.
"Aside from all the blood and guts, [Santa Clarita Diet] is about a family and the human condition."
PS: Have you started filming season 2? Can you provide any more details?
DB: We start in like a month and a half and I'm so excited. Victor took me to through the whole second season, because I produce the show. I get to be privileged to know what I'm going into which really helps, because TV is so mysterious. I wouldn't know how to sign up as an actress. What if I'm signed up for something I don't like? I have nothing to do [with the writing]. This man comes up with all this crazy sh*t that I'm totally into. There's such humanity and normal themes behind it that I can relate to it. I think it comes from my training with E.T. You can have aliens, but it's in suburbia. It's in your backyard.
I would not know what to do if you put me in outer space. I'd be like, "Where the f*ck am I?" I love science fiction. I'm all for it, but I would be lost as an actor. Make it in a backyard, in a house in a suburbia and I'm good to go. Back to the Future? Time travel, but it was suburban, so you believed in it. Don't go so far away from home. Home is the best theme. You can do flesh-eating, time travel, aliens, but you're watching human beings go through it, so you have a nicer relatability at the end of the day.
PS: Can you tease anything about the "crazy sh*t" that goes down in season 2?
DB: Weirdly, Netflix is secretive, so they don't allow it. I'm always like, "Is it that serious that we can't give a story line away?" But they're pretty private. I like it, because they're internet savvy. They know how quickly something will go. They're a very cool partner to work with.
PS:Do you anticipate working more with TV now that you've had this experience?
DB: I have no idea where my life is going and for the first time in my life, I find that to be the most liberating feeling I've ever known. I've always been untethered in my life. Sometimes out of that chaos, you want to create stability. I'm at a moment right now where as long a my daughters have stability, then I like the life adventure and not knowing where it's going. Ironically, my daughters, every time I present an airplane ticket to them, they're like, "Where are we going?!" They're so excited. I'm glad we didn't stay still. Staying still is a very easy thing to fall into. It can be as easy as going out on a Saturday and trying to discover a new thing. It doesn't have to be grand. Getting out of your comfort zone, creating an adventure is really good.
Pulse Nightclub Will Be Memorialized as "Sanctuary of Hope" in Orlando
In the aftermath of the deadly 2016 mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL, the scene of the massacre is officially being turned into a permanent memorial site. "The community most impacted by this horrible event in our history should determine the future of the Pulse site and how their loved ones and the events of that day should be memorialized," said Pulse owner and onePULSE Foundation director Barbara Poma. She later added, "We will not let hate win."
According to Poma, the goal for the Pulse memorial will be to "create a sanctuary of hope around this tragic day in American history," and the effort will be guided with input from many of the 58 living victims of the shooting and the families of the 49 deceased.
"What began as a place for fun and joy is now sacred ground," Poma told news outlets of the memorial effort, which will be headed up by the onePULSE foundation. "We must never forget the true focus of the project."
The site already serves as a memorial, with candles, signs, rainbow flags, and more tokens of grief and solidarity from mourners placed along the fence surrounding the nightclub. Now that the club will be turned into a permanent national memorial (and eventually a museum), the Orlando community will have a place to grieve, educate others, and pay respects for the foreseeable future.
25 Daddy Yankee Songs That We Can't Live Without
We've been bumping and grinding to Daddy Yankee's beats for well over a decade. So we're taking a minute to reminisce about all the teen bashes where his music was playing all night long. All those nights we spent dancing to "Gasolina" (who could ever forget that one), "Rompe," "Pose," and many more.
Did you know that the album that gave us "Gasolina," Barrio Fino, in 2004 debuted at the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Latin Album chart, making it the first reggaeton album to do that and eventually becoming the top-selling Latin album of the decade? There's a reason people call him the "King of Reggaeton."
Keep scrolling to see what we're calling the ultimate Daddy Yankee playlist.
Refresh Your Professional Life With These 6 Must-Have Items For May
Whether it's the fresh invigoration of Spring weather or the fact that it's graduation time, May is one of the most rejuvenating months of the year. Take advantage of this time to infuse your professional life with some renewed energy, confidence, and inspiration.
Behold, the Full Cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
At long last, the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy has arrived! The original's quintet of Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and Dave Bautista, have returned, but that's not all. There's a bizarre new role for Kurt Russell, and a new more newbies. Unfortunately, previously announced stars Glenn Close and Nathan Fillion did not make it into the final cut. Let's hope for a reel of deleted scenes to surface! Keep reading to see the entire stellar cast, and get all the other details floating around out there.
The "Secret" Reason This Mom Buys 2 Extra Mother's Day Cards Will Crush You
Jill Robbins has a secret: she buys two extra Mother's Day cards every year, one for each of her sons' birth mothers. Although Jill has three children, she jokes that only her daughter "came into the family the regular way," as her sons were both adopted from China. Every year Jill buys a Mother's Day card for each boy's biological mother, but unfortunately, they never get to those moms halfway across the world - they make it into a shoe box.
"I've done this every year that we've had them. I write little snippets of what they've done and accomplished every year, what their challenges and accomplishments have been," Jill wrote in a post to her blog's Facebook page, Ripped Jeans and Bifocals. "I write these notes during my quiet time, after everyone else is in bed. I re-read my words and then I seal the cards. And then I put them away in a shoe box that sits on my closet shelf because I don't know what else to do with them. I don't have any place to mail these cards, you see."
The mom continues, explaining that there's sadly no such thing as an open adoption in China as there are laws "that prohibit a mother from making an adoption plan, aka giving a baby up for adoption." Because of this, children are abandoned and entered into the social welfare system, which is when they're able to go up for adoption. After someone becomes their parent, there's no paper trail to follow back to their past, to their birth mamas.
I know my boys' birth mothers waited and watched until their babies were taken to safety. I KNOW. I just do. I know they loved these children and I know their actions were something they deemed necessary. I don't need to know the reasons. Their motives don't need to pass any sort of litmus test with me. I have a pretty happy life. I don't want for much, but if I could have one wish I would want my boys' birth mothers to know the babies they carried are safe and loved. Cherished. Thriving. Part of a family. So, I buy those cards every year. I write in them. Somewhere on the other side of the world there are two women who would probably give anything to get them.
Jill says that she continues to write these cards that will never be sent mostly for herself, as a form of gratitude toward the women who gave her gifts in the forms of her sweet boys. Because adoption is so complicated and emotional, Jill is sharing her "secret" with the world in the hope that someone struggling on either end of an adoption can find some peace in the process. She added, "Maybe another mama like me will realize that she's not alone in those reflective moments she had about her kids' birth mothers."
Pippa Middleton Might Be the Bride, but She Just Wore the Perfect Wedding Guest Dress
Whether you're attending a friend's wedding, Pippa Middleton's wedding (lucky you), or just a really fancy dinner, there's no denying Pippa's Erdem dress is appropriate. The sleeveless jacquard design, slightly muted in color but jazzed up thanks to embellishments at the waist and neckline, is really quite a dream.
The bride-to-be stepped out on her way to the ParaSnowBall fundraiser in London wearing the midi with a glittering clutch and suede caged heels. Her engagement ring and tiny drop earrings added some extra sparkle and ensured party guests would look her way (in case they forgot May is her special month). Scroll for another look, then shop the exact Erdem number along with similar options.
17 First-Dance Songs That Are About to Be All Over Wedding Season
Searching for that illusive perfect first-dance song? We have more than 100 suggestions from over the years, but if you're looking for something recent, you've come to the right place. We've gathered 17 songs from 2017 (and a couple from 2016) that are about to be so hot on the wedding circuit. Whether you worship Ed Sheeran or you're more of a Harry Styles person, there's a song for you in here. Take a look, and if you want more options, we've rounded up all the wedding-appropriate music of 2017!
High School's Proactive Spin on 13 Reasons Why Should Be Implemented Nationally
The Netflix series 13 Reasons Why is still making waves nearly a month after its release due to its sensitive yet powerful nature. However, one high school is choosing not to glorify Hannah Baker's 13 reasons she took her own life and is instead having students make "tapes" for classmates that have been one of their "13 reasons why not."
Oxford High School in Oxford, MI, has unfortunately faced the aftermath of suicide before; in May 2013, 15-year-old Megan Abbott killed herself in a wooded area behind the school. In memory of Megan, the dean of the school, Pam Fine, came up with the "13 reasons why not" project after watching the Netflix show.
"I watched the series. I thought it accurately depicted the problems that teenagers in high school are facing now. But it was incredibly troubling to me that suicide was portrayed as being, almost, inevitable, like she had no other option," Fine told the Oakland Press. "The idea was to come up with 13 reasons why not, because that was not portrayed in the show. . . . Even though it can get very dark, there is always hope. Our message is that there are no 13 reasons why. Suicide is not an option."
Since May 1, recordings of students at Oxford have played after the morning announcements. On the "tapes," a student shares their struggles and issues they've faced, and rather than blaming someone at the end for doing wrong to them, they reveal a person that has helped them through it.
Senior Riley Juntti was the first student to go, and because no one knew about Fine's secret project, students were surprised but humbled by Riley's bravery and honesty. "Worthless. Self-centered. No morals. Easy. Grimy. Cake face. You would be better off dead. That's just the start of what you would label me as every day for two years," Juntti said in her recording. "This tape is for you, Elise Godfrey. You saw me when no one else did and continued to listen, share, and appreciate the small things with me. Thank you for your kindness I cannot repay. You are one of my 13 reasons why not."
By using the momentum the popular show created in highlighting mental illness, Fine has created a whirlwind in encouraging open communication - students have been writing out their stories for her in the hope that one of their 13 reasons why not could be featured over the morning announcements. "It was a risk, and it's paid off," she said. "I'm incredibly thankful for the response."
Megan Abbott's younger sister Morgan is now a junior at Oxford, and Fine says she created the project not only for Megan, but for Morgan as well. The girls' mom, Amy Hafeli, is fully supportive. "I thought it was a wonderful idea," she said. "It brought a positive spin on something so negative. . . . I'm proud of the school for getting involved and for putting that message out there - not just when it happens, but being proactive about it. Because, once it happens, what can you do? You can't bring the kid back."
Hafeli and Morgan both commented that they wished Megan could have been around to hear the messages. "I think if Megan had something like this going on in school when she was there, we would have had more time with her," Morgan said.
High School's Proactive Spin on 13 Reasons Why Should Be Implemented Nationally
The Netflix series 13 Reasons Why is still making waves nearly a month after its release due to its sensitive yet powerful nature. However, one high school is choosing not to glorify Hannah Baker's 13 reasons she took her own life and is instead having students make "tapes" for classmates that have been one of their "13 reasons why not."
Oxford High School in Oxford, MI, has unfortunately faced the aftermath of suicide before; in May 2013, 15-year-old Megan Abbott killed herself in a wooded area behind the school. In memory of Megan, the dean of the school, Pam Fine, came up with the "13 reasons why not" project after watching the Netflix show.
"I watched the series. I thought it accurately depicted the problems that teenagers in high school are facing now. But it was incredibly troubling to me that suicide was portrayed as being, almost, inevitable, like she had no other option," Fine told the Oakland Press. "The idea was to come up with 13 reasons why not, because that was not portrayed in the show. . . . Even though it can get very dark, there is always hope. Our message is that there are no 13 reasons why. Suicide is not an option."
Since May 1, recordings of students at Oxford have played after the morning announcements. On the "tapes," a student shares their struggles and issues they've faced, and rather than blaming someone at the end for doing wrong to them, they reveal a person that has helped them through it.
Senior Riley Juntti was the first student to go, and because no one knew about Fine's secret project, students were surprised but humbled by Riley's bravery and honesty. "Worthless. Self-centered. No morals. Easy. Grimy. Cake face. You would be better off dead. That's just the start of what you would label me as every day for two years," Juntti said in her recording. "This tape is for you, Elise Godfrey. You saw me when no one else did and continued to listen, share, and appreciate the small things with me. Thank you for your kindness I cannot repay. You are one of my 13 reasons why not."
By using the momentum the popular show created in highlighting mental illness, Fine has created a whirlwind in encouraging open communication - students have been writing out their stories for her in the hope that one of their 13 reasons why not could be featured over the morning announcements. "It was a risk, and it's paid off," she said. "I'm incredibly thankful for the response."
Megan Abbott's younger sister Morgan is now a junior at Oxford, and Fine says she created the project not only for Megan, but for Morgan as well. The girls' mom, Amy Hafeli, is fully supportive. "I thought it was a wonderful idea," she said. "It brought a positive spin on something so negative. . . . I'm proud of the school for getting involved and for putting that message out there - not just when it happens, but being proactive about it. Because, once it happens, what can you do? You can't bring the kid back."
Hafeli and Morgan both commented that they wished Megan could have been around to hear the messages. "I think if Megan had something like this going on in school when she was there, we would have had more time with her," Morgan said.
17 First-Dance Songs That Are About to Be All Over Wedding Season
Searching for that illusive perfect first-dance song? We have more than 100 suggestions from over the years, but if you're looking for something recent, you've come to the right place. We've gathered 17 songs from 2017 (and a couple from 2016) that are about to be so hot on the wedding circuit. Whether you worship Ed Sheeran or you're more of a Harry Styles person, there's a song for you in here. Take a look, and if you want more options, we've rounded up all the wedding-appropriate music of 2017!
90 Essential '90s Songs Every Millennial Needs to Play on Their Wedding Day
Picking the perfect wedding playlist can be daunting for any couple, but if you narrow down an iconic decade of music it makes things a little easier. Although '80s music is great for any wedding, there are tons of gems from the '90s that you need to check out. Whether you are a country fan, are into rock 'n roll, or just want to dance, there's a nostalgic hit in here for everyone.
Bernie Sanders Can't Keep It Together After Hearing Trump Applaud Universal Health Care
President Donald Trump has a way with words, you could say: he's especially skilled at inadvertently blurting out opinions on subjects he apparently knows nothing about. During a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Trump praised the country's healthcare system - but he didn't seem to realize he was praising a universal healthcare system. Bernie Sanders, one of the most vocal single-payer proponents, was quite pleased with Trump's comment (even if the president was completely ignorant of Australia's health care).
Trump says Australia's (single payer) health care system is better. @BernieSanders: "Thank you Mr. President" https://t.co/wuQHu8ilkW
- All In w/Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) May 5, 2017
MSNBC's Chris Hayes played a clip of Trump's comment while interviewing Sanders on May 4. In the clip, Trump simultaneously criticizes the American healthcare system and lauds Australia's. "We have a failing health care - I shouldn't say this to our great gentleman and my friend from Australia because you have better health care than we do," Trump said.
Following a familiar fit of laughter, Sanders jokingly takes Trump's comment at face value. "The president has just said it. That's great. Let's take a look at the Australian healthcare system, and let's move," Sanders said. "Maybe he wants to take a look at the Canadian healthcare system or systems throughout Europe. Thank you, Mr. President. Let us move to a Medicare-for-all system that does what every other major country does."
Sanders has previously said that he would introduce a Medicare-for-all bill into Congress as an alternative to the Republicans' disastrous American Healthcare Act. While it doesn't seem like the president will push for a single-payer healthcare system anytime soon, he's at least aware of its efficacy.
Bernie Sanders Can't Keep It Together After Hearing Trump Applaud Universal Health Care
President Donald Trump has a way with words, you could say: he's especially skilled at inadvertently blurting out opinions on subjects he apparently knows nothing about. During a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Trump praised the country's healthcare system - but he didn't seem to realize he was praising a universal healthcare system. Bernie Sanders, one of the most vocal single-payer proponents, was quite pleased with Trump's comment (even if the president was completely ignorant of Australia's health care).
Trump says Australia's (single payer) health care system is better. @BernieSanders: "Thank you Mr. President" https://t.co/wuQHu8ilkW
- All In w/Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) May 5, 2017
MSNBC's Chris Hayes played a clip of Trump's comment while interviewing Sanders on May 4. In the clip, Trump simultaneously criticizes the American healthcare system and lauds Australia's. "We have a failing health care - I shouldn't say this to our great gentleman and my friend from Australia because you have better health care than we do," Trump said.
Following a familiar fit of laughter, Sanders jokingly takes Trump's comment at face value. "The president has just said it. That's great. Let's take a look at the Australian healthcare system, and let's move," Sanders said. "Maybe he wants to take a look at the Canadian healthcare system or systems throughout Europe. Thank you, Mr. President. Let us move to a Medicare-for-all system that does what every other major country does."
Sanders has previously said that he would introduce a Medicare-for-all bill into Congress as an alternative to the Republicans' disastrous American Healthcare Act. While it doesn't seem like the president will push for a single-payer healthcare system anytime soon, he's at least aware of its efficacy.
90 Essential '90s Songs Every Millennial Needs to Play on Their Wedding Day
Picking the perfect wedding playlist can be daunting for any couple, but if you narrow down an iconic decade of music it makes things a little easier. Although '80s music is great for any wedding, there are tons of gems from the '90s that you need to check out. Whether you are a country fan, are into rock 'n roll, or just want to dance, there's a nostalgic hit in here for everyone.
OK, For Real - Would You Pay Over 1K For a Mood Ring?
Sure, I had mood rings in my childhood days, but they were mostly made of plastic and came from the machines that offer a random prize for a quarter. Most of the time, I even overlooked the mood ring section at Claire's or Limited Too, heading straight for the wiry chokers or tie-dye terry cloth headbands. But with '90s trends back in style, it was only a matter of time before these magical little accessories found their way back into our lives - just maybe not for $1,150.
Designer Leo Sachs-Michaels created one plated in 14K gold for her Brooklyn-based brand Leo Black, and the color-changing crystals are sourced from Canada. "My first mood ring was a thick, color-changing band with silver glitter inside, [and it] felt like a portal to my soul. There are many pieces I wish I had held on to and could wear, but they haven't aged well. I wanted women to have access to playful jewelry that they could connect with on a gut level," the jeweler explained to Well + Good.
Whether or not you think this particular piece is worth the high price point, the oval-shaped design is definitely gorgeous. And at the end of the day, if you're just psyched that mood rings are back, and you can't wait to stack them with the rest of your baubles, you can always pick up a more affordable version. Maybe not for a quarter, but it might be worth it to shell out the cash for a nostalgic ring that reflects your aura. Scroll to decide.
The 8 Most Important Things to Know About Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 might already be one of our favorite movies of 2017. The sequel opened this week, and if you loved the first movie, you should be in line for tickets to the new one. Before you get too amped up (we're already at a 10 on the excitement scale), take a look at everything you need to know about the film!
1. The Cast
Original stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel (Groot), Dave Bautista, and Bradley Cooper (Rocket) are all coming back for seconds. Karen Gillan and Michael Rooker are also returning, and notable newbies include Kurt Russell (who is playing classic Marvel villain Ego the Living Planet, who happens to be Peter Quill's dad). Check out the full cast!
2. The Plot
Marvel released the movie's official synopsis in June:
Set to the backdrop of "Awesome Mixtape #2," Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team's adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill's true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes' aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.
3. The Director
James Gunn, who helmed the first film, is back in the director's chair! Once again, he's adapted the comic series originally written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. This time, he's done it without the help of Nicole Perlman, who cowrote the 2014 movie.
4. The Trailer
5. The Poster
6. Baby Groot Is Back!
Just ICYMI, he's so adorable.
7. The Soundtrack
The retro music was one of the greatest elements of the first movie, and the sequel's soundtrack is an even stronger collection of songs. It includes "Come a Little Bit Closer" by Jay and the Americans, "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac, and plenty more '70s favorites.
8. The Release Date
The movie was released on May 5!
The 8 Most Important Things to Know About Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 might already be one of our favorite movies of 2017. The sequel opened this week, and if you loved the first movie, you should be in line for tickets to the new one. Before you get too amped up (we're already at a 10 on the excitement scale), take a look at everything you need to know about the film!
1. The Cast
Original stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel (Groot), Dave Bautista, and Bradley Cooper (Rocket) are all coming back for seconds. Karen Gillan and Michael Rooker are also returning, and notable newbies include Kurt Russell (who is playing classic Marvel villain Ego the Living Planet, who happens to be Peter Quill's dad). Check out the full cast!
2. The Plot
Marvel released the movie's official synopsis in June:
Set to the backdrop of "Awesome Mixtape #2," Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team's adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill's true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes' aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.
3. The Director
James Gunn, who helmed the first film, is back in the director's chair! Once again, he's adapted the comic series originally written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. This time, he's done it without the help of Nicole Perlman, who cowrote the 2014 movie.
4. The Trailer
5. The Poster
6. Baby Groot Is Back!
Just ICYMI, he's so adorable.
7. The Soundtrack
The retro music was one of the greatest elements of the first movie, and the sequel's soundtrack is an even stronger collection of songs. It includes "Come a Little Bit Closer" by Jay and the Americans, "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac, and plenty more '70s favorites.
8. The Release Date
The movie was released on May 5!
6 Fascinating Documentaries About the Life and Death of Princess Diana
Despite how private the British royal family keeps their personal lives, they've remained the subject of tabloid scrutiny and public interest for centuries. Although Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, and more members of the family are certainly fascinating, it's Princess Diana who truly captured the hearts of people all over the world. Both before and after her tragic, untimely death in an August 1997 car accident, the royal's life has remained in the spotlight, and is now the subject of an upcoming HBO documentary to mark 20 years since her passing. Until it premieres, brush up on your Princess Diana history with all of the other documentaries about her life and death that have come out over the years.
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