Every time Miley Cyrus and Rihanna step out, I wonder: How are they going to reinvent the "risque" gown this time? Will there be chain link? Will there be teddy bears? Well, at last night's amfAR Gala, the ladies did not disappoint.Cyrus donned a sheer, bondage-style dress and Rihanna went with purple sequin pasties over a white goddess dress. Both women showed taste and restraint ... er, well, relative to their usual.
I just want to point out that Miley attended the event dressed in THIS Tom Ford gown with her mother. Would you feel comfortable wearing such a frock with YOUR mother? Also, wowza. Tish Cyrus looks more like her sister than her mom!
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Maybe Tish helped her into that dress, because otherwise, HOW the heck did she get into that thing?!?
And then, Rihanna floated by in billowy white, her favorite features framed with sheer fabric and sparkly purple flowers. Am I seeing things, or are the sequins not even completely concealing what they're supposed to conceal? Oh well, that's not really the point of the ensemble, I guess. Honestly, I'm more alarmed by the lipstick color. Orange you glad she went with a seasonal shade?
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"You know what you can do with your pumpkin spiced lattes?" Rihanna seems to ask.
Okay, fine: It's coral, not Halloween pumpkin orange. Anyway, I'm sure everyone at the event was delighted with both ladies' ensembles. And you know what? They both look amazing and they both have the confidence to flaunt what they've got, so good for them.
You know that adorably romantic tradition of the groom carrying the bride over the threshold after their wedding? Well, slow down, kids. Because if you rush it, you could end up doing what this couple did on their way to the reception. Look what happens when groom Chad Kannard tries to sweep his bride, Julia Magdaleno, off her feet. It's positively painful to watch!
Oh, Chad! You dropped your bride! I wonder which hurts more -- Julia's back or Chad's ego? Ouch.
But you've got to hand it to the couple; they handled the spill well. Kannard picked his wife back up and kept going. She didn't get angry and whack him upside the head. She's still in there, holding her bouquet aloft. (She never even dropped it!) And wasn't his enthusiastic sprint inspiring -- even if ill-advised?
Magdaleno says the fall cut her forearm, and she didn't even notice she was bleeding until her husband pointed it out. He was bleeding, too. You don't see her face clearly in the video, but she later told ABC News that she thought it was hilarious.
I was like 'Go figure.' I’m so type A where I need to, like, make sure everything’s planned out and this one moment where I just let it go, what you think would be the worst thing possible happened, but I got up and I was laughing so hard. I thought it was, like, the best thing that’s ever happened.
You guys. This is the PERFECT metaphor for marriage. Because you are going to make mistakes together. You're going to stumble over roadblocks in your path. And you're going to get hurt sometimes. What matters most is how you recover and keep going. You've got to keep your sense of humor and remember that you're a team. That's what the couples who make it do.
I think this pair of newlyweds are going to be just fine. And you know who will love watching this video over and over again? Their future kids -- if they have them! What a funny memory.
Everyone's talking about a "new" mythical creature showing up on Instagram this Halloween: the Pegacorn. That's half Pegasus, half unicorn, and all Taylor Swift. That's right, it's the songstress' Halloween costume, and you absolutely, positively must see it! And you have to see these other spectacular celeb 2014 costumes because WOW, Hollywood really delivered this year!
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.When it comes to married sex we seem to have a disconnect. The cliche is that husbands want it more than wives do. But ask any mom and she'll tell you it ain't quite that simple. It isn't that we like sex any less than men do. Trust us on that one! It's that we're just So. Damn. Tired. Always. We're taking care of everyone and everything, and at the end of the day there's just so little of ourselves left, and definitely not the part of ourselves that feels "fun!"
So guys, it's not about getting "lucky" and finding us in the right mood. It's about creating the mood yourself and lining our path to sexy time with rose petals. Guys, here's what you really should do if you want sex tonight.
Which of these would work best to get you in the mood tonight?
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.It's normal to feel nervous about getting married. You're about to make a (hopefully) lifetime commitment to another person. That's a big, heavy, serious door you're opening together. And it's easy to feel like you're not ready or adult enough. But there are ordinary wedding jitters you'll get over after the wedding, and then there are serious doubts, the deeper kind that you really should not brush aside. How do you tell the difference?
First of all, if you're having serious doubts, don't hunker down with your bridesmaids and a bottle of wine to figure it out. Have a deep discussion with the guy this concerns the most: your fiance.
Here are some of the issues that go beyond an ordinary case of the pre-wedding nerves.
1. There's abuse or deceitfulness in your relationship. Let's just get this big one out of the way first. If you're being physically, emotionally, or sexually abused and you have cold feet before your wedding, run. If your fiance has lied to you or cheated on you already, go with your doubts and get out now, before you get in any deeper.
2. You have different ideas about what commitment means. "If you don't know what your relationship means to both of you, you risk repeating past mistakes, getting stuck in uncomfortable roles, or fighting about what a healthy relationship is," Tessina says. Make sure you agree on the meaning of words like "relationship," "commitment," "love," and "faithfulness." Talk about these words, Tessina says, and "you'll be amazed by what you learn."
3. You don't agree about money issues. What does everyone argue about? "Next to sex, money is the biggest generator of problems, arguments, and resentment in long-term relationships," Tessina says. You should figure out whether or not you pool your money, and how, who pays for what, and whose income determines your lifestyle.
4. One of you doesn't handle anger or other strong emotions well. We all get upset sometimes, and hopefully you're both good at being supportive and defusing each other's anger in healthy ways. However, Tessina warns, "if your tendency is to react to each other and make the situation more volatile and destructive, you need to correct that problem before you live together."
5. One or both of you has substance abuse problems. This is another issue you need to deal with before you get married. Get treatment and live sober first. Marriage will not fix this.
6. You're not sexually compatible.A sexual dry spell is a pretty common reaction to the stress of wedding planning. If your sex life was thriving before your engagement, it's pretty likely to resume after all the fuss is over. But if you've never been on the same page about frequency and level of adventurousness, that problem is only going to get worse.
An aside: If he's thinking maybe, possibly, he's kinda-sorta gayish, but you're THE ONE woman who can make him straight, he should THINK AGAIN. Getting married doesn't save you from being gay. It just keeps you in the closet longer and then more people get hurt when you can't take it anymore and have to burst out.
7. You keep polling your friends to see if you really should get married. A writer for XO Jane talks about how she kept asking her friends if she was doing the right thing by getting married -- even at her bachelorette party. "'If you have to ask, I think you know the answer,'" one of her friends told her. Her marriage lasted 13 months.
As someone who deals daily with married couples in crisis, Tessina naturally recommends seeing a therapist together before the wedding. "Because I see so much of the damage caused by people blindly connecting, rushing through the stages of commitment, and not creating the solid basis a true relationship needs, I always welcome the chance to do pre-commitment counseling." It's not a bad idea!
Did you get cold feet before you got married -- or do you have cold feet now? What do you worry about most?
As moms, we hear a lot of noise about wheat. We use bread to make sandwiches for our kids because that's the healthy choice -- right? We know it should be whole grain bread, not merely "whole wheat," and definitely not bread sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. Oh, and gluten may or may not be toxic. So what if, on top of all of this, you learned that ALL wheat is toxic? That it leads to obesity, tooth decay, even hyperactivity. What the heck are you supposed to feed your family now?!?
Davis is sounding the alarm over wheat bread and other foods made with it that we think are healthy because he believes wheat is at the root of a dizzying number of illnesses and conditions, from attention disorder and depression to chronic tummy trouble and rheumatoid arthritis. This is based on his experience as a doctor and on the research of many others in the medical community, he says. In fact, we shouldn't be eating any grasses whatsoever: not wheat, not corn, not barley, and not rye.
Why not? It's because wheat contains proteins that humans can't digest, or at least can't digest completely, Davis says. One wheat protein blocks mineral absorption. And if you're wondering why you can't lose weight no matter what you try, guess what? Wheat may act as an appetite stimulant. Davis estimates that we eat 400 to 800 more calories a day on wheat.
Intrigued, I had to give it a try! I don't usually eat a lot of wheat anyway ... or so I thought. It turns out I had to change a lot to try out the grass-free diet. Goodbye, morning granola.
What I ate for breakfast: I like some protein first thing in the morning, so I had full-fat yogurt with chia seeds and pecans stirred in. I hadn't been a big fan of chia seeds before, but I liked them this way. I tried not to stare at my son's daily chocolate croissant.
What I ate for lunch: Going wheat-free takes some planning, which is not my forte. But for once I rose to the occasion. Over the weekend I roasted some butternut squash and some chicken. And that's what I ate for lunch nearly Every. Single. Day.
What I snacked on: I usually had an apple, some dark chocolate, and roasted cashews or almonds -- but then, that's my usual snack.
What I ate for dinner: I ended up doing something I'd said I'd never do -- cook separate meals for myself and my son (I didn't want to subject him to my little experiment). While he had pasta, I'd have a couple of poached eggs on sauteed greens. Or I'd have chunks of cheese with carrots and cucumber.
On a night when my boyfriend scored last-minute opera tickets for us right after work, I had wine and dark chocolate for dinner. Probably not what Dr. Davis would recommend for dinner, exactly, but loaded with resveratrol. And definitely wheat-free!
How I felt: Here's the weird thing -- I didn't miss the wheat at all! Davis writes about going through withdrawals, but nope. Didn't happen. I felt fuller for longer after meals. On the other hand, when I did get hungry, it hit me suddenly and I was RAVENOUS.
I'm in pretty good health to begin with, so I wasn't looking to lose weight or cure myself of anything physical. I was hoping my scattered attention span would click into focus -- but no luck. Maybe if I kept it up for a month?
At any rate, Julieanna Hever, MS, RD, CPT, author, and plant-based diet expert, thinks the dangers of wheat and gluten have been blown out of proportion. She attributes the miraculous cures of Dr. Davis' patients to cutting out processed food.
That said, Hever doesn't think wheat is absolutely necessary for everyone. "But it is a difficult grain to avoid, it's a helpful food, and it can be part of a healthy diet," especially if you stick with her recommendation, a plant-based diet with whole, "intact" grains.
Here's something interesting. When I went back to eating wheat (because of course I did), I noticed that I felt a little more bloated and bread tasted bland. Going off wheat made me more conscious of what I was eating overall.
But do I plan on cutting out wheat completely? Not a chance. While Davis' theories are interesting and it might be worth scaling back a bit on grains, they're too integral to the healthy eating habits I've instilled in my son and me at home to totally eliminate them from our diet.
So what do you think? Is the harm of wheat overhyped, or are you curious to see if it's at the root of some of your health issues?
Ah, Thanksgiving leftovers. We look forward to them almost as much as the Thanksgiving dinner itself. That's why these special leftovers deserve to be treated with care -- well, that and you want to prevent any risk of food poisoning! Just to be on the safe side, check out these handy tips for safely storing your Thanksgiving leftovers.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.A few weeks ago we heard about a man on vacation in Bali who claimed a spider had crawled under his skin and lived there for three days. We called hoax on that one because that's not a spider's regular scene and because he never supplied a photo of the critter. Well today we have a new scary spider story that actually seems legit -- and even creepier! Pop singerKatie Melua says a spider was living in her earfor a week. OMG, is that even possible?
Melua posted a video on her Instagram, saying, "So I had a rustling in my ear for a week and went to the doctor. This little fella is what they found!"
But wait. Before you watch the video, I want to warn you: Things may appear much, MUCH larger than in real life. This is a photo taken using a magnifier. So, you know, try not to scream out loud. Ready? Okay ...
Een video die is geplaatst door Katie Melua (@katiemeluaofficial) op
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Okay, deep breath. Here's what the little guy looks like in a test tube. Does it make it any easier that it's so small? Maybe? No? Melua's spokesperson says the ear specialist had never removed a live bug from someone's ear, though they have found dead bugs. Ewww!!!
A photo posted by Katie Melua (@katiemeluaofficial) on
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So the big question: How the HELL did that thing get in Melua's ear?!? She says she thinks it came from the old noise blockers she wore on a plane. "It was no hassle at all, apart from the occasional shuffling noises ... " Why doesn't that make us feel any better?
Melua says doctors took a mini vacuum and hoovered the little fella out alive, and he's now living in her garden. Aww. Glad no harm was done to Melua (nor to the spider!). Supposing this story is true, I guess the lesson we learned is to inspect anything you put in your ears. And if you hear some rustling sounds in your ear, be sure and get that checked out.
Quick raise of hands, how many of you are going to feel like you're hearing rustlings sounds inside your ear for the rest of the day?
Has anyone you know ever gotten a spider stuck in their ear? Do you believe this story?
In all the stories about Brittany Maynard, the woman with incurable brain cancer who chose a death with dignity over the weekend, she is described over and over again as a "newlywed." It's a detail that tears at the heart every time you think of it: Maynard married Dan Diaz just two years ago. We feel for everyone in her family, but especially for her husband. So we're awed by the generous gift the couple left behind -- Diaz shared their love story (with Maynard's blessing)in People magazine before she died.
Any of us who remember how sweet those first few years as a married couple are must surely understand how keenly painful Maynard's death must be for Diaz -- and how much he must have loved her to support her final decision. I hope sharing their story helps him heal and move on. It will definitely touch countless people and remind us to cherish each other.
Maynard and Diaz met in April 2007 when she was 23 and he was 35. Brittany would joke about their age difference and his longstanding bachelor status. "'What's taken me so long?' and my answer was, honestly, that I hadn't met the girl for me until Brittany."
Diaz tells People he noticed Maynard's physical beauty right away, and then as he got to know her, he soon learned "what a beautiful person she was on the inside." He describes her as "a good person to be around: Attractive, energetic, and outgoing and just a personality you really get attracted to."
After dating for about five years, Diaz proposed "on bended knee" in May 2012. They married at the Beltane Ranch in Sonoma County, California, on September 19, 2012. Diaz says Maynard did most of the planning. "The end result," he says, "was there were a few moments I caught myself looking around at the location, the friends and family and everyone there and I was like, 'Wow. This is a really beautiful setting.'" Friends told the couple it was the best wedding they'd ever attended.
Part of what made the wedding special was the waltz, where they danced to Nat King Cole's "L-O-V-E" at their reception. They had practiced and practiced.
As for the honeymoon, adventure-minded Maynard chose Patagonia, which Diaz describes as the "best of both worlds." They would hike to see glaciers by day, then return to get pampered in the evening. "So I'd say we really did it right where we had a lot of what she wanted -- the outdoors, hiking and trekking and seeing the beautiful sights in nature -- but then we'd also come back to the hotel and relax."
Dan Diaz waited his whole life to meet his soul mate. He told People, "I felt like this is the person for me and the person I want to spend the rest of my life with." But what if the person for you has only a few years left to live? What if the person you want to spend the rest of your life with just ... can't do that?
Diaz had no idea what the future held for the love of his life when they married. And there's no point in trying to guess what they might have done if they'd known. None of us knows what lies just around the bend. That's the terrifying, high-stakes game we play when we choose to love.
I suspect that even before they found out that Maynard was dying, this couple loved each other in every way, fully, each day of their short time with each other. And for that reason, they inspire us all.
Imagine if you had just a few weeks left to live. Set aside the question of whether you'd make the same choice Maynard did. If you knew how soon that window was closing, what would you do differently?
Maybe your mate's annoying little quirks would bother you less. Maybe you'd see him with fresh eyes, touch him more often, be more patient, look for more opportunities to connect on a deeper level.
Everyone in a relationship has a beautiful love story. And most of us will have our whole lives to keep writing that story. I think of Brittany and Dan, and they make me want to stay present and give whole-heartedly, without reserve, with my loved ones.
What would you do differently as a couple if you learned one of you would be dying young?
As much as we love the glorious smorgasbord of a traditional Thanksgiving feast, there are times when we need to scale back -- wayyy back! It's so much work and so much mess. What if you could cook the whole shebang in one pot, all at once? Well, you can! We're going to show you how to cook an entire Thanksgiving dinner in a Crock-Pot. This is the easiest feast you'll ever make.
You've probably seen the classic photo of the two old-school Hollywood bombshells: Italian actress Sophia Loren giving Jayne Mansfield the side eye. And you may have wondered what exactly Loren was thinking. What's with the shade? Was there some scandal brewing between them? Or was Mansfield drinking out of Loren's water glass? Well at long last, 57 years later, one of these ladies is finally spilling. Sophia Loren explained the Jayne Mansfield photo to Entertainment Weekly -- and it's totally going to remind you of a few women we already know ...
This was at a party thrown by Paramount Studios in Loren's honor welcoming the new actress to Hollywood. Mansfield made a dramatic entrance, the last one to arrive, and sat down right next to Loren. (Cough, cough, diva move, upstaging, cough.) That's when, as the 80-year-old star puts it, "it got amazing."
She came right for my table. She knew everyone was watching. She sat down. And now, she was barely ... Listen. Look at the picture. Where are my eyes? I’m staring at her nipples because I am afraid they are about to come onto my plate. In my face you can see the fear. I’m so frightened that everything in her dress is going to blow—BOOM!—and spill all over the table.
Whoa -- I never noticed this before, but Mansfield is pulling a wee sneaky nip slip. Holy Intentional Wardrobe Malfunction circa 1957!
And we thought our generation invented the headline-grabbing not-so-accidental nip slip. Apparently that game is as old as film itself. Ah, the 1950s.
You have to love Loren's look. Not only is the Playboy Playmate pretty much erupting right in front of her -- welcome to Hollywood indeed! -- this is also a rude introduction to the highly competitive game of attention grabbing. This is such a Kardashian/Real Housewives move, right? Where do you think they got the idea?
And there's Loren, keeping it classy with her modest amount of cleavage even though, as you can see, she could definitely keep up in that department. You'd think Loren might feel a little threatened by Mansfield, but maybe not? I mean, without being too disrespectful of the dead, who looks like the desperate one in this photo? Of course, we all make mistakes like that when we're young. And anyway, Loren went on to enjoy a long, highly respected career as an actress.
What do you think of this early example of the intentional wardrobe malfunction?
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.What if you could find out when you'll die -- down to the hour? Would you want to know, or would you rather let it be a surprise? There's a new tool claiming it can predict the time and date of your death -- barring any freak accidents, of course. And while there's no real way for us to test how accurate it is (not today, anyway!), we're practically dying of curiosity. So I gave it a try this morning. I dared to stare into the crystal ball of mortality. And I have to admit, what I saw made me yelp, "WHAT?!?" out loud.
We're talking about the iOS app Deadline, and the way it works is pretty simple. You enter information like your birth date, height, weight, how much you travel by car, drinking and smoking habits, stress level, and your diet.
Alternatively you can sync Deadline with your iHealth app, which adds other factors like your heart rate and your blood pressure, if you've updated it with those vitals.
And ta-dah! Just like that, Deadline tells you how old you'll be when you die. In fact, it shows you a countdown clock so you can watch the seconds of your life slip away in real time. Yikes!
According to its description, Deadline is supposed to be "a way to motivate yourself to be healthier." Yeah ... that's totally what I think when I see the app's logo of a black crow lying on its back, feet in the air. I'm feeling you, Deadline! I'm so feeling you there.
So what's my death date? Deadline says I'll live to 83.
Just 83?!?
Excuse me, Deadline, but perhaps you misunderstood me when I entered my data. It's me, Adriana. I eat healthy, exercise regularly, don't smoke, drink moderately, rarely ride in cars ... sure my parents have health issues, but they're mostly lifestyle related. What gives -- did I not provide you with enough convincing data?
Not to be greedy or anything, but my maternal grandmother is 96 and counting. Not to mention, according to the US Social Security calculator, a woman my age is expected to live to 85.
Then again, when I think about it, do I really want to live past 83? My 96-year-old grandmother is extraordinary, but she's often ill and in constant pain and discomfort for a myriad of reasons. Is it really about living a long life, or is it about maintaining your health for as long as possible? If I had to choose between dying youngish but in great health, or dying very old but in poor health, which would I choose? And if I had the chance, would I really want to know the date I'll die? Would it make me live my life differently?
For a health-motivating app, Deadline can force you to ask yourself some deep questions about life.
But mostly you're supposed to link it up with things like your Nike Fuel band and track how many calories you burn every day, how many steps you take, that sort of thing. Oh my God, people. "Staying healthy" is such a freakin' hassle in this modern age!
If you're really worried about dying before your time for health reasons, though, this app might be just the wake-up call you need.
Do you dare find out how much longer you have to live?
Back when I was first contemplating divorce, I did the math. I created a spreadsheet to map out a budget: My salary minus our essential monthly expenses. I wanted to find out if I really could make it on my own, paying my mortgage, buying groceries, supporting myself and my son. According to the math, I could! Juuuuust barely. So I moved forward with the divorce and struck out on my own. And I completely blew my budget. KA-BLEWEY.
Turns out one of those "fascinating" things I've learned about myself post-divorce is that I'm kind of a disaster, financially. Wow, neat! So fun.
It's not for lack of trying. I was raised by very frugal parents (hello, five kids in my family), and I married a very frugal young man. He was an artist who did all right, actually. But since his income was so unpredictable, we made it a point to live below our means. Want an example? We were married about 15 years before we bought a sofa. When we had our son, we stayed in the same tiny, one-bedroom apartment rather than upgrading to a two-bedroom because OMG, MONEY.
I learned a lot of good habits during those years. And I still think I spend carefully, for the most part. Well, there was that time a good friend of mine opened a boutique selling precious wonderful things like silk scarves -- at the opening I went berserk with my credit card, though mostly on Christmas presents.
But what's really wrecked my budget hasn't been splurges. It's been those millions of little expenses you incur just trying to make your life as a divorced mom work: the takeout sandwiches, the cab rides when I'm criss-crossing this metropolis trying to meet impossible work and family obligations in one day, the cellphone for my kid that makes me feel less paranoid about losing him in the shuffle between me and me ex. And that bottle of wine every couple of weeks to help take the edge off the whole insane high-wire act.
I know I'm fortunate, compared to so many single moms. I have a college degree and a full-time job with benefits. My son and I both enjoy robust health. I pay way below market rate to live in a sweet neighborhood because we were lucky enough to buy an apartment years ago when it was cheap. I've finally started receiving child support on the regular.
But wow, I have had some scary moments. I maxed out a credit card -- I can't even write down the amount on that card because I'll throw up. You don't want to know. I've gone into overdraft more times than I want to say. At this very moment I have about $9 in my checking account. And honestly, I'm just grateful that that's not a negative number.
It's just going to be like this for a while as I adjust to life on my own. I'm getting better at tracking my spending ... I think. It takes a while to get used to living on one income.
In the meantime, I wasted a lot of time on shame spirals. Having this much financial difficulty made me feel like a total failure. It was like I became my money. You could measure my self confidence by my checking account. Never mind that I was trying to raise a child in one of the most expensive cities in the country as a freakin' writer (why oh why didn't I go into law???).
And then it stopped.
Not the financial crisis -- that is ongoing. I mean the shame spirals. I don't know if it was something I read one day, or just a bolt of inspiration, but I finally realized: I am not my money.
Money isn't a measure of my self worth. It's just a tool. A tool I use with other tools to build my life. That's become my new mantra. I'm going through a second divorce, and this one is between my finances and my emotions. Does it suck when I miscalculate (again!) and come up short? Hell, yeah. But I don't have to let it get me down. Hopefully I learn something, I recover, and I keep moving forward.
I'm not the first person to stumble financially after divorce, and I won't be the last. It helps to remember that, too.
And I have to give myself some credit for managing. Even though I hope to do better, I'm still proud of myself for supporting myself and my son. I've learned how to survive as a single mom in New York City. I may have a few bruises, but I'm strong, and I'm making it work. I will make it!
Do you have a hard time separating your money from your emotions?
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Did you catch the CMA Awards last night? We know the show is all about the music, but we couldn't help gasping at some of the gorgeous looks on the red carpet -- and the baffling fashion gaffes too. From the most glowing pregnant star in country music to the most bonkers LED-lit outfit ever worn by a pop princess (maybe the only?), here are the 10 best and worst fashions of the 2014 CMAs.
We have no doubt that Jennifer Aniston looks perfectly fetching without makeup. The actress glows with good health, and her skin is probably flawless. And we're sure she loves taking a break from the heavy makeup stars usually endure while filming a movie. But after ditching cosmetics for the role of a car accident survivor in the indie film Cake, Aniston raved about going makeup-free-- in a way we've never heard before!
Aniston said at a panel hosted by Deadline that skipping the makeup felt "so fabulous — so dreamy and empowering and liberating." Well, she did wear some makeup, she admits, but it was only to have scars created. Otherwise, it was just her bare face.
Liberating? We get that. It's a relief sometimes to go without the goop and to focus your time and energy on more interesting activities. Empowering? Hell yeah. It takes a strong, confident women to show her natural face. But dreamy and fabulous?!?
I think maybe what Aniston is saying is that going without makeup allowed her to be someone else entirely. As a woman whose living depends on looking glamorous, it must be a radical change to spend time as a "frumpy" woman -- relatively speaking, that is. For her.
It makes me wonder, what if we pulled a beauty free-fall and stopped caring about our appearance for a day or two? I know a lot of moms are already there 24/7, and some of us do that every so often, like right after giving birth or when we're sick.
But I'm not just talking about freeing yourself from the hassle of primping. I'm talking deliberately choosing to take that time and energy and using it instead to find a whole different part of yourself. And enjoying it -- so it feels "dreamy" and "fabulous," as Aniston puts it. It's an intriguing idea ... maybe something that would help us see ourselves in a totally different light, in the best way possible.
How do you feel about yourself when you go makeup-free?
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.I just want to start by saying I am a firm believer in having family dinner. The real kind. Around a table, no electronics, home-cooked meal, conversation. The full shebang. But actually making that family dinner happen? Whoa. Most nights I am far from the ideal. I'd like to heap garlands of glory over those of you who actually pull it off on the regular. As for the rest of us, can we all just have a laugh together at what "family dinner" really looks like most of the time for us?
Have a look and then tell us -- which do you relate to more, the fantasy or the reality?
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Long, long ago, when I was in high school, I spent nearly an hour every single morning painstakingly styling my hair with a curling iron. Looking back at the photos, I'm hazy on what look I was after there (actually, it's coming back to me: I wanted to look like Cher from the movie Moonstruck). But one thing I know for sure. Ain't NOBODY got time for that level of hair curling now! On the rare occasions I actually do use a curling iron, it has to be like a good pain reliever: fast, gentle, and effective.
That's why we took several best-selling curling irons out for a spin to find out which ones deliver -- especially for moms with under 10 minutes for their hair. We looked at how easy they are to use, how quickly they heat up, how quickly and how well they curled our hair, and how long those curls lasted.
Have a look at our favorites and then tell us:
Do you use any of these? What curling iron do you recommend?
The Duggars may have classic family values, but when they buck tradition, they do it in a big, splashy way. Did you hear about Jessa Duggar's wedding reception dessert? Instead of cutting a big ol' cake, the bride and her groom, Ben Seewald, treated their 1,000 guests to a self-serve ice cream sundae bar. What a fun surprise for everyone!
Why not? People will have plenty of chances to eat wedding cake at other couples' receptions. And anyway, the new Mrs. Jessa Seewald told People magazine, "I don't really like cake." That's as good a reason as any other to skip it in favor of a dessert you like better.
The sundae bar offered Ben's favorite flavor, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and Jessa's favorite, chocolate. Toppings included brownies, cookies, fresh strawberries, and chocolate and caramel syrups. Candies like peanut butter cups and M&M's were served in mason jars because how can you have a wedding reception in 2014 without mason jars?!? (We're just teasing -- they're adorable.)
If you love the idea of an ice cream sundae bar at your wedding -- and it's a brilliant one! -- here's a few other ways to make it work.
1. Keep it cold. The big question for me is how do you keep all that ice cream frozen? You can keep pints in a large metal bucket filled with ice. It's also a good idea not to put all the ice cream out at once. Put out smaller quantities at a time and keep the rest in the freezer to bring out little by little.
2. Have a designated scooper. Just to keep things from getting super messy, have someone scoop out the ice cream for your guests. Just the toppings should be self-serve.
3. Label everything. That way guests can distinguish between the rainbow M&M's and the Skittles when they're distracted by everything else going on at the reception. Besides, decorative labels are just plain cute.
4. Match colors. If you're deeply committed to your color scheme, try to coordinate your sundae bar to match -- picking candies, serving dishes, signs, and other details in your colors.
5. Get creative with containers. I've seen wooden office organizer boxes, popcorn cups, candy jars, apothecary jars, punch bowls, vintage dishes, cupcake tins ... just go on Pinterest and you'll see a zillion clever ideas.
6. Keep deliciousness in mind. You can go crazy with ice cream flavors and imaginative toppings. But take a moment to make sure your toppings will truly work with your ice cream flavors, not clash. Also, mini gummy bears are pretty, but they harden into rocks in cold ice cream. Just an FYI.
What do you think about the idea of a wedding reception ice cream sundae bar? How would you swing yours?
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Let me ask you something: Do you love mashed potatoes? I mean, do you LOVE mashed potatoes? Do you sometimes catch yourself daydreaming about diving into soft, starchy snowdrifts of the stuff? Because I sure do. Mashed potatoes are EVERYTHING, especially since you can do so many yummy variations with them. Here are 12 of our favorite mashed potato recipes. Try not to drool on your monitor.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Now tell us -- what's your favorite kind of mashed potatoes?
We love the idea of a wedding ring tattoo -- like Beyonce's Roman numerals IV. Nothing says "in it for life" like a band that's permanently inked on your body, right? And there are so many creative ways to do it, too. But we just spotted something that goes beyond the ring tattoo. You have to see Victoria's Secret model (and wife of Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine) Behati Prinsloo's ring finger tattoo. It's unlike anything we've ever seen before, and it's about so much more than just her relationship with Levine.
Prinsloo showed off her tat to Yahoo just after a Victoria's Secret fitting, for which she'd removed her "real" rings to protect them. But her inked finger looks completely different from what we expected. First of all, the tattoo is near the end of her finger rather than wrapped around the base. And the shape is different, too. "I wanted a ring," Prinsloo told Yahoo, "but everyone does the ring, so I did three dots."
Three dots?!? What the heck does that mean? "It means being one with the Earth," Prinsloo explained. "I just wanted it on my ring finger so when I take it off, it's still there!"
Check out the tattoo via Prinsloo's Instagram. (By the way -- this is not Levine's hand. It's the hand of a friend. Our best guess is that Prinsloo is crediting him with the idea, or maybe he's the tattoo artist.)
Ein von Behati Prinsloo (@behatiprinsloo) gepostetes Foto on
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That's pretty subtle, right? It's like a secret code only she and her husband know ... er, except I guess now the secret's out. Still, I love how minimal it is.
And I'm intrigued that her wedding "ring" would symbolize not just her union with her husband, but her union with the Earth. Because we're all one? Is her bond with her husband rooted in the Earth? We don't know, but whatever it means to her, it's deep.
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What do you think of Behati Prinsloo's wedding ring tattoo?
