Idris Elba, of salt-and-pepper beard and Thor fame, was just selected by People as the magazine’s 2018 “Sexiest Man Alive.” The British actor, who recently shut down nearly a decade of rumors that he would take the lead role in the next James Bond film, is the 33rd man to hold the prestigious title.
“Revlon Unveils New Age-Defying Monster Makeup.” The headline, in the Halloween edition of the satirical newspaper the Onion this week, was funny, but it tapped into something very real. Color cosmetics (lipsticks, eyeshadows, mascara, and other makeup) are losing their supremacy in the beauty industry, and skincare (lotions and moisturizers, serums, cleansers, toners, masks, and more) has seen monster growth.
Disney’s movie remake of the famous fairy tale and classic ballet The Nutcracker, reimagined as The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, was released to largely abysmal reviews yesterday (Nov. 2). Rolling Stone proposed that the film—a Narnia ripoff at best and fever dream at worst—would have Tchaikovsky, who wrote the music for the ballet, “rolling in his grave.”
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has declared that female athletes will no longer be allowed to wear “theatrical” makeup for their floor routines. The decision, first reported by the sports publication Deadspin, follows Dutch gymnast Céline van Gerner’s performance at the European Championships in Doha, Qatar, in which she was fully made up in face paint inspired by the Broadway musical Cats.
A serene site greeted Oregonians yesterday evening as hundreds of witches (and wizards) took to the Willamette River in Portland for a group paddleboard session. The coven was in full witch garb as they swanned down the river, most sporting pointed hats and black robes with stuffed black cats strapped to their boards. Some even showed up Oz-style with green-painted skin:
Goop is having a bit of a bumpy time. Last month, Gwyneth Paltrow’s wellness juggernaut settled a $145,000 consumer protection lawsuit over one of its most infamous products, stone “yoni eggs” mean to be inserted into the vagina. Goop claimed the eggs helped “regulate hormones and menstrual cycles, prevent uterine prolapse, and increase bladder control,” which regulators in California asserted were not scientifically supported claims. While Goop removed the offending language, it continues to sell the products for $55 and $66.
Witches are having a major moment. As well as this weekend’s release of the witchy horror movie Suspiria, a slew of witch-themed TV reboots are in the works (see: Charmed, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Bewitched). Starbuck’s unveiled its “Witch’s Brew” Halloween frappucino this Halloweeen week. The population of practicing witches and Wiccans in the US has seen an astronomical rise. And social media has conjured up a kind of Instagrammable witchiness that has been identified by market trend-spotters as “mysticore” or “chaos magic.”
When I first encountered the word “spoopy” on late-2013 Tumblr, I took it for a charming spelling mistake that had been turned into a short-lived meme. Nearly a decade after it was born in 2009, the word Urban Dictionary defines as “something that is funny and spooky at the same time” lives on.
This week, a painting by the 17th-century Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi closed for €1.8 million ($2.1 million) at the Dorotheum auction house in Vienna, selling for more than double its estimate of €500,000 to €700,000 ($581,000 to $813,000).
Netflix is being called out for seeming to target customers based on race after a Twitter user noticed the site appeared to be generating thumbnails with black cast members on them, even if those characters played minor roles in the actual production.
Currently sitting at number two on the Billboard Hot 100—the US music industry’s most influential ranking chart—is Juice WRLD’s “Lucid Dreams” which opens with the 19-year-old rapper lighting a blunt.
If you’re feeling a little nauseous this weekend, it might be because America will be caught in the crosshairs of dueling sorcery taking place on opposite sides of the country on Saturday evening (Oct. 20).
Iconic ’90s Bollywood film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai turned 20 this week. In honor of its anniversary, this seems like the perfect time to revisit the movie’s heroine and one of India’s most compelling actresses: Kajol.
Sunday Riley, the beloved skincare brand founded by the cosmetic chemist of the same name, is at the center of a fake review scandal that has shifted the beauty world’s attention away from Deciem’s latest drama.
The London-based digital lifestyle magazine Dazed announced three new contributing editors for its beauty edition this week—including an Instagram influencer who happens to be a computer simulation.
In its first venture into European brick-and-mortar, Amazon is opening a fashion-focused pop-up shop on London’s Baker Street from next Tuesday, Oct. 23, until Saturday, Oct. 27.
As is the case with most high-profile weddings, much of the buzz leading up to Princess Eugenie’s marriage to Jack Brooksbank—which took place yesterday at Windsor Castle—involved predictions about the wedding dress.
As you’ve probably heard, Kanye West gave a rambling monologue at the Oval Office Oct. 11 that achieved the impressive feat of leaving US president Donald Trump, a prodigious rambler in his own right, quite speechless.
What do Swan Lake, Tiffany lamps, and “Broccoli” feauring Lil Yachty all have in common? Ostensibly, nothing. But a thread runs through them all: the cultural trope known as “camp.”
This weekend, 32-year-old Pieter Hanson experienced everyone’s worst nightmare when a parent joins social media: An awkward tweet from his mother led to his being fully and thoroughly meme-ified. The tweet also put his face on a fringe-y political movement he had nothing to do with and actively disagrees with.
Witch-loving binge-watchers rejoice, this fall you will be served not one but three reboots of interest: Charmed and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, both originally from the late-’90s, and Bewitched, from the 1960s.
The reality TV star, model, and beauty mogul Kylie Jenner may be branching into skincare—at least if three trademarks filed with the US Patent Office back in July are anything to go by.
Spirituality is now firmly placed in mainstream culture. The growing interest in astrology driven by millennials, as well as the popularity of crystals and tarot cards via the ballooning wellness industry, have brought mysticism from the fringes, and right into your Instagram feed.
California governor Jerry Brown signed The California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act (SB-1249) into law last week, largely prohibiting the sale of cosmetic products and ingredients that have been tested on animals beginning in January 2020. Animal-tested products may still be sold in the state after the start of 2020, so long as the testing on them did not occur after that date. Violators will be punished with an initial fine of $5,000 and an additional $1,000 for each day the violation continues.
