Let’s be clear: I’ve always worn my Black Girl crown tall and high, never deflecting the magic that my race carries. But I recently had an epiphany: my beauty routine didn’t always reflect that.
Once only discussed through word of mouth, networks like Instagram and Reddit have helped bubble up black-owned beauty brands to the mainstream. As has the owner of this little makeup brand you’ve probably heard of called Fenty Beauty. You might know her…Rihanna? But according to stats from the U.S. Census Bureau, African-Americans still lag behind other groups when it comes to business ownership. We account for roughly 12 percent of the population, yet we only own just 3.3 percent of businesses. Many reasons go into these factors including less capital, low loan approval rates, and higher interest rates, yet still we push and are on the rise—among these businesses, black women are leading the charge.
From the top of my head, down to my feet, I had to really question myself and see if I had at least one nail polish, chapstick, eyeliner, lipstick, or hair pin by black owners. Even as an experienced beauty writer, the answer was still no. So I decided to go on a detox, putting aside my other beloved brands for a short while to use only black-owned beauty brands for a month straight.
Now, when I say I used only black-owned brands, I mean only—down everything in my shower and medicine cabinet. Yes, even toothpaste. I was worried at first it wouldn’t be possible, but wow was I wrong. Here’s everything I fell in love with over the course of the month.
I’m something of a natural deodorant savant, if you will. Not only do I use them myself, but a few years ago, I also volunteered to test first-generation versions, a somewhat challenging experience that makes me grateful for the sleeker, more effective aluminum-free formulas available today.
And while I dabble in natural deodorant, it’s also worth noting that according to both the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society, there’s very little scientific evidence to back up the claim that aluminum in antiperspirants is linked to increased breast cancer risk. But if you err on the side of caution—something I am uniquely qualified to understand—I get it.
Dove’s new 0% Aluminum Deodorant is the newest addition to the beauty behemoth’s offering of underarm products. And it’s the first that’s not an antiperspirant. There’s a difference: Antiperspirants basically plug the pores in your armpits to halt the flow of sweat. And there’s only one ingredient approved by the FDA to do this: Aluminum. Deodorants, on the other hand, simply neutralize or mask the smell of body odor caused by sweat (okay, technically it’s the bacteria breaking down that sweat—sorry). This distinction is important, because you then have to manage your expectations accordingly. If you swipe on an aluminum-free deodorant with the assumption that it’ll keep your sweat under control, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.
The first thing I noticed about the Dove 0% Aluminum Deodorant is that it didn’t sting. Some natural deodorants contain baking soda to absorb sweat, which can be irritating, while others zap those odor-causing bacteria with alcohol, which can burn a little if you have any nicks or abrasions from shaving. This formula has neither, which I really appreciate. I also liked that while the stick is white, the creamy formula disappears once it’s on your skin—a plus come summer.
At this point, I should share that I sweat a lot. I’m not being hyperbolic: In the warmer months, I have to mist my entire upper body with Dove’s Dry Spray Antiperspirant before I get dressed, lest I walk around looking like I caught the business end of a fire hydrant. So I know that a deodorant can’t handle my sweat glands, and I’m right. During hot yoga, I can feel beads of sweat trickling down my arms while I’m breathing my way through extended side angle. After an outdoor run, I’m not soaked, but definitely in need of a shower.
But for daily life, the deodorant holds up surprisingly well. When I’m overdressed for the weather, I don’t have to air out my underarms once I shed my coat. And while a sniff test informs me that I have some low-level stank happening after 24 hours, it’s nowhere near as bad as what I’ve whiffed with other aluminum deodorants. I’m impressed by how good the deodorizing is, as well as the comfort level. Unless my heart rate is up, it’s one of the best options I’ve tried.
Because of this, it’s an ideal starting point if you’re looking to switch from antiperspirant to deodorant. In fact, I might even be able to wear it year-round.
Dove 0% Aluminum Deodorant Pomegranate and Lemon Verbena, $6, walmart.com
Over the weekend Pete Davidson and Kate Beckinsale were spotted leaving a Los Angeles comedy club holding hands. In the paparazzi photo, seen above, Beckinsale, 45, with her open coat, knee-high boots, and sky-high ponytail, looks hot AF. Davidson, 25, leads the way in a graphic sweatshirt as a lollipop dangles from his mouth.
Nick Jonas, 26, put a ring on Priyanka Chopra, 36.
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The paparazzi shot called to mind another photo of Davidson, one from this summer that captured him with Ariana Grande as they left their then shared apartment. (This was before she said “Thank u, next” to their engagement.) In it, Grande wears an oversize sweatshirt with her signature thigh-high boots and sky-high ponytail, clasping hands with Davidson. They have matching lollipops. The photo spurred tons of memes, and quickly became one of 2018’s most popular Halloween costumes.
But it also signified something greater: The pic seemed to kick off a sea change in celebrity coupledom. Grande and Davidson had just announced their engagement, after only about a month of dating, and were happily flaunting their newfound love and commitment to the world. Soon after, their peers started following suit. Justin Bieber popped the question to Hailey Baldwin, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra made it official, and so on. As Glamour put it at the time, suddenly marriage and babies had become the new naked selfie.
Naomi Campbell, 48, isn’t the first older woman Liam Payne, 25, has dated. His ex, Cheryl Cole, was 10 years his senior.
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Davidson’s first boo’d up candy-coated pic might have kicked off the summer of love, but his latest shot with Beckinsale is announcing the current trend in celebrity relationships: More women in Hollywood are dating much younger men. There’s Beckinsale and Davidson and their 20-year age difference, of course. Meanwhile, Naomi Campbell, 48, is reportedly getting it on with One Direction–er Liam Payne, 25. This Is Us star Chrissy Metz, 38, is dating Hal Rosenfeld, a 25-year-old composer. Kourtney Kardashian, 39, may or may not be seeing Luka Sabbat, the 21-year-old Grown-ish star. And, as previously mentioned, Chopra, 36, and Jonas, 26, recently tied the knot.
Chrissy Metz, 38, and her boyfriend, Hal Rosenfeld, 25, tear up the red carpet.
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Older women with younger beaux is even becoming more normalized on television. In this season of Grace and Frankie, for example, Jane Fonda, 81, has a love interest in Peter Gallagher, 63. This is, of course, only a recent example—I have to hat-tip Golden Girls for pairing Blanche Devereaux with a much younger aerobics instructor all the way back in 1985. We’re breaking age barriers in politics too: French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife, Brigitte, is 24 years his senior, and they’re nothing short of couple goals.
People on Twitter are here for all of it. “Pete Davidson and Kate Beckinsale hooking up is foreshadowing how dope 2019 is going to be. Let’s go,” said one user. Another said, “I was not aware of Priyanka and Nick Jonas’ age difference until today and while before I didn’t particularly care about this couple I am in full Shakira-Pique support. GET IT LADIES.”
What’s even more surprising, given the garbage fire of hate that often comes with social media commentary? There’s very little outrage about their age differences. In the past we might have seen countless tweets and think pieces questioning what these men could possibly see in an older woman. Now, though, the narrative has shifted: People are valuing these relationships for what they really are—a hot, successful woman at the top of her game getting her life. People may have criticized the overt spon-con of Chopra and Jonas’ wedding, but nobody batted an eye at their age gap. In all the fanfare around Beckinsale and Davidson, people are only questioning why she’d be into him.
Studies say women don’t hit their sexual peak until they turn 36—why the hell wouldn’t these dudes want to get in on that?
It hasn’t always been this way. In the past, society gave men like actor Jason Statham, 51, a pat on the back for dating Victoria Secret’s model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, 31. Or praised Michael Douglas, 74, for landing Catherine Zeta-Jones, 49. But do you remember the backlash when the OGs of this trend, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, first began dating in 2009? It shocked the world. “People made such a fuss about it you would have thought the world had never seen it before,” Moore once said of the public fascination. “Age wasn’t what I was thinking about, but to the rest of the world, it was a very big deal.”
Kourtney Kardashian, 39, is the patron saint of dating below her age bracket. Luka Sabbat, her current fling, is 21. Scott Disick is 35. Her ex Younes Bendjima is 25.
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It’s 2019. Women are running for president in spades, taking back our power in Hollywood, and fully owning our sexuality. Isn’t it time to change the fact that women in Hollywood are told they’ve “peaked” at 30, while men age like a fine wine? Who knows, maybe more women dating a pretty young thing can change that mind-set. I mean, I’d love to watch a rom-com in which recent red-carpet BFFs Glenn Close and Timothée Chalamet (also known as Glennothée) fall madly in love. The more we honor these women as the sexy and powerful figures they are—whether it’s by respecting their desirability to younger men or simply validating their right to exist onscreen—the better off we’ll all be. In the meantime, I’ll just be here, setting my age limits on Bumble back by a few years.
Kendall Jenner confused me once last year when she posted a photo of herself fully awake but captioned it “I love naps,” and now she’s at it again. Her head-scratching action this time? Attending Drake’s New Year’s Eve party with sister Kylie Jenner, even though he’s infamously feuding with their brother-in-law, Kanye West.
Don’t know about that sitch? Here’s some quick background info: Kanye ignited his tumultuous relationship with Drake in mid-December when he posted a series of tweets accusing him of texting Kris Jenner and “taking food out [his] idol’s kids’ mouths.” What Kanye means by this is unclear, but we can assume he and Drake aren’t BFFs.
But that didn’t stop Kendall and Kylie from swinging by the “One Dance” rapper’s NYE bash at Delilah in Los Angeles. Check out a photo of the shindig, below. Do you see the woman in the neon green shirt? That’s Kendall! And the one with the blue wig? Yup, that’s Kylie.
PHOTO: Getty Images
Here are up-close looks at Kendall and Kylie from that night for more proof:
And, for a little refresher, here are some of the charged tweets both Kanye and Kim wrote to Drake just a few weeks ago.
The kicker to all of this is that on the same night Kylie and Kendall attended this party, Kanye was literally going off on Drake for following Kim on Instagram. TMZ has all of those screen shots, as well as Kanye’s since-deleted tweet from New Year’s Day that read, “I love Drake 2019 we will all heal.” That’s a positive message and certainly suggests Drake and Kanye’s feud is ending—but still! It’s hilarious Kendall and Kylie seemingly had nothing else to do on New Year’s Eve but attend this party. The drama of it all!
And they’ve could’ve done so many other things, too—like eat small slices of pizza in ball gowns or stare at each other in silence. These activities—which, yes, Kendall and Kylie have both actually done—are far less dramatic than attending the party of their brother-in-law’s temporary Twitter nemesis. What does Kris Jenner think?!
Happy days are here again, because Peter Kraus—a.k.a Hot Peter from Rachel Lindsay’s season of The Bachelorette—and Bibiana Julian, Winter Games queen and contestant from Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s Bachelor season, are reportedly dating.
This news comes from E!, which reports exclusively the two reality stars are “casually” seeing each other. They were spotted at a Miami Heat game on Tuesday, December 4 (in Bibiana’s hometown of Miami) and have actually been friendly for a while now. “Most recently [they] started hanging out alone,” a source reveals. “There is definitely a romantic connection there.”
“It’s very new and they are seeing how things go,” adds the source. “It’s hard because their relationship is long distance, but they are trying to see how things pan out and are definitely into each other.”
I ship this hardcore—more than I’ve shipped any Bachelor couple. In fact, I’ve never really shipped a Bachelor couple until this moment. JoJo Fletcher? A legend, but I was never invested in her love life. Nick Viall? Cared more about his tenure on Dancing With the Stars than his final rose. Peter and Bibiana, though? Wow. If they’re actually a couple, I never have to find love.
Below, a video of Hot Peter and Bibiana sitting together at the Miami Heat game:
Peter Kraus, as we all remember, was an icy-haired dream on Rachel’s season of The Bachelorette who just wanted to drink wine and paint. Who doesn’t want to drink wine and paint?! Now Bibiana gets to drink wine and paint with Peter as he just sits there with his sexy teeth gap and broad shoulders. It’s a modern-day Nicholas Sparks novel.
And it’s what Bibiana deserves. She was put through the ringer on Bachelor Winter Games and Arie’s season. Remember the romantic love nest she set up for Arie that he cuddled in with another girl? Peter would never do that! He’s too busy figuring out Bibiana’s pinot grigio of choice and booking them a session at Color Me Mine. Please let this be real!
At 97 years old, Glamour 2018 Woman of the Year honoree Betty Reid Soskin is full of stories that feel more relevant than ever. The oldest serving National Park Service ranger has worked in union halls under Jim Crow segregation, established the first black household in a discriminating California suburb, fought for black history to be represented in the park system, and recorded it all in her memoir, Sign My Name to Freedom.
“Democracy has been experiencing these periods of chaos since 1776. They come and go,” she told Glamour in her Women of the Year profile. “And it’s in those periods that democracy is redefined.” When everything seems to be crumbling, we can remold and reset, she believes: “History has been written by people who got it wrong, but the people who are always trying to get it right have prevailed. If that were not true, I would still be a slave like my great-grandmother.”
And tonight, November 12, at Glamour‘s Women of the Year awards, Soskin shared even more wisdom. Actor Andie MacDowell introduced Soskin. “I have the great privilege of serving on the board of the National Forest Foundation, and I love our national parks,” MacDowell said. “In both you can find some of America’s greatest treasures. One of the standouts is not a tall tree or a grand river, but a woman who encompasses strength and grace we all aspire to: 97-year-old National Park Service ranger Betty Reid Saskin. Betty is posted at the Rosie the Riveter/World War Two Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California, where she reminds audiences that ‘what gets remembered depends on who in the room is doing the remembering.’ So Betty remembers and educates on behalf of generations of women of color and other marginalized communities, sharing forgotten stories that span from Dread Scott to Black Lives Matter.”
“Betty has served in many roles: military administrator, civil rights freedom fighter, California field rep, DNC delegate, record shop owner, songwriter, author, daughter, wife, mother, and ranger,” she continued. “But the greatest part she has played in history—so far—is serving as our American conscience.”
Read Soskin’s speech, below:
Thank you very much. You have no idea what it means to me to be here. Thank you very much Glamour, but thanks to all women who are finally stepping up and making their voices heard bc that voice has been missing throughout my life.
That voice is so needed. I was so elated at this election where women took their places in leadership.
I am so aware that I am living in my final decade, that every single, minute, hour has meaning to me. The truth that Kamala was talking about has been the life force for me. Because I don’t have time. If I don’t get it right, I don’t have time to do it over. That’s true for the nation and also true for us.
I know these periods of chaos have been with us since 1776. The period that I have been most marked by was that of the 60s where I was an activist in the black revolution. Along with millions of others in this country, I helped to create the future I’m privileged to now be living in. You can’t imagine what that’s like. You can’t imagine.
Thank you Glamour. And thank you all.
Get more inspiring moments from Glamour‘s Women of the Year awards here.
