Tag: LifeChanging

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I Got a Lash Lift, and It Was Lifechanging – Lash Lift Review


I have pretty short lashes and love a more dramatic lash, so a lift didn’t give me the same instant satisfaction that extensions did, but I definitely noticed a difference. I feel more comfortable going to the beach or running out for breakfast without mascara because of the tint, but for my day-to-day I’m still wearing mascara to get the really lashy look I love. Despite not actually adding any length, the curl makes my lashes look longer, and it really opens up my small eyes. Essentially, it’s the perfect base to get the dramatic look I never could with my natural lashes.

Wearing mascara wth my lift.

Bella Cacciatore

Done right, it can be good for your lashes

If you’re looking to nurse damaged lashes back to health, the good news is a lift can actually help you. “Lash curlers and the act of scrubbing off mascara every night are damaging to natural lashes,” says Buhler. With a lift, you can avoid all that and let your lashes grow long and strong.

It’s more low maintenance than you think

Extensions, as glamorous and fluffy as they are, are a huge pain to keep up with. They need to be filled every two to three weeks, and you have to be incredibly gentle with them when washing your face, sleeping, and doing your makeup to avoid shedding. Not only does actually getting the lift take half as long as extensions (a lift took about an hour, where extensions can be anywhere from two to three hours), it lasts between six and eight weeks (but the tint will fade around three).

The only time you have to be as careful with a lift as extensions is in the 24 hours following your appointment. In order for the lashes to totally set, avoid wearing eye makeup, getting them wet, or taking a super steamy shower. Buhler also recommends a lash conditioner like coconut or castor oil, or a lash serum, especially if you’re trying to grow them longer. (I’ve been using Grande Cosmetics’ GrandeLash.) “With lash lifts you don’t need to worry about making it last—once it’s done, it’s done for the entire lifespan of your natural lashes,” she says.

While a lash lift is subtle, it makes a big difference

I’ve found my lift is a great way to trick people into thinking I’m blessed with Bambi lashes. I have never, ever been complemented on my eyelashes, but since getting a lift I’ve had friends and colleagues commenting left and right. Even a makeup artist couldn’t believe they were my natural(ish) lashes. Because they’re so short to begin with, a traditional lash curler has actually made my lashes look shorter, so it’s fun to live like the other half. Consider me hooked.



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I Got Rid of All My Old Underwear and It Was Lifechanging


A few weeks before Thanksgiving last year, I was on a panel for a lingerie brand where we were talking about who our underthings were for. Namely, when we slipped on a pair of sexy underwear, did we do it for ourselves, or did we do it for the person who might be lucky enough to slip it off? I argued that it wasn’t an either/or issue—it could be a both/and. “I feel sexy when I know that someone wants to rip my panties off,” I argued to a room full of gals grasping gin cocktails.

Then the next morning, I rolled out of bed, took a shower, and opened my underwear drawer to start getting ready—and I was horrified by what was looking back at me. My bras were ratty and stretched out. My underwear were old and full of holes. It was a bleak scene. This was the panty drawer that, according to what I’d told a room full of women the previous evening, was my source of strength and sexiness. And it was a f*cking mess.

Now, looking back at the year I had in 2018, and the lack of sex I had in said year (it was the driest of spells, my friends), it’s not surprising that my panty drawer looked like a post-apocalyptic relic. I worked through a series of hard knocks and bad dates. I lost my job in the beginning of the year, so instead of focusing on dating and caring for myself, I focused on getting my career back on track. Because of my professional pitfalls, I felt like a loser and a failure. And that’s not exactly the hottest feeling in the world, so my dating life suffered. I was in survival mode, not siren mode. My clothing, both visible and not, took a hit as a result.

But that was then. And in the cold light of day, I realized that I needed a change. I wanted my sexy back, and I was going to start with my underwear drawer. But instead of just relying on the same stretch cotton I typically did, I was going to finally indulge in some lacy underthings. (My fun fact is that, in the years before this panty overhaul, I’d just go commando on dates where I thought that sex was a possibility. Yes, even in a dress. I know.)

To me, lingerie was always the ultimate indulgence. It was one of those things that I’d dreamed of owning when I was broke and living off pasta in college. “When I make it, I want to invest in some amazing lingerie,” I’d tell my friends. “That’s how I know that I’m successful.” Until then, I relied on bargain bin panties and bras at a heavy discount. Were they cute? Absolutely not. But economic? Of course. My Depression-era grandmother would be proud of those panty purchases.

Tossing out the old undies felt like I was cutting ties with a part of myself that no longer served me

One of the benefits of the tough 2018 I’d was that I started making good money as a freelancer—more, in fact, than I’d made in my previous full-time jobs. I hadn’t exactly “made it” per se, but I did have a little extra income to splurge on some bras and panties. That, coupled with the insane Black Friday sales that came up a few weeks later, and I was able to do a complete overhaul for a grand total of less than $300. I shopped around, but got the most stuff from Savage x Fenty, because their sizing was amazing and their deals—like three-packs for $30—were fabulous. (Leave it to Rihanna to do lingerie right.)

Every time a package arrived, it felt like it was Christmas morning. I’d open them up, lay my bounty on my bed, and do a little fashion show for myself in the mirror of my bedroom. The transformation I felt was instant, and it was incredible. Slipping on the new underthings, for me, was like popping on Wonder Woman’s arm cuffs. I felt invincible and confident, regardless of what I was wearing on top of the underwear. Underneath, I had super powers.

Tossing out the old undies felt like I was cutting ties with a part of myself that no longer served me. I was saying goodbye to the sad, schlubby gal who spent her days in leggings and cried because she didn’t know how she was going to pay her bills. I’d replaced her with a newer, more confident person who felt good in her skin. My underwear, surprisingly, was the foundation of that transformation. I’d slip it on in the morning and look at myself in the mirror with nothing but my panties on. I felt good about the way I looked, which made me want to take that energy into the rest of my day. I started dressing in clothing, not loungewear, and I started feeling better about the way I looked. And all it took was a new wardrobe of underwear. Who knew?

Since then, I’ve become a big proponent of the lingerie overhaul. I know it’s a luxury that seems incredibly unnecessary for a lot of women. I get it. I used to order packs of underwear off of Amazon and call it a day. But I cannot stress the beauty of doing something that solely for you. They don’t have to be frilly and lacy with mesh or bows—just something you feel excited to put on each morning the same way you do with a favorite dress or pair of boots. For me, that’s sheer lace bra and G-string. If someone else gets to see them? Well, that’s great too.

Maria Del Russo is a sex and relationship writer in Brooklyn, NY. Her first book, Simple Acts of Love, will be out this summer.



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'This Is Us' Season 2 Episode 4 Recap: Kate Finds Out Something Life-Changing


Tonight’s episode of This Is Us revealed something huge—and I mean huge. I don’t even want to do any throat-clearing; let’s just get right to the recap, which is organized by character and time period this week. (Spoilers ahead, of course.)

The ’80s:

It’s snowing. The Pearson clan is at a video store, and Rebecca’s trying to force everyone to watch Broadcast News. Hmm, first Tom Hanks movies and now this; Rebecca has some vanilla-AF taste. Young Kevin apparently has the chicken pox, and I know I should feel sorry for him, but he’s a terror, so I’m ambivalent.

Child Kate also has the chicken pox, and a doctor encourages Child Randall to also contract them because of…reasons. It’s allegedly good for siblings to get this sickness at the same time. Moving on. Rebecca’s horrible mom shows up unexpectedly to help with the chicken pox-infected children, which will obviously end badly. If you forgot, this woman sucks. She literally bought Child Kate a Little Mermaid costume that was too small and said it can be her “goal dress.” She then gives Randall a basketball because…he’s black?! She’s a monster.

Jack’s grand plan to help Child Kevin deal with his chicken pox is having him growl like a tiger. It’s supposed to be cute, but it’s mostly just loud. Rebecca’s mom walks by and tells them to STFU, which is the first (and only) time this episode I liked her.

She quickly fell back into my bad graces when she insulted Child Randall’s science project. How can you be mean to Child Randall? He’s the most angelic creature on Earth. Oh, Jack now also has the chicken pox, which means Rebecca’s going to be stuck alone with her maybe-racist mom and the sick kids.

“Did Grandma shoot him?!” — Child Randall, asking if his racist grandmother killed Martin Luther King Jr.

Yup, Rebecca’s mom is definitely racist. She makes some disgusting comment about how it’s shocking Randall got into private school and not Kevin and Kate. Rebecca, naturally, blows up at her mom, saying she’s not going to expose Randall to such demeaning behavior. She flat-out calls her mom a racist…and Child Randall is right behind her, hearing this entire thing. Oof. So difficult to watch—and also, true to This Is Us form, emotional whiplash. We went from 0 to 100 in five seconds. White Jack explaining to 10-year-old Randall what micro-aggressive racism is might be the most awkward, cringe-worthy thing that’s ever happened on this show.

Rebecca and Jack are so desperate to get Rebecca’s mom out of their house that Jack goes outside—with the chicken pox—to shovel snow off the driveway so she can drive home. Rebecca’s mom says Randall is “foreign” to her and that she has to “try” to see him as part of their family. Rebecca, obviously, is having none of this, but things end on a somewhat sweet note: Rebecca’s mom looks at Randall’s final, finished science project and calls him a special boy. Randall, the shady icon he is, simply responds, “It took you long enough [to realize that].” Kid Randall for all the Emmys.

Present Day Randall

Randall and Beth’s foster child, Déjà, still DGAF about connecting with their family. They notice that Déjà hasn’t washed her hair since she’s moved in, and Beth says they need to have a hygiene talk with her about it. Randall doesn’t want to because he’s afraid it’ll push her further away—which is understandable. That’s a difficult conversation to have!

Oh no. Adult Randall takes the girls bowling, and one of the girls at the alley makes a joke about Déjà’s “nasty” hair. This causes Randall and the girl’s father to get into a full-on fight, which ends in Déjà saying she isn’t Randall’s daughter. This is all very sad and difficult to watch. I miss when Randall was just hot and made dad jokes. Randall gives in and asks Beth to chat with Déjà about her hair.

“Are we seriously having a conversation right now about the order of Annie’s boo-boo kiss?” — Beth

Which was the right decision all along. Beth gives Déjà a genuinely moving speech about how her sisters bonded by doing each other’s hair. This softens Déjà up, and she asks Beth to do her hair. Beth is the best person on this show, and I’m crying.

Déjà apparently has a hair condition that causes locks to fall out when she’s stressed—and it appears her traumatic childhood has only made that worse. Beth offers to braid Déjà’s hair in order to cover up the patches. Again, this is all so beautiful and wonderful, and that’s all I have to say.

Randall opens up about his panic attacks to Déjà in an attempt to connect with her. I get why he’s choosing this method, but isn’t that a little deep for a pre-teen? He tells Déjà Beth told him about her stress-related hair problems; Déjà’s understandably upset by this. She cuts all her braids off in retaliation, and Beth is devastated.

Present Day Kate and Kevin

Kate’s working out and trying to distract herself from the muffin placed in front of her. Meh, this is exactly the kind of reductive weight-loss crap I thought we were done with. Anyway, Toby tells Kate her weight-loss goals have turned obsessive and that they haven’t been connecting (read: boning). This is annoying; like, Kate has her plate full, man. Stop making her feel bad for not sleeping with you! Apparently, her first big singing gig is happening soon, and she has a dress she’s determined to fit into. This is similar to the “goal” dress her grandmother bought her as a child. Yikes, what a destructive concept! Just buy clothes that fit!

This isn’t the only destructive thing Kate does, though. It appears she wants to buy herself pills or laxatives to help accelerate her weight-loss process. Maybe Toby’s right about this turning into an obsession. She ultimately fits into the singing-gig dress, but for some reason she isn’t happy about it. WTF?

Adult Kevin’s a colossal idiot and didn’t tell the medic on the set of his movie that his knee is messed up. One of the producers is pissed about this, and now they have to change the shooting schedule. Kevin has to get surgery on his knee, and while under anesthesia he starts having flashbacks about his dad. It’s sad, but also, like, Kevin wouldn’t be in this situation if he wasn’t a flop actor.

“Look at all of that kiwi on a stick.” — Kevin

Kevin’s out of the hospital, and Toby and Kate agree to care for him. However, Toby flips out when Kate wants to go to her yoga class minutes after Kevin comes home, further confirming his controlling worm tendencies. Just let Kate live. Kevin refuses to take the pain medication prescribed to him, which is more evidence he has addiction issues. (Remember last week when we saw him take those pills and Kate made some ominous comment about how he’s just like Jack? Subtlety isn’t this show’s strong suit.) He tells Toby he’s going to rip his cast off so he can recover faster, which seems like a dumb idea. But this is Kevin, so I’m not surprised.

Awww, now I’m feeling a little sympathy for him, though. A production assistant drops off a revised movie script to his house, and it looks like they’ve cut some of his lines due to this injury. Toby walks in on Kevin working out his knee on the treadmill—the exact opposite of what the doctors told him to do. Kevin finally opens up about why he has such a complex about this: He was a star athlete in high school, but a knee injury forced him to stop playing, which irrevocably changed his future. Now he’s afraid the same thing will happen to his acting career if his knee doesn’t get under control. Here’s the thing, though: This is why he needs to rest! Ultimately, Kevin chooses to take the pain medication and go back to work which, if last week is any indication, is a bad, bad idea.

But who cares about any of this, because This Is Us just dropped the biggest bombshell to end all bombshells: Kate. Is. Pregnant. That‘s why she’s been such a stickler about her diet and fitness regimen. That‘s why she was eyeing laxatives/pills at the pharmacy (there were pregnancy tests in that store too). The final scene of this episode shows Kate having an ultrasound done; she’s six weeks along, and nobody knows. You guys, everything is about to change now. My body is covered head to toe in goosebumps, and I don’t care how ridiculous that makes me. This show is lit.

Parting thoughts: KATE IS PREGNANT!!!!

Related Stories:

The Story Behind Kate and Rebecca’s Explosive Fight on This Is Us



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