Highlighter has lived a life. What came into this world as a subtle way to draw attention to your cheekbones has gone through countless different incarnations. Colors, textures, finishes—any variable that beauty brands could switch up, over the past few years, they most certainly have.
So when gold shades started being featured more prominently alongside a wave of gemstone-colored highlighters, at first they seemed like a flash in the pan. Give or take a few months, and golden shades are everywhere. Fenty, naturally, paved the way with its gilded shade Trophy Wife, a yellow-gold made to suit every skin tone. NYX’s Born to Glow imparts a gorgeous, super-intense shimmer. Even brands that excel at shimmery champagnes and peaches, like Becca—who, alongside Anastasia Beverly Hills, has cornered the market on all things glow—are welcoming the color to the stable.
Dip a finger into one, and you get it. The color sparkles on medium and dark skin tones, and warms up paler ones like golden hour light, despite looking intimidatingly extra in the pan.
To prove just how wearable the shade really is, we had five Glamour staffers—with varying degrees of highlighter prowess—detail their thoughts on wearing the Midas of highlighters: Becca’s new Gold Lava shade. Read on for their honest thoughts.
“For every day, I usually prefer a natural highlight that’s more lit-from-within than sparkly. But if I’m going out or taking pictures, I love something shimmery. This looked like a little much for me everyday, but it’s super pretty. I didn’t love the gold right when I applied it, but by end of day, it settled down into a really pretty soft glow. It’s fun. I’d definitely wear it for a night out.” —Bella Cacciatore, beauty assistant
“I like this because it looks champagne-y, and not just gold—and it fits my neutral, olive skin really well. It glides smoothly on, without any flaking or fall-out, and it stays on well—I usually have to use a cream and a powder. This is so vibrant, it’s good on its own.” —Azadeh Valanejad, video producer
“I’m surprised by how much I like this. It looks like a little shimmer on, and it goes well with my bronzer, which is key to sustaining my summer glow for the colder months. I originally thought the gold color would be too much and I’d only be able to wear it if I were going out, but I’d definitely wear it everyday. It’s a lot more subtle than I imagined.” —Tara Gonzalez, commerce editor
“As someone with a medium to dark skin tone, this highlighter is one of my go-to shades. A little definitely goes a long way, but it layers nicely. I have other highlighters in a similar color, and the more pigment you add, the more texture it usually adds to your skin. This didn’t do that.” —Khaliha Hawkins, digital administrative assistant
“This surprised me. I love the wide world of highlight colors, but usually reach for the cool, pearly tones that play up my skin (when you’re my level of pale, anything darker than champagne reads very apparent). This gold is everything, though. Instead of reading metallic, Becca’s highlight masters figured out how to reach this sunny, shimmery tone—it’s like if highlighter and bronzer had a baby. It’s the product equivalent of Gisele.” —Rachel Nussbaum, beauty writer
Game of Thrones may be ending next year, but thanks to some new body art, Emilia Clarke will be the Mother of Dragons for life.
The actor showed off some new ink on Instagram Thursday (September 20), which features three small black dragon shapes flying up her wrist toward her hand. “MOD 4 LYFE!!!!” she wrote, referring to her status as mom to her scaly TV children. “@dr_woo_ made sure this mamma ain’t NEVER forgetting her babies….” In the photo, she’s grinning ear to ear, and looks like she couldn’t be happier about her tiny tattoos.
Game of Thrones fans probably knew this tattoo was coming. In May, she told Ryan Seacrest and Kelly Ripa that she was planning on getting a tattoo when the show was over. “I’m going to get a dragon right here kind of flying away,” she said, pointing at her wrist. “So I think that’s cool. A little kind of peace out.”
She further celebrated her departure from Westeros by chopping the “burnt-out Mother of Dragons split ends” off her hair. (So, in other words, a breakup cut, but with a TV show instead of a significant other.)
Clarke isn’t the only one to commemorate her turn on the show with a permanent souvenir. In 2016, onscreen sisters Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams got the numbers “07.08.09” tattooed on their forearms to commemorate the day they both found out they’d been cast on the series. Williams also has the phrase “no one” inked onto her body, likely referencing the time in season six when one of the Faceless Men, Jaqen H’ghar, told her, “A girl is no one.” For her part, Turner has a photo of a direwolf on her inner arm with the phrase, “The pack survives.”
Thanks to their epic body art, this “pack” will clearly survive long after the last episode airs.
As if they weren’t iconic enough already, Beyoncé and Jay-Z just got a standing ovation for eating in a restaurant. That’s right—the world’s foremost power couple received a level of applause most performers can only hope for…just by gracing mere mortals with their dining presence. The glorious incident was captured on camera and published by TMZ, who reported that the two were enjoying a meal at the Aurora restaurant in Capri, Italy.
As TMZ’s footage shows, while Bey and Jay were making their way out, their fellow diners rose to their feet and clapped and cheered. The owner also got a hug from Jay-Z, TMZ reports, and as the pair exited with their entourage, they received a chorus of parting “ciaos.”
Later, as a video from Instagram account @beylite2.0 shows, the couple took a stroll through the streets of Capri while holding hands. In the video, people can be heard gasping and probably expressing the Italian equivalent of “OMG, is that Beyoncé?!”
[embedded content]
It looks like Beyoncé and Jay-Z have stayed in Europe for a week-long vacation after wrapping up the continental leg of their On the Run II tour. After kicking things off in Cardiff in the U.K. way back in June, the couple performed their way through the U.K., the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Spain before giving their final concert in Nice, France, on July 17. People reported on Monday that they took a yacht off the Amalfi Coast in Italy. (This would have been before their applause-worthy dinner date.) Although Blue Ivy, Rumi, and Sir are also on tour with their parents, People reported, they weren’t seen in paparazzi photos of the Carters’ boat trip.
On Wednesday, July 25, they’ll pick things up in Cleveland before embarking on the North American leg of their tour—where we can only assume they will be greeted with equally fawning crowds going, well, apesh*t.
Christian Siriano has won huge amounts of acclaim in the past—not just for his gorgeous designs, but for his embrace of pretty much anyone who wants to wear his creations. In an industry still dominated by sample sizes (though it’s slowly getting better), Siriano puts an emphasis on being size inclusive. As Fawnia Soo Hoo wrote for Glamour in February, “He’s also managed to smash the mold of what a typical “red-carpet moment” looks like. No matter your age or body type, if Siriano likes your work, he’ll want to dress you—a strategy that’s proved successful with a broad range of celebrities and their stylists.”
Siriano’s efforts to be inclusive separate him from other couture designers, but as he told the executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America Fern Mallis at a recent panel at the 92nd St. Y, his personal mission and love for every single kind of woman has proven to be great for his brand. To the tune of: Dressing plus-size women has tripled—yep, tripled—his business. (Now is a good time to add that the plus-size fashion market is worth $21 billion.)
“Adding plus sizes to my line tripled my business. Why wouldn’t you do that?! Do we not want to triple the business? Do we not think these women should wear our clothes? Do we not want these women to have beautiful things because we’re afraid they’re not beautiful? What is going on here?,” the 32-year-old said at the event.
And while he acknowledged that designing beyond sample sizes involves different considerations, he also added that his brand (rightly) never charges more for larger-sized designs. After all, “You want to look cute in a dress and you’re a size 26? Why not?!”
Siriano’s business is now 50 percent plus size, he said—and his clout is leading to change within the industry. “We got Moda Operandi to change their whole website—now they go up to our sizes,” the designer said. “Knowing we have a part in change like that, it’s amazing… but it’s still crazy to me that it’s not the norm.”
How many watch parties were confused tonight when, halfway through the broadcast, The Bachelorette cut over to Donald Trump meeting Kim Jong-Un for the first time? God, I hope at least one person had a little too much Final Rosé and thought Becca was getting two new additions to the mansion. But enough with world politics and on to the important things: This episode’s recap.
It’s raining in California, so the guys are being appropriately emo—especially Jordan and David. Jordan’s the worst, according to David, because he ran around the house naked but also spends too much time picking out clothes. Jordan says David sucks because he’s “walking around cooking scrambled eggs all day.” Wow, they both make such solid arguments. What side to choose?!
Meanwhile, Colton is sulking because he told Becca last week that he dated her friend, former Bachelor contestant Tia, and it didn’t go well. Funny how that works.
But just when I think the guys are moody enough to start smoking clove cigarettes and expand their beret collection, Chris Harrison comes in with good news: There’ll be two group dates and a “fantastic” one-on-one date this week. First up is a group date with the following: Wills, Jason, Jordan, David, Jean Blanc, and Colton.
Colton views this as a chance to prove to Becca his feelings. Cue a knock on the door: It’s Tia! She’s here with other favorites from Arie’s season—Caroline, Bekah, Kendall, and Seinne—to check out the guys and give Becca feedback. Before the guys show up, though, Becca asks Tia about her fling with Colton. It’s a little awkward, but Tia says they dated before The Bachelor even started airing and he ended things when he was cast.
Becca, understandably, is concerned that Colton applied for the show thinking Tia was going to be the Bachelorette. Her goal for the group date—which involves the guys pampering the women at a spa—is to feel out whether he’s here for her or not.
But first, she must introduce the guys to her friends, which brings me to the best part of this episode: BECCA FORGETS JASON’S NAME. I’ve been watching this show since Jake Pavelka’s season and that is an actual first. Even Arie, a man whose brain is filled with race car exhaust fumes, remembered his contestants’ names.
I’d rather spend hours dissecting the ramifications of this than any of the Colton-Tia-Becca drama, but Jason takes it surprisingly well. In fact, when he tells Colton they should talk about the “elephant in the room” he means the Tia situation and not the fact that the woman he is dating doesn’t even know his name. LOL this show.
As for the date itself, I think the women spend more time painting the guys nails than getting pampered. (Fun fact: Jason looks fab in a hot pink shade.) Kendall’s the only one interested in watching how the guys interact with Becca, but I get it: If I were one of these ladies, I’d be all about the free back massages and foot rubs.
But Becca can’t fully relax without addressing the Colton-Tia situation head on, so she pulls Tia aside for a chat. Tia says the most they did was kiss; early on in their relationship, or whatever it was, he told her he applied for the show and that was that. “I hope he’s fully here for you,” Tia says. This doesn’t really answer everything for me—or, apparently, Becca because she admits she’s still confused.
Later at the after party, Becca says she really likes Jason and has “a little crush” on him—but girl, you don’t know his name! Still, they makeout. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
While that’s going on, Jordan tells the other dudes that he’s had over 4,000 matches on Tinder. The guys try to dissect how much time that would take and the “matching percentages,” as if Jordan would have meaningful contributions to a conversation about math.
This annoys David so much that he uses his alone time with Becca to shit talk Jordan.
“She sees the inner chicken in me.” David, bragging.
Becca teases Jordan about it, which annoys him. A petty fight between Jordan and David ensues that ends with this exchange: “I have trouble achieving a 100% success rate in all walks of life,” David says. “Hey, cheers to you being a bitch,” Jordan shoots back before walking away to clear the air with Becca. The real highlight of this fight is Wills’ amazing head shakes, reaction faces, and giggles in the background.
“Guess what: Attached to me is my professionality.” – Jordan
When Becca and Colton finally sit down together, he says some vague things about why he’s here. They kiss. It’s fine. She gives him the date rose.
The next day, Becca has a one-on-one date with Chris. They head to Capitol Records, where Grammy-winning artist Richard Marx is playing the piano. He serenades Becca with “Right Here Waiting,” and it’s a very romantic date…between Becca and Richard.
[embedded content]
Eventually, Richard reveals the real reason he’s here: to write a love song for Chris and Becca. The two are separated so they can go write in a journal about their feelings. (Uh, told you this episode is extra moody.) Chris says he’s having a hard time being vulnerable because his parents divorced when he was young; when he wrote a letter to his dad a few years ago expressing all his feelings about their relationship, it went unanswered. Becca’s basically like—in a very nice way!—”get over and be vulnerable or else.”
The finished love song is good, but let’s be real: It’s no “Right Here Waiting.”
Back at the mansion, the following guys get invited on the next group date: Clay, Leo, Christon, Ryan, John, Garrett, Mike, Lincoln, Connor, and Blake.
PHOTO: Paul Hebert
I heard feedback from our Senior Beauty Editor’s boyfriend, Mike, that I should give contestant Mike more attention because he’s a great sports writer. So, here’s a photo of Mike for Mike!
On their date, Chris and Becca sit down to a dinner they won’t eat and he explains why it’s so hard to open up. Becca’s happy she got to see that side of him, so she gives him a rose. They go to another room, and, you guessed it, Richard Marx is at a piano playing “Right Here Waiting” again. Well, that’s now stuck in my head forever, so thanks Bach.
But hold up: There’s a dramatic cut to David being carried out (in his underwear, no less) on a stretcher. There’s blood everywhere. Lincoln’s saying nobody knows if he’s going to make it. What?!
The next morning, with bloody towels still strewn about the mansion, Chris Harrison tells Becca that David was rushed to the hospital and is in intensive care. His diagnosis: “Busted nose. Busted face.” Her first question is, “Who did that?” I think that reveals a lot about what Becca really thinks of her Bachelors. The answer is nobody, though: David fell out of his bunk bed and landed on his face.
She calls him to check on him, but has to keep the convo short because there’s a group date to prioritize. The premise: Two women from the Legends football league are here to make the guys run drills, followed by a “Becca Bowl” football game. I don’t have much to say about game—I watch one sports game a year, the Super Bowl, and only for the snacks—but I do get that it’s serious when Clay, a professional player, injures his wrist and is sent to the ER.
“How many people is Becca gonna put in the hospital this season?” – my husband
Another sneak injury I noticed at the after party: Blake’s fingers were taped up. Why is everyone so injured?
Despite his trip to the hospital, Clay shows up to the party with his arm in a sling. Apparently he left early—he literally told the doctor “we can do this tomorrow”—in order to have more time with Becca. She rewards him with a rose, as she should.
It doesn’t last long, though: The next day Clay finds out he needs an operation for his wrist which means he has to leave early. He and Becca share a tearful goodbye, and it’s so sad that we don’t even get a rose ceremony this episode!
Next week: David’s back! “The chicken crossed the road and got hit by a bus.” Uh oh, Becca’s feeling disrespected.
Unfortunately, new episodes of Game of Thrones aren’t airing until April 2019—but while we wait, we can enjoy a reunion from two of the OG characters: Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa). Clarke shared a photo on Instagram Sunday (June 3) of Momoa holding her on the Iron Throne during a GoT cast party this weekend. Clarke captioned the picture, “FYI…This is the closest you’ll ever get to me attempting ‘that lift’ from dirty dancing. Yes, my man is sitting. Yes, there’s no lake. And yes, I have no idea I’m NOT being raised above his head.” Momoa uploaded photos of himself and Clarke to his Instagram and captioned them, “Moon of my life @emilia_clarke every time I leave you my face hurts from smiling to much. I Fucking love you forever.”
See the posts for yourself, below:
Momoa and Clarke weren’t the only Game of Thrones stars who were reunited at the Ireland bash. Momoa also shared a photo of Kit Harington (Jon Snow) on the Iron Throne with him, while Clarke was caught posing with Nathalie Emmanuel, who plays Dany’s right-hand woman, Missandei.
Though Momoa’s Drogo was (spoiler alert) killed off in season 1, he and Clarke have shared cute Insta moments before; back in November, they met up for drinks and selfies, with Clarke captioning a photo of the pair, “When life is so good that your sun and stars is in your city…you lose your eyes and gain 5 grins ? (and gins).”
Season 8 is set to be the last for GoT, and Clarke has already shot her final scene as Dany. The Mother of Dragons got emotional during her final moments on set, explaining in a Vanity Fair interview, “It f*cked me up. Knowing that is going to be a lasting flavor in someone’s mouth of what Daenerys is… ” Still, fans shouldn’t despair when they consider there are a mere six epodes left in the series; with a cast this close, there will always be plenty of opportunities for your favorite characters to get back together. Even if it’s only in a world without dragons.
