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7 Best Espresso Machines in 2020 to Unleash Your Inner Barista


It seems like eons ago when we were routinely sipping perfectly frothed lattes brewed by our local baristas, but bringing the best espresso machine into your kitchen could help fill the void of your favorite neighborhood cafe. Sure, you won’t be pumping out Lourve-level portraits in cappuccino form on your first try, but you can still whip up caffeinated beverages that far outshine the canned cold brew you’ve been pounding. Aside from quality of taste and consistency, investing in an espresso machine will make an impact on your wallet, because every coffee lover knows how quickly a daily caffeine fix adds up.

Making your beverages of choice at home is a great way to practice social distancing, and you might just learn a thing or two about the art of a great espresso. You don’t have to be a professional barista to create complex, flavorful drinks—but the first step is a great espresso machine. We spoke to Giorgio Milos, Master Barista for Illy Caffè, about what to look for in a quality machine. Ahead, his insights on how to find the one for you, and the seven best espresso machines reviewers can’t stop raving about.

What kind of espresso machines exist out there?

The best espresso machine for you depends on your needs and experience level. Manual machines, which you use to pump espresso out by hand sans electricity, are the most difficult to master. Semi-automatic machines are prepped the same way, but they operate with a dial or a button for water flow, rather than a lever. Automatic machines require you to grind the beans before they automatically brew your espresso drink, while super-automatic machines grind the beans for you. Just looking for something convenient? Capsule machines are the way to go. “For at-home use, I recommend capsule machines which prepare a consistent, beautifully tasting espresso,” explains Milos. “I have the illy X7.1 at home and use it every morning, but there are smaller and more affordable machines like the Y3.2, which is good for first-time buyers.”

How does an espresso machine work?

“For coffee purists, espresso is the quintessential coffee preparation—rich, aromatic, and velvety all at once; a natural layer of crema on top belying a full-bodied, yet deftly balanced liquid below,” muses Milos. “A jet of hot water passes under a pressure of nine bars through a cake-like layer of ground and tamped coffee. It’s truly a small miracle of chemistry and physics: science and art gliding together on air.” Securing a machine with nine bars of pressure is what experts will tell you makes true espresso, but stove-top alternatives will still get the job done if you’re on a budget.

What is the best espresso machine?

There are several top-rated machines to consider, at a range of price points and functionalities, but the best machines have optimal pressure and water temperature. “Pressure is what makes espresso different from any other coffee preparation. Fortunately, almost all espresso machines come with a pump system that can handle the job and apply nine bars of pressure. The temperature of the water is even more critical, and the range must be within 90-94C (194-201F).” If you’ve been improving your home while you’re stuck inside, arm your kitchen with tasty drinks via the best espresso machines around. Ahead, seven models that rose to the top, backed by thousands of reviewers who sung their praises.



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8 Best White Noise Machines in 2020: Snooz, YogaSleep, & More


So you’ve secured the best sheets in all the land, your cozy pajamas are on deck, and your mattress is top-notch—but you still can’t manage to doze off peacefully. Bringing the best white noise machine into the mix might be the fix you’ve been searching for. Whether the wall clock in your living room seems to grow exponentially louder the second you lie down, or dead silence magnifies that internal voice spewing off your mental to-do list—a white noise machine has the potential to finally bring on some solid shut-eye. With so many options on the market, Glamour editors wanted to figure out which ones deserve a spot on your nightstand—so for Sleep Month, we put them to the test. From portable devices to free apps, these are the eight best white noise machines of 2020—along with expert answers to your burning questions around the popular technological sleep aids.

What is a white noise machine?

A white noise machine is a device designed to drown out unwanted sounds that might keep you up at night, or trigger distraction during a deep sleep session. Sometimes they mimic nature sounds like waterfalls or wind, but the most popular sounds are uninterrupted white, pink, and brown noise—which vary in frequency, and allow “unwanted noises that do occur to become less noticeable and thus less disturbing,” explains Sam Nicolino, President and CEO of Adaptive Sound Technologies. “As an analogy, a tiny ink spot on a blank sheet of paper grabs your attention, but the same ink spot on a speckled sheet is not even seen.” So while you can’t control whether a horn honks or your partner starts snoring to high heavens, a white noise machine can help drown out surprise sounds and keep you snoozing through the night.

How do white noise machines work?

Back in the day, your family may have used a good ol’ fashioned fan to get to sleep, but these days there’s a range of white noise machines to consider—from new-age devices with electrically-generated sounds, to command-able smart speakers, to decades-old classics with tiny fans inside. “There are two types of white-noise machines–electronic and electromechanical,” says Steve Cummings of YogaSleep. “The former produces sounds with electronics (most are circuit boards), and electromechanical options have real physical parts, driven by electricity, that make the sound. In our case, there’s a real fan inside which resonates out of a dome-shaped shell.”

The plethora of machines on the market deliver a range of repeating or non-repeating sounds, and are available in different sizes, volumes, and price points. “The general theory is that sound machines, essentially, fill in the troughs of silence and minimize the startling effect by reducing the arousal effect of abrupt sounds,” says Cummings.

Where to buy white noise machines

Amazon has a wide selection of top-rated white noise machines, with thousands of impassioned reviewers detailing their best features (and shortcomings), and Bed Bath and Beyond is a good option if you’re looking to shop in-person.

Is a white noise machine good for babies?

Being a new parent comes with countless challenges, but getting your baby to fall (and stay) asleep might be the biggest one of all. A 1990 study on white noise and sleep induction found white noise can get babies to fall asleep faster, and some devices are designed with little ones in mind, such as the Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine and Night Light. Check with your pediatrician on recommended volumes for your child, and be prepared to keep the machine around for the long haul. “If you want to introduce a white noise machine into your baby’s bedtime routine, prepare to keep it around for 3-5 years,” pHd board certified sleep specialist Michael Breus advises. “Kids do not adapt well to change, so if you use a noise machine and they get used to it, you will need to bring it on trips, etc. It’s no different than a teddy bear.”

So, you’re ready to experience white noise for yourself. We tested and narrowed down the eight best options to shop now, based on various needs. Read Glamour editors’ takes on why these machines worked for them, and get ready for game-changing snoozes ahead.

Sleep is a $70 billion industry—we throw our money at a dreamier night’s rest, promise ourselves we’ll prioritize it, and then gripe when we’re still, inevitably, so tired. Despite our collective obsession with sleep, we seem totally unable to get more of it. In fact, we’re clocking fewer hours than ever. So, this month, we’re taking a look at what’s getting in the way—and what to do about it.



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Sara Blakely Worked at Disney World, Sold Fax Machines, and Did Stand Up Comedy All Before She Founded Spanx


But it was very, very hard to keep my spirits, and mindset, in the right place. I would listen to motivational tapes all the time in my car—from people like Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, and Wayne Dyer—that would help me get the courage to step back into the next office building. I was getting escorted out of buildings by security, I was having people rip up my business card in my face a couple times a week. It was really intense. But it was laying the groundwork for Spanx. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was really laying the blueprint for me to be able to invent something the way that I did. Because while trying to get something made with no expertise, no background in it, and not knowing a single contact in the industry—I heard the word “no” a lot. But I was so trained to not let that stop me, that I think that’s really part of why Spanx exists.

Own your desire for success.

Two years before I cut the feet out of my pantyhose to solve an undergarment issue [the initial inspiration for Spanx] I had literally written down in my journal, after one really bad day of selling fax machines, “I’m going to invent a product that I can sell to millions of people that will make them feel good.” I asked the universe to deliver the idea to me. And for two years after that I still sold fax machines. Then one day I cut the feet out of my pantyhose, and thought, “Maybe this is my big idea.” So that’s how that happened. I just thought, “Okay, this might be my idea that I asked for. I’m going to explore this idea.”

Then I told myself, “This is crazy, Sara.” I mean, there are billion-dollar companies where people sit around all day thinking up new products. There must be a reason they didn’t think of this one. If it’s such a good idea, why doesn’t it already exist? I played a lot of mental tag with myself; going back and forth between, “You should give this a go.” Then, “No, you’re crazy, don’t bother.” But I continued to fight through the negative self-talk and the self-doubt. And I think so much of that was listening to people talk about how to control your own mindset. But that doesn’t mean I never have moments of doubt. I’m 20 years into my Spanx journey. I still have those thoughts.

Believe in yourself, even if nobody else does.

When I started my company, I’d reach out to hosiery mills—which were all run by men—asking them to manufacture Spanx. I called them all on the phone at first, and they all pretty much gave me the run around. So I took a week off of work and drove around to all these manufacturing plants that were all mostly concentrated in North Carolina. I had my lucky red backpack from college with me, and I would walk in, and they would always ask me the same three questions. They would always say, “And you are?” And I would say, “Sara Blakely.” And they’d say, “And you’re with?” And I’d say, “Sara Blakely.” And then they’d say, “You’re financially backed by?” And I’d say, “Sara Blakely.”

Some of them would just escort me out and say, “We’re not interested.” But the way that I handled it was that I used very definitive, confident language. If you’re only given 30 seconds or a minute to try to make your pitch, you need to also figure out how you can make it about who you’re presenting your idea to, and what’s in it for them. So I did that all along the way of my journey. I would say, “I’ve invented a product that’s going to definitively change the way women wear clothes. It’s going to end up becoming an enormous program for you. You have to give me the chance for this to happen. I have total confidence that you’ll end up getting a great amount of business from making this decision.”

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Samantha Leach is the associate culture editor at Glamour. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @_sleach.



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