In the grand scheme of things, worrying about a grown-out gel manicure is admittedly low on the priority list right now. But it’s an unexpected consequence of social distancing nonetheless. Now that numerous salons and spas are closed for the foreseeable future, women are left wondering how self-isolation will affect their usual beauty routines.
This most certainly goes for nails, since booking a manicure is out of the question for at least a few weeks. But that hasn’t stopped creative minds on the internet from brainstorming new ways to adjust to the disruption. The latest to gain traction is a brilliant hack shared by Olivia Smalley, a hairstylist in South Florida.
As noted by Allure, Smalley first posted the trick a few months ago when she had to film a video for work—she’s a content creator for the hair care brand Joico—but noticed her overgrown gel manicure. Instead of panicking, she grabbed a glitter polish and filled in the unpainted area. She recently reshared the video, thinking it would be extra relevant now that no one has access to their usual salon.
In the video, she starts by freshening up the shape of her nails with a file, and then filling in the grown-out area with a chunky glitter (she used Essie’s Rock at the Top). She notes that you can stop at the cuticle for a reverse-French look, but she brings it about halfway up her nails for a pretty ombré effect.
“I love the idea of covering your regrowth with a chunky glitter,” nail artist Brittney Boyce tells Glamour. “I think the glitter ombré look is very approachable for doing at home.” Not only does it look good, Boyce notes that it’s absurdly simple to do. “Chunky glitter is great to ombré with because it comes out in an uneven disbursement making it easy to avoid harsh lines,” says Boyce.
Glitter also helps fill in the physical space left behind because of the thickness of the gel. “Glitter is the best to use to fill in grown out nails because it sticks well to the nails,” adds nail artist Hang Nguyen. “It doesn’t show any bumps of the grown out nail when being applied, whereas any regular colored polish, you’ll be able to see the lump if painted over the old and new nail.”
Not only is this trick genius, it’s actually on trend. Some of our favorite nail artists have been rocking cuticle art for a while, so now’s as good a time as any to try. Plus, it saves you from panic peeling off your gels and destroying your nails in the process.
Shop our some of our favorite glitter nail polishes.
Essie Luxeffects Glitter Top Coat in Set in Stones
In these sad, trying times, there’s only one ray of light our world has: Normani. The former Fifth Harmony member turned Queen of Pop delivered a knockout performance of her new song “Motivation” at the 2019 MTV VMAs Monday night (August 26), and by the end of it I realized she’s going to save us all. Not only will she save music (that’s a given), but she’ll save the environment, the 2020 election—everything. We’ve found it people: the cure to all our problems. And her name is Normani Kordei Hamilton.
Why, you ask? Just look at tonight’s VMAs performance. The vocals! The precise dancing! The unexplainable X-factor! We haven’t encountered a pop star like this since Britney Spears, Beyoncé, or Lady Gaga. Those three legends have singlehandedly kept the world in order with their bops and wigs and tours. But they can’t do it alone. They need a new pop icon to help maintain our planet’s balance, but no one has been up for the task. No one until Normani.
Normani has it. She has the dancing chops to keep gas prices at an all-time low; the vocals to ensure everyone recycles; and a fire in the eyes that will compel every child in America to eat their vegetables. What? Did you think it was our elected officials who made this country a success? Pfft! It was pop girls. It’s always been pop girls.
Check out Normani’s performance for yourself, below. Consider this her 2020 presidential campaign announcement. (I kid, but, ugh, can you imagine?!)
Obviously, fans on the Internet are just as entranced, bewildered, and gobsmacked as I am.
I know Ariana Grande said God is a woman, but I didn’t think we’d learn her name in our lifetime. But we have! Repeat after me: Normani, Normani, Normani.
My first brush with the “pro-ED” blog on LiveJournal was only the tip of the thinspiration iceberg—there were dozens more pages like it, many of which are still live today, despite other platforms taking a stand against content glorifying eating disorders. (Glamour reached out to LiveJournal for comment on the pro-ED content on the platform but did not receive a reply.)
In this social media era, pro-ED content has mutated to keep up with the rapid evolution of technology. After LiveJournal, there was Tumblr, another haven for communities promoting unhealthy behaviors. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have all similarly developed their own pockets of “thinspo.”
Yet alongside the growth of social media there was also a growth of knowledge: We know more about eating disorders today than we did in the early 2000s. We’re equipped with language to discuss them in more productive ways. Body positivity has reframed the way we talk about our bodies both online and off. Most of all, with so many people (Instagram influencers and “regular” folk alike) going viral every day for embracing—and celebrating—their body’s flaws, social media has rapidly turned into a place where every body can and should be considered beautiful.
Banning thinspo content is kind of like playing Whack-a-Mole—as soon as a site bans a certain hashtag, another pops up in its place.
That movement has helped fuel a crackdown on pro-ED material online. In 2012, after I had been in recovery for several years, Tumblr, a notorious hub for thinspo, banned all “pro-ED” content. Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest all have similar policies.
Instagram has also been censoring. In December 2018 the platform announced they were upping their game, making it even harder for users to search for hashtags promoting eating disorders. Now, if you search for pro-ED terms, Instagram flags you with a warning: “Can we help? Posts with words or tags you’re searching for often encourage behavior that can cause harm and even lead to death. If you’re going through something difficult, we’d like to help.” They offer you the option to “get support” or “see posts anyway.”
This is part of Instagram’s “holistic” approach, a spokesperson for Instagram said in a statement provided to Glamour. The platform has partnered with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), to create an eating disorders help page and guide for parents. “Experts we work with tell us that communication is key in order to create awareness, and that coming together for support and facilitating recovery is important,” Instagram’s spokesperson said.
Instagram
This is great. But banning thinspo content is kind of like playing Whack-a-Mole—as soon as a site bans a certain hashtag, another pops up in its place. “Unfortunately, far too many accounts—celebrities, companies, and everyday people—share ‘thinspiration,’ and more recently ‘fitspiration,’ images,” says Claire Mysko, CEO of NEDA. I’m not seeking these images out anymore but when I come across seemingly “perfect” photos of models and celebrities, it’s like they are speaking directly to the ghost of my eating disorder. It’s hard not to be haunted.
The Internet to the Rescue
The internet was an unmistakable accomplice in my destructive behavior for more than three years. After stepping into the pro-ED corner of the internet, I couldn’t look away. All I could think about was how much I weighed, and how much more I wanted to lose. I became obsessed with numbers, assigning calorie limits to each day. And I continued to consume pro-ED content hungrily, staring at pictures of tiny wrists and pointy collarbones with desire and envy. I didn’t idolize the people in the pictures so much as I admired their parts; I saw everyone, including myself, in jagged fragments.
Anyone in their right mind would have told me to just step away. But paradoxically, the internet was where I found my hope of recovery. During my senior year of college, when I was admittedly at my sickest, I found an online community (ironically, also via LiveJournal) of women and girls going through the same thing. Suddenly, I wasn’t alone.
That’s one of the most important things you can hear when you’re struggling with recovery, Mysko says. From my own experience as a survivor, I know she’s right: finding a place where I could be myself, sharing the struggles and fears I was often too afraid to say out loud to friends, was powerful.
“I was often afraid other girls there would get sicker or die—while at the same time fearing that people would recover and leave me there.”
This is what makes the internet so complicated when you have an eating disorder—it’s an enabler and a life preserver. LiveJournal fed my dangerous appetite for thinness. But it’s also where I finally found my safe haven, when not even my closest friends knew what I was going through.
Jenny, the founder of the eating disorder recovery group I found on LiveJournal, had that goal in mind when she created it in 2005. “I started it at the age of 16 in the hopes of creating a closed online community where people could make honest connections without anonymity,” the now 30-year-old says. “I wanted to create something that was nuanced, something that accepted the realities of mental health issues—such as relapse and chronic behaviors or thought patterns—without judgement, while also genuinely caring about the well-being of the person behind the story.”
Like many other eating disorder survivors, Jenny, who has struggled with restricting and binging/purging behaviors on and off since she was 12, was also enticed by the pro-ED content quietly spreading across the internet. “I was a pre-teen and I wanted to lose weight and suddenly these online communities were…offering advice on how to be ‘successful,’” she says. “The experience was intoxicating for a young girl.” In part, this is what led her to create an antidote: a place on the internet where recovery was an option, where we could freely admit we were sick.
Olivia*, 32, was part of the same LiveJournal group. Unlike in-person therapy groups she attended for her eating disorder, she never felt judged by her online network. “I felt connected to what felt like a group of other whip-smart, sad, sick girls who were also still figuring out how to live, how to want to keep living,” Olivia says. “I also remember having really strong feelings about wanting everyone else in the group to be okay—I was often afraid other girls there would get sicker or die—while at the same time fearing that people would recover and leave me there.”
Eating disorders are visceral and detail-oriented; so much of the illness involves numbers and rituals—it can be difficult to speak candidly about them without triggering someone else. Even social media communities where people find recovery and support can be filled with pro-ED landmines. “Any sort of ED group talk is always going to be a mess,” Olivia says. That’s especially true without the presence of a trained therapist guiding the conversation like you’d typically find offline. (“When sharing your story with other survivors, the best and most helpful thing you can do is to avoid mentioning any specific behaviors you engaged in,” Mysko advises.) And online groups may not be curated based on where people are in their recovery. “Not everyone was interested in getting better,” Melissa, another member of the LiveJournal group, says. “We all fluctuated in our recoveries over the years.”
Living With an Eating Disorder In the Age of Social Media
Today, I tend to avoid prominent Instagram influencers who post “fitspiration” or pictures of transformational weight loss, knowing my own triggers. Jessica, 30, an anorexia survivor, employs the same strategy. “I try to follow women on Instagram who I admire for reasons other than their bodies: inspirational women like Jane Goodall, funny women like Jameela Jamil or Julia Louis-Dreyfus,” she says. “But the content about thigh gaps and hip bones showing will always get through, regardless of whether I seek it out or not.”
That’s the simple truth of living with an eating disorder and living with social media. There will always be triggering content that keeps the specter of an eating disorder close at all times. There will always be people with EDs who aren’t ready to get better, who are convincing themselves they’re choosing an illness, rather than the other way around. And yet there will also always be posts steeped in body positivity that provide inspiration of another kind. There will always be communities of women wrestling with their illness, ready to offer support, encouragement, and the knowledge that we are not alone.
Even in recovery, I feel the fingerprints of my eating disorder everywhere. The knee-jerk feeling of “I’ll do better tomorrow” still shows up after meals; I still see some foods by their calorie counts. And social media is always there, adding fuel to the fire with fitness-oriented posts that mention calories and weight loss. But at least I know now that my eating disorder wasn’t a choice; it’s an illness that women all over the world are struggling with too. When I remember that, I can find the strength to unfollow, block, and delete. And I can choose to tap “get support.”
*Some names have been changed for privacy.
De Elizabeth is a writer and editor specializing in pop culture, mental health, and anything related to Pretty Little Liars. You can follow her on Twitter @deelizabeth_.
I’ll be the first to admit it, 2018 wasn’t my best year when it came to saving money. Every time Trump tweeted, or I got an alarming CNN alert, I found myself thinking, “the world is a trash fire, so why can’t I treat myself and buy that sweater dress, or take an Uber home instead of the subway?” And while I personally don’t have any regrets, my credit card statement tells a different tale. My “self-care” indulgences like daily Arnold Palmers, splurging on that bottle of Rose from Provence instead of Napa, and my propensity for accent shoes left me with more debt in 2018 than I care to admit.
But it’s a new year. A time for a fresh start. To do it all right. And while I have no real intention of giving up my black iced tea with lemonade habit (they’re addicting!), I realize that I need to find a way to better balance my budget and cut out some other costs. So I spoke to financial experts, female founders, and writers about their tips and tricks for splurging while saving. So come Marie Kondo your spending with me, and try some of their hacks for getting your finances in check.
Think About Your Money In Terms of Buckets
We all have a hierarchy of spending. We need to use some of our money to pay our rent or mortgage each month, our insurance, cell phone bill, etc. We want to take some of the pie and put it towards our Netflix subscription, a new Marvel movie, and so on. Alexa Von Tobel, founder of LearnVest.com, believes that being conscious of these different forms of spending is the first step to being smarter with your money. She calls this her “50/20/30 method” where you split your take-home pay into three categories: 50 percent for essential costs, 20 percent towards financial goals, and 30 percent for lifestyle costs. “Essential costs are things like rent, mortgage payments, utilities, car payments, public transportation or groceries—anything that covers your basics,” she says. “Financial goals is the part of your budget that is really about helping you secure your financial foundation. This goes toward emergency savings, retirement, home down payment fund, etc.” Whereas lifestyle costs include eating out, concert tickets, and those fabulous new shoes you’ve had your eye on.”
If the 50/20/30 method sounds like too many numbers for you, Ashley Feinstein Gerstley, author of The 30-Day Money Cleanse, suggests a bullet journaling, approach: like Put pen to paper when thinking about your money buckets. “Keeping a money journal where you write down everything you spend or look at a recent bank statement,” she says. “Next, take this beautiful list you’ve created and put each expense into one of three buckets: (1) needs, (2) frivolous and (3) not sure. Let go of all spending in the frivolous bucket for seven days and see what you actually miss.”
Detox Yourself From Spending
How many times have you read an article suggesting that you should try a cleanse? You know, take a few days to subside on nothing but water with lemon and cayenne, or celery juice. This year, instead of depriving yourself of food (because it’s delicious and necessary for survival), consider a spending detox. Shannon McLay, CEO and Founder of The Financial Gym recommends, “scheduling ‘no spend days.’ Just like you’d schedule a workout class, plan two to three no spend days where you will not use any cash or credit for the entire day.” Make your meals out of what you already have in the fridge, try to just use the gas you already have in your car or carpool, and say no to that Starbucks. Your bank account will thank you for the break.
Trick Yourself Into Saving More
Whenever I get my paycheck I have such a hard time hitting the button that transfers even the tiniest amount from my checking account to my savings. I mean, I busted my butt all month for this cash—I deserve to spend it! The key is to not get the full thing in the first place. Eurie Kim, general partner at Forerunner Ventures, has a trick for this: Set up automatic transfers. “I select a specified amount of money—whether it’s $20, $50, $100, etc. and have it go into an entirely different bank account. It feels like you never had that money to spend in the first place, so you get used budgeting off the smaller amount, and saving as a result,” she says. You can set up your automatic deposit from your company to go to two or more accounts (checking and savings, for example). Or, like everything else in life, there’s an app that can help. Charlotte Cowles, who writes the “With Interest” newsletter for the business section of the New York Times loves Digit. “The app hooks up to your checking account and pulls out small amounts of money automatically, like a little savings elf,” she says. “You can set it to be more or less aggressive if you want, and its algorithm tracks your spending patterns so it won’t pull out too much. Since that money is out of sight, out of mind, its always a pleasant surprise when I see what Digit has squirreled away while I wasn’t paying attention.” Consider it your money fairy godmother.
Be Kind to Yourself
A full 81.5 percent of millennials are in debt. And experts say taking a cold hard look at your finances can lead to feelings of guilt or shame, about your spending habits, financial decisions, employment status and more—so some people avoid doing so at all. Sounds hard to believe, I know. But Iva Pawling, CEO and co-founder of Richer Poorer recommends a step-by-step approach rather than an all-at-once overhaul. Start by being realistic with your budgeting. “Everyone would love to spend less,” she says, but slash your budge too much and you set yourself up for failure every month. “That just feels terrible. So instead of trying to fix all of my finances I zero in on the areas where I have a tendency to overspend. I only really pay attention to those few categories, and check in on those a few times each month to see if I’m on track.” Hone in on the areas that matter to you (my 2019 goal is to waste less money on takeout), and work on those goals.
It’s kind of like all the diet and exercise advice we hear: Go too extreme and you’ll just crash and burn. Practice moderation, and you’ll stick with it. And making lasting changes is what’s important to your health. That’s especially true with money, since time can be one of your greatest assets, allowing you to ride out the ups and downs of the markets and benefit from compounding interest and market growth. I know I’m not going to suddenly save three quarters of my paycheck, but I can pull out a small amount each month, as Pawling recommends. Slow and steady wins the race.
J.Crew‘s first collection of 2018 has a singular focus: Denim for every day and every occasion. And unlike other new collection drops, you won’t have to wait months to get these jeans at a discount. Starting today, J.Crew is partnering with Blue Jeans Go Green, an organization that recycles old denim into housing insulation for communities in need, to collect customers’ gently-used jeans in stores and offer them a discount in return.
“The J.Crew Group has been a longtime supporter of the Blue Jeans Go Green program, with both Madewell and J.Crew participating over the last four years,” Andrea Samber, the Director of Consumer Marketing for Strategic Alliances at Blue Jeans Go Green’s parent organization Cotton Incorporated, tells Glamour. “We were thrilled to hear that denim was J.Crew’s focus for Spring 2018, [because] the Blue Jeans Go Green program is a great way to educate consumers about sustainability and diverting textile waste from landfills,” she adds. Since launching in 2006, Blue Jeans Go Green has kept over 1,000 tons of toxic waste out of landfills by recycling over 2 million denim items, on top of providing Habitat for Humanity with materials for housing insulation, according to Samber.
PHOTO: J.Crew
Through the end of this year, if you bring your gently-used jeans into a J.Crew store, you’ll get $20 off any new denim item in return. There are no brand or style exclusions when it comes to what you can recycle. So, outside of doing some serious good, you can get some new threads in the process. (J.Crew ran a similar give-back-get-back campaign over the holidays, in partnership with One Warm Coat.)
PHOTO: J.Crew
“Once the denim is given to J.Crew for recycling, it’s then sent to the program’s manufacturing partners in Arizona to begin the recycling process,” Samber explains. “All hardware, like rivets, and decorations are removed and recycled, and the denim is returned to its natural, original cotton fiber state.” After that material has been broken down, it’s treated with fire retardant solution and, eventually, turned into denim insulation.
PHOTO: J.Crew
We’ve seen our fair share of limited-time-only sales, but there’s little risk of missing out on this do-good denim initiative. “While many of our retail partnerships have been shorter-term, the J.Crew program [is] unique in that [it’s] year round,” says Samber.
PHOTO: J.Crew
So whether you’re in the market for new jeans right now or are looking to invest later on in the year, you have time to participate in a promotion that gives back to communities in need and is sustainably-minded. What better way to shop?
