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How Personal Abortion Stories Are Changing Today’s Fight for Reproductive Rights

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Photo: Getty Images

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, a landmark case challenging Texas abortion legislation. But Stephanie Toti, the 37-year-old lawyer for the Center for Reproductive Rights making her debut before the high court, is far from the only voice championing the cause at the moment. In amicus briefs submitted to the now-eight justices, in candid online testimonials, and in social media campaigns, women across the country are putting a personal face on an often abstract argument by speaking out—and, in the process, breaking down the stigmas of shame and secrecy that have long surrounded the issue.

“To the world, I am an attorney who had an abortion, and to myself, I am an attorney because I had an abortion,” wrote one of the 113 female lawyers represented by a particularly compelling brief; the actress Amy Brenneman and former Texas State Senator Wendy Davis (of pink-sneaker, 11-hour filibuster fame) reveal their firsthand experiences in others.

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Jemima Kirke, who shared her abortion story in an online video for the Center for Reproductive Rights, is part of a growing group of women making private matters public.

Photo: Jody Rogac

The unifying effect of such disclosures isn’t lost on the Girls star Jemima Kirke, who discussed her own abortion as part of last year’s Draw the Line campaign for the CRR. “I’ve always felt that reproductive issues should be something that women especially should be able to talk about freely,” the mother of two explained in the video. Paraphrasing a line from Andrew Solomon’s book Far From the Tree, the activist and writer Sarah Sophie Flicker puts it this way: “You can’t hate anyone whose story you know.” (Hers includes a teenage pregnancy that she chose to end, which, she says, paved the way for law school, marriage, and a stable foundation for her three children.)

“There is a power of personal storytelling in almost every fight we’ve had for equality and justice in this country, whether it’s the civil rights movement or marriage equality,” says Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, the nation’s oldest such organization. For those, like Hogue, on the front lines, tapping into that power now is crucial. Since the 2010 midterm elections, states have enacted 288 abortion restrictions, including the 2013 Texas law now under review. If the court, likely ruling in June, upholds the two requirements—that abortion clinics meet the same standards as ambulatory surgical centers and that doctors performing the procedure have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic (restrictions opposed by organizations like the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)—only a quarter of the state’s 40 clinics stand to remain in operation. “We are facing this critical moment in which the rights for the next generation are at stake,” says CRR president and CEO Nancy Northup.

The country’s young leaders are paying attention. Lena Dunham, who hosted Planned Parenthood pop-ups in tandem with her book tour in 2014 and dressed as one of its doctors for Halloween last year, peppers her Instagram feed with words of support (yesterday’s message, with 30,000-plus likes: “Everyone deserves access to a safe and legal abortion.”). Her online newsletter, Lenny, also just published a conversation between Hogue and the filmmaker Dawn Porter, whose unflinching documentary Trapped (in limited release March 4) explores the on-the-ground implications of so-called TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) laws in Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas.

While recent news stories have highlighted a schism between old-guard and new-guard feminists, Hogue counters that “the generational divide thing is overblown,” emphasizing that the values—of empowerment, of agency—are shared and that legacy organizations like NARAL are “learning to speak in the sort of new-generation town squares, where folks are gathering.” Flicker often finds herself there, too, through her work organizing hashtags (#StephanieHasAPosse, for Toti) and viral campaigns for related causes, like the recent Paid Family Leave video featuring Kirke, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and others.

“There are so many more role models for young women than there were when I was a teenager and in my 20s,” says Flicker, reflecting on the inspiring people in her circle, from Lizz Winstead of Lady Parts Justice (“always hilarious and wise and super smart”) to 19-year-old Tavi Gevinson, who edits Rookie. “Every time I read at a Rookie event, I always cry,” Flicker admits with a laugh, “because [I] wish that that had existed [for me], and I love that it exists for my kids.”

The post How Personal Abortion Stories Are Changing Today’s Fight for Reproductive Rights appeared first on Vogue.


In Praise of One-Bowl Meals: 5 Healthy Recipes From Our Favorite Authors and Chefs

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A meal that fits into a single bowl is appealing for multiple reasons. “For me, it really lends itself to healthy eating with whole-foods-oriented components,” says cookbook author Lukas Volger, a former vegetarian who still gives produce top billing in his day-to-day diet. Then there’s the inherent sense of ease: “When you’re cooking for one person, the bowl is portable in that way—you can take it to the sofa.” Third, of course, is Instagram, the square-oriented medium that, in the spirit of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, loves a circle. “The way you arrange the toppings, it’s a visual experience,” Volger explains of the evolved art of garnishing captured on so many feeds. “You want that overhead shot.”

This being food, you also want it to taste good, and Volger’s new book, Bowl: Vegetarian Recipes for Ramen, Pho, Bibimbap, Dumplings, and Other One-Dish Meals, aims to deliver on that front. He traces the impetus behind the project to a revelatory dining experience he had in Brooklyn about five years ago. “I got obsessed with this vegetarian ramen at Chuko, in Prospect Heights,” he recalls, noting that most meatless versions found elsewhere typically read as an afterthought. But that deeply satisfying meal, anchored by a seaweed-rich kombu broth, inspired him to tinker with other classic dishes from around the world.

During the five years the book has been in development, the bowl phenomenon—coupled with the rise of vegetable-forward eating—has gained serious traction, from elevated workday spots like Sweetgreen to the downtown hangout Café Henrie, where chef Camille Becerra is updating the macrobiotic-inspired Dragon Bowl in a residency that runs through April. As Becerra sees it, people are beginning to approach dining from more of a “sensory level—if your food is beautiful and colorful and tastes good and is healthful, then you feel better,” she says of her customizable bowls (turmeric-poached egg or chicken? Carrot-harissa sauce or chili bone broth?).

Deciding what goes inside the bowl is of chief importance, which is why we enlisted Volger and Becerra, along with three of our favorite cookbook authors—Amy Chaplin, Heidi Swanson, and Diana Yen—to share delicious (and gorgeous) recipes.

But the vessel, too, is key, as Volger learned during the photo shoot for his book, which introduced him to the world of local ceramics by the likes of Clam Lab, Jono Pandolfi, and Recreation Center. “I’ve since started collecting all these beautiful handmade bowls,” Volger says, “and it totally improves the eating experience.”

 

Lukas Volger

 

In addition to Bowl, out this week, and two earlier vegetarian cookbooks, Volger also produces a line of small-batch, ready-to-shape veggie burgers, called Made by Lukas. This take on pho, one of multiple versions in the book, is suited for the coming change in season—not to mention the inevitable spring cold, in which case you should “make it extra spicy,” he advises.

 

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Photo: Michael Harlan Turkell

 

Spring Pho

Serves 4

Ingredients:
6 cups Vegetarian Pho Broth (recipe below) or Shortcut Pho Broth (page 217 in the book)
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 bunch spring onions (about 8 ozs.)
1 bunch scallions (about 5 ozs.)
5 plump garlic cloves
2 T neutral-tasting oil
1 T rice vinegar
4 bunches baby bok choy (8 to 10 ozs. total), quartered lengthwise through the root
1 cup peas, either young ones with edible pods or shelled mature ones
8 ozs. medium-width rice noodles
1 small green chili (serrano, Thai chili, or jalapeño), sliced into very thin rings
2 cups loosely packed mixed fresh herbs, such as chervil, parsley, mint, cilantro, basil, and/or chives, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions:
1. Place the pho broth in a pot and heat to a simmer. Stir in the sugar and salt and taste, adjusting the seasonings as necessary. Keep covered, off the heat, then bring back to a bare simmer just before serving.

2. Trim the root ends off the spring onions and scallions. Thinly slice both the white and green parts. Slice the garlic into thin slabs.

3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the spring onions, scallions, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat if the onions begin to burn, or raise it if they seem to be cooking too slowly. Pour in the vinegar and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits. Remove from the heat.

4.Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil. Add the bok choy and cook until the thickest parts of the stem are tender and can be easily pierced with a paring knife, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a spider skimmer, reserving the cooking water. Add the peas to the water and blanch for 30 seconds, just until the raw bite is gone. Transfer to a plate with a spider skimmer, again reserving the cooking water.

5. Add the noodles to the boiling water, in a strainer basket or the strainer insert that comes with your stockpot if you have one, and cook until tender, usually 4 to 7 minutes or according to the package instructions. Lift out the noodles, reserving the cooking water, and thoroughly rinse the noodles under cold running water in order to remove excess starch. Quickly dunk them back into the hot water to reheat. Divide among four bowls.

6. Top the noodles in each bowl with the bok choy, peas, caramelized onion mixture, and chilies. Ladle the hot broth over each serving. Serve immediately, passing the herbs and lime wedges at the table.

 

Vegetarian Pho Broth

Makes about 3 quarts, enough for two 4-serving batches

Ingredients:
1 large or 2 small onions, peeled and quartered lengthwise
2 ozs. fresh ginger (a 3- to 4-inch piece, depending on thickness)
2 T peanut oil
2 medium leeks, white and green parts, coarsely chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 large carrots, coarsely chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 medium daikon radish (12 ozs.), peeled and coarsely chopped into 1-inch pieces
10 garlic cloves, peeled
1 stalk fresh lemongrass, smashed and coarsely chopped
3 whole star anise
3 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
5 dried shiitake mushrooms
Small handful of fresh cilantro stems

Instructions:
1. Preheat the broiler. Arrange the onions and ginger on a foil-lined baking sheet. Once the broiler is hot, broil the vegetables close to the heat source until charred all over, flipping them with tongs as needed. Remove the onions if they cook more quickly than the ginger, or vice versa.

2. Alternatively, char the onions and ginger over the open flame of a gas burner, turning them periodically, until blackened all over. This will need to be done in a few batches.

3. Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the leeks, carrots, daikon, garlic, lemongrass, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and fennel seeds. Stir to coat in the oil, then cover and cook for 5 minutes, until fragrant and the colors of the vegetables are vibrant. Coarsely chop the charred ginger, then add it, the onions, and the mushrooms to the pot and cover with cold water; you’ll need about 4 quarts. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 hour, at which point the broth should be strongly flavored. Add the cilantro stems and cook for another 5 minutes.

4. Strain the broth through a cheesecloth-lined sieve, in batches as necessary, gathering up the ends of the cheesecloth so as to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Once completely cooled, pack in containers and store in the refrigerator for up to one day or in the freezer for up to two months.

Text excerpted from Bowl, © 2016 by Lukas Volger. Reproduced by permission of Rux Martin Books / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

 

Camille Becerra

 

Since leaving Navy, the jewel box of a seafood restaurant in Soho, chef Camille Becerra has begun laying the groundwork for a cookbook and other projects, and is in residence at Café Henrie in the meantime. Because her Dragon Bowls change with every order—the one pictured here includes chickpeas, roasted vegetables, mizuna, herbs, lentil and fenugreek sprouts, roasted seeds (pumpkin and sunflower), pickled goji berries, and beet tahini sauce—she shares the recipe for the simple yet transformative coconut grains that form the base of the dish. “They are so delicious, even by themselves,” she says.

 

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Photo: Camille Becerra

 

Coconut Grains

 

Ingredients:
2 cups medium-grain brown rice
1/4 cup red quinoa
1/4 cup dried coconut
1 14 oz. can of unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup of water
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions:
Add all the ingredients in a rice cooker and press play. Alternately, add all the ingredients in a pot, bring to a simmer, put a lid on it, and cook on low for 20 to 30 minutes.

 

 

Amy Chaplin

 

A longtime vegetarian chef, Amy Chaplin earned a James Beard Award last year for her cookbook At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well. In addition to teaching workshops, she has shaped how New Yorkers eat (as the former executive chef at the vegan restaurant Angelica Kitchen) and continues to do so: She’s currently developing a handful of healthy recipes for the model-favorite Cafe Gitane. For this Rainbow Bowl, she’s created a versatile dressing and shares details on the components—though improvisation is encouraged.

 

Fennel Dill Dressing With Lime and Mint

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:
1 medium bulb fennel (2 cups diced)
2 cups roughly chopped dill, leaves and tender stems
1/2 cup mint leaves
1 small clove garlic
1 scallion, white part only, 3 inches
1/4 cup raw cashews or macadamia nuts, soaked 2 to 4 hours in cold water
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/3 cup flax oil or extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. tamari, plus more to taste
Sea salt to taste

Instructions:
Place everything in an upright blender and blend until smooth. Add a little water to get desired consistency. Store in a jar in the fridge for three to four days.

 

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Photo: Courtesy of Amy Chaplin

 

Rainbow Bowl

 

You can top your Rainbow Bowl with a poached egg if you like or include some beans, chickpeas, or just eat it with avocado as I have here.

Forbidden Black Rice
Find recipe here or in my book.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Serves 4 to 6

The exact roasting time will depend on how large you cut the sweet potatoes.

2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 3-inch wedges, about an inch thick
4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil or melted extra virgin coconut oil
Pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment and add sweet potatoes, oil, and a pinch of salt. Toss to combine and roast 2 minutes, turn each piece over and roast another 10 to 15 minutes or until browning and soft inside.

Marinated Kale
Serves 4 to 6

This recipe can be made in about 2 minutes flat. The amounts of lemon and oil will depend on the amount of kale in your bunch. Anything left over can be kept in the fridge for up to two days.

1 bunch purple kale, trimmed and cut in 1/2-inch slices
1 to 2 T fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 T extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt to taste

Add kale to a medium bowl, drizzle with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Massage kale until wilted, adding more lemon, olive oil, and salt to taste.

Ruby Kraut
You can follow the same directions as making kimchi here (using only red cabbage) or find the recipe for pink kraut in my book. I love this brand. You can find it along with other naturally fermented vegetables in the refrigerator section of your health-food store.

Steamed Vegetables
In my Rainbow Bowl I steamed kabocha squash, red and yellow carrots, watermelon radishes, broccoli, snow peas, frozen peas, and tatsoi. I recommend steaming all the vegetables separately so that they cook perfectly. Squash will take longer, broccoli greens and snow peas less time. Carrots and radishes I usually steam for 2 minutes or until cooked through. If you steam extra vegetables, you can reheat them in a steamer for a couple of minutes before eating.

 

Heidi Swanson

 

Based in San Francisco, Heidi Swanson has had an outsize presence in the food-blog world over the last decade thanks to her website, 101 Cookbooks. She has since taken to roaming the globe as a writer and photographer, as chronicled in her most recent book, Near & Far: Recipes Inspired by Home and Travel. Her eye for design also comes through in her housewares shop, Quitokeeto, where you can find the Colleen Hennessey bowl pictured here.

 

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Photo: Heidi Swanson

 

Mung Quinoa Power Bowl

Serves about 4

Ingredients:
4 T clarified butter or olive oil
1 head celery cut into 1/2-inch segments
Fine grain sea salt
1 large clove garlic, very thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. smoked paprika
Big handful of dill, chopped
2 1/2 cups cooked mung beans
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 to 3/4 cups water, or as much as needed

Toppings: Lots of chopped green olives, lots of cherry or roasted cherry tomatoes, quick-pickled red onions, big dollops of salted dill yogurt, thick threads of olive oil

Instructions:
1. Heat the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat, stir in the celery along with a few large pinches of salt. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the celery softens, and then starts to brown and caramelize.

2. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the chili flakes, ginger, turmeric, and paprika. Cook, stirring constantly, for another minute or until the spices are fragrant. Stir in the dill, the mung beans, the quinoa, and then 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of water—enough that the mixture is moist, not dry.

3. For serving, toppings are key; at the very least add a dollop of lightly salted yogurt to each bowl. Even better if you have any or all of the following on hand: green olives, salted dill yogurt, roasted cherry tomatoes, quick-pickled red onions, or shallots.

Served in a Colleen Hennessey bowl.

 

Diana Yen

 

The creative force behind The Jewels of New York, an NYC–based culinary consultancy and catering outfit, Diana Yen regularly works with the magazines Kinfolk and Cherry Bombe, has collected her recipes in a handsome cookbook called A Simple Feast: A Year of Stories and Recipes to Savor and Share, and is collaborating soon with the Brooklyn pie shop Four & Twenty Blackbirds. Given her wildly popular Angora bunny, Cleo, we can only hope the result is carrot-flavored.

 

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Photo: Diana Yen

 

Squash Soba Noodle Soup

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 cup diced butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 T peeled and grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup mellow yellow miso paste
4 ozs. enoki mushrooms, trimmed
1 bundle (8 ozs.) soba noodles
2 T green onions, finely chopped, to garnish
Salt
Red pepper threads or flakes, to garnish
Pea shoots, to garnish

Instructions:
1. Place the butternut squash and ginger into a large soup pot, cover with 4 cups water, and bring to a boil. Whisk in miso paste. Reduce heat and bring to a simmer, then cook for about 20 minutes, until squash is fork tender. Add mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

2. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook until just tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. Using tongs, divide the noodles evenly among bowls, then ladle in the soup. Serve immediately with green onions, red pepper, and pea shoots.

The post In Praise of One-Bowl Meals: 5 Healthy Recipes From Our Favorite Authors and Chefs appeared first on Vogue.

Vogue Editors on the 21 Beauty Products They Can’t Live Without This Spring

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The shift into spring triggers a most welcome series of changes—and we’re not just talking about budding trees. Chronically tense shoulders, long hunched from the cold, seem to uncoil. Parched skin mellows out as the full-blast radiators taper off. Bare legs make a reappearance, brighter shades of lipstick get trotted out, and effervescent citrus scents edge their way onto the vanity. It’s a fine time, in other words, to rethink your beauty routine. To that point, we polled Vogue and Vogue.com editors on the products they turn (and return) to once tulip season rolls around. After months spent braving a wintry mix, we’re in the mood to celebrate—and a rose-scented face cream or dash of straight-from-the-runway glitter might be just the thing.

The post Vogue Editors on the 21 Beauty Products They Can’t Live Without This Spring appeared first on Vogue.

The New California Wellness Spa You Need to Visit This Spring

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Two decades ago, when the wellness resort Miraval set down roots in the foothills of Arizona’s Santa Catalina Mountains in northern Tucson, the cacti-studded landscape wasn’t simply a backdrop for mind-body retreats. The terrain became an integral component of the wide-ranging catalog of daily activities, which today includes horseback trail rides, botany-focused desert tours, and rugged hikes through nearby Pima Canyon—all meant to foster “an elevated awareness of our surrounding space and our relationship to it,” the resort’s director of programs, Sue Adkins, explains of its magnetic appeal in an increasingly disconnected age. That same line of thinking now guides Miraval west to the California coast, where it opens its second-ever location this month at the St. Regis Monarch Beach, in Dana Point.

In keeping with the wellness destination’s here-and-now ethos, the Pacific setting is a similar pivot point for a host of specially created offerings. At the sprawling 30,000-square-foot Miraval Life in Balance Spa, a crown jewel in the hotel’s recent $30 million renovation, new treatments take a coastal slant, with ingredients like detoxifying algae and mineral-rich marine mud used in combination with body-contouring massage techniques. Yoga and meditation studios feature ocean views, while down in the sand, guests can sign up for surf lessons and Zen Boot Camp on the Beach, a heavy-hitting workout that ends with a contemplative, breath-focused walk. The property’s revamped dining concepts take a seasonal, local stance (line-caught fish, house-grown herbs), and nutritionists are on hand for personalized fine-tuning.

The move to Dana Point—equidistant between San Diego and Los Angeles and therefore closer to many Miraval loyalists—is in sync with a coming shift in the wellness space away from secluded, intensive, and often infrequent experiences toward an approach to healthy living that fits more seamlessly into day-to-day life. Shorter pilgrimages (the programs include weekend escapes), as well as one-off activities open to both curious hotel guests and day trippers, allow people “to see that they can unwind where they are,” says MaryGrace Naughton, Miraval’s resident yoga and meditation expert. “The ability to look out at the vastness of the ocean and listen to the sound of the waves provides an opportunity for guests to easily enter a meditative state.” And, quite possibly, stay there.

Miraval Life in Balance Spa at the St. Regis Monarch Beach opens April 2. Nightly rates for a Miraval package start at $795; stregismb.com

St. Regis Monarch Beach
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Photo: Courtesy of The St. Regis Monarch Beach

 

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The Matte vs. Glossy Lips Debate: Two Makeup Artists Face Off

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(From left) Photographed by Patrick Demarchelier, Vogue, December 2013; Photographed by Mario Testino, Vogue, December 2013

As election-year debates rage across the country, there’s a quieter back and forth taking place in front of the bathroom mirror each morning: matte or glossy lips? The Spring runways offered up startlingly beautiful lessons in each—velvety red at Céline, vinyl-like cherry at Nina Ricci—leaving more than a few of us in a swing state of mind.

All the more reason to call upon two trusted (and, it goes without saying, glamorous) talents in makeup—London-based Lisa Eldridge and Violette, of Paris—for their personal takes on the subject. Read on as they each cast a vote in favor of ultra-matte or sophisticated shine.

 

Violette

 

The Vote: “I’ve been obsessed with matte lips for as long as I can remember. I don’t really care about trends; makeup should be based more on your attitude, what kind of girl you want to be. With matte, there is something very mysterious, very intense, very chic, and very sensual. The inspiration came when I was quite young: I was in this rose garden in Paris called the Parc de Bagatelle, and I saw for the first time—and last, unfortunately—a black rose, which is actually a very deep red. I thought, ‘Wow, if a lipstick like this could exist, it would be amazing.’ I used to do my own with pure cosmetic pigments that I order from India. Now you see matte lipstick everywhere!”

The Look: “I love when you have no foundation, just a very dewy complexion, and by contrast this amazing strong statement.”

The How-To: Start with a gentle lip exfoliation. Violette recommends Kiko Milano’s Scrub & Peel Wipes. “I’m completely obsessed with the coconut lip balm from Glossier. Apply that as a mask [while] you’re doing your makeup or your hair,” she explains. Then, using a long-wear lip pencil—she likes Givenchy’s—create a precise outline of your mouth, pushing the shape a tiny bit “because there is no light reflection. You don’t want your lips to be too flat or too small.” For a multidimensional red, she’ll first pat on an intensely pigmented eyeshadow (Sugarpill’s in Love+) or blush (Dior’s in Star Fuchsia) before layering on a matte lipstick, such as Anastasia Beverly Hills’s liquid formula in American Doll. Or experiment with unconventional nudes and browns in matte textures, she encourages. “That’s my new thing. It’s superchic.” (Try Kylie Jenner’s Lip Kits in Dolce, Candy, or True Brown if you can get your hands on a sold-out set.) As a final touch, dab on RMS Beauty’s Living Luminizer on the cupid’s bow “so you have this little touch of light.”

 

Lisa Eldridge

 

The Vote: “I’m definitely feeling the new type of glossy textures. Gloss was out of fashion for just so long; we all sort of turned our backs on it. [Now] a lot of the treatment lip oils and the formulas that have come by way of Asia do have this sheen, but they’ve got a chicness to them—without that horrible stickiness! A really nicely glossed lip is a beautiful thing to behold because you’re seeing every curve, every angle. It brings out the three-dimensionality a bit. And it just feels nice: My lips are really dry today. The thought of putting on some gloss now is like heaven, absolute heaven.”

The Look: “I’ve always liked those ’70s, really healthy-looking girls who have this type of vibrant texture in their makeup. It still fits in with the geeky trend that’s happening now. Even if you haven’t got a lot of other makeup on, a slightly glossy lip just elevates your look.”

The How-To: “You can whack it on, obviously, which is super easy,” says Eldridge, but “to do it really well, you do need a bit of technique.” The key is to set a solid foundation with lip liner—enhancing the contours as needed—because, “sadly, the only thing that you never get well from gloss is shape enhancement.” She recommends buffing out the color over the entire lip so “you don’t end up with a line around the edge—that’s a bit ’90s!” she adds with a laugh. The next and last step? Swipe on the gloss. “There’s a red lip treatment oil by Hourglass, which is amazing. It looks like a glacé cherry on your lips,” she raves. “Then I like the slightly pink glosses as well. Even if you’ve got a tiny bit on, it just lifts your whole face.” She singles out Tom Ford’s new Patent Finish Lip Color shades for their night-out sophistication; for low-key daytime use, she wears Lancôme’s Juicy Shaker in vivid orange (the collection launches stateside next month) or the Petite Bunny Gloss Bars by the Korean brand TonyMoly, which impart a hint of color. “It’s very Korean-inspired to have that slightly cherubic glossy center to the lips,” she explains. “It looks really fresh and youthful.”

 

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Charlotte Dellal on Her New MAC Makeup Collaboration—And Her 5 Favorite Glamorous Screen Star Muses

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If Charlotte Dellal looks like she just stepped off an MGM soundstage, it’s no coincidence. Classic Hollywood has long served as inspiration for the accessories designer, who is about as famous for her flashbulb-ready blonde waves and perennial red lips as she is for her line of Charlotte Olympia kitten-embroidered slippers and Perspex clutches. “I used to watch old black-and-white movies with my mother as a child, so from a young age I fell in love with glamour,” she explains of her early education—which, as she’s the daughter of Brazilian model Andrea Dellal, also included a rather avancée dress-up box stocked with clothes and costume jewelry.

Today Dellal extends that notion of head-to-toe polish to her latest creation: a 21-piece makeup collection with MAC Cosmetics, complete with a lash curler, nail lacquers, and all the essentials for that pitch-perfect mouth. Here, in homage to those who have guided her aesthetic, the Londoner shares her five favorite cinema muses.

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Photo: Getty Images

My favorite movie is Gilda, which is how I first discovered my all-time favorite movie star, Rita Hayworth. I first dyed my hair red because of her, and that’s what prompted me to start wearing red lipstick.

 

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Photo: Everett Collection

Marilyn was a blonde bombshell; she was very alluring to both men and women. I have several favorite movies that star Monroe, but How to Marry a Millionaire shows a lighthearted side of her.

 

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Photo: Everett Collection

Lauren Bacall was a real beauty: very refined, serious, but effortlessly sexy. I love her in To Have and Have Not with Humphrey Bogart, which is one of the names of the Studio Nail Lacquers in the collection.

 

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Photo: Getty Images

Carmen Miranda was the queen of accessories. She was glamorous but showed off her playful side. She was an inspiration for one of my first collections, and I named one of my favorite shoes after her famous song “Bananas Is My Business.”

 

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Photo: Everett Collection

Bettie Page came from a different decade, but was confident—a pinup with a wild side.

 

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Elizabeth Olsen on Southern Beauty, Skin Care, and Why Reproductive Rights Are More Important Than Ever

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Troubled artists who burn bright and flame out all too quickly often have a driving force behind them who hope to steer them straight. In the new Hank Williams biopic, I Saw the Light, in theaters this Friday, the iron-willed presence beside the musician—who wrestled with alcohol and pills just as famously as he revolutionized country music—was his wife, Audrey. For Elizabeth Olsen, taking on the character meant a full immersion into Audrey’s singular ambition. “To me, she was ahead of her time—a formidable woman at a time when the world didn’t want formidable women,” Olsen says, explaining that it was Audrey who set up all the meetings for her husband and even shaped his onstage persona: “She made the decision that his band should always be in suits or country attire, not in hillbilly overalls.”

Audrey paid no less attention to her own carefully composed appearance, down to the perfect shade of blonde and an ever-present red lip. Speaking by phone from Park City, Utah, where the actress is in the midst of shooting her next movie, Olsen talks about Southern glamour, the secrets behind her incandescent skin, and why reproductive rights are as important as ever.

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Photo: Sony Pictures Classics / Photofest

In the film, your character has such an iconic look, with the 1940s coifs and crimson lips. How do you describe Audrey’s take on beauty?
She was always a pulled-together woman. She didn’t really wear too much makeup, but she always had a beautiful lip color on. Also, she would dye her hair so many different kinds of blondes, so we were trying to figure out a blonde that would make sense for the whole movie.

Almost like she was styling herself as a classic screen star?
Totally. She thought of herself as a star, and she thought that she was going to have a career that was just like Hank’s. It drove her crazy to think that that never happened for her. Even when she’s tired with the baby and when she has to go to the hospital, there is still a faded curl because you pulled yourself together in that time.

How did you research the role?
When you play someone who really existed, it’s nice because you have so much source material. Luckily, Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame [and] Museum is preserving, on behalf of the Williams family, Audrey and Hank’s personal photographs and journals. The funniest thing, to me, about Audrey is that she had everything monogrammed. The more money they got, the more everything just said her name on it. All of her boots said “Audrey”; all of her dresses had a big A on the chest. That’s because she was very smart in trying to create a brand.

Your skin is so radiant in the film—all the more so next to an alcoholic Hank. Is there an off-camera skin-care routine to credit?
Thank you! I think a lot of it has to do with genes [laughs]. I don’t do too many [treatments], but if I do, I go to Kate Somerville. Their cleansers are really special, as well as the ExfoliKate. I love the Dr. Colbert serum and the night cream. And SK-II—their serum is crazy. It’s the best thing in the world, especially being in Park City, because it’s so dry here.

What’s your approach to beauty from the inside out?
When I’m filming, I’m much healthier than when I’m not filming. I tend to make my own food, like grains and vegetables and different kinds of dressings. I ordered some pressed juice to Park City, and I mix a lot of smoothies. I like the Bulletproof protein bars because those are filling and clean, and I take probiotics and vitamins. But I don’t understand the people who say a glass of wine is their cheat. To me, that’s just what’s going to happen if I’m not working the next day.

The feminine ideal in the film, as echoed in the clothes, is more about a nipped waist and curves rather than the hyper-exercised SoulCycle physiques of today. Did that affect how you worked out during filming?
I didn’t consciously think about it; I naturally have curves. But I did exercise differently—I think because [costar] Tom [Hiddleston] was running, like, 10 miles a day to lose weight, and that’s not an exaggeration! So I was motivated to do more cardio. I usually do a lot of weight training and interval training, but while I was there I didn’t.

There are subthemes of women’s issues in the film; your character even has an abortion in the time before Roe v. Wade. I imagine that weighed on you.
Absolutely, because you know it’s a much more sinister and unsafe situation. We don’t lay everything out for you in the movie, but the reason why she was in the hospital was because she got an infection from the abortion. She didn’t want to bring another kid into the world because he wasn’t a good enough father to the first one. That’s so sad. So it’s nerve-racking with Texas trying to have their new law. You can see a map of Texas and how many abortion clinics would shut down, and if that happens, then all the other places where it could happen. That’s not how we should be living now.

It’s all quite a 180 from the movie you’re shooting now, where you play an FBI agent.
I was thinking about that yesterday. I’ve been doing Muay Thai for six months, just so I could understand a kind of physical self-defense for this character. I also have been doing gun training: Every Saturday I shoot anywhere between 400 and 600 live rounds at a gun range. It’s a totally different mind space than Audrey, which is fun.

 

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The Comb Makes a Comeback: 7 Pretty Reasons to Pick One Up

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There are certain elemental tools—the wheel, the drinking cup—that invariably turn up in all corners of civilization. Take the comb: You’ll find carved ivory relics in the Egyptian and European wings of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, while no-frills plastic ones bathe in aquamarine Barbicide at neighborhood salons. Even Ariel, the Disney mermaid, combs her hair with a long-handled model—in other words, a fork. But after years in which “a Wet Brush or a Mason Pearson has been the replacement,” as Serge Normant (comb in hand) put it during a recent trim at his Chelsea salon, the utilitarian staple is once again earning pride of place on the vanity table.

In part, we can thank the growing enthusiasm for natural textures (think Frederikke Sofie’s diaphanous blonde lengths and Mica Arganaraz’s untamed shag on the Fall runways)—hair that can temperamentally fluff up with a pass of a brush. To leave those ethereal waves intact, says Normant, “a good, thick comb is the solution.” (His arsenal includes a straight cutting comb as well as a tail comb for updos.)

Today’s design-forward combs also have a shelf appeal of their own. Eternally in Amber, a line of cellulose-acetate hair tools created by Amber Randell, incorporates speckled finishes that call to mind rose quartz or lustrous abalone shells. Acca Kappa’s wood combs fit right in with laid-back interiors strewn with sheepskins and hand-thrown ceramics. And Aerin Lauder’s gold-finished versions speak to an unabashedly glamorous era, when women like her grandmother Estée “always carried around an evening comb, mirror, and lipstick,” she notes.

My own conversion came not long ago when I discovered Yves Durif’s cream-colored wide-tooth comb, inspired by French ivory. I had been finger-detangling my waist-length hair (a boar-bristle brush seemed to give too prim a finish), but, in Goldilocks fashion, the comb proved just right. This handsome lineup might just make a convert out of you, too.

 

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Which Natural Sugar Alternative Is Best? Chefs and Nutritionists Weigh In

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Sugar: It’s a term of endearment, a marker of celebration, a hard-wired reward. Over the course of a few generations, however, sugar has slinked from the sidelines of our diet to become something of a thrice-daily indulgence—proudly on display in artisanal doughnuts, sprinkled into coffee, and slipped unnoticed into condiments and salad dressings. “Just 100 years ago we ate less than two pounds a year,” author Sarah Wilson writes in The I Quit Sugar Cookbook, published last month. “Now we eat 132 pounds a year of added sugar. Dis-as-ter.” As for the effects of that runaway sweet tooth, experts point to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, not to mention an expanded waistline; gut health and skin quality can be compromised as well.

Which is why there has been a collective call to minimize sugar intake, from the government (which recently revised its dietary guidelines accordingly) to nutritionists and health-minded bakers. Here, a handful of experts—Marissa Lippert, M.S., R.D., a registered dietitian who runs the café Nourish Kitchen + Table in New York; Erin McKenna, whose namesake bakeries rethink classic sweets; and the wellness company Aloha’s resident nutritionist, Jillian Tuchman, M.S., R.D.—discuss eight popular alternative sweeteners. Though these natural substitutes are better than processed sugar—they contain more nutrients, and some even have fiber to slow absorption—the group still unanimously advises a less-is-more approach. “You can make anything the enemy when you have too much of it,” says Lippert, who advocates retraining the palate to expect less sweetness from food. One upside to that approach? Newfound appreciation for that first sun-ripened peach of summer.

Agave
This cactus-derived sweetener “in theory is better for diabetics,” says Lippert, referring to its lower glycemic impact, though she advises using a light hand. “We use agave occasionally when roasting certain vegetables like carrots because it helps bring out their own natural sweetness,” she explains. McKenna regularly incorporates it into her baked goods, noting that “it doesn’t spike your blood sugar the way that regular sugar does, and it doesn’t have an aftertaste.” But Tuchman sounds a note of caution, citing the often high levels of processing used to produce agave, in which case it can “more closely resemble high-fructose corn syrup.”

Brown rice syrup
In The I Quit Sugar Cookbook, this natural sweetener frequently pops up in Wilson’s recipes. “It is relatively slow-releasing, so [it] does not dump on the liver as much as pure glucose,” she writes. Still, Lippert points out, it’s often a primary component of so-called “healthy” protein bars—“That means sugar is the first ingredient,” she says, suggesting close label-reading.

Coconut sugar
Made from the flower sap of the coconut palm, this sweetener is touted as being lower on the glycemic index and therefore less likely to cause blood-sugar spikes. Tuchman singles it out as one of her favorite alternatives. “There are nutrients in there, namely zinc and iron, and also something called inulin, a special type of dietary fiber that acts as a prebiotic,” she explains of the digestion booster, which sweetens the protein-packed Superfood Banana Donuts that McKenna developed for Aloha. Over at Nourish, the raw date-walnut energy balls are rolled in coconut sugar for a light crunch with a “caramel-y note,” says Lippert; she also suggests trying it in Asian-style marinades.

Date
As far as unprocessed sweeteners go, the date has a singular appeal. “To me, it’s sultry, it’s rich, it’s delicious,” says Lippert, explaining that “the fruit itself obviously is going to have more fiber content, which helps slow down digestion.” That said, a little goes a long way. “One date is 60 calories,” she points out, “so it’s very highly concentrated in sweetness and sugar.” She incorporates it into smoothies, as well as retooled standards like sticky toffee date cake.

Honey
With all the varieties out there—some of which sneak in corn syrup or rely on caged bees—quality is key, according to Tuchman: “Getting [it] from the wild—I think with all foods, not just with sugar—that’s really what you want to aim for.” Lippert, who is partial to the raw honey from Westwind Orchard, agrees. She imagines it swirled sparingly into tea or drizzled atop clementine-cornmeal cake. “It doesn’t affect blood sugar as much,” she says, “but it’s dense and very sweet and should be used in moderation.”

Maple
“We love maple syrup,” says Lippert, who notes its deep flavor and solid nutrient profile. (It can contain such minerals as iron, calcium, zinc, manganese, and potassium.) She uses it atop peanut butter–banana toast and oatmeal at breakfast; it also lends a touch of sweetness to glazes and sauces for savory dishes.

Panela
A type of unrefined whole-cane sugar, panela “holds on to more vitamins and minerals,” explains Lippert, who calls out its “light molasses-y note. It has this interesting depth of flavor.” Coffee drinkers will find a jar of panela on the counter at Nourish, where it’s also available for sale. Her brand of choice: Brooklyn-based Obelo, which sources its organic version from Colombia.

Stevia
Derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant, this sweetener is “300 to 450 times sweeter than sugar,” Wilson explains in The I Quit Sugar Cookbook—reason enough for a light touch. She uses the liquid version in her recipes (it comes powdered or granulated as well), which Tuchman prefers because it’s “not as highly processed.” One caveat, Wilson notes: It “has a licorice-y aftertaste that some people take a while to get used to.”

 

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Time to Clear the Air: 13 Room Scents for a Springtime Refresh

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“Spring is all about awakening, renewal, rebirth,” Mimi Young tells me by phone from Vancouver, where she crafts her plant-based skin-care line, Trimaran Botanicals. For some, this translates into reorganized closets or impromptu haircuts. For Young, who also calls herself a shamanic practitioner, the seasonal shift prompted her to reimagine the smoldering sage stick—a staple in many a caftan lover’s home—as a Sacred Smudge Mist. The intent is the same: Blended with Douglas fir, Canadian red cedar, and two varieties of sage, the woodsy spray is perfect for “spaces that perhaps need to experience some energetic decluttering,” she explains. (With its smokeless formula, that includes deadline-clouded desks.)

But even those less spiritually inclined can find a feel-good vibe in refreshing the air with a head-clearing scent. The latest from Cire Trudon—a portable objet in brass and bottle-green glass—warms perfumed wax cameos. Japan-made Chikuseiko incense and a Wary Meyers candle capture the essence of cherry blossom season. Or for a dose of on-trend palo santo, pick up Captain Blankenship’s purifying spray, designed to greet the new moon—right on time for Thursday.

 

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7 Spring Getaways Where Models and Fashion Insiders Find Their Chill

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It’s all too easy to get caught up in the whirlpool of work and daily life, where one nonstop day bleeds into the next. Sure, a visit to the nearest meditation studio or a head-clearing run might offer a refreshing taste of balance—but even that can feel fleeting once the flood of emails starts rolling in. The best prescription is a solid stretch of off-the-grid living, where you can retune your senses and reacquaint yourself with healthy habits (say, surfing and tropical smoothies). With that in mind, we’ve polled seven fashion-world fixtures on their favorite spring escapes for a total unwind. Here’s hoping that post-vacation glow lingers long after the dive back into your inbox.

 

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14 Reasons Why Rosewater Is the Key to Inside-Out Hydration This Spring

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Anyone who has spent time in the humming backstage chaos of Fashion Week knows that rosewater has no shortage of fans. Models, asked about their skin secrets, often rattle off go-to brands (like Heritage Store and Mario Badescu), and bottles of the old-school elixir have pride of place on many a makeup table—Romy Soleimani’s included. “I’m half-Persian, so I grew up with rosewater. My aunts drink it; they put it on their face,” explains the makeup artist, who stocks Jurlique’s rose mist in her kit. On set and in the real world, rosewater does double duty, Soleimani tells me: “You can use it as a hydrating toner, or spray it afterwards to reawaken your foundation, pressing it in with a sponge.” As for the reaction from those in her chair, basking in the garden-scented cloud? “It’s usually ‘Ahhh!’” she says with a laugh.

That sense of universal calm is fueling a growing passion for rosewater. At the buzzed-about Chinatown yoga studio, Sky Ting, founders Chloe Kernaghan and Krissy Jones keep a bottle of house-made rose mist in the bathroom for a post-class refresh. “It just leaves you feeling a little more balanced and at ease,” says Kernaghan of their spray-all-day habit. Elsewhere in the beauty world, it’s turning up everywhere from bold-face skin care (Le Weekend de Chanel) to small-batch start-ups (French Girl Organics’s Floral Toner). Of course, hydration doesn’t stop at the skin. New York–based Juice Press recently released its bottled Water + Rose, tinged with the venerable Bulgarian rose, and Juice Served Here, in Los Angeles, launched a smartly packaged version in February, touted for its anti-inflammatory and calming effects. JSH just wrapped a six-week partnership with the water-filter company Soma, in which a portion of the Rose Water proceeds benefitted clean-water projects in Flint, Michigan; a new charitable collaboration is on deck. What’s not to love?

 

 

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Escape From New York! A Chic Brooklyn Wellness Destination Opens in the Catskills

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When Lisa Levine founded Maha Rose Center for Healing, a wellness studio in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood—initially with small-scale meditation circles and later, in 2013, with private sessions in Reiki, acupuncture, breathwork, and other mind-body disciplines—she already knew the space intimately. In her previous life as a jeweler, the largest studio housed her manufacturing; it later served as her living room when she called the place home. If that welcoming, private-sphere sensibility has become a hallmark of Maha Rose, you can expect more of the same at its new Catskills outpost, located on the wooded, ten-acre property where Levine, her husband, and their infant son spend much of their time.

The idea for Maha Rose North came about unexpectedly during Levine’s maternity leave, as her young family set down roots at their country house, nestled between Woodstock and Kingston, two hours north of New York City. “We’re living up there three-quarters of the time, and I missed the community that’s been created here,” she explained recently at her Brooklyn flagship. After her husband proposed buying the converted 1920s schoolhouse next door, “all the wheels started turning,” she said. The new center, to be christened this weekend with a Reiki course led by Levine, will re-create the Maha Rose experience for other upstate transplants; it also offers a much-needed escape for her urban clientele. “The difference between a two- or three-hour workshop versus a whole weekend—you just go so much deeper,” she said. “You can have really transformative experiences.”

Maha Rose Center for Healing
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Photo: Quinn Luke

With that in mind, Levine has enlisted a diverse group of practitioners to lead three-day programs this spring and summer, with more to follow. Some are better suited for newcomers to the world of alternative healing, like a yoga-and-cooking retreat (which will draw from the Hudson Valley’s bountiful farmers’ markets) and another centered on sound baths, a phenomenon that Levine sees as a “bit of a meditative shortcut” thanks to its head-clearing vibrations. Other workshops venture further into such topics as Tarot and advanced Reiki. Attendees can stay on-site at the schoolhouse, which sleeps 12 (with beds covered in Levine’s hand-dyed bedding), in a two-person cottage, or in the larger cabin on the property; camping is also an option, not to mention nearby Airbnbs.

“A lot of our clients are people who work in design and fashion and art. They’re attracted to beauty but need the other side of it—the internal side,” she explained of the tools she herself once sought out and now shares with others. And at Maha Rose North, the therapeutic benefits extend beyond the sunlit, rose quartz–strewn workshop space. “A five-minute drive away there’s a lake where people can go swimming. We have a big fire pit outside. And there’s a longer hike just across the road,” she said of the nearby Bluestone Wild Forest. “Just spending a weekend in nature is so healing.”

Maha Rose North is located in Hurley, New York; for information: maharose.com

 

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6 Tribeca Film Festival Picks That Will Change the Way You Think About Food, Health, and Happiness

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For the cinephile navigating the dizzying lineup at the annual Tribeca Film Festival, it helps to narrow the scope—say, road movies (Detour and Folk Hero & Funny Guy); female directors (Mother and AWOL); or, in this case, thoughtful documentaries that touch on matters of health. The six standout picks below include a portrait of the magnetic backup dancers on Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour (which invariably was touched by the AIDS crisis), an emotionally charged investigation into the struggles surrounding in vitro fertility treatments, one man’s question for happiness, and more.

Strike a Pose
The seven male dancers on Madonna’s 1990 Blond Ambition tour shaped a generation with their onstage bravura and on-camera candor in Truth or Dare, the behind-the-scenes concert doc that brought a then-rare glimpse of gay life (and one very steamy kiss) to the big screen. But as this new documentary reveals, the music’s “Express Yourself” message wasn’t so simple in that turbulent era. Salim Gauwloos, diagnosed with HIV in 1987, reveals his long-kept secret to his tour mates during an emotional reunion dinner captured in Strike a Pose; Gabriel Trupin (who died from complications of AIDS in 1995), struggled with being “outed” in the Madonna doc. If the film is a reminder of the ongoing fight for acceptance (one thinks of the controversial laws governing transgender behavior), it’s also a pure celebration of dance, with iconic vogueing interwoven with recent solos and classroom shots (you’ll find Gauwloos, who goes by the name Slam, in the studios at Broadway Dance Center and Alvin Ailey).

Life, Animated
The must-see autism documentary playing at Tribeca (no, not the controversial one ultimately pulled from the festival) is Life, Animated, based on the journalist Ron Suskind’s book about his son’s relationship with the Disney canon. Through poignant interviews and home movies, the film shows how the Suskinds’ younger boy, Owen, withdraws entirely as a toddler, leaving his family searching for a way in—and they find it. “He’s using these movies to make sense of the world he’s living in,” Suskind says, recalling his son’s deep engagement with The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, and the rest. “We began to speak to him in Disney dialogue, the whole family.” In the years to follow, Owen, bullied at school, fills notebooks with drawings of Iago, Rafiki, and Sebastian, calling himself “The Protector of Sidekicks.” He leads post-screening discussions at the Disney Club he founded (“so I can be more popular—it worked!”) and moves into his first apartment, watching Bambi’s fateful hunting scene after his parents leave. Featuring classic Disney scenes and a newly created animation, it’s a richly told story that’s both a testament to tuned-in parenting and to the power of film.

Abortion: Stories Women Tell
It’s easy to speak in metaphors and legalese when discussing something as charged as abortion, but there has been a growing movement in recent years to bring to light what is a quiet reality for so many. To that end, this documentary spotlights a cross-section of women in Missouri, a state with stringent regulations (including a 72-hour waiting period), and Illinois, where an abortion clinic takes in patients from across the border. The film’s politics are plain, but the scope of stories is far-reaching: There’s a pregnant doctor who firmly stands behind her work, silver-haired volunteers who escort patients into the clinic, a fiery protester who prays for the practice’s end, and dozens of women—teens, single mothers, victims of abuse—who discuss their personal circumstances. As someone who terminated an unviable pregnancy explains of her motivation to take her story public, “Knowing that you’re not alone is, I think, probably the most important [. . .] reason why we choose to share what happened.” With the Supreme Court now reviewing the restrictive laws in Texas and the fate of clinics there and elsewhere hanging in the balance, watching the Illinois clinic shut off its lights at the end of a long day has extra resonance.

The Happy Film
At the start of this documentary, the Austrian graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister—whose celebrated work includes album covers for Lou Reed and Talking Heads—lays out a straightforward disclaimer: “This film will not make you happy.” And indeed, despite Sagmeister’s aim to treat the pursuit of happiness as a typical design problem, the film doesn’t seem to make him happy, either. There’s a long stay at a Balinese meditation retreat, where serene images are juxtaposed with voice-overs about boredom, back pain, and cliché attendees (onscreen handwriting points out which shoes belong to the “fancy hippie”). He then tests out cognitive therapy, followed by a stretch on antianxiety meds, chronicling the ups and downs (and heartbreaks) that ensue. If the project—loosely inspired by Jonathan Haidt’s book The Happiness Hypothesis—ultimately fails to provide a concrete solution, it hints at the rewards to be found in the process of exploration, through the relationships that result and the new creative projects that come into play.

Haveababy
Each year, the pioneering fertility doctor Geoffrey Sher, M.D., offers up an unusual prize at his Las Vegas clinic: one free round of in vitro fertilization, or IVF. Often a treatment of last resort for those otherwise failing to conceive, the procedure typically has a $20,000 price tag—and, as one interviewee in the film points out, about a 30 percent success rate. For the patients entering Sher’s annual contest (which, he admits, has both altruistic roots and marketing value), it’s like hoping to win the lottery, if the prize is itself another lottery ticket. The documentary, named after Sher’s website, follows three hopeful parents: the contest victors (whose chart is marked “winner”), a Catholic husband and wife, and a single lesbian supported by her mother. “IVF is a numbers game,” Sher explains in the film, referring to the hormone injections used to boost the amount of eggs you can harvest at one time. But there’s more to that numbers game, from hard-earned dollars to the ticking biological clock. Haveababy offers a look inside an otherwise intensely private sphere, marked by economic difficulties, raw emotions, and—with luck—confetti-strewn celebrations.

Bugs
“We have to warn everyone before they eat this that it’s actually not legally recognized as food,” the chef Ben Reade gamely remarks as he’s readying a meal in which the star ingredients are, as the title of the documentary suggests, bugs. He and the researcher Josh Evans—both enthusiastic (then) members of the Nordic Food Lab, cofounded by Noma’s René Redzepi; chef Roberto Flore later joins the project—embark on far-flung missions to discover how the insect world fits into local diets. In large part, it’s a mission to broaden food diversity and find unconventional flavors (“a bit reminiscent of avocado, actually,” says Reade of the Mexican delicacy, escamoles, or ant larvae). There’s also the looming notion, as suggested by the United Nations, that bugs might well be a valuable source of protein in the future as the global population swells. While the film doesn’t exactly point the way forward—it suggests that the picture isn’t as rosy as government agencies and entrepreneurs might make it seem, with oftentimes tough working conditions and issues of sustainability—those with strong stomachs will get a glimpse of the sorts of critters that might someday stand in for movie-theater popcorn.

 

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Compression Tights Are the Secret to Better Workouts—And Better Legs

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compression tights

Ask the uninitiated what compression tights are, and they’ll probably imagine the sort of impossibly thick knee-highs that Mrs. Doubtfire wriggles into—something that people with circulation problems wear to keep blood from settling in the calves. But in recent years, a chic crop of snug-fitting legwear (including socks, leggings, and hip-to-toe stockings) has found a captive audience among the jet set, the fitness-obsessed, and those with a long-range approach to anti-aging.

Just ask Lisa Airan, MD, a Manhattan dermatologist whose hobbies include collecting Rodarte and extreme skiing. On a trip to Aspen, Colorado, earlier this month, she put her CW-X Endurance Generator Tights to serious work as she flew down the steep face of Highland Bowl. “I ski hard, and these compression tights really help with the recovery and with the stabilization of the knee joint,” she says, reporting that there was noticeably less swelling at day’s end than there would be otherwise. And in keeping with the advent of athleisure, companies like Nike, Lucas Hugh, and 2XU are fusing high-tech fabrics with street-smart colors and patterns.

Vinnie Miliano, a running coach at New York’s indoor treadmill studio Mile High Run Club, is also a compression devotee—he alternates between calf-only sleeves and full-leg pairs—though he acknowledges the lack of definitive research. “There’s science for it, but there’s also naysaying,” he explains. “I tell people that they should at least check it out, because since I’ve started using it, I’ve noticed improvements in my overall body feel,” he adds, citing decreased fatigue and soreness when he wears his go-to Zensah pair—placebo effect or otherwise. “Even if it’s just a mental thing, there are gains to be had.”

What about the everyday marathoners who log their miles in heels? There’s high-performance legwear for them, too, like Falke’s Leg Energizer 50 stockings and Item m6’s opaque leggings, which I test-drove (under wide-leg jeans) on an 11-hour flight to Honolulu last month. Fitted from the ankle to the hip, they help keep feet from swelling between takeoff and landing. “Part of the theory is that the compression helps with the recirculation of blood, so when you arrive, you feel better,” says Airan, who slips on custom-measured tights (more typically worn by those prone to dangerous blood clots, like pregnant women) when flying long-haul. “For me, it’s just for aesthetic reasons,” she says, explaining that “if you want your legs to stay vein-free, then you would definitely want to wear compression tights when you fly.” With summer vacations on the horizon, that’s advice you can run with.

 

 

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10 Boutique Hotels With Chic Beauty Products Worth Stashing in Your Suitcase

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Sure, there was a time when trinket-size shampoo and conditioner and a paper-wrapped soap were the extent of the beauty offerings to be found while traveling—a time when guests with more specific tastes would opt to BYOB (Beauty, that is; the minibar was always stocked). But the hospitality world has seen a proliferation of design-minded, locavore-leaning boutique properties whose attention to every detail manifests in custom room scents, small-batch bar soaps, and sumptuous body oils. Sold in retail areas and even in said minibar—like Royal Botanicals’s elegantly packaged bath salts at Manhattan’s NoMad Hotel—they are as much beauty staples as modern-day souvenirs. Book accordingly.

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Photo: Courtesy of Rivertown Lodge

Rivertown Lodge
At this handsome 27-room hotel in Hudson, New York, which opened last fall inside a former movie house (complete with the original marquee), a cast of well-chosen collaborators helped shape the midcentury-meets-Americana aesthetic. The Brooklyn studio Workstead designed the curvilinear firewood stands and brass sconces; Sawkille, in nearby Rhinebeck, supplied the updated Shaker-style stools. And on the beauty front, the custom body wash, shampoo, and conditioner come courtesy of the local apothecary 2 Note. Bottled in weighty amber glass—the packaging equivalent of an Edison bulb—the trio is an easy shortcut to recreating that vintage sensibility at home.

Rivertown Shampoo, $37, for information: rivertownlodge.com; Rivertown Conditioner, $37, rivertownlodge.com

 

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Photo: Courtesy of Mama Shelter Los Angeles

Mama Shelter Los Angeles
With four locations across France and another in Istanbul, the self-described “urban kibboutz” opened its 70-room L.A. outpost last year, revealing its sense of whimsy in the Bert and Ernie light fixtures installed bedside. To toast the West Coast move, the niche brand Lola James Harper created a candle for the hotel—a heady, beachy blend of tuberose, monoï, and wood. Also available for purchase: Mama Shelter’s botanically minded skin care produced in collaboration with the French company Absolution. With black-and-white packaging and multipurpose formulas—there’s an all-in-one-wash, a face-and-body lotion, and bar soap, each laced with almond and sesame—the minimalist message is one you’ll want to take with you.

Mama Shelter x Lola James Harper Los Angeles candle, $40, Buy it now

 

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Photo: Courtesy of El Cosmico

El Cosmico
On this free-spirited 21-acre property in Marfa, Texas, the accommodations range from restored trailers to Sioux-style tepees. To help guests weather the elements of the high-plains desert—where the sun bakes by day and the temperature drops at night—the hotel crafts its own skin care, including an all-purpose citrus-scented Salvation balm; a nourishing face oil with anti-inflammatory calendula; and a palo santo–laced body oil. Locally made Marfa Brand soap is custom-scented with lapsang souchong tea and cedar. For a more lasting Texas trail, pick up a bottle of El Cosmico’s perfume collaboration with D.S. & Durga, which pays homage to regional flora like creosote shrubs and pinyon pine.

El Cosmico x D.S. & Durga, $150, Buy it now

 

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Photo: Courtesy of The Graham & Co

The Graham & Co.
If Long Island is the go-to Manhattanite escape, the Brooklyn set increasingly has an eye on the Catskills, and this 20-room hotel in Phoenicia, New York, hits all the bases of a good getaway: smart design, no shortage of hammocks, and hiking trails nearby. Another alluring component: the property’s signature holywood diffusers, which send notes of palo santo, white grapefruit, and amber wafting through the air. For those understandably hooked, the room scent is available for sale, as is a wearable version in a fragrance roller. Fancy yourself a purist? The hotel also stocks classic palo santo incense.

Holywood diffuser, $65, for information: info@thegrahamandco.com

 

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Photo: Courtesy of Ace Hotel

Ace Hotel
Since opening its first hotel in Seattle in 1999, the Ace has made a point to knit itself into the local fabric, whether in Pittsburgh or Panama City. If the music scene is a continual interest, so too is the beauty. Pearl+, a soap studio run by Janet Jay, makes the small-batch Detox bars using pearl powder and activated charcoal, which you’ll find hanging from a rope in the guest baths in Portland and New York City; full-size soaps are also available for sale. And the skin-care brand Farmers’, with roots in Wales, makes two custom balms found at the London property: Awake, with peppermint, lemongrass, and eucalyptus to energize jet-lagged guests; and Calm, with lavender, sandalwood, and chamomile to take it down a notch.

Pearl+ Detox Soaps, $8, Buy it now

 

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Photo: Courtesy of Royal Botanicals

The NoMad Hotel
When a freestanding claw-foot tub is a focal point in a hotel room—as you’ll find at New York’s NoMad Hotel—a decadent bath seems more like a mandate than an option. Fittingly, the curated minibar includes a petite bottle of Royal Botanicals’s bath salts, made by the Brooklyn florist Ariel Dearie. The scent is a transporting mix of ylang-ylang, black spruce, bergamot, and vanilla (“warm and woodsy,” sums up Dearie). And the two-serving amount means there’s enough left over to re-create the experience at home.

Royal Botanicals bath soak for the NoMad Hotel, $25, for information: thenomadhotel.com

 

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Photo: Courtesy of Faena Hotel Miami Beach

Faena Hotel Miami Beach
Two seemingly disparate threads weave through this hotel, which opened in time for Art Basel Miami Beach late last year. One is full-tilt opulence—seen in the lobby’s murals by Juan Gatti, the sumptuous collision of red velvet and leopard print (Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin oversaw the interiors), and a gold-leafed Damien Hirst sculpture on conspicuous display. The other is decidedly holistic, via the in-house Tierra Santa Healing House. The spa takes a South American focus, drawing on indigenous ingredients and shaman-led protocols. While the singing bowls used in the Tree of Life treatment aren’t available as souvenirs, a set of the seven Sacred body oils—each tailored to a restorative purpose—can be yours.

Sacred body oils, $25 each or $125 for the set, for information: faena.com

 

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Photo: Courtesy of Coqui Coqui

Coqui Coqui
Francesca Bonato and Nicolas Malleville, the chic couple behind Coqui Coqui, have not only built a collection of four intimate retreats in Mexico—they’ve also bottled them, capturing the essence of Tulum, Valladolid, Mérida, and Coba in scent form. The perfumery’s 10-plus scents draw upon nearby coconut groves, a particular May-blooming frangipani tree, and tropical woods, among other local inspirations. Beyond wearable perfumes, the line also includes hand soaps, candles, oils, and linen sprays, the last of which you can put to use as you reluctantly pack to go home.

Coqui Coqui Coco Coco eau de parfum, $90, sold on location and at net-a-porter.com

 

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Photo: Courtesy of Castle Hill Inn

Castle Hill Inn
When this seaside escape in Newport, Rhode Island, set about launching a spa, it found a like-minded partner in Farmaesthetics, whose locally made skin care imbues high-quality naturals with a modern take on luxury. In addition to custom in-room amenities, there are full-size products for sale, like the beach-ready Cool Aloe Mist. This summer, the Retreat at Castle Hill will launch a two-and-a-half-hour Rose Immersion treatment, as a nod to the property’s garden. One of the new products to be used—Vassar Rose Perfecting Polish—is billed as an alternative to microdermabrasion and promises to leave skin petal-soft.

Farmaesthetics Cool Aloe Mist, $26, Buy it now

 

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Photo: Courtesy of Time New York

The Time New York
Recently overhauled by the design firm Rockwell Group, this Midtown hotel plays host to the first miniaturized set of shampoo, conditioner, body cream, and soap from Maison Margiela, the fashion label behind the cult perfume line Replica. The scented products, available in-room, wax nostalgic for a Brooklyn jazz club. Appropriately so for a clothing company, the other standout amenity is the white cotton Margiela bathrobe—destined to launch a number of chic, towel-turbaned selfies.

Maison Margiela cotton robe, $150, for information: thetimehotels.com

 

The post 10 Boutique Hotels With Chic Beauty Products Worth Stashing in Your Suitcase appeared first on Vogue.

The Delicious Turmeric Tonic That Fights Inflammation and Free Radicals

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Say what you will about Pantone’s Color of the Year in terms of design, but in the wellness world, it would be a particularly apt way to chart trends. After a wave of vibrant fuchsia (acai) followed by imperial green (matcha), we’ve found ourselves in the midst of a golden era, thanks to the current fascination with turmeric. Suddenly, the sunny yellow spice is seemingly everywhere. There it is, hanging out at yoga studios (infused into bottled drinks), flooding Instagram feeds (by way of artfully styled turmeric lattes), and slipping into work meetings (as when this writer’s colleague recently revealed her bedtime tonic ritual).

Of course, the fact that turmeric is championed by those at the intersection of food, beauty, and health—including Goop; the wellness journal Nourished; and the vegetable-leaning New York café El Rey, which gamely created the summery recipe below—is hardly surprising. The spice, kin to ginger, is a cornerstone of South Asian cooking and Ayurvedic medicine, and a growing body of research is underscoring its value.

“Turmeric has a very strong anti-inflammatory effect,” says Zhaoping Li, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the division of clinical nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles, whose work as a physician and in the lab centers on extending people’s disease-free years. “Low-grade inflammation”—the body’s under-the-radar response to environmental and dietary stressors—“sets the stage for almost everything we have to fight as we get older,” she explains of her drive to study compounds like curcumin, the key polyphenol in turmeric. Her current work includes an investigation into curcumin’s relationship to the microbiome, as well as a collaboration with the university’s psychology department examining its effects on cognitive function.

Indeed, curcumin appears to fight more than inflammation: Research shows that it also displays antioxidant, anticancer, and neuroprotective activities, according to Barbara Delage, Ph.D., a nutrition scientist at Oregon State University’s Linus Pauling Institute. With the supplement market skyrocketing and the hype machine in motion, she is quick to emphasize that it’s not a golden ticket just yet. Many of the findings are based on animal and in vitro studies, and bioavailability is an issue due to the body’s metabolizing enzymes. The bottom line? “Consuming a balanced diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is the best way to ensure you ingest the right mix of phytochemicals.” Fortunately, this homemade tonic—paired with, say, El Rey’s obsessed-over kale salad—will do the trick.

 

El Rey’s Turmeric Tonic

 

Historically, turmeric root has been used in elixirs for overall vitality and beauty. When prepared as a tonic, it also makes a refreshing, delicious beverage—not to mention a great midday pick-me-up. Expert tip: It is common to add a teaspoon of coconut oil or ghee (clarified butter, rich in omega-3s) to help activate the natural compounds in the tonic and aid absorption into the body. The amount of turmeric you use in this recipe depends on the strength of tonic you desire, but we say the stronger, the better!

Ingredients:
2 T grated fresh turmeric
1 T grated fresh ginger
1 cardamom pod
2 cups water
1/4 cup raw honey
1 T dried chamomile flowers
1 lemon
Sparkling water or coconut water

Instructions:
1. Peel the turmeric and ginger with a vegetable peeler (wear gloves—turmeric root stains!), then grate into a medium saucepot. Crush the cardamom pod to loosen the shell; remove the seeds and add to pot. Add the water, and simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes.

2. While the turmeric mixture is simmering, combine the chamomile flowers and honey in another pot and gently warm to infuse.

3. Strain each mixture with a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth, and set aside to cool. (Both can be refrigerated in airtight glass containers for up to a week.)

4. To make one serving, combine 1/3 cup of the turmeric-ginger elixir, 1/2 tablespoon of the chamomile honey, the juice of half a lemon, and either sparkling or coconut water for ultra hydration!

Sourcing: You can find turmeric root easily at your local Chinese grocery or specialty grocery. Dried chamomile flowers, ghee, and coconut oil are readily available at local health or specialty markets.

 

The post The Delicious Turmeric Tonic That Fights Inflammation and Free Radicals appeared first on Vogue.

Meet the Globe-Trotting It Girl Whose Signature Braid Is Her Passport

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Courtesy of Hailey Gates

The braid is something of a global citizen, woven into the fabric of so many cultures. But in Viceland’s globe-trotting new series, States of Undress, the one with the unmistakable plait is the show’s host, Hailey Gates. For the actress and journalist, waist-grazing, woven lengths—threaded with blue ribbon in Mexico City or framed by a diaphanous head scarf in the Democratic Republic of Congo—have long been a signature. Over the course of filming, the go-to style proves to be even more versatile as she navigates politically charged regions (among them Pakistan, Russia, and the Gaza Strip) under the guise of covering local Fashion Weeks.

Gates’s taste for a subversive double braid is chronicled in the May issue of Vogue; she also regularly resorts to a single ropelike plait, which her crew calls “the snake.” In this trio of GIFs created for Vogue.com, she plays the snake charmer, offering up surreal riffs on the classic hair tutorial. She also discusses the cultural touchstones that have influenced her look; the power of the braid as an expression of femininity; and how, where far-flung travel is concerned, practicality rules the day.

Have braids been a staple for you since childhood?
I have always worn them. My parents separated when I was young, and as a result my father had to learn how to braid our hair on the nights my sisters and I would stay with him. We would arrive to school the next morning with these incredibly endearing lopsided braids he had fashioned. This may have expedited the process of my learning how to braid my own hair. Ha-ha!

What sorts of reference points have influenced you?
I have always been very into pagan hairstyles. If I were alive a long time ago, I would probably have been burned at the stake. I have always loved Renata Adler’s persistent braid. When she was a young journalist, she traveled to a number of the places I have been to on the show. I like to imagine her in Jerusalem interviewing men with this long braid, as if to say, “I’ve wrangled my woman-ness—won’t you speak to me?” Notable runners-up: musicians Crystal Gayle and Sade.

There’s a knee-jerk sense that twin braids imply youth and innocence, but you twist that notion.
Yes, the impulse is to think of the braids in The Bad Seed (which I love). But then there’s [Andrew] Wyeth’s The Helga Pictures, which is so powerful and caustic. I like to remain somewhere in between. It’s also nice sometimes to prove people wrong. When my hair is in two braids, you immediately assume many things about me that I am not. It is a little more work, but in the end, it’s great sport.

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Courtesy of Hailey Gates

Have any interesting people or stylists braided your hair during your travels for States of Undress?
Yes, a transgender hairstylist in Pakistan braided my hair. The result was sort of Mormon-looking, but it was a nice way to get to know her. A sudden intimacy occurs when someone does your hair.

How have people abroad reacted to your hair?
Having long hair has allowed me to enter orthodox or religiously conservative situations with slightly more ease. There was a moment in Pakistan when I interviewed a man who had thrown acid on his wife for wearing what he described as the “latest fashions.” The last straw, he said, was that she cut her hair. “She had hair like yours,” he said, pointing to my braid. It made me want to cut it off in front of him! It was a very uncomfortable feeling, being an example of piety simply because of my hair—if anyone knows me or has seen the show, they know that is not true.

Braids seem to carry a lot of coded information. At one time in parts of Africa, braiding patterns might have revealed which clan you were from; I also think about your Instagram of the YPJ—a visible marker of femininity in a space (war) usually reserved for buzz cuts and other masculine styles. How does that factor into their appeal for you?
I think of braids as being no-nonsense. They have the capacity to make one look “capable” or “ready.” In some way, it feels as if the braid represents the threat of femininity: Here it is all tied up, but when unfastened it can become untamed, unruly. It is a very American or Western sentiment to think that [women] have to strip themselves of their femininity in order to be powerful or taken seriously. I find the women of the YPJ and the FARC very inspiring. They do not have to “unsex” themselves in this Lady Macbeth way in order to fight. I think we have so many lessons to learn from them, like destroying this notion that “I have to cut my hair short and wear a power suit to get a job.”

Practically speaking, what makes the braid so travel-friendly?
I know I have said a lot of philosophical crap about the braid, but frankly, my hair is also wild and unruly! It’s just the best way to get it out of my face, so I can go about my day and do my job without thinking about my appearance. I remember being fascinated by these blonde foreign correspondents on the news reporting from exotic locations, saying things like “Behind me . . . .” I always wanted to know where they slept, what they ate, but mostly how did they get their hair coiffed in a war zone. Perhaps that is what I like most about working with Vice: Instead of turning my back on the action in order to talk about what is “behind me,” I get to go in there and figure it out for myself. I can show you where I sleep and what I eat. I don’t have to have a coif or blonde hair—just a braid and the immediacy of the circumstance.

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Courtesy of Hailey Gates

 

The post Meet the Globe-Trotting It Girl Whose Signature Braid Is Her Passport appeared first on Vogue.

Vogue Staffers on the Best Beauty Advice We’ve Learned From Our Mothers

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One’s beauty look is influenced by many factors: There might be shades of Helena Christensen’s salt-sprayed muse in Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” video; high-gloss manicures à la Guy Bourdin; or the sharply whittled abs of ’90s-era TLC. But look back far enough and chances are that for most people, the most resonant lessons started at home. If “mother knows best” is a well-worn phrase, that’s only because it rings true in more than a few instances—particularly when it comes to, say, matters of hair care, sunscreen fidelity, and the notion that lipstick is the perfect punctuation mark to any look. In honor of Mother’s Day this weekend, 21 Vogue staffers share their favorite pearls of beauty wisdom.

 

The post Vogue Staffers on the Best Beauty Advice We’ve Learned From Our Mothers appeared first on Vogue.

Sienna Miller on SoulCycle, Motherhood, and Her Glamorous ’70s Transformation in High-Rise

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At a time when the fashion world is in a full ’70s swoon, High-Rise, in theaters this Friday, presents a darkly decadent variation on a theme. Based on J. G. Ballard’s 1975 novel about a grandiose apartment building that slides into chaos, the film follows a group of tenants who navigate the vertically oriented class system. Among them, there’s the mastermind architect (Jeremy Irons); the strapping newcomer (Tom Hiddleston); and the Bardot-esque beauty, Charlotte Melville, played by Sienna Miller. “She’s mercurial; she can move between anyone’s floor and is kind of welcomed everywhere,” the actress explained in a recent conversation at New York’s Crosby Street Hotel. And in the tower’s increasingly unhinged, party-fueled dystopia, that fluidity is essential to survival.

Miller’s seamless shift into character—complete with a lofty brunette shag, past-perfect winged liner, and metallic nails—is just the latest example of the actress as a convincing on-screen chameleon. “People used to try to keep me looking more like myself in films, and I now am really rebellious against that,” she said. “One of the biggest compliments is people saying, ‘I didn’t know that was you.’ ” And while that thirst for transformation will manifest itself in a wide array of fresh projects, including Ben Affleck’s forthcoming Live by Night, it’s all quite a few notches up from the low-key cool that suits her dual life as an actress and mother of 3-year-old Marlowe. Miller spoke with Vogue.com about her beauty icons, SoulCycle’s decidedly un-British positivity, and why the right contouring makes all the difference.

How did your character’s Bardot-esque beauty look come about?
She, to me, is the epitome of beauty, Bardot. But what I liked about Charlotte was that she had the eyeliner, but it’s all a bit smudged. She’s slightly falling apart; it’s always a little bit the day-after-the-night-before with her. And we liked the idea that she was more ’60s in the way that she did her hair and her makeup because it was the ’70s now—that, when she was growing up, those were the girls she idolized. So there was something sweet and a little bit tragic about her clinging to what was not necessarily the fashion of that day.

Did you undergo any physical transformations for the role, whether hair color or fitness?
None. It was a wig. I was actually shooting Burnt at the same time, so I had to go back and forth from being a chef with an undercut to Charlotte. And I don’t think she could have looked like she worked out because girls didn’t then. There’s nothing worse, to me, than a period film with someone with guns.

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Miller as Charlotte Melville in High-Rise.

Photo: Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Wrapped up as she is in glamour, Charlotte is quite detached as a mother. How did that resonate with you?
Charlotte’s desperately clinging to the pre-mother version of herself and, as a result, is pretty useless and negligent—meaning well, but selfish. But in the ’70s I feel like there was a style of parenting that was just much less attached. There were no baby monitors—kids were probably crying and no one could hear—and everyone was smoking and drinking while they were pregnant. It was just a different era and fascinating to explore. It’s encouraging how far we’ve come. I still think we’ve got a long way to go in terms of prejudice and the way that women are treated once they have children and [have been] sort of spat out a little bit.

Have you sensed that in your own career?
No. I think there’s this great deception about motherhood—that, as women, your child is born and you’re instantly in love and there’s this bubble that you exist in. That’s a story we kind of tell ourselves because the reality is, it’s exhausting. The greatest thing that’s ever happened to me is having my daughter, but at the same time it was definitely a struggle at the beginning. Balancing a career and motherhood—the guilt was really consuming for a while. There’s no manual that comes home with the baby. But you find your equilibrium. I definitely feel in the last year that I’m in a place where I’m much more comfortable navigating the sea of my life and the different hats of work. My kid was on set for this whole film, and she gets to be in these crazy environments with these mad people in funny clothes, and for her it’s inspiring.

Who do you consider to be your beauty icons?
Beauty icons—there are so many! I love Katharine Hepburn and those women of that era. Grace Kelly, Jane Birkin, and Bardot. Today, we’re so inundated with it because of social media and the culture that we live in, but Alexa Chung is so gorgeous, and I saw Emily Blunt today—she’s pregnant and just radiant. I do think it’s a really exciting time for women, and I feel a sense of solidarity and shift in the last couple of years—in my own self, in the way that women are valuing themselves, and the camaraderie between us. And I suppose [we’re] on the brink of potentially an American president who’s a female. That must be an exciting moment for this country.

With a nonstop schedule and an almost 4-year-old, what are your go-to beauty tricks?
There’s a Burberry shading stick, which is really useful for light contouring on your nose and [cheekbones] and temples. I don’t really have big eye sockets, so I do it there. I always look better with a little bit of a tan, so sometimes I’ll just cheat and put fake tan on. There’s a Sisley one that’s really good, and I’ve got a Bobbi Brown one and a La Mer one. I just think beautiful skin is the best thing. I’m trying to be better at having facials and maintenance. I don’t want to have surgery, so I just think you have to try and take care of what you’ve got.
 
Do you have a favorite facialist in London?
Yes, there’s this woman called Dr. Nigma [Talib]. She does an ultrasound facial, which boosts your collagen. Yvonne Martin is much more classic. She does aromatherapy and lymphatic massage; I really like those kinds of things. And here [in New York], Joanna Vargas is really great.

What about fitness?
I’ve done SoulCycle a few times when I’m here. Sometimes I cringe a little bit at the motivational aspect of it, but that’s just because I’m English and we’re not used to saying, “You see your dream! Go get it!” A part of me wants to sob and feel emancipated from my British roots. [laughs] And I do yoga three times a week in London, more because I’m just searching for some equanimity. It’s very easy to feel exhausted by these schedules and time zones. I’ve got a yoga teacher who comes to the house—she’s a friend of mine—and there’s Jivamukti, which I go to in London. I really genuinely believe that you can do all the healthy eating and all the exercise in the world, but that people look their best when they are content in some way. So the focus maybe should be less aesthetic and more like, How do I feel good and balanced and happy?

You trained in the kitchen for Burnt. Is healthy cooking a focus for you?
Cooking is a focus for me, but I wouldn’t say healthy. I really would love to be better at doing that stuff, but I’m more of a home cook: roasts, some Asian food, pastas and sauces and soups. In terms of, like, chia seed and whatever grains, no. I’m like, fried eggs and Marmite toast!

 

Sienna Miller leads a completely normal life. We swear:

The post Sienna Miller on SoulCycle, Motherhood, and Her Glamorous ’70s Transformation in High-Rise appeared first on Vogue.

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