If you hate the thought of slathering on a thick sunscreen, this is for you. We discovered this gel moisturizer on a trip to Tokyo, where it's a popular drugstore staple. The “watery essence” truly disappears into skin as soon as you smooth it on. It has a light citrus scent and maintains moisture without feeling greasy. Over the past few years, Aqua Rich has developed a cult following stateside, so you can now find tubes available to buy online.
Each spring I look forward to the time when we can enjoy dining outside on the porch or patio. This spring looks a little different because our yard is currently in renovation mode. Luckily, our patio off the kitchen is in tact (at least for now) so we can still barbecue and enjoy dining under the stars. I have talked about my obsession with collecting colorful plates, glassware, tables clothes and napkins before, and my collection continues to grow with more and more colorful springtime finds. Since we will be hosting a very casual Easter this year, just with family, I’m going to mix it up a bit and add a few surprises here and there. It’s fun to incorporate colorful eggs, bunnies and botanicals into my tablescape, which I know C will love. I can’t wait to spend the day hunting for eggs filled with treats, sharing small gifts with family, and gathering around our patio table for dinner al fresco. If you are looking for springtime table setting ideas that will carry into summer, see my assortment of rainbow finds below. Many will make beautiful gifts as well!
Picture this: You're mindlessly scrolling through your For You page and land on a seven-second video of a TikTok influencer going from barefaced to full glam. You notice that her eye makeup looks really cool: intense and defined, but not heavy-handed. Then, once you read the caption, it all makes sense: "Put on blue mascara, can you tell?"
Just like that, blue mascara has hit a trend groove, likely because Gen Zers are proving it's not as intimidating as you might think if you've only ever worn classic black. In fact, the clips show that when used strategically, a touch of blue makes everyone's eyes — no matter the color — look brighter and shinier.
To give blue mascara a shot this summer, shop the top-ranked tubes, ahead.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
Chanel Le Volume De Chanel Mascara in 70 Blue Night
If blue mascara still gives you bad middle-school vibes, allow us to point you in the direction of this chic Chanel tube fit for any grownup's makeup bag. Reviewers note that the Blue Night shade is not electric at all, and is actually "softer than the look that black mascara creates."
Chanel Le Volume De Chanel Mascara, $, available at Nordstrom
Benefit Cosmetics BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara in Brightening Blue
Benefit's BadGal Bang mascara, the OG, has won countless best-in-class beauty awards. If you're a loyalist, buy this tube, because you already know you like the formula.
Benefit Cosmetics BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara, $, available at Sephora
Once a year, America acknowledges the egregious pay gap in which Latinas earn just 67 cents for every dollar a non-Latinx white man makes. It’s time we interrogate this fact year-round. The L-Suite examines the diverse ways in which Latinx professionals have built their careers, how they’ve navigated notoriously disruptive roadblocks, and how they’re attempting to dismantle these obstacles for the rest of their communities. This month, we’re talking with Google alum and founder of Eliment and Company,Eliana Murillo, about overcoming cultural pressures to stay in job, when it’s time to leave your full-time gig, and setting yourself up for success.
The numbers are in, and women are ditching corporate America. Lean In and McKinsey & Company reported last year that one in four women are contemplating leaving their corporate careers, many due to the challenges of balancing work and home obligations. This number swells for women of color. According to a survey by Working Mother Media, 50 percent of women of color are considering leaving their companies within the next two years — and for different reasons than their white counterparts. These Black, brown, and Asian women often find that their race, ethnicity, or accent prevent them from building strategic networks and growing at their companies, as per the study. Wanting more control over their careers and lives — and identities that fall under the pressures of code-switching — many of these women are leaving corporate jobs and turning their passion projects into businesses.
This is reality for Eliana Murillo. After 10 years at Google, where she founded and led the multicultural marketing team, the Los Angeles-native departed from the tech giant in the summer of 2020 (yep, amid the global pandemic) to focus on her entrepreneurial endeavors. During the day, she’s now running Eliment and Company, which works as an innovation venture lab, production studio, and consulting firm for small businesses, content creators, tech leaders, and more. Additionally, she’s working on her family’s organic tequila business, Tequila Alquimia, which launched in 2007. During her nights and weekends, the Mexican-American businesswoman gives back to Latinx communities, particularly through Latinos in Tech Giving Circle, a movement of philanthropic leaders she co-founded to invest in Latinx-led tech organizations, and Latinas Who Brunch, a social-first network of Latinas she created for empowerment through virtual events and community partnerships.
While that might sound like a heavy load (and it is), this range brings Murillo joy. “There’s nothing wrong with a stable corporate job, but I’ve always wanted to do things in an unconventional way: paint with more colors and mix them in ways that make sense to me. That’s my magic,” Murillo tells Refinery29.
We spoke with the tech expert and entrepreneur about the complex decision to leave a revered (and stable) corporate job to forge her own path. From overcoming cultural pressures to stay at jobs that no longer serve you to setting yourself up for success before leaving your full-time gig, Murillo shares her story and offers advice for Latinas still struggling with the resolution.
Knowing when it’s time to leave corporate
Two significant factors went into Murillo’s decision to leave her full-time job. The first one was the pandemic’s disastrous impact on small businesses. “I thought about overcoming this challenge, and I wanted to show up and use Eliment and Company as a resource and amplification tool to inspire people and promote businesses as much as we could,” Murillo says. The entrepreneurs that she worked with while she was at Google were the ones who inspired her to take the plunge herself, and having more time to dedicate to her own endeavors would increase her ability to support those same small business owners.
The second factor was the rise of the Black Lives Matter protests, which awoke many to the injustice and systemic oppression that has been rampant globally for centuries. Knowing the power and resources that startups and corporations have, she wanted to use existing tech tools — and others she’s currently developing — to help them make a powerful and lasting impact on racial justice issues. “I want to make sure that corporate leaders have a plan, not just a statement or one-time donation, and that startup leaders create a culture of inclusivity from the jump,” she announces. “While I had been doing this work for some years on my own time, I realized that this needed to be more than a side hustle.” These projects are currently underway, and Murillo says she will be sharing more on this soon.
While these two historic moments were catalysts, they ultimately emphasized Murillo’s “why” for leaving corporate and starting her own business: a deep desire to do more to help her community. That’s why Murillo urges everyone to pause and reflect on their intentions before pivoting careers, which will be beneficial to your well-being. “Moments when I felt tired, what would refuel me was reconnecting with my ‘why,’” she shares. “When you know your ‘why,’ it’s less easy to get caught up in internal politics or self-doubt.”
Setting yourself up for success
Before making the leap, it’s also important to set yourself up to win. While working her full-time job, Murillo spent her nights and weekends dedicated to the passion projects that would later become her business. As a result, she was able to pilot her venture and get feedback. Seeing the interest in her vision and work from potential clients, Murillo was able to gauge the business before quitting and ultimately see that committing herself to this work full-time could be sustainable.
But that’s not the only way she set herself up for success. She also reviewed her finances, a step she says everyone should take before jumping into entrepreneurship. “I had saved a lot of money,” she says. “I knew how long I could go as a bootstrapping founder to self-fund my business and not make decisions from a place of scarcity. I had conversations with myself, asking, ‘can I make this work while walking away from my financial income and my 401k.” Surveying her finances also made her mindful of how to start her business. For instance, she knew she couldn’t immediately hire full-time employees, so instead she worked with part-time contractors and interns.
It’s also important to consider your worst-case scenario. According to Murillo, thinking of the plight could help you see that this decision is not as frightening as you think. If that least favorable outcome is practical, it might actually give you the push you need. “When I thought about my worse-case scenario, I realized it was just that I’d have to apply for a job again. If the worst-case scenario is where I am now, then it isn’t so bad,” she says. “We sometimes allow these fears to become bigger than they are, but if we think rationally about the worst-case scenario and the best-case scenario, then you realize it’s a pretty good bet, especially if you tested it.”
Overcoming self-doubt and familial pressure
Similar to many Latinx folks or children of immigrants, Murillo didn’t want to disappoint her parents with the career switch. So, when her father expressed sorrow after she told him she was considering leaving her corporate job, it made her rethink her decision. “As someone who values the thoughts of my parents, which is true for many of us, it was hard to walk away after I ‘made it.’ I also had mentors who told me to play it safe,” Murillo says.
Ultimately, Murillo overcame familial pressure and self-doubt by measuring the likelihood of her success, listening to other mentors who told her she was ready, and trusting her gut. “I tested it myself. I had started these projects on the side, and most of it I had done out of love for the work I care about. It wasn’t transactional,” she says. “I had pre-risked this opportunity through these pilots and knew I could do it. I realized I was worth investing in and decided I’m the person who’s going to take the bet on me.”
In less than a year, Murillo says she’s running with full force, and the people around her (including her papi) are supportive. That’s why it’s best to not let other’s opinions overpower your own.
Honoring allof your dreams
When Murillo started her career, she tried to put herself in one box. She thought focusing on one area would strengthen her skillset and make her more successful. However, there was one problem: she was miserable. “What makes me happy is multiple projects and ventures and connecting the dots between them all. I see the synergy across all of them, and it helps me do better at each of them,” she says.
She’s not alone. A 2018 report found that 4 in 10 Americans have a “side hustle,” and 59 percent of that group consider the money disposable income. Many loathe the monotony of their jobs, and sooner or later, they long to start multiple projects at once. If that sounds like you, Murillo thinks you’re capable, and ultimately should honor all of your dreams — you just have to do it with intention and care. This will not only allow you to invest in the projects wholly but also prevent you from burning out. “A mentor once told me, ‘You can do many things. Just do them all with love.’ I realized giving something you love the real love and care it deserves is critical,” advises Murillo. That’s why the Google alum dedicates a different day of the week to a particular project or venture, ensuring that it has her full attention instead of living in a juggling act:“I know I can do it all, just not all at the same time.”
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Adam Levine added another very large piece to his tattoo collection this week. On Tuesday night, the Maroon 5 frontman documented the process of getting a sleeve (a pant leg, if you will) covering his entire left leg, and shared it on his Instagram Story. “Today was ouch, but worth it,” he captioned one clip.
Levine went on to explain that the process of tattooing his leg from ankle to upper thigh took roughly three days — quite the undertaking for tattoo artist Nathan Kostechko, who designed Levine’s new ink. In the Instagram videos, you can see Kostechko putting the finishing touches on the large design of stylized ocean waves.
“Most painful way to get a tan,” Levine joked in an Instagram Story caption after the tattoo was completed. “Mint,” he added in another post showing off the leg. He kept his fans updated throughout the process, mentioning that some spots on his leg were quite “ticklish.”
This isn’t the first piece Kostechko has done for Levine: The artist also designed the immaculate heart tattoo on Levine’s neck, which brings the singer’s total up to around 27 — most of which are large in size and took days, weeks, or months to complete. In 2016, Levine got a tattoo of a siren on his back featuring a ship and the horizon in the background. In total, that landscape piece was completed over roughly six months, which makes this current three-day project seem like a piece of cake.
“Tattoos wind up being this strange road map or narrative over the years,” Levine told People in 2013 for his Sexiest Man Alive cover. “They always remind me of this long, weird, awesome journey life has been.”
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I’m not exactly sure when but, at some point, I gave up searching for clothes in the petite section and pivoted to wearing straight-fit clothing instead. If things had to be a bit baggy or ill-fitting, I was willing to take the hit as long as I had access to the same never-ending string of clothing options as everyone else (meaning those above 5’4″). I took it as part and parcel of my experience as a short woman and didn’t think too much about it until I had a number of shopping disasters buying jeans and dresses last summer. Swathed in reams of fabric going way past my ankles, I finally decided enough was enough and began searching for clothes that were created for bodies like mine. But with many brands seeing the petite experience as an uncommon one, the options for quality clothing were few and far between.
This is something that Jennifer Ison, founder of U.K.-based, petite-only clothing brand Jennifer Anne can relate to, having previously struggled to find clothes for her 5’1″ frame: “Being petite is often seen as a niche thing but it isn’t really. Statistics show that the average height of a woman in the UK is 5’3″.” From her own research, Jennifer found that 63% of petite women in Britain felt that the retail market didn’t cater for their needs, with many discussing difficulties when it came to proportions and lack of variety. “Often the petite shopping experience is about ‘making do’ or not coming back with anything at all,” she says. “I think it means that petite women end up buying things that don’t suit them or reflect their personality because you are just so happy to find something that fits.”
At-home styling service Stitch Fix homed in on this problem. The company carries petite ranges from well-known brands and has added its own petite collections across its in-house womenswear labels. With the pandemic still stopping many petite people from having that all-important IRL try-on experience, the personal styling service aims to bridge the gap, allowing petite shoppers to input their exact measurements and style preferences and have a box of five clothing items which meet their requirements delivered straight to their door.
Keen to dip my toe back into the world of petite brands and clothing, I was curious to know if the service could use my information to dress my frame better than I could. As someone with pretty specific fashion tastes, I was skeptical of coming away with anything I would keep but with a fairly in-depth online survey and the ability to message a stylist directly, I decided to take the plunge and request three petite outfits for a variety of occasions. Ahead are all my thoughts and feelings about using an at-home styling service as a petite woman.
Date Night Outfit
When it comes to wearing midi dresses as a 5’2″ woman, I know that the majority of the ones I try on will turn out to be maxi dresses. It’s something that I often consider while out shopping during the warmer months and the majority of the time I just opt for trousers to save myself the hassle. Surprisingly, this dress from the petite range of Stitch Fix’s in-house label Mauvette felt quite flattering on my frame. Sitting at a nice spot on my ankle, with both heels and my old faithful Birkenstocks, the dress fit my brief for an easily wearable date night look for dinners and picnics alike. However, when it comes to personal style, I can’t say floral is particularly my thing (the majority of my wardrobe is comprised of plain block colors). While the service listened to my love of dark hues, the bright ditsy print was a little bit loud for my liking, meaning although the dress fit well, it wasn’t a match when it came to individual taste.
Office Outfit
Okay, this outfit could have come straight out of my own wardrobe. While filling in the styling survey I made sure to emphasise my love of all-black looks and Stitch Fix definitely delivered with this jet black ensemble. As someone who works (worked?) in a fairly casual office, I normally gravitate towards tailored trousers and a top, which made these cropped All Saints pants the perfect pick, sitting just above my trainers when I got up to walk around my flat. Similarly, the ribbed short-sleeved shirt from Samsoe & Samsoe was a bit of me, fitting close to the body and easily tucked into the trousers. As many petite gals will know, oversized knits and tees can look like you’ve raided your dad’s wardrobe so tight tops always help me feel a little more put-together. I appreciate that this might have been a consideration in the stylist’s process or a happy accident but, either way, it made me feel smart, which was my main goal for the outfit.
Weekend Outfit
You probably can’t tell by my face but these jeans were a revelation. In recent years I have opted for baggy, wide-leg jeans after seeing them on every supermodel in the game. Why did I think that my squat legs would look like theirs? I have no idea but I didn’t realize how much I missed well-fitting denim until I jumped into these cropped Lee jeans. While I would have perhaps gone for a black jean over a blue, the delight I experienced at having them caress my body in all the right places was a major win, which only got better when I realized they hit exactly on the ankle to show off my boots. The fit of the YAS jumper worked fairly well with the jeans, allowing me to tuck it in without tons of fabric swamping my stomach. While the jumper was perhaps a little mature for my taste, this outfit made my proportions look pretty damn good so I’m happy to call it a success.
Considering the difficulty I’ve had in finding clothing that fits, it feels like styling services for petite bodies can only be a good thing. While customers are limited to the brands that Stitch Fix carries, it’s nice to see a variety of petite-friendly labels on the platform that step outside the usual realm of high street stores. As someone who enjoys fashion (and having control over her clothes), the service isn’t necessarily something I would use on a regular basis but with only a $20 styling fee and the ability to try before you buy, it’s definitely worth looking into if you have sizing issues.
With questions about height, weight, and proportion alongside color, fabric, and print preferences, it’s nice to feel like petite concerns are being considered without having to compromise on personal taste. As Stitch Fix’s petite-specific service grows (no pun intended), hopefully the inventory of brands will expand with it, giving shoppers even more options. Plus, with the service showing that there is a market for petite shoppers searching for catered clothing, hopefully it’s only a matter of time before other styling services join the petite revolution, too.
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