When traveling and vacations resume, there’s now one less thing to worry about when you’re boarding a flight to your next sunny locale — or really just anywhere you intend to spend time outside. 

According to a recent announcement from the Travel Security Administration (TSA), airplane passengers can now travel with full-sized bottles of sunscreen in their carry-on bags. This small but significant change is thanks to the Department of Dermatology at Brown University, which challenged the TSA on the 3.4-ounce liquid limit because sunscreen is a necessary protectant against skin cancer, thus should be policed under the same regulations as carry-ons such as inhalers, contact solution, and medications.

As of April 7, sunscreens and SPF products are considered by the TSA to be “medically-necessary liquids,” which means they’re permitted in larger quantities in carry-ons as long as you declare them to security officers at the TSA checkpoint for inspection. Provided you do that, you’re free to bring a full-sized bottle of sunscreen without concerns of confiscation.

This new amendment comes ahead of National Skin Cancer Awareness Month in May. Currently, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. According to the National Foundation For Cancer Research, 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer in the United States every day. However, the organization also says that it is one of the most preventable and treatable forms of cancer. Given skin cancer’s strong correlation to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays, the National Foundation for Cancer Research advises that everyone use at least an SPF 15 or higher for regular use and 30 or above for outdoor activities.

Re-applying sunscreen regularly — not just once a day — is essential to ensuring it’s an effective protectant against the sun, which makes being able to pack plenty of sunscreen all the more important.

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Today is officially the day we break ground walls on our new house project.

In case you missed the memo, we’re moving! I am beyond excited that this transition will be happening at the beginning of May. The changes we are making to our new house are more of a minor face life. The house we purchased is a brand new build, however the builder didn’t 100% finish the bells and whistles of the project {i.e. fixtures, faucets, tiles} and there needs to be a few adjustments before we move in.

For this home, we have partnered with JDP Interiors to offer a fresh perspective on how to merge our current, more vintage furniture with more modern updates such as a new sofa and nightstands for the bedroom. While we are bringing along a lot of our pieces from our old home, we will be getting a few new things to add in a more contemporary feel to the space.

As we finalized our plans, I thought I’d share a first look at what our goals are for the main rooms we are working on. These renderings were beautifully created by JDP Interiors and really offer a nice view on what our goals are.

The Entry

When we purchased the home, the entry was a complete blank slate and felt a bit too open. It was a bit too big to simply have an entry table or bench but the space was also quite large and up against the front door so it felt weird designating it as another room.

We really struggled with where to put our piano, so we came up with the idea of building a hallway that also opened up to a small music library. I am beyond excited about how this will turn out. We are basically building these walls from scratch and the rendering gives you an idea of what the spaces will look like from the living room looking back at the front door.

I did a ton of research on entry hallway design ideas and the best solution for this space was to build walls. Other solutions I found on Pinterest were using plants, low consoles to divide a space and even pony walls.

The Living Space

Currently, the living room has zero character (ha, sorry living room). With any newer build, design struggles often rest in the reality that there are few architectural details that make the home feel unique and special. Before investing our budget anywhere else in the home, we knew we would get the most “bang for our buck” by adding in strong details throughout the home.

We are adding in wooden beams on the ceiling and building in book shelves on both sides of the fireplace. You can have all of the best furniture in the world but that doesn’t mean it will truly “pop” against a blank canvas. You can also have one beautiful chair against a beautiful canvas and it will have more of an impact thanks to the little architectural details.

The Kitchen

Last but not least, the kitchen is one room I am most excited about. I cannot wait to have an open floor plan from the kitchen to living room so that I can keep an eye on my daughter while I’m making dinner. We are replacing the vent above the stove, replacing all fixtures and adding marble to tie into the living room fireplace – all of which will bring more warmth and character to the space overall.

I cannot wait to share more of the process as it unfolds. Please stay tuned for more and let me know in the comments what you would like to see more of!

TikTok’s beauty enthusiasts can’t get enough of clever trends and techniques that promise to transform skin in a matter of moments, and it’s safe to say each one has us hooked. Right now, facial cupping is having a moment — and judging by the countless tutorials flooding the app, the results are impressive, to say the least.

What is facial cupping?

Even though cupping is big on TikTok right now, the technique is nothing new; in fact, it’s been popular in Chinese and Middle Eastern medicine for centuries. On the body, cupping therapy involves placing glass or silicone cups on either wet or dry skin, which creates a suction effect. This brings blood to the surface of the skin and is said to relax muscles and potentially reduce back and neck pain.

Facial cupping is a little gentler and involves much smaller cups (again, usually silicone or glass) which create a pull on the skin. “Lately it has become a trend for facial use on the premise that the cup uses pressure to draw nutrients to the surface of the skin with the aim of creating healthier looking skin,” says Ioannis Liakas, medical director and skin specialist at Vie Aesthetics. On TikTok, the cups are used in conjunction with skin-care products like facial oils, serums, or masks, which help them glide over the skin easily.

@ohdiarie

some real ugly faces yikes, also the oil was for the cupping! #skincare #myskincare #cupping #facecupping #skincareobsessed #skin #skinhacks #massage

♬ original sound – 𝕾𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖆🦋✨

What are the skin-care benefits of facial cupping?

Much like using a jade roller or gua sha tool, TikTokers love the facial cupping technique for relaxing tense facial muscles, especially along the jaw, and claim it lends the skin a post-facial glow when combined with radiance-enhancing skin-care products like vitamin C or rosehip oil. It’s a favorite among experts, too: Top facialist Antonia Burrell loves facial cupping for providing a temporary lift, while Dr. Liakas pinpoints its potential to contour and sculpt cheekbones, as well as de-puff skin. Some TikTok skin-care enthusiasts claim anecdotally that facial cupping helps minimize fine lines, wrinkles, and scars and stimulates collagen.

How do you do facial cupping at home and does it work?

Inspired by TikTok’s skin-care enthusiasts (and spurred on by how desperately my dull, post-winter skin is in need of a glow boost), I had to give facial cupping a go.

I opted for the Skin Gym Facial Cupping Set, which includes two medium-size facial cups (for cheeks, chin, and forehead) and two micro-cups, which perform better around the nose, eyes, and lips. Facial cupping works best when combined with skin-care products so that the cups can slide across the skin without any friction. I found it’s actually quite difficult to use the cups without product, as they keep popping off my skin. Layering up with moisturizer, serum, or facial oil means they can do their job with ease.

Facial oils seem to be a popular product to work with on TikTok, but Dr. Liakas mentions they could clog pores and spread bacteria if you’re prone to breakouts. He likes vitamin C serums for facial cupping, but says hyaluronic acid serums are also an option and are beneficial for all skin types. You could also use a moisturizer for more slip. I have oily, acne-prone skin, so I chose a lightweight serum: Farmacy Very Cherry Bright 15% Clean Vitamin C Serum. A little goes a long way to create a slick base on the skin.

Dr. Liakas says that keeping the skin taut when passing the cups over your face is key and recommends cleansing your skin afterwards. This is because cupping is more of a DIY facial treatment, rather than an actual skin-care step. Simply follow with your usual skin-care routine afterwards.

I started with the miniature cups and concentrated them on areas where I’d like a little bit of a lift, which is around my eyes and above my eyebrows. The suction was very gentle and the product absorbed quickly as I glided the cups over my skin. While I didn’t notice an immediate difference in firmness, I saw a change in the skin around my nose and lips, which always tends to be quite swollen when I wake up in the morning.

@jacquelinekilikita

I tried #facialcupping and it gave me a radiant, post-facial flush. Here are all the main skin benefits. #facecupping

♬ original sound – Jacqueline Kilikita

I concentrated the large cups along my jawline, which holds a lot of tension as I sometimes grind my teeth when stressed or anxious. I found the suction really soothing and relaxing (more so than my trusty gua sha tool), and after five minutes of gliding the tool back and forth over my skin, any tightness dissipated entirely. After 10 minutes in total, it felt like my face had been treated and massaged by a professional facialist. The only difference is the price — and the fact that I didn’t have to leave my bedroom. I loved the natural glow it gave my skin, too, almost as though I’d just got in from a brisk walk in the cold. As a result, I skipped foundation and blush, and just applied a little concealer for the rest of the day.

Are there any side effects of DIY facial cupping?

DIY facial cupping is unlikely to leave you with the large telltale marks typical of professional body cupping — especially if you’re using silicone cups, which are kinder on skin — but it pays to be as gentle as possible. Unlike skin-care tools such as pore vacuums, the pull of facial cups is relatively light so broken capillaries or blood vessels are rare, although Dr. Liakas says they are not out of the question. As with all new skin-care tools and techniques, be mindful, especially if you choose a glass set.

It’s not a great idea to use cupping tools on broken skin as this could cause further irritation. Dr. Liakas also suggests avoiding the technique if you’re sunburned or if your skin has been exposed to the sun recently. Likewise, if you have rosacea, sensitive skin, or active acne, or you’re using retinol and are experiencing flaking or sensitivity, Dr. Liakas suggests giving cupping a miss for the time being.

@fferlopez

Face cupping benefits⚡️ #facecupping #facecuppingmassage #skincare #skin

♬ Steven Universe – L.Dre

What are the best facial cupping sets?

Aside from Skin Gym, there are a handful of other expert-approved facial cupping sets out there. The popular glass WTHN Face Cups are said to boost circulation and relax tight muscles. Antonia Burrell Facial In A Box includes a mini cleansing oil, lotion, mask, facial oil, and moisturizer alongside one large and one miniature cupping tool to treat all areas of the face.

I thought I’d find facial cupping to be a waste of time, but there’s no denying it works a treat when done correctly. If you love skin care and are looking for ways to pamper yourself at home, it’s an easy, effective, and affordable technique that earns my seal of approval.

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I was recently in an Amazon hole looking for lightbulbs — a worthy Amazon-specific purchase if you’re super picky on bulb types and refuse to once again be lost and alone in a 12-foot-high aisle at the hardware store — when I digitally veered left into things I didn’t really need and ended up perusing blankets. Somewhere in my subconscious, there was an organic cotton bedding seed planted and its promise of cozy textile goodness was blooming on the tip of my brain. It was also following me around Instagram and TikTok where images featuring beds made with mille-feuille cake-inspired layers of sheets and duvets were being served up by the bevy. I’m not sure at what point I said “I’d love to be swaddled in an adult baby blanket” loud enough for the ad-targeting demon in my iPhone to hear me, but like Virgil leading me through the nine rings of Amazon hell, I was ultimately guided down to adult baby blanket Paradiso.

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The Instagram image above can probably be traced back to what first triggered my adult baby blanket itch. (I have a burner IG handle that I use for following home inspo accounts, interior designers, furniture, and decor brands — it’s my safe space on the app.) This image was originally posted by @interiorbygini, a Vienna-based ‘Grammer of ethereal home aesthetics. Or, at least, I think she was the first; it’s been reposted so many times by other accounts, that it’s a constant in my feed. Look at that bedding! The warm light has just slipped away from the bed’s sea of sumptuous cotton muslin, making it the most ideal place on Earth for what was previously referred to as a lazy disco nap. I envisioned myself descending beneath those layers of luxury for a moment of soft reflection — or, if choosing not to muss up the entire masterpiece, simply sliding under its airy top layer.

Two weeks later, after thinking about this idyllic scene at least once a day, it happened, I ended up on Amazon typing in the keywords “organic cotton waffle”, “soft muslin blanket”, and “layered organic crinkle gauze blanket” to get the right results. And, judging by all the positive reviews, I wasn’t the only person who came to the conclusion that an adult baby blanket was one of life’s more desirable unspoken luxuries. I felt a special kinship with one reviewer who stated, “I’m a 30-year-old grown-ass woman who is always jealous of my nieces’ and nephews’ muslin blankets because of how insanely cozy they are. I’m so happy I found one big enough for me to snuggle up with.”

Now that I own this Bedsure 50% cotton and 50% bamboo style, it’s something I’d describe as a waffled adult baby blanket you can swaddle yourself up in for self-soothing bliss. The secret about baby blankie Amazon is that it’s a pretty wholesome corner of the behemoth site that many of us loath. While those lightbulbs are a one-and-done click to buy, the gauzy dream blanket scene is filled with sellers who have keys to some of the best textile mills east of Italy, family bedding businesses that do one thing really well, and a slew of other random options — all with near 5-star ratings. The paradox of choice hits hard when you’re virtually surrounded by too much of a good thing.

EMME 100% Cotton Muslin 6-Layer Throw Blanket, $39.89

Although I’m extremely satisfied with my purchase, I’m not 100% sure I landed on the exact one that fulfills the aforementioned Instagram vision (seeking a little less waffle, a little more mille-feuille cake). And here’s where I type an on-record statement that I will not buy another adult baby blanket for myself. Not because I don’t want layers of organic cotton gauze swathed across every bed and couch and perhaps they can even serve as a picnic blanket or a tablecloth or a lovely backdrop to a fruit bowl and bouquet of flowers as to which I can sit with an easel and palette and marvel at the still life before me; but because I can see myself becoming a hoarder of cloud-like covers. It’s 2021 and I’m not here to consume more than I can snoo. However — with a capital H because it’s at the beginning of the sentence and also because I want to stress that despite my good intentions — I will probably accumulate a few more when I finally have guests over again. After all, I wouldn’t want to keep the joy that is sweatless slumber-filled nights or oh-so-soft and cool naptimes all to myself.

UniDes 4-Layer 100% Muslin Cotton Blanket, $55.99

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As of Friday, roughly 20% of people in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). With millions of people receiving at least one of the three approved vaccines each day, widespread immunity against the coronavirus is slowly becoming a reality. But, as more vaccinations are rolled out and life inches back to pre-pandemic times, the question of how long that immunity will last after the final shot is on a lot of people’s minds.

According to new research from Pfizer and Moderna, it looks like COVID-19 immunity will last at least six months in fully vaccinated people, though studies are ongoing. In a statement released by Pfizer-BioNTech on Thursday, immunity against the coronavirus is confirmed to last at least half a year for people who have been fully vaccinated with the Pfizer shot. The company, following an observation of 927 symptomatic cases during its phase 3 study, concluded that its vaccine remained 91.3% effective against the virus for up to six months after. Pfizer also confirmed that the COVID-19 vaccine was 100% effective against severe disease, as defined by the CDC; 95.3% effective against severe COVID-19 symptoms, as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and 100% effective against the highly transmissible B.1.351 variant of the coronavirus.

The Moderna vaccine also appears to remain effective in fighting against COVID-19 for at least six months after the second shot, according to an April 6 report in The New England Journal of Medicine. The vaccine showed a 94% efficacy in the company’s own phase 3 trial, in which 33 adults were tested. Moderna will continue to monitor the subjects’ antibody levels in the coming months.

What will these findings mean for future booster shots and prolonging the vaccine’s effectiveness? Given the still very new nature of this data, medical experts just aren’t sure yet.

For the Moderna vaccine, scientists contributing to The New England Journal of Medicine reported that they are “determining the effect of a booster dose to extend the duration and breadth of activity against emerging viral variants.” Pfizer also appears to be determining the need for a booster shot; its Thursday press release includes mention of “a potential second booster dose of BNT162b2 [the Pfizer vaccine sequence] and/or a potential booster dose of a variation of BNT162b2 having a modified mRNA sequence.”

Experts will no doubt advise people who have been vaccinated to receive booster shots if and when they are developed. Until those shots become reality, those of us who have been partially or fully vaccinated can rest easy knowing that we remain between 80 to 90% protected against COVID-19 for the time being.

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On Sunday, the buzziest names in TV and film gathered — some via Zoom, some in-person — at London’s Royal Albert Hall for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards. This year, BAFTA attendees were tasked with dressing sustainably for the event, which led to Celeste wearing a gown from green fashion brand Dilara Findikoglu, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas donning a Roland van Der Kemp two-piece from the designer’s ethical fall ’20 couture collection. Another best-dressed winner? Bridgerton‘s Phoebe Dynevor, who swapped out her on-screen pastels for a custom LBD by Louis Vuitton creative director Nicolas Ghesquière. 

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For her first in-person red carpet appearance since the Regency-era series was released in December 2020 (and subsequently watched by over 82 million people), Dynevor wore a black, one-shouldered gown with a single long, statement sleeve and a corseted bodice. With the dress — which apart from the color, gave some serious Daphne Bridgerton vibes — Dynevor wore diamond-and-emerald drop earrings and a flower-shaped cocktail ring, both of which are also Louis Vuitton. 

British actresses Ashley Madekwe and Cynthia Erivo both, too, wore Louis Vuitton for the award show. Madekwe, who was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role in County Lines, wore a chartreuse, cut-out gown custom-made by Ghesquière. Meanwhile, Erivo — with the help of stylist Jason Bolden — chose a beaded mini dress from the brand’s fall ’21 collection. 

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