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Classics with a twist! Straight leg jeans just got an updated touch! A flattering cut with a light wash perfect for spring/summer and a corset detail.

I love a great pair of denim!  For some reason, I haven’t had much success finding comfortable flattering straight leg jeans.  That changed when I found these Ann Taylor corset jeans!  First, they are very comfortable and have a slight stretch to them.  Second, the design is unique and very flattering.  They are high-waisted with a corset detail that really elongates the legs.  The light wash is perfect for spring/summer, and the cut is a straight leg with a lean fit through the hip and thigh.  They hug at the right places while creating a tall profile.  I can’t say enough about them!  They’re just so chic!

Corset jeans + romantic blouses = a match made in heaven!  A romantic top is a beautiful way to complement these jeans.  Unfortunately, I bought this blouse awhile back so it’s currently unavailable.  Below are a few pieces that capture the essence of romance and will pair seamlessly with jeans, skirts, and bottoms.

I love this outfit so much, I’ve worn it on repeat multiple times.  It’s easy, casual yet charming, and made for spring.  I hope you enjoy the look as much as I do.  As always, thank you so much for reading!

– OUTFIT –

JEANS | Ann Taylor corset jeans, under $100 (also love this darker wash)
TOP | old, see a list of similar options here
SHOES | Manolo Blahnik chain pumps
BAG | Elleme bag

The post Great Classics – High Rise Corset Jeans appeared first on Wendy's Lookbook.

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The Olaplex team has been very busy over the past year, creating a number of at-home products to give our DIY hair-care routines a boost. Last summer, we were introduced to Olaplex No.0, an intensive pre-shampoo treatment with the ability to repair damaged strands fast. Now, this month, Olaplex is unveiling the hotly-anticipated No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask, and it’s already causing a stir among beauty lovers and hair pros alike. The new mask promises to make lackluster hair appear totally revived in just 10 minutes — and, in my experience, it delivers.

What is in the Olaplex No.8 Intense Bond Moisture Mask and how does it work?

Olaplex No.8 works on all hair types, including virgin hair. The star ingredient in all Olaplex products is bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, which the brand says is scientifically proven to add twice as much shine, four times more hydration, and six times more smoothness for all hair types after just one use, according to an independent study. The protein works by repairing damage and relinking hair bonds after they’ve been broken by things such as bleach or color, harsh weather, heat styling, or general wear and tear. When the hair’s bonds are broken, hair often appears split at the ends or frizzy, and feels dry or brittle.

The difference between other Olaplex hair products and the new No.8 is that the latter is souped up with a handful of extra ingredients, many of which can be found in skin care but are also shown to have brilliant hair benefits: hyaluronic acid for an extra hit of hydration, ceramides to speed up repair and lock in moisture, and avocado oil, rosehip oil, and rice bran oil, all of which nourish dry, brittle strands deeply and provide a glossy finish. (Think of it as a more concentrated version of Olaplex No.3.)

According to Lavinia Popescu, vice president of research and development at Olaplex, No.8 has been formulated to avoid protein overload so that hair doesn’t become dry and break over time. Left on for just 10 minutes, the mask coats and absorbs into damp hair strands while the cuticle (the outside layer) is open, so it works from the inside out. No.8 is also free from sulfates, making it a safe option for colored hair and those with a sensitive or reactive scalp.

How do you use the Olaplex No.8 Intense Bond Moisture Mask?

Recommended for use once a week, the mask works best on shampooed, towel-dried hair. The brand’s experts suggest applying one to three pumps through mid-lengths to ends, depending on your hair length and thickness. The formula isn’t at all greasy or heavy; it feels just like a lightweight styling cream with a subtle orange blossom scent. I used a wide-tooth comb to brush the mask through and applied a little to my roots, which sometimes frizz up. Then I wrapped my hair in a hair turban to lock in heat and maximize results.

London-based colorist Samantha Cusick is a huge fan of No.8, and recommends using the hair mask between salon visits. “You can damage your hair by doing nothing to it,” she says. “This works deep inside the hair structure, and everybody has these breakable hair bonds, so everybody benefits. Olaplex is for everybody and every hair type and texture, whether that’s naturally textured hair, virgin hair, color-treated hair, straight hair, and even hair extensions. Curly and natural textured hair tends to need more moisture in particular, and this mask really delivers.”

Does the Olaplex No.8 Intense Bond Moisture Mask work?

Yes, and the before-and-after pictures are proof. In just 10 minutes, the mask breathed new life into my frazzled, split, twice-dyed lockdown hair. After a quick rinse and rough-dry using the ghd Helios, I gasped. My hair felt smooth, soft, and so much easier to manage. My hair has one big wave at the back, which often makes it difficult to wear it natural, but my lengths were so glossy and soft, I felt like I could skip my straighteners. This is the first hair product that has made me consider ditching the heat, so it’s already leagues above anything else I’ve tried.

When I did go to straighten my hair the next day, it took me all of five minutes — my straighteners glided through my hair without snagging. I’m most impressed by how it minimized my broken hairs, frizzy roots, and split ends. I’m in desperate need of a trim, but somehow my hair looks and feels so much healthier. While Olaplex No.8 isn’t a leave-in product, I decided to apply a pea-sized amount to the ends of my hair for extra smoothness and it worked really well, making it a multipurpose all-rounder.

My only complaint is that you have to apply the mask through towel-dried hair, which means getting out of the shower, waiting 10 minutes for it to work its magic, then jumping back in to rinse it out. For lazy people like me, this is a bit annoying, especially when there are so many great deep conditioners and in-shower hair masks out there. That said, in my honest opinion as a beauty editor, the results of Olaplex No.8 are unrivaled. No wonder it’s already racking up five-star reviews.

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In a Good Morning America interview on Wednesday, former Bachelor lead Colton Underwood revealed that he’s gay to host Robin Roberts, and detailed his struggles coming to terms with his sexuality while growing up in a conservative, Catholic community.

During the interview, Underwood made a public apology to Cassie Randolph, his ex-girlfriend and former Bachelor contestant. The pair split back in May 2020, but their amicable separation ultimately turned sour. In September 2020, a restraining order was granted to Randolph, at which time the public learned that Underwood had been sending Randolph and her family “unsettling” text messages, showing up to her and her parents’ homes uninvited, and that he had even put a tracking device on her car. The restraining order was dropped a month later, after Underwood and Randolph reached a “private agreement.”

Although it’s good that Underwood can live authentically now, fans of the franchise have taken to Twitter to point out the fact that he’s getting a good ol’ fashioned Bachelor edit in this situation — and his former behavior is at risk of being swept under the rug.

Shortly after the interview aired, for instance, executive producers of The Bachelor publicly expressed support for Underwood in a statement that read, “We are so inspired by Colton Underwood’s courage to embrace and pursue his authentic self. As firm believers in the power of love, we celebrate Colton’s journey in the LGBTQIA+ community every step of the way.”

Underwood’s apology seemed heartfelt, and he may continue to demonstrate that he’s changed. But to award Underwood a glowing redemption arc right now could signal to Randolph and other people who may have lived through similar events that their experiences were unimportant. “[Underwood] and his struggle with his sexuality is going to be the highlight, as opposed to an examination of the character that leads to mistreating others,” Veronique Valliere, PsyD, a psychologist who counsels sexual assault perpetrators and victims, tells Refinery29.

The Bachelor executives’ statement is also notable due to the fact that the famously straight dating show hasn’t exactly done their part in supporting (or even representing) members of the queer community. They may say they’re celebrating Underwood’s journey, but there has been virtually no LGBTQIA+ representation on the ABC show, with the exception of a handful of bisexual women. The Bachelor grasping at the opportunity Underwood has given them to be “allies” is empty, and ultimately disappointing.

Underwood’s inner struggles and turmoil were undoubtedly painful for him to go through, and caused him great harm — he even opened up to Roberts about experiencing suicidal ideation. But his actions also led to his former partner fearing for her safety, which is inexcusable. “The phrase ‘Hurt people hurt people’ comes to mind,” tweeted Bachelor fan Brett S. Vergara, “and while context sheds light on the situation, it does not excuse, change, or even minimize that hurt and pain caused by those actions. I’m hoping Cassie feels supported by those close to her today.”

Dr. Valliere points out that we tend to treat situations like this as either/or: Underwood can either be a victim of his own oppressive upbringing and our unaccepting culture; or he’s a bad guy for his past actions. But he can be both. “He needs to address his turmoil and come to peace with himself and his sexuality,” Dr. Valliere says, “but he also needs to deal with the piece of himself that felt entitled to mistreat somebody else.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or TTY 1-800-787-3224 for confidential support. 

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Trying to find a gift that is fitting of the woman who gave you life — NBD, right? Even if your mama isn't a bonafide beauty fanatic, Mother's Day is a great time to treat her to some luxe skin-care or makeup. And, while there's a whole internet worth of brands and products out there, Amazon also has quite an impressive array of giftable beauty at every price point. Also, that lightning-speed Prime shipping can't be beaten (especially when you lose track of time and need something to arrive ASAP).

From Lady Gaga's artist-approved makeup brand to beloved beauty names like Sunday Riley and the beauty beyond, we hunted down 15 very giftable gems that are hiding in plain sight on Amazon. Ahead, click into an easy add-to-cart winner she'll adore unboxing on May 9.

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As of Wednesday, the U.S. Senate is set to advance the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, a bipartisan effort to address and fight hate crimes against Asian Americans. The legislation would designate an official from the Department of Justice to expedite reviews of hate crimes related to COVID-19 and help local law enforcement respond to these incidents, as well as establish an online database. Several Republicans, including Sens. John Cornyn, Mitch McConnell, and Chuck Grassley, agreed to support the bill after some amendments.

Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono and New York Rep. Grace Meng, both Democrats, first introduced the legislation after last month’s shooting in Atlanta, which left eight people dead, disproportionately harming Asian-American women. The act would also issue guidance on reducing “racially discriminatory language” related to the coronavirus.

“Before this pandemic started, I urged everyone — including elected officials — to not blame Asian Americans for the virus,” Meng said. “My words were not heeded. The former president and his Congressional Republican enablers trafficked racist, bigoted terms to describe COVID-19. In doing so, their language stoked people’s fears and created an atmosphere of intolerance and violence, which persists even today.”

The legislation — which raises awareness about the horrific, targeted crimes against the Asian American community and addresses the very real connection between these recent incidents and former President Donald Trump’s harmful language — is a step in the right direction, and suggests that leaders on both sides of the aisle care about mitigating anti-Asian racism.

However, activists warn that the bill could have adverse effects, especially since it centers law enforcement. “It has been proven time and time again that police response to violence in marginalized communities and police ‘intervention’ in marginalized communities is not an effective mode of ‘curbing the violence’ that is occurring in that community,” Wu, a sex worker and core organizer with grassroots collective Red Canary Song, previously told Refinery29. “And in actuality, the police force is the one that is instigating a lot of the violence that they claim to be curbing.”

After Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old white man, opened fire at three Atlanta spas, police departments across America ramped up patrolling in predominantly Asian neighborhoods. But these efforts disregard the police’s history of ignoring, abetting, and perpetrating violence. In 2014, for instance, 84-year-old Kang Wong was attacked by members of the New York Police Department after jaywalking. In 2017, 38-year-old massage parlor worker Yang Song fell four stories and died while running from law enforcement in Flushing, Queens.

In Georgia, we saw a clear connection between police and anti-Asian racism: After Captain Jay Baker, a spokesperson for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, infamously said that Long had just “had a bad day,” The Daily Beast discovered that Baker himself had previously promoted anti-Asian apparel on Facebook. 

Further, the hate crime bill doesn’t necessarily account for the difference between misdemeanors, felonies, and discrimination — all of which must be addressed, but aren’t the same. “Measures against hate crimes have been used to increase the power of the carceral system, responding to violence through more violence, including harsher sentencing, mandatory minimums, and the death penalty,” the Asian American Feminist Collective wrote in September, after the NYPD announced an Asian Hate Crime Task Force. The AAFC argued that the task force was really an “operation to get more cops in Asian communities” under the guise of ending racist violence.

We also know that, whenever law enforcement is involved, some perpetrators will likely face worse consequences than others. Black Americans, specifically, are three times more likely to be killed by the police than white Americans, even though they’re also more likely to be unarmed. And according to The New York Times, the only person in New York City who has been persecuted for an anti-Asian hate crime this year was also Asian. (He was a Taiwanese man accused of writing anti-Chinese graffiti.)

Wayne Ho, president of the Chinese-American Planning Council, a social services agency, told the Times that many of his Asian colleagues have faced verbal harassment since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, but opted against reporting these incidents to the police. They worried, Ho explained, that “the perpetrators, who were often people of color, could be mistreated.”

But make no mistake: There are plenty of ways our government can take measures to combat anti-Asian violence and racism. Russell Jeung, chair of the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University, told Insider that community outreach and anti-racism education should take priority over increased police presence. The AAFC has pushed for multilingual resources and institutional support for street vendors, nail salon workers, and other vulnerable members of the Asian American community. 

The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act shows us that the Senate is finally starting to get serious about trying to dismantle the racism embedded in America and the anti-Asian violence exacerbated by the pandemic. But nothing will change in a substantial or positive way when police are the driving force behind the change. We need community-based solutions, education, and support for Asian Americans. And, most importantly, we need to listen to the people who are most impacted by the violence we’ve seen.

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Three days after a police officer shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Minneapolis, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene proposed that officers in major cities across the U.S. — including Minneapolis — be awarded gold medals for “protecting” cities from anti-racism protestors.

On Tuesday, Greene introduced H.R. 2446 in a press release, a legislation that proposes Congressional Gold Medals to “honor over 2,000 law enforcement officers who were injured while defending American cities during the [2020] riots” from what she described as “Black Lives Matter terrorists.” In addition to the Minneapolis and Portland Police Department, the Congressional Gold Medals would also be awarded to the Smithsonian Institution for preservation purposes, according to Forbes.

“Starting in May 2020, Black Lives Matter launched a domestic terrorist campaign to burn down American cities, loot small businesses, and murder citizens,” Greene noted in a related statement. “In the face of this dangerous threat, our men and women in blue have stood strong by defending our streets, protecting storefronts, and restoring order. […] This week I introduced legislation to honor the bravery and sacrifices of police officers across America who have quite literally put their lives on the line and fight back against Black Lives Matter terror. Congress should boldly and proudly BACK THE BLUE by passing H.R. 2446 immediately.”

However, Greene’s proposal, which has also been cosponsored by Republican Reps. Yvette Herrell and Andy Harris, comes almost one month after she and 11 other Republicans in Congress voted against awarding medals to three officers for defending the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 insurrection. Greene stated that she did not agree with the use of the word “insurrectionists” to describe the white supremacists who stormed the Capitol, but unsurprisingly, has confidently claimed anti-racism protestors to be “terrorists.”

There is no shortage of irony — or outrage — here. Greene’s effort to protect white supremacists from police, but honor the cops who are “defending” cities (read: terrorizing protestors) is merely another not-so-veiled effort to demonize the Black Lives Matter movement. And it’s even less of a surprise that this legislation was introduced not even a week after Wright, a Black man, was shot and killed by a police officer in Minneapolis.

Here’s the reality of what is happening with police in Minneapolis, where Greene wants to award officers: In the days since Wright was killed, the Minneapolis Police Department has upended peaceful protests around the area by using pepper spray and flash bombs, according to CNN; Tuesday night alone saw the arrest of 60 protesters. As the city continues to grieve yet another Black man shot by police, just a few miles from where George Floyd was killed less than a year ago, in the midst of the murder trial for his killer, police have patrolled the area in riot gear, enforcing a 10 p.m. curfew.

Greene has yet to publicly comment on Daunte Wright’s death, but her legislation makes enough of a statement. Her priority is not only to defend a police force that is fraught with racist killings, but to reward officers for their actions in the form of Congressional Gold Medals. And what’s most frightening: She is gaining support.

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