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Few things are more infuriating to shop for than the perfect foundation. The wrong one can read too light (especially in a flash-lit photo) or too dark; it can oxidize hours after application; it can slip and slide, creating annoying streaks even after the lightest swipe of a finger; it can magnify shine or exacerbate dryness. Factor in a historical lack of extensive shade ranges, and the task can run from daunting to impossibly difficult. 

But the right foundation — a base that matches your skin tone, that offers the perfect amount of coverage, that agrees with your skin type — is something akin to magic. And three R29 editors found their unicorn of a foundation after browsing the hundreds of inclusive beauty options available at QVC, the online retailer that’s committed to curating products catered to customers of color (with the goal to keep expanding its shade ranges), featuring prestigious brands like Bobbi Brown, Lancôme, and Too Faced that check off all the boxes. Keep reading to find out how three R29 editors and their relationship with makeup changed after lockdown, what they look for in a foundation, and how they knew they found “the one.” 

The foundation: The Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Liquid SPF 15 Foundation

My first memory of foundation: The first time I wore foundation was for my sweet 16. I didn’t own any makeup, so it was all my mom’s and she used powder foundation. The first time I purchased my own was in college, which was also a powder foundation because it was what everyone was wearing. I got a color swatch, purchased it, and I remember being so excited.”

My skin type is…“Dry.”

The most frustrating experience I had shopping for foundation: “Ordering from an Instagram ad — there were these questions and this foundation was supposed to magically match everyone’s skin tone. So, I tried it, and it was horrible. On a separate occasion, I was using a foundation for about a year and half when all of a sudden, it made my skin really dry, and the color became darker than my skin tone.”

Before the pandemic… “I wore foundation a lot more only because we were out so much more.  I also used to switch up my foundation a lot — I would wear a lightweight foundation daily, I used a tinted moisturizer when I traveled, and I had different shades depending on the season.”

Now, my approach to foundation is…“Just sticking with one foundation, which is Lancôme — my absolute favorite. Since the pandemic, I haven’t worn foundation as much — only for special occasions. For the most part, I’ve been at home focusing on my skin-care routine: doing masks, applying hydrating products, keeping my face moisturized. Sometimes, when I go outside, I won’t even wear foundation (just concealer and gloss, and that’s enough), which is why when I do wear foundation, I have to really love it.

This foundation fits my lifestyle because… “I’m a social butterfly. When I’m home or with close friends, I don’t wear makeup, but from Thursday to Sunday, I’m usually attending a birthday, a baby shower, or a wedding. And this Lancôme foundation fits every setting: If it’s just drinks, I can do foundation and gloss; if it’s a wedding, I can do a full look with eyeshadow, lashes, and brows. It’s a lightweight formula that gives up to 24-hour coverage and, most importantly, a natural look.” 

My foundation test: “When people were like, ‘You have makeup on?” Yes, yes I do.” 

Final thoughts: “This foundation converted me from powder to liquid. It matches my skin so perfectly, it doesn’t look — or feel — like I have makeup on. And I’ve heard this from other darker-skinned women: For me, it’s the perfect foundation. It doesn’t feel sticky, it’s not oily, it’s moisturizing, it’s natural-looking, and it’s lightweight. It’s magic — that’s all I know.”

The foundation: The Too Faced Born This Way Foundation

My first memory of foundation: “I had really bad skin growing up. I started wearing concealer regularly in seventh grade, but I didn’t wear foundation until senior year of high school. My first foundation was liquid and most likely a drugstore brand. I had oily skin, so I would also put powder on top.”

My skin type is…“Dry. For some reason, my skin changed a lot during the pandemic, and I had to change my whole skin-care routine. Before, I was oily, but now, I’m extremely dry. So whatever I was doing before the pandemic, including the foundation I was using, no longer works for me.” 

The most frustrating experience I had shopping for foundation: “I’m really bad at matching foundation to my skin tone. A lot of the time, my body is so much tanner than my neck and face, and it’s hard to match online. I was also much tanner before the pandemic, so I had to switch shades within the last year. I’m hesitant to try new foundations because I’m always scared it’s not going to work, and I don’t want to regret the purchase.”

Before the pandemic…“I used to wear foundation every single day. It was part of my daily makeup routine. But since the pandemic, I haven’t been going out as much and I haven’t felt like I wanted (or needed) to wear makeup at all.” 

Now, my approach to foundation… “Depends on my schedule. When I go out on weekends, I’ll wear foundation (a skin tint if I’m out for a couple of hours; a long-lasting foundation if I’m out all day), but not during the week. In terms of beauty trends, before the pandemic, everyone was into the matte look, which is what I did. Now, I want my skin to look dewier and less matte. I also want buildable medium coverage to help conceal the redness and acne scars on my cheeks.” 

This foundation fits my lifestyle because… “It does a great job at muting the redness on my cheeks and covering acne scars.” 

My foundation test: “At initial application, whether it highlights dry patches; at the end of the day, if it has held up, especially with wearing masks all day.” 

Final thoughts: “The Too Faced foundation was more liquid-y than I expected, but it blends easily and it’s incredibly buildable. After one thin layer, it did a great job at covering any redness. I layered more on active pimples and acne scars, which concealed them without looking or feeling cakey. It did fade a little by the end of the day, but it gave me a glow without any creasing or patchiness. And I love that it contains hyaluronic acid, so my skin feels hydrated (other foundations make my skin feel tight and dry).” 

The foundation: The Bobbi Brown Skin Long-Wear Weightless SPF 15 Foundation

My first memory of foundation: “I didn’t start wearing foundation until college because my mom said I didn’t need makeup. I didn’t have that much guidance — I remember going to a [drugstore chain] and matched a shade to my hand, which was dumb because the color of my hands and my face are different. I realized it wasn’t my shade, but I used it anyway. At school, my friend, who was into makeup, was like, ‘What’s going on with your makeup? It’s looking ghostly.’ I found out you could get matched by people in stores, which is how I learned to find my shade. At the time, I was breaking out, and I needed a foundation that wasn’t going to be too heavy but could help cover my blemishes.” 

My skin type is…“Oily in the summer, dry in the winter.”

The most frustrating experience I had shopping for foundation: “I have weird undertones. I’ll go to one place and they’ll say I’m a yellow, another, a red. No one knows what they’re saying. I figured mine out by sampling different foundations and realizing I have cool undertones. Undertones really matter, and if you don’t pay attention to them, you’ll get the wrong shade, and it will look wrong.” 

Before the pandemic…“I would get up every day and do a whole face before going to work. As we were quarantining, I didn’t need to, so I didn’t wear foundation as much. When I started doing a little bit of influencing, I would put on makeup for that.”

Now, my approach to foundation is…“Finding something that’s not going to move. Before, I was looking for something that wouldn’t feel too heavy on my face, but now, I need something that’s going to stay put. I have hooded eyes, and I always get a crease with liquid foundation. I can’t have my makeup wiping off during the day; I just can’t live that life. But learning how to set my foundation with powders and sprays has really helped.”

This foundation fits my lifestyle because…“I have my makeup on when I’m shooting my hair videos — imagine wet hair rolling down your face, which has been the biggest challenge shooting hair content — and with Bobbi Brown, I just do a quick little pat and I’m fine. The fact that I don’t have to do a new face mid-recording has been great. It’s good to have a foundation that stays in place (with the help of setting spray) while I’m doing my hair on camera, so I can just focus on the message I want to convey.” 

My foundation test: “I’m an avid face toucher, but now, when I look at my hands, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m okay.” Historically, I didn’t want to wear white, but now I wear white just fine.”

Final thoughts: “I knew the Bobbi Brown foundation was working for me when I got my makeup routine down to 15 to 20 minutes (foundation on the outer sides of my face, light contouring in the center, eyebrows, and mascara) instead of an immense amount of time blending it out. I love that it’s full-coverage, and I don’t have to cake it on — I can just do one layer and go.” 

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?

DMTBeautySpot

via https://dmtbeautyspot.com

Andrea Cheng, DMT.NEWS, DMT BeautySpot,

Welcome to Money Diaries where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We’re asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last dollar.

Today: an account manager who makes $110,000 per year and spends some of her money this week on Birkenstocks.

Occupation: Account Manager
Industry: Health Tech
Age: 25
Location: San Francisco, CA
Salary: $110,000 + $15,000 annual bonus
Net Worth: $84,000 ($11,100 in HYSA, $5,000 in savings, $2,900 in checking, $65,000 in retirement)
Debt: $0
Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $2,881.79
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses
Rent: $1,000 (splitting a room with my boyfriend in an apartment with two roommates — this is not normal SF rent!)
Spotify: $9.99
Utilities: $24
Internet: $35
FSA: $41
Savings: $1,500
Roth 401(k): $250
Roth IRA: $500
Cell Phone: $45 (reimbursed by work)

Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Yes, I was always expected to go to a four-year school. I was a straight-A student and top of my class. My parents never pushed college, it was just expected that I would go. I attended a top-tier public university. My parents paid for three years of school and I paid for one via federal loans — this totaled to $15,500 with interest by the time I graduated. I hustled to pay this off ASAP and paid my last loan payment in September 2020.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
I remember learning how to write a check in elementary school and coming home and begging my dad to let me write his checks when he paid bills. Otherwise, we didn’t really talk much about money. Most of my financial literacy has come from self-education when I started my first job out of college.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
Besides babysitting under the table, my first job was at an Italian ice shop when I was 15. I LOVED this job — three of my friends worked there as well so it was always fun. I got this job to pay for gas, clothes, concerts, and anything else I needed pocket money for. I loved seeing the money drop in my bank account and felt so rich when I would get my $300 paychecks.

Did you worry about money growing up?
Not really, and I know how privileged I am to have had a childhood where I didn’t need to think much about money. My dad worked his way up at his company and had a very successful career by the time I was in middle school. We moved twice into a nicer house each time, took one or two vacations a year, had multiple Christmas gifts, and I was able to get new clothes and school supplies every year. However, my mom did go back to school to become a nurse to supplement our family income around the time my eldest sibling went to college so I always understood that money wasn’t unlimited and we weren’t “rich.” My parents were open about how we needed the extra money to pay for college, and I realize now how grateful I am for this as it allowed the three of us children to take on much less debt from college.

Do you worry about money now?
No, I feel very good about where I am with my finances. I am on my third job out of college and have doubled my salary in three years by changing careers. I taught myself about investing, HYSA accounts, debt payoff, controlling spending, and salary negotiation. I recently started my current position a few months ago, which was a 40% pay raise. I am working on increasing my savings and 401(k) contributions. I worry about money in the sense that I really don’t want to work my entire life (who does?!), but I’m not sure if that will be possible.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
21, when I graduated college and began my first job in SF. I was making $55,000 and barely saving anything after taxes and expenses in SF, but I was able to fully financially support myself. If anything terrible ever happened, I know my parents would help me out and I could move back in with them at any time. (Again, I feel so lucky and grateful for my parents.)

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
As noted above, my parents paid for three years of college and gifted me $2,000 when I graduated to help me get started (I blew all of my savings in Europe while I was studying abroad… truly no regrets), but that is it.

Day One

8 a.m. — Wake up and do my morning routine (brush teeth, put in contacts, wash face, apply moisturizer) and make a breakfast of oatmeal, raspberries, and peanut butter with coffee and oat milk for breakfast. Hop on an 8:30 a.m. call with a colleague. After the call, I browse Amazon for new shampoo and conditioner since I am almost out. I recently dyed my hair for the first time so I am trying to find a shampoo and conditioner that works for my newly bleached/dried out hair. I buy a set with great reviews, so we will see if it makes a difference! $32.52

1 p.m. — I’ve been working for the last few hours straight. My new job is a lot busier than my old job, but I enjoy it and it makes the day fly by! I take a lunch break with my boyfriend, N. We make avocado toast with pesto eggs (the only way to eat fried eggs…game changer). We then walk our roommate’s dog for her lunchtime walk. Our roommate works in healthcare and so since she is gone all day and we WFH, we take care of her dog during the day. It’s the best — we get to hang out with a cute dog that we love but don’t carry the burden of actually owning a dog (yet, one day!). (Another detail, N. and I are moving to Florida in February, hence the cheap rent with roommates. My lease ended and we didn’t want to sign another year lease in SF if we were going to move within the year, so I moved into his current place with his roommates.) Back to work after a bit of playtime with the pup.

5 p.m. — Finished work for the day! Hop on my roommate’s Peloton (another perk of this roommate — she has a Peloton she lets me use for free. I’m addicted now, so I’m going to buy one when we move to FL) for a 30-minute cycle class followed by a 10-minute arm class.

7 p.m. — N. and I head out to hang out with some friends who recently moved back to the Bay Area. We stop at the store to grab some wine as a housewarming and grab some Peet’s coffee grounds as well since we’re out ($17.88) and head over to their new apartment. We get an apartment tour, catch up for a while, and have some wine with cheese and crackers. We walk home around 8:30. $17.88

9 p.m. — I cook a late dinner courtesy of Trader Joe’s — pork dumplings, brown rice, and sautéed kale. I’m a die-hard TJ’s fan since I’m a lazy cook and I love the pre-marinated meats, sausages, and frozen foods that you can supplement with fresh veggies or sides. It’s delicious and we watch a couple of episodes of New Girl because N. has never seen it (!!), then pass out around 11 after watching TikToks.

Daily Total: $50.40

Day Two

8 a.m. — Yay, it’s Friday! Wake up around 8, laze around with N. for a bit, and get up to do my routine around 8:30. I make us breakfast of toast, peanut butter, raspberries, and coffee (I always make breakfast because it’s my favorite meal of the day, and N. would not eat if I didn’t make him something). Start work around 9.

11:30 a.m. — Hungry already and antsy for the weekend, so I make a quick lunch of brown rice, kale, and Trader Joe’s chicken sausage. Scroll TikTok before getting back to work.

2:30 p.m. — Work is a drag so I make a snack to procrastinate — banana with Oathaus granola butter.

4:30 p.m. — Finally done with work for the week! Somehow short weeks always feel just as long as regular weeks. I hop in the shower after an excessively complicated group text with my old coworkers about where to go for happy hour. We finally pick a spot and it’s conveniently three blocks away from my apartment. I walk over to meet everyone at a cozy outdoor table and have a margarita and two mushroom tacos, and we split chips, bean dip, and salsa. My friend pays, and we Venmo her. I want to note that in San Francisco, you have to show your vaccination card to get into a bar or restaurant. I am fully vaccinated, along with N., our roommates, and friends. Once we show our vaccine cards and are allowed inside, we wear masks when we are not at our table. This applies to all bars/restaurants in this diary. $37

6:30 p.m. — After those tacos, we all agree we are still hungry so we walk down the street to a fun new brewery that also serves empanadas. I get a ham and cheese empanada ($7) and a honey beer ($8). We end up having so much fun that we stay for a second beer ($8). My friend pays the tab so I Venmo him $30 to include tax and tip. $30

8 p.m. — N. is out with some of our friends at the local Irish pub down the street, so we walk over to meet them. N. says hi to my old coworkers and buys me a beer, and we stay for a bit and chat with other friends. We head out around 9:30 since we are going on a run in the morning and want to get some sleep. I’m exhausted from what feels like the first night out in a long time! We get home and realize our nice sheets aren’t dry from the wash so we sleep on our old, not-as-comfy sheets — bummer.

Daily Total: $67

Day Three

8 a.m. — Wake up and I’m feeling good for having had a few drinks last night. I do my morning routine and make coffee with oat milk, eat a banana with chocolate granola butter, and chug as much water as possible. We are about to go on a six-mile run with our friends (we started a fun running club during quarantine and have kept it up), so I want to fuel up. I haven’t been running as much since I’ve been using the Peloton — I’m a bit nervous.

9:30 a.m. — We meet our friends and head out on our long run through Golden Gate Park, to the beach, and then to our final destination: Devil’s Teeth Baking Company. This place has the best breakfast sandwich in SF and we try to run here every couple of months. The run goes well and its beautiful weather in the city. We get our biscuit sandwiches ($10) and eat them before Ubering back ($5 each, split) because we’re feeling lazy. My friend pays for the sandwiches and the Uber so I Venmo her $15. $15

12 p.m. — We get home and are exhausted. I take a shower and laze around a little bit. I just want to lay around all day after long runs.

1 p.m. — Someone from FB Marketplace comes to my apartment to buy my Wi-Fi extenders from my last apartment. They pay me $120, which is not bad considering I paid $150 for them.

2 p.m. — N. and I head over to our friends house to hang out in the sunshine (rare in SF) before watching college football tonight. We stop and get a turkey avocado cheddar sandwich to share, from a local spot on the way. I also get a carrot beet juice ($17.50) because health. I pay. We get to our friends’ patio and we eat and have a few hard seltzers. $17.50

4:30 p.m. — We take an Uber to a bar and get a table near the TV screens to watch the game. We order a few pitchers of beer and nachos and camp out for a while. N. and I eventually each get one taco each — they’re huge and delicious. We have a ton of fun catching up with friends, watching the game, and feeling a bit normal again. Someone else pays and I assume I send a $30 Venmo. N. checks Uber and I check Lyft — Lyft is cheaper so I grab one to take us home ($11). $41

8 p.m. — Get home, make some popcorn, and watch a few hours of Ted Lasso and New Girl before passing out.

Daily Total: $73.50

Day Four

9 a.m. — I wake up and make a piece of toast with butter and raspberries for breakfast, and coffee with oat milk, which I enjoy while scrolling my phone. I drink a lot of water since I’m feeling a little groggy from drinking yesterday and I’m about to go to a workout class.

10:30 a.m. — I leave to meet a friend and walk over to a yoga studio for a cardio yoga class, which includes a combination of vinyasa and cardio moves. This class ended up being free for me — I had to book via ClassPass and they gave me two weeks free for reactivating my old account — and I’m feeling pretty great about that. (I’ll cancel again after this.) It’s a beautiful day and it’s nice to walk the mile there in the sunshine.

12 p.m. — The class is so much fun, I’m dripping sweat. We did some traditional yoga flows and then some cardio variations. I’m definitely going to be sore tomorrow. We had to wear a mask in the class, which wasn’t terrible, but now it’s dripping sweat and it’s the only one I brought! Gross. We are both feeling depleted and go to a cafe next door for some food. I get shakshuka and an oat milk latte ($23.57). We walk home after and I’m exhausted. $23.57

2 p.m. — I shower and laze around, and then get up and clean up our room. I finally unpack my suitcase from our Labor Day trip last weekend, so that’s a win. I’m cleaning out my closet and decide to pull the trigger and make two purchases I’ve been putting off — new jeans and new Birkenstocks. I’ve had the same Birks for seven years but it’s time to admit I need a new pair. I end up ordering the white platforms, which I’m really excited about ($108). They won’t be good for more active things or the beach since they’re a bit nicer, so I make a note to look for some cheap slides for that. I also buy two pairs of jeans from American Eagle, with the anticipation of returning one. I throw in a white t-shirt since I’m a huge simple t-shirt person and I could use another ($128). $236

5 p.m. — I’m feeling spending anxiety about both of these purchases from this afternoon, but I tell myself I deserve to buy myself things sometimes. What is the point of earning money if you can’t spend some of it? N. and I are couch potatoes and spend the rest of the evening on the couch after taking a weed gummy, watching The White Lotus and Explained episodes. The White Lotus is so awkward and the satire is on point. I’m already obsessed. We get up only to make some pasta with broccoli for dinner. We head to bed around 10 with the Sunday scaries. 

Daily Total: $259.57

Day Five

8 a.m. — N. has an early call, so we’re up and out of bed by 8. I make a breakfast of meal-prepped overnight oats, raspberries, and coffee with oat milk while I scroll my personal and work emails and TikTok. Sorry not sorry, TikTok is such a great pastime. I start work.

10:45 a.m. — I’ve been working for the past few hours and have a light day, so I take a break to do a workout. I hop on the Peloton for a 30-minute ride followed by 10 minutes of arms. I am way sorer from that crazy yoga class yesterday than I expected but I’m glad to have gotten my workout out of the way.

12 p.m. — Shower and make lunch of avocado toast with a pesto egg before getting back to work and hopping on a few calls. Not a terrible Monday, but feeling really lazy today and having a hard time getting things done.

3:30 p.m. — N. and I head out on a walk to the grocery store for a few things to hold us over between last week’s big Trader Joe’s Haul and our trip next week. We get a few bags of kale, broccoli, chicken sausage, oat milk, peanut butter, pasta, pasta sauce, and raspberries. N. pays since I paid last week. We just switch off paying for things and don’t really track this unless it’s for a huge purchase like a flight or hotel. N. makes more than me and often pays for more things because he wants to, which I appreciate.

4:30 p.m. — On our way home, we pick up the roommate’s pup, who was at her friend’s house all weekend while our roommate was out of town. She is SO excited to see us and vice versa. We walk the excited pup back home, make some tea, and settle in to finish work for the day.

5:30 p.m. — N. goes for a run and I stay home and scroll TikTok and start a new book, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I just finished American Dirt and as beautiful and well done as it was, it was very heavy emotionally and I wanted something more romantic/fictional to follow. I’m instantly hooked.

6:30 p.m. — N. and I make Trader Joe’s chicken shawarma, roasted potatoes, and sautéed kale for dinner — it’s delicious. We settle in to watch Bachelor in Paradise and realize it’s not on Mondays anymore! Sad. We spend the night cuddling with the pup and watching The White Lotus and New Girl, and head to bed around 10.

Daily Total: $0

Day Six

8 a.m. — Wake up, morning routine, and walk the pup since our roommate is still out of town. I didn’t sleep too well because somehow this 14-pound dog took up half the bed. Good thing she’s cute. September is the sunniest month in San Francisco, so I’m grateful for the excuse to be outside in the morning! Come home, make meal-prepped overnight oats with peanut butter, raspberries, and banana, pour out coffee with oat milk, and get to work.

12 p.m. — I have been working for the last few hours and catching up on episodes of The Daily and take a break for lunch. Lunch is leftover pasta and some sautéed kale. Back to work.

2:30 p.m. — N. and I take a break from work and walk to CVS for flu shots — we both got texts that they were offering them so we decided to go today before life just gets busier this fall.

3 p.m. — Back to work for the afternoon and then get up to take a shower and get ready for dinner. It’s our roommate’s birthday so we are going out to dinner tonight!

6:30 p.m. — We head out in search of an Italian meal in our neighborhood. We try one place that’s really popular to see if we can get a table without a reservation and sadly no luck. We cross the street and head to another favorite spot that’s a bit bigger and they have a table for us! We order a round of cocktails, I get a mezcal grapefruit drink that is so good, and then a bunch of plates to share: focaccia, burrata, arancini, burrata pizza, lasagna, risotto, and a kale salad. It’s delicious and we order another round of cocktails for dessert. N., me, and our other roommate treat our roommate for her birthday and split the check three ways ($82). We walk home and resist stopping for ice cream since we are painfully full. $82

8:30 p.m. — We get home and finish our roommate’s bottle of red by having a small glass each. We watch Ted Lasso and the combination of the food and drinks makes me so sleepy. I fall asleep on the couch before 10 and get up around 11 to pass out in bed after brushing my teeth.

Daily Total: $82

Day Seven

8:30 a.m. — I wake up and have a hard time getting out of bed — probably due to the drinks last night. Eventually, I make peanut butter toast with raspberries and coffee with oat milk. I get to work and listen to The Daily.

11 a.m. — I take a break from work to get some exercise. I do a 40-minute cycle workout and five-minute ab class on Peloton. I take a shower, laze around with N. a bit, and get back to a few meetings.

1 p.m. — Take another break from work to walk the pup, make lunch of leftover chicken shawarma, potatoes, and kale, and throw in the laundry.

2 p.m. — I get back to work for the afternoon after making tea. I put on Schitt’s Creek for background noise — I would give anything to watch Schitt’s Creek for the first time again! At some point, I make a snack of blueberry granola butter and crackers. I also realize it’s payday! Yay! I send $500 to my Roth IRA, $1,000 to savings, and pay off my $300 credit card bill. The rest will sit in checking for now.

6 p.m. — Done with work for the day! I’m babysitting tonight, so I make pasta with chicken sausage and broccoli to bring to eat while I’m there. I used to babysit when I first moved to SF and really needed the cash for spending money, but I still do it every now and again to help out the families and earn a bit of extra fun money even though I don’t need to. I give major props to these full-time work-from-home parents with kids that have barely had any alone time since the pandemic, so I’m happy to help out.

7:30 p.m. — I arrive, say hello to the parents, and sit down on their couch for some binging of Modern Love. I’m a sucker for love and drama in TV shows/movies, and N. is not, so I try to watch these shows when we’re not together. The baby is already asleep, so I’m getting paid to chill. The parents get home around 10, pay me $50, and I take the bus home.

10:30 p.m. — Home sweet home! Brush my teeth, wash my face, and pass out in bed.

Daily Total: $0

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Unless you’re allergic or have some sort of vendetta against desiccated grapes, you’ve probably enjoyed a handful of “good ‘ol raisins and peanuts,” aka trail mix, in your time. In 2017, that wholesome snack lent its name to “gorpcore,” an aesthetic defined by performance and utility, so that you could step straight off the L train onto some upstate hike without skipping a beat.

Why are we dropping this soupçon of fashion history? To introduce H&M‘s Fall/Winter 2021 collection, which combines athleisure, function, and tech for a fresh take on a now-ubiquitous way of dressing. “I love the duality of this collection; we wanted to bring the practical elements of outdoor gear to our trend-focused customers,” says Maria Östblom, head of design for womenswear. And with the majority of the lineup made from more sustainably sourced materials, as well as organic and recycled fabrics, the brand is doing its part to ensure there’s even a planet left to wear nifty convertible anoraks on. Ahead, see the drop’s best jumpsuits, stirrup leggings, and — get this — quarter-zip dickeys, before shopping the full range in-store and online on September 30.

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In the summer of 2020, the girlboss was officially pronounced dead. (Since then, she’s been pronounced dead over and over, as if she only gets resurrected to be killed yet again.) Some mourned the loss. Some cursed her for ever existing. Some thanked her for shattering a glass ceiling, while others accused her of having simply reconstructed that ceiling all over again.

The girlboss didn’t live a long life; the term was coined by Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso in 2014, and was intended to describe, well, someone very much like Amoruso: forward-thinking, powerful, inclusive — a boss, but, like, a cool boss.  The girlboss was the direct counterpoint to the “boss,” most likely the kind of wealthy white cis man who historically dominated the top ranks of the workforce, and who didn’t just wield power, but usually abused it. Meanwhile, the girlboss was billed as a beacon of hope for working women — for everyone.

It’s easy to see why the girlboss was such an appealing figure; the workforce was starved for new, more equitable leadership. They were supposed to be good bosses. But what last summer’s girlboss reckoning made clear was that the girlboss wasn’t any more virtuous or ethical than her predecessors — often the very men who put the girlboss in power in the first place. In fact, the girlboss rose to the top by exploiting the perception that she came from a disempowered place, and therefore would be sure to prioritize the professional empowerment of other disenfranchised people. But it didn’t happen that way. And that’s not simply because the girlboss wasn’t a good boss — it’s because the “good boss” doesn’t exist.

The girlboss wasn’t the first time a boss archetype was put on a pedestal. In the 2000s, the “creative genius” boss came into fashion, particularly in the tech world, embodied by the likes of Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerburg. (If that sounds ridiculous, remember that in 2013, Mark Zuckerburg was crowned the World’s Best Boss by Glassdoor, where he had a 99% approval rating.) This boss was supposed to be a brilliant strategist, a forward-thinking leader whose companies exploded with success thanks to their fearless innovation, constant hustle to change the world, and eagerness to bring their workers along for the ride. Only, that narrative was just a fantasy. Eventually, the stories began to trickle out: These bosses could be abusive, uncaring, fickle, ethically dubious. They cared more about their company’s success than anything else — including their employees’ wellbeing.

Then, there was the Machiavellian boss, popularly embodied in fiction as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, but acknowledged to be a thinly veiled version of Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour. This type of boss wasn’t an obviously “good” boss — she wasn’t kind and she didn’t joke around with her employees. But, she was someone who you knew to respect, because she cared about her work with a fierce passion — and so, by extension, if she criticized you, it was only because she wanted you to succeed. That she was abusive wasn’t supposed to matter, until of course, it did start to matter. Wintour faced a reckoning of her own last summer, as she faced justifiable critique for racist and classist practices at Vogue. She still has her job, but her star has also dimmed.

This isn’t to say that, on an individual level, bosses can’t be nice, caring, or supportive. But people in positions of power — regardless of their gender identity or personality type or intelligence level or purported values — replicate the model of the bad boss, harming their employees in the process. But maybe the problem isn’t the person who becomes a boss, but rather the idea of there being a boss at all, and the system where the boss thrives.

“The way capitalism works, the job of the employer is to get the most effort — the most use of brains and muscles — from the worker as he possibly can, and at the same time pay that worker the minimum necessary to get that worker to come to work each day,” explains Richard D. Wolff, PhD, professor of economics emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, current visiting professor in the graduate program in International Affairs of the New School University, and co-founder of the non-profit Democracy at Work. 

This tension is inherent to the boss-employee relationship, because the employer profits by squeezing out ever-more work from their subordinates for ever-diminishing payment. It’s advantageous for a boss to ask a worker to come in early, for example, or leave late or work through lunch, without offering overtime pay. Not all bosses do this, of course, but the system exists in which “they’re better off the more you’re worse off,” Wolff says. And while there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence of good bosses — the one who fights for promotions, the one who takes a pay cut to raise the base salary of entry-level employees, the one who never makes anyone work late, the one who listens to and respects everyone’s ideas — those bosses are the rare examples of people who aren’t acting in their own best interests. Meanwhile, there’s a longer, rich history of complaints and criticisms about managers, and justifiable labor uprisings.

“Here we are, centuries later, still discussing all the ways that work is unsatisfying, stressful, and exhausting. This system, despite having recognized the problem and despite some reforms, has, in fact, never been able to really deal with it.”

Richard Wolff, PHD

The fight to whittle down the standard workday from 12-plus hours to eight took a century-long battle of American workers fighting, protesting, and campaigning; it wasn’t until 1938 that The Fair Labor Standards Act was introduced, which guaranteed a forty-hour work week for all laborers. There have been hundreds of other strikes, movements, and protests in the name of making capitalism more tolerable, but workers are still striking and pushing for more humane working conditions. The United Auto Workers labor union for General Motors went on strike for 40 days for higher wages and better healthcare in 2019. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, essential workers from companies including Amazon, Instacart, Whole Foods, Target, and Walmart went on strike to demand safer working conditions, better treatment, and better pay. The same year, hundreds of workers from McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, and Domino’s walked off the job to demand coronavirus protections, $3-an-hour hazard pay, and two weeks of paid sick leave to workers exposed to COVID-19. That’s to say nothing of the hundreds and thousands of people who work under intolerable conditions and yet can’t afford to walk out or stand up in protest and risk losing their primary source of income.

“Here we are, centuries later, still discussing all the ways that work is unsatisfying, stressful, and exhausting,” Wolff says. “This system, despite having recognized the problem and despite some reforms, has, in fact, never been able to really deal with it. That’s a sign that the problem runs deeper than this or that adjustment.” The true solution to America’s work problem, then, might just start with abolishing bosses altogether.

Getting rid of bosses isn’t a new concept. In the U.S., the first recognized worker cooperative — a company that gives equal power and ownership to each of its employees, effectively eliminating the hierarchical structure that creates bosses — was a mutual insurance company in 1752. “In this arrangement, there is no single boss,” Wolff says. “All the workers in an enterprise, whether it’s a factory or a store or an office, collectively, democratically, decide all of the major business decisions.”

It’s estimated that there are around 300 worker cooperatives in the U.S. today, a small number compared to other countries. In Bologna, Italy, two out of every three residents work in a cooperative — a reality that’s supported by the government through the Marcora Law. This law went into effect in 1985, and offers a choice to unemployed workers: Collect an unemployment check every week, or come together with nine other unemployed workers, cash in two years worth of unemployment checks as a lump sum, and use the money to start a worker cooperative. In Spain, as of 2012, there are an estimated 18,000 worker cooperatives, including the largest one in the world, Mondragón, which employs 70,000 people. These cooperatives offer proof that boss-less organizations can not just survive, but thrive. Without the normal hierarchical structure of the capitalist workplace, employees can come together to make the big decisions.

If this organizational structure sounds unfeasible in its commitment to equality, ask yourself why it’s any more reasonable for so many companies to operate in ways that only benefit a select few. And there are examples of how it can work in the U.S., including in industries that are notorious for their untenable business models, and infamous for their bad bosses — like digital media, for example. 

Defector Media, an employee-owned sports and culture website, is one such example of a worker cooperative. At Defector, the entire staff decides what to cover and how to handle issues like ad placements, with the help of specific committees (every employee must be on one committee). And while there are people at the “top” of Defector’s masthead — an Editor in Chief, a VP of Revenue and Operations, etc. — the rest of the staff has the power to fire them, if a supermajority votes for it.

“[So] much of our conflict was because of bad situations created by our corporate overlords. Once you remove that pressure and that stress and those situations… it’s just so much easier now to really be engaged with my job.”

Diana Moskowitz

If this sounds like a dream situation, know that starting a worker cooperative in media wasn’t easy. “Since we are doing something new, it’s not like there’s a thing that we can point to and be like, ‘oh, well that’s the answer, that’s how it’s always been done’,” says Diana Moskovitz, Investigations Editor at Defector. “We don’t really have that. It’s just an ongoing conversation we’re all constantly having.”

But still, Moskovitz says it’s all worth it. “It’s been really fascinating to see how much easier it is to do my job and easier to get along with all of my colleagues and coworkers and just work with them,” she says. “[So] much of our conflict was because of bad situations created by our corporate overlords. Once you remove that pressure and that stress and those situations… it’s just so much easier now to really be engaged with my job.” 

Worker co-ops do have cons. It can be difficult to create change internally or to reach decisions, because every voice must be heard. All employees must fully buy into the cooperative structure for it to truly work, which can be a tall order for bigger operations. And since co-ops still have to exist and compete with traditionally structured businesses, some argue that many of the same issues seen in a hierarchical workplace structure — unpaid overtime, low wages — may still exist inside the co-op. And yet: “It’s not that a worker cooperative system wouldn’t have its problems. It would, but it would find its own solutions, just as capitalism doesn’t have a solution to all its problems,” Wolff says. “I think we are at the point, in the U.S. especially, where people are done with capitalism.”

While Defector’s model is being closely watched by others in the media industry, which has grown increasingly unstable, joining or forming a cooperative isn’t the only way media workers, for example, have asserted control over their unequal work situations. Many editorial staffs — including Refinery29’s — have unionized in recent years, in an attempt to ensure employees have a seat at the table when big decisions are being made and have made progress in areas like salary increases and holding leadership accountable. 

This groundswell of a movement might not have changed most people’s work realities yet, but that doesn’t mean it won’t. Wolff, for one, has hope. “I have never, in my life, seen this amount of questioning of capitalism,” he says. “For the mass of the American people, it isn’t working well — it hasn’t been — and there’s no prospect that it’s going to be. I think it’s over.” 

If the future of capitalism is uncertain, so too is the future of the boss — no matter how “good” or “girl”-y that boss may be. This time, let’s not bring the boss back at all.

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According to Kim Zorn — the Global Performance Director at Princess Polly — the very popular (and affordable) Aussie fashion label’s customer is “Gen Z, trend-driven, social media savvy, and has their finger on the pulse of what’s hot.” This is a description that, after further investigation, absolutely checks out here in the states, where fashion TikTokkers have caught onto Princess Polly and its treasure trove of Instagram-ready, Y2K-inspired clothes. (We’re thinking of one hyped-up style, in particular, that went viral this past summer: The Love Galore Romper.) A stark 180 from the sweatsuits of the pandemic, Princess Polly’s usually under-$100 wares are all about getting out and being seen in; there’s no shortage of satiny tops, chunky boots, bodycon dresses, and oversized blazers to shackets. Though the brand’s been well-known in Australia since 2010, its sights are now set on becoming a global sensation; Zorn tells Refinery29 that there’s a second HQ in Los Angeles and a distribution center ready to service the growing, trend-forward U.S. fanbase with easy online transactions, fast shipping, and top-notch customer service. To get Refinery29 readers better acquainted, Princess Polly is treating us to an exclusive 20% off sitewide (excluding gift cards and sale items) with the code REFINERY29, through December 31, 2021. For a sampling of the brand’s top styles and a bit more background on its give-back and “Earth Club” initiatives, scroll on.

20% Off Princess Polly Dresses

As carefree and uninhibited as the brand seems, Princess Polly is dedicated to giving back and doing good. “As a growing business, we have the privilege to support important causes and raise funds for incredible charities,” says Zorn. “We have a number of partners including The Butterfly Foundation in Australia and The Loveland Foundation in the U.S. We’re also committed to donating $500K USD to various charities each calendar year. Our customers really guide us in selecting our charity partners and we aim to support causes that are close to our customers’ hearts.”

20% Off Princess Polly Tops

And, while many apparel retailers often get a negative rap for their fast-fashion output, Princess Polly aims to do right by the environment. “We recently launched Earth Club where we focus on four major impact areas: Ethical Sourcing, Sustainable Products, Protecting the Planet, and Equality & Community,” says Zorn of the brand’s mission to prioritize the planet and the people living in it. “Our Earth Club range is expanding daily — this includes apparel and accessories made from eight lower-impact, more sustainable materials like organic cotton, recycled cotton, recycled nylon, recycled polyester, recycled PU, water-based PU, recycled plastic, and recycled metal.”

20% Off Princess Polly Boots

Scroll around our fall favorites here or head to Princess Polly directly to shop the whole compliment-magnet collection. And, don’t forget to use the code REFINERY29 at checkout for 20% off sitewide through the end of the year. Party on, Princess Polly, people.

20% Off Princess Polly Sweaters

20% Off Princess Polly Bottoms

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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. All product details reflect the price and availability at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.

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