#DMTBeautySpot #beauty

It’s no secret that I am pro-therapy.

Hell I even have an entire “Mental Health” category on my blog. I used to be very ashamed of my struggles with ADHD and postpartum, but then I found that the more I talked about it the less alone I felt. Many of you have shared your stories and it truly helps to feel less isolating when you share.

I was first introduced to therapy in the 5th grade when I developed a fear of going to school. Without diving into the true ins and outs of everything, I later learned through my therapist that I was nervous something bad was going to happen to my parent’s while I was at school {we had a few deaths in the family that year}. Together with my therapist, we created a toolbox that I later used to conquer my fears.

Managing my mental health became a top priority later in life during my marriage. You’ll read more about this in my book, but in order to save my marriage and myself, I dove into a weekly session with my therapist and here I am six years later.

This is the longest, most consistent therapy I have done in my entire life and I’ve never felt better.

Even during my postpartum depression I felt as though I was able to handle it better because I had a support system in place.

Sadly, not everyone has this type of support in place. Which is why I am so proud to partner with Jo Malone London today. For almost 10 years, Jo Malone London has supported those struggling with mental health through their UK charity program, empowering people to recover, reconnect and grow. Today, they are extending their mission to North America with the launch of the White Lilac & Rhubarb candle.

For each White Lilac & Rhubarb Charity Home Candle sold in the U.S. between May 13, 2021 and May 13, 2022, Jo Malone London will donate 70% of the purchase price, less tax, to Fountain House, a leading mental health organization that empowers people to live and thrive in society. The donation will support the growth and expansion of the Fountain House youth initiative and College Re-Entry program, helping students achieve their educational and vocational goals.

DMTBeautySpot

via https://www.DMTBeautySpot.com

jaceylenae, Khareem Sudlow

#DMTBeautySpot #beauty



DMTBeautySpot

via https://www.DMTBeautySpot.com

Glen Antoine Palmer, Khareem Sudlow

#DMTBeautySpot #beauty

Mixing Bowls & Wisk

With summer just around the corner, I’m sharing some of our most recent favorites from Amazon. Light-weight, comfortable styles to wear, right now, useful tools for the kitchen, and home outdoor essentials, including a new water game that C loves! See our complete list below, and visit our Amazon Storefront for even more amazing finds to get you summer ready.

Pink Dress / Gingham Pajamas

The post May Recent Finds From Amazon appeared first on Julia Berolzheimer.

DMTBeautySpot

via https://www.DMTBeautySpot.com

annika, Khareem Sudlow

#DMTBeautySpot #beauty

Welcome to “What’s Good,” where we break down what’s soothing, distracting, or just plain good in the streaming world with a “rooting for everybody Black” energy. Enjoy! 

What’s Good? Black art is good — but not always. And *spoiler alert* THAT’S OK. I usually use this space to tell you what to watch. I typically reserve this column for the pieces of pop culture I love so much I need everyone else to love them too. But when I love a TV show or movie, I’m the person who reads everything I can find about it — the good and the bad. Both are valid. Both help me either admire or understand the work even more. Critiquing means I care. But somewhere in the depths of the discourse about how Representation Matters™, we lost the plot. Somehow it was decided that the presence of a Black creator or Black actors onscreen is enough to render a project impenetrable. PSA: things aren’t inherently good just because they are Black — things aren’t inherently anything just because they are Black. The thirst for white acceptance or the fear that white gatekeepers will never greenlight a Black project again if we say anything bad about one seems to have overridden a basic tenet of art: the ability to consume, appreciate, and evaluate it as we please. 

The value of Black criticism — who gets to critique Black art and whether that art should be judgment-proof just by virtue of the fact that Black-led projects are still rare in Hollywood — has been up for debate in recent years as representation has increased. Since Queen & Slim divided our timelines (I liked it, until some very smart critics made me reconsider) and the reaction to Malcolm & Marie (which spent half the movie shitting on criticism) proved that stan culture has rendered thoughtful interrogation of works starring celebrities we love impossible without backlash to the backlash, it’s BEEN time to talk about the necessity of Black critics. Especially now, when every other Black-led project seems to be steeped in senseless trauma, it’s more imperative to have Black critics delving into which projects are constructive (The Underground Railroad) and which ones are destructive (Them).

When every other Black-led project seems to be steeped in senseless trauma, it’s imperative to have Black critics delving into which projects are constructive (The Underground Railroad) and which ones are destructive (Them).

Sure, it’s a little self-serving to devote an entire column to the importance of my own profession but the world of culture criticism is still overwhelmingly white and I’m tired of seeing Black critics deemed traitors to our race just for daring to think critically about the work we’ve just experienced. Plus, it’s not just bad Black projects that need to be critiqued by Black writers (and no, Michael Che, a fair yet mediocre review by a Black critic doesn’t mean that a publication is hiding behind that critic’s Blackness; it means your shit is mediocre). The good stuff needs critique too. One of my favorite recent reviews was The Undefeated’s Soraya McDonald’s stunning rumination on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and the collision of “two Black Americas” as she calls it. In her review, she examines the relationship between old vs. new, South vs. North, Levee (Chadwick Boseman) vs. Ma (Viola Davis), freedom vs. liberation and past vs. present. She does August Wilson’s masterpiece justice with masterful and poetic writing of her own, praising the nuance in his prose. A white critic couldn’t have done all of that. Oftentimes, art is supposed to be a mirror of society. And conversations surrounding art are only enriched and elevated by perspectives that capture the different facets of how it speaks to us. For too long, we’ve only been getting one viewpoint (read: old white men) — and our cultural understanding of art has been reduced because of it.

Another critic whose work I am obsessed with is Vulture’s Angelica Jade Bastien. She did not like Ma Rainey. She called the dialogue “stilted” and “laughable” and denigrated the film as “a lifeless endeavor.” I disagree with Bastien (I really liked Ma Rainey) but when she eviscerates a film, it’s artful in its own right. Plus, she made some points. Bastien brought up discussions we absolutely need to be having about Black representation. In the review, Bastien writes, “Many of the [recent] works being made available — such as horror films and series, including Bad Hair, Lovecraft Country, and Antebellum — feel like they take advantage of an audience’s desire to see themselves onscreen without offering any of the potency or finesse necessary to make these stories work.” She’s right. A white critic couldn’t have done all of that either. 

So, to answer the question, Black criticism is good. Always. And necessary.                      

Who It’s Good For: Despite what the comment section of reviews would have you believe, Black critiques of Black art are actually good for business. They’re good for Black art. And whether the takes are negative or not, they are good for the betterment of Black creators. As Tonja Renée Stidhum wrote in a piece called If You Want to Protect Black Art, Protect Black Critique for The Root, it’s not as easy for Black creators who have to deal with the “structurally racist rigamarole” in Hollywood. Financing, distribution and publicity all depend on a system set up for people who look like us to fail. That fact then puts unfair pressure on Black artists to be all things to Black people, and for their work’s success to be a barometer of all Black success. But, Stidhum notes, “the fear of getting a second chance is a heavyweight burden upon Black critics’ shoulders—and it’s certainly not ours to bear. The assumption that Black art cannot handle critique is patronizing, condescending and far more insulting than any negative review will ever be.” SPEAK ON IT. 

When Lena Waithe was met with less-than-stellar reviews of the brutal, graphic and gratuitous depictions of Black trauma in the Amazon horror anthology series she produced called Them, she got defensive. “White male artists get chances all the time,” Waithe told POPSUGAR in reference to the show’s creator Little Marvin. “Nobody’s telling a white dude, ‘Hey, don’t do that,’ or maybe we are, but the truth is, Black artists deserve to be free to tell whatever story they want to tell. We at least deserve that.” What Black artists deserve is equity and to be judged on the quality of their work, not in relation to whiteness. 

Yes, white artists do get to fail more than Black artists but by that logic, we have to actually let Black artists fail. In my opinion, Them is a failure because of how it handles trauma (like pain is the priority and purpose of the art) and if we are not able to say that just because it was made by Black people, we are buying into the same Hollywood system that treats us as a monolith and keeps us out of the rooms that make the decisions about which stories should get Amazon series and which movies should get greenlit. 

Black voices writing about Black series can be just as important as the Black show writers themselves. They both exist in an ecosystem that doesn’t thrive without the other.

On the other hand, Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad understands the assignment and treats traumatic events in Black history with care, consideration and depth. Reggie Ugwo’s praise for the show and his handling of this profile in the New York Times of the visionaries behind the series proves that Black voices writing about Black series can be just as important as the Black show writers themselves. They both exist in an ecosystem that doesn’t thrive without the other. 

I understand not wanting to bash Black creators — I am constantly “rooting for everybody Black” — but people need to stop viewing fair criticism as a public berating and see it as it is: an interrogation and extension of the work. Sometimes that analysis may include a larger cultural context (when a work involves trauma for example) and sometimes it’s just going to tell you whether something is worth your time. It doesn’t have to be more than that. But the best people to discern whether Black art is aiming for cultural relevance and failing or whether it’s just a celebration of our joy and humanity are the critics who know Black humanity intimately. So, you know, actual Black people. 

If Black art is supposed to be for us and by us, why shouldn’t Black criticism have the same energy? 

How Good Is It? You know that meme of Jennifer Hudson throwing her shoe at a singer on The Voice like she just heard the voice of God leave a human body in a church pew? When I read a good piece of criticism, that’s what I do in my head. I throw my proverbial shoes. 

No one is better at giving us our own well-deserved flowers than Black folk. And no one is better at holding artists accountable in real time than us. Black criticism is good because as we strive towards a Hollywood that is no longer held up by gatekeepers and built on barriers that exclude Black excellence, it’s time to take whiteness out of the equation. If there’s no quest for white acceptance, there’s no fear that Black backlash will hinder that pursuit. This isn’t about white people at all. Sometimes, Black art is our business and focusing more on art and criticism being in conversation instead of in opposition will lead to a liberation even duelling timelines can’t deny. 

What Else Is Good?

• As mentioned, The Underground Railroad is very good, but Barry Jenkins’ video essay The Gaze about the “Black gaze” in his work is even better.

• Want good Black art? Watch Miss Juneteenth, Fast Color, Selah and the Spades, and theThe Forty Year Old Version. Then read Lovia Gyarkye, Soraya McDonald, my brilliant colleague Ineye Komonibo, and me on each of those works. 

• Good Trouble has taken over my life so the 31 episodes (two seasons) of this show I have invested in have forced me to tell everyone in earshot to come on this journey with Callie and Mariana Adams-Foster, my girl Malika, and their coterie family with me.

• As always, defunding the police.

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

Black Film School Wants To Diversify The Canon

New Horror Series "Them" Is All Trauma, No Heart

Where’s All The Good Kissing On TV?

DMTBeautySpot

via https://www.DMTBeautySpot.com

Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Khareem Sudlow

#DMTBeautySpot #beauty

Jupiter is one of the luckiest planets in astrology, and it’s making its way into the dreamy sign of Pisces on May 13. This combo hasn’t happened since 2011 — and it’s something to get excited about. In fact, it’s being described as “a transit all astrologers have been expecting and looking forward to,” according to Narayana Montúfar, senior astrologer for Astrology.com.

This burst of angelic energy is exactly what we need as hot girl summer draws closer. Madi Murphy, co-founder of The Cosmic RX and The Cosmic Revolution, says that the energy of Jupiter in Pisces is like “a guardian angel, a fairy godmother, and a sunny day at a peace-loving music festival combined.” She says that thanks to this transit, we’ll be getting “a juicy, magical summer of love.”

Of course, there’s a caveat: “It’s important to note that during this first Jupiter in Pisces rodeo, eclipse season and a very intense Mercury retrograde will be happening,” Montúfar warns. “For these two reasons, we might not yet feel the positive effects of this planet-sign combination.” But you’ll notice she said “first.” Jupiter will go retrograde on June 20, and as a result will re-enter Aquarius on July 28 before it heads back into Pisces on December 28, Montúfar says. That second Jupiter-in-Pisces placement is something to look forward to.

That’s not to say that this first taste will be totally blah. We’ll still be getting a healthy dose of luck and good vibes — and that energy will keep going for quite some time. “One of the reasons why the last few years have been so hard is because Jupiter has been transiting in Saturn-ruled signs, Capricorn and Aquarius,” says Montúfar. “As Jupiter enters Pisces, it will be in its own territory, since in traditional astrology, Jupiter rules Pisces. From this moment on, life will begin to feel easier.”

After a very intense 2020 and 2021, the promise of our lives becoming even slightly easier is more than welcome. Jupiter in Pisces is an extremely harmonious transit that should feel exciting, eye-opening, and illuminating for all of us. Leslie Hale, psychic astrologer at Keen.com, says that Jupiter in Pisces is related to creativity, spirituality, creative expression, and intuition, noting that faith and optimism may make a great comeback at this time. “Jupiter in Pisces will be about healing and compassion, and the roles of those who help and serve will be amplified,” Hale explains. “Romance may make a comeback with Jupiter in Pisces, along with the finer, more gentle qualities associated with love and romance.” In other words, we’re gearing up for one horny (and passionate) summer.

Lisa Stardust, the author of Saturn Return Survival Guide and The Astrology Deck, echoes this, adding that the transit will also give us the opportunity to implement healing into our lives. “We will be able to shape-shift our emotions, as Pisces is a water sign, and become understanding of the energies of the world at large,” she says. “Dreams can become a reality, as we are inclined to comprehend the visions within and make them a reality.”

There’s no limit to what we can dream and accomplish during this transit. “It will definitely be a time to let our imagination run wild and listen to our intuition,” Montúfar says. “In order to grow during this transit, we will have to open our minds and be more understanding of those around us. Pisces is, after all, one of the most open-minded and understanding signs, so we will have to channel our inner Pisces to fully take advantage of this transit.”

Of all the lovely themes of this transit, it seems like Jupiter in Pisces is mainly about one thing: freedom. “It’s like we have all been grounded by the Universe since early 2020. and now we are being let out of the house for the first time in a very long time,” Murphy says. Embrace this independence — you’ve earned it.

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

Venus In Gemini Marks The Start Of Hot Girl Summer

This Taurus Season Is Going To Be Really Intense

Obsessed With Astrology? Thank TikTok — & COVID

DMTBeautySpot

via https://www.DMTBeautySpot.com

Elizabeth Gulino, Khareem Sudlow

#DMTBeautySpot #beauty

For her first Mother’s Day, Sophie Turner, who gave birth to her daughter Willa in July, celebrated on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend. On the eve of the holiday, the Game of Thrones star had dinner in Los Angeles with husband Joe Jonas, his brothers Kevin and Nick, and their parents, for which she debuted yet another covetable look. 

For the occasion, Turner dressed up in an oversized blazer dress by Polish fashion brand Mannei that featured waist-cinching drawstrings and padded shoulders — one of spring’s biggest runway trends. While she decided to forego bottoms — a move we’re all too willing to copy after a year of no hard pants — she made up for it by pairing the dress with black Wandler sandals, a heeled flip-flop style that’s also currently trending. She rounded out the look with a Louis Vuitton Pont 9 cross-body purse, gold hoop earrings, and a face mask from Maskc, which has been Turner’s go-to of late. 

While we haven’t seen the look she wore on Sunday to celebrate the holiday, Turner did show off an impressive array of flowers, presumably from Jonas, on her Instagram stories. Jonas, too, posted a never-before-seen photo of Turner from when she was pregnant with Willa. In the photo, the actress is wearing a black-and-gray plaid sweater dress from Maison Margiela while subtly showing off the massive walk-in closet behind her (nice). The post also included an image of Jonas with his own mom. The caption read: “Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing mothers out there and to these two Mums.” 

Shop Turner’s look — and a few more affordable substitutes — below.

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.

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

Finally, A Look At Sophie Turner's Bridal Jumpsuit

Sophie Turner Wore A Controversial '00s Trend

Here's Why Sophie Turner's PJs Might Look Familiar

DMTBeautySpot

via https://www.DMTBeautySpot.com

Eliza Huber, Khareem Sudlow