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September 17, 2021BruceDayne

5 Drugstore Shopping Hacks That’ll Save You $$$ On Your Beauty Routine

September 17, 2021BruceDayne

There's nothing better than wandering down a well-stocked drugstore beauty aisle. But navigating all those good hair, makeup, and skin-care options can be tricky: What if you accidentally pick the wrong concealer shade, or grab a formula that will irritate your skin? What if you want to test out a lipstick shade, but can't see through the cap?

Well, the first rule of beauty shopping is to not get overwhelmed. So to help keep things simple, streamlined, and color-matched, we rounded up five tips straight from a beauty editor — including how to get $10 cashback to spend on makeup when you pay with your PayPal or Venmo app. Keep these in mind on your next trip down the CVS aisles so you can make the most of your shopping spree.

Come prepared with research

Beauty bloggers do drugstore hauls all the time, putting in the time and energy to swatch and test products so you can get an idea of how a product acts IRL. (They’re basically the equivalent of Yelp for the beauty aisle.) Find a blogger whose skin tone or general style matches yours best (I’m a big fan of @cocoaswatches, who always delivers on drugstore recs) and save their reviews to keep as a reference while you’re shopping in case you need a tiebreaker between two contour sticks.

Set a budget and stick to it

This one can be tricky, but here’s a pro tip: Use your Venmo or PayPal app instead of cash or cards — the touch-free payment experience is a quick and easy way to check out and can help you digitally keep track of how much you're spending. Plus, your first in-store purchase of $20 or more gets you $10 cash back, which means you can go ahead and grab that extra lipstick, after all.

**Take some notes**

If you have sensitive skin or you’re trying to avoid certain ingredients, write them all down beforehand (I stay away from dimethicone in hair-care products because I want water-soluble shine, for example). That’s why I keep a running list of ingredients that are major no’s for me on my phone. Do the same, and you won’t have to frantically Google what the official science name for talc is when you’re in a hurry to grab an eyeshadow (it's magnesium silicate, by the way).

Shop with your favorite products

Since testing makeup in-store is a thing of the past, bring your go-to foundation or concealer along on your shopping trip. Comparing products in their tubes and bottles isn’t a foolproof system — the dry-down color change is real — but you can also check ingredients lists, undertones, and other details listed on packaging to be sure you're not too far off base (no pun intended).

**Always, always keep your receipt**

Right after you pay, put your receipt into your wallet or a pocket that won’t get washed, because CVS has an impressive beauty product return policy: If you hold onto your receipt, your local CVS will let you return makeup (even opened and used makeup) within 60 days.

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

DMTBeautySpot

via https://dmtbeautyspot.com

Amber Rambharose, DMT.NEWS, DMT BeautySpot,

DMTBeautySpot featured Frances Solá-Santiago

Costume Designers Are Stars On Social Media. So Why Aren’t They Being Paid That Way?

September 17, 2021BruceDayne

It’s been 73 years since the first Oscar for Best Costume Design was awarded. Back then, the category was divided into two awards — for black-and-white and color films — with Roger K. Furse winning the former for Hamlet and Dorothy Jenkins and Barbara Karinska taking home the gold statue for Joan of Arc. While their names went down in history, these costume designers did not enjoy the celebrity of today’s pros like Sex and the City’s Patricia Field and Gossip Girl’s Eric Daman.

“People didn’t know who did the costumes [for films and TV],” says Salvador Perez, president of the Costume Designers Guild, an organization founded in 1953 to protect costume designers. “They’d know what the costume was and who wore it.” Over time, with the help of more televised award shows like the Golden Globes and the Emmys, as well as social media, this has changed.

In particular, over the last 18 months — in large part due to the pandemic putting a pause on celebrity outings and runway shows — audiences have turned to their favorite on-screen characters for fashion inspiration. Take, for example, Netflix’s Emily in Paris. Following the premiere of Season 1 of the Lily Collins-starring series, brands like Ganni, Marc Jacobs, and Kate Spade, as well as items like bucket hats and berets, saw a boost in sales thanks to Field’s costume work. Other shows like this year’s Gossip Girl and the forthcoming Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That… have prompted a similar reaction, not only resurrecting trends but also inspiring fan Instagram accounts dedicated to ID-ing the items worn on set before the shows even air.

Yet, as costume designers’ work is celebrated in public, they often don’t receive the acknowledgment they deserve behind the scenes.

In an industry plagued by pay inequity and gender bias, it’s no surprise that costume designers are victims of the same issues. “The majority of costume designers are women, and they are ignored,” says Perez, who’s worked as a costume designer on shows like The Mindy Project. “[The industry] thinking is, ‘Well, it’s just shopping, my wife can do that.’” As a man working in a role dominated by women — the Costume Designers Guild is composed of nearly 90% women — Perez says he’s been previously paid more than his female counterparts: “It’s proof that it’s a gender thing.”

Costume designer Janie Bryant, who worked on AMC’s Mad Men and HBO’s Deadwood, says that within productions, costume designers are not only getting smaller checks but are also recognized less than directors, producers, cinematographers, and production designers, which are traditionally “men’s roles.”

According to the Costume Designers Guild, costume designers make a minimum of $2,952.11 for TV production and $3,139.86 for film work. Meanwhile, the weekly rate in the Art Directors Guild is $3,754.47 for both TV and film, according to Variety. “Part of our big mission right now is pay equity,” says Perez. “Those roles get paid more than we do, why? We’re all department heads.” Bryant agrees that costume design should be held in the same regard because “what the audience sees on the screen is the actor, and they see the actor in costume.”

And audiences are taking notice. Perez says that social media has helped movie and TV fans understand how crucial the role of costume design is. Bryant first started noticing a shift in 2007, when Vera Wang showed a collection inspired by Deadwood’s Victorian-era costumes. “That was the first kind of recognition I got outside of the film business,” she says. Bryant recalls a similar phenomenon occurred when designers like Prada started releasing collections inspired by the 1960s at the time Mad Men was on air (2007-2015). “I’m very thankful for that and for all the bloggers and Instagrammers who took the time to celebrate my work,” she says.

But while platforms like Instagram have helped the creators get more recognition, it has also led to a proliferation of fan pages showcasing the looks featured — something that costume designers are often prohibited from doing, according to Perez. So while accounts like @madmenstyles and @everyoutfitonsatc are amassing thousands of followers, many costume designers are contractually obligated to keep their name off their work or prohibited from posting behind-the-scenes photos from production. “When we sign a contract, it’s often forbidden for us to post any images on Instagram,” says Perez. “So productions are letting fans profit off the work we are doing.” Although accounts like @justlikethatcloset often credit those responsible for the looks — in the case of And Just Like That…, Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago — Perez says costume designers “could literally be fired for doing what the fans do.”

Then there is the issue of not being credited or consulted entirely. Last year, the Costume Designers Guild launched the #CreditCostumeDesigners campaign to urge studios to credit and compensate designers whenever their work ends up inspiring merch and apparel collaborations. In June, the hashtag took off when Disney released a Cruella-inspired collection with fashion brand Rag & Bone. According to Variety, the film’s costume designer Jenny Beavan had no knowledge of the line prior to its release. “I just was sort of horrified,” Beavan told the publication. This is hardly the first time that a costume designer hasn’t been credited, consulted, or paid for merchandising and apparel deals based on their work.

“Movie studios make thousands of dollars from costumes we design, and we’re not compensated for that,” says Perez. “We’d be happy even if they just credit us, honestly. ”

While there are some instances where the creators have been included — see: the Banana Republic Mad Men-inspired collection created in collaboration with Bryant in 2011 and the Birds of Prey costume designer Erin Benach’s line of jewelry inspired by the film — many others continue to be left behind by contracts and outshined by fan Instagram accounts.

In response, Rogers and Santiago created their own account dedicated to the Sex and the City reboot, which Perez says was championed by actress and executive producer Sarah Jessica Parker. Rather than ID looks though, @andjustlikethatcostumes chronicles behind-the-scenes moments between the cast and designers before they hit Getty Images, offering hints as to how the costumes play a role in the storyline. Similarly, Bryant has taken charge of her own work. Although accounts like @madmenstyles document and analyze her work on Mad Men, Bryant uses her own Instagram account, @costumedesignerjaniebryant, to give fans deep dives into her past work on shows like Why Women Kill, Deadwood, and The Last Tycoon, amassing over 70,000 followers.

“I don’t tell my members to just use social media,” says Perez. “But to use it so they can empower themselves and their work. ” As costume designers’ profiles are elevated with the help of social media and fashion enthusiasts, the question remains if they’ll ever be able to reap the rewards of their seams. Until they do, fans will continue double-tapping every post.

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DMTBeautySpot

via https://dmtbeautyspot.com

Frances Solá-Santiago, DMT.NEWS, DMT BeautySpot,

DMTBeautySpot featured Gina Marinelli

Having Trouble Sleeping? Here’s How 6 Different Women Are Coping With Restless Nights

September 17, 2021BruceDayne

Editor’s Note: Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep. The below testimonials represent personal anecdotes surrounding sleeplessness in quarantine. When experiencing symptoms of insomnia, it may be important for you to consult your healthcare provider.

In the past year, while we’ve weathered months on end of prolonged quarantine, the notion of “a good night’s sleep” has radically shifted. And for some of us, it’s been a turn for the worst: erratic sleep schedules, restlessness, insomnia, you name it.

Even for those of us who identify as traditionally healthy sleepers, this is a common phenomenon. Late at night, more and more of us are finding ourselves doom-scrolling, or ruminating on things like health anxieties, finances, and work-life balance (or the lack thereof). And, whether you’ve been diagnosed with insomnia by a health care provider, or you’re just finding it difficult to normalize your bedtime hours in quarantine, it’s certainly worth addressing.

That’s why we tapped six different women experiencing some form of sleeplessness right now to share the tried-and-tested personal solutions they’ve discovered to help with more restful nights at home — from lavender essential oil regimens and late-night walks to ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) head lice videos. Of course, you should always consult your doctor first when it comes to consistent sleeplessness, but if you’re looking for a little late-night camaraderie, these first hand accounts from women across the country detail the sometimes silly, always well intentioned, occasionally absurd tactics they’ve employed to combat their own sleeplessness in quarantine. And while these solves won’t replace medical advice, they will offer a little voyeurism into other folks’ waking hours.

“I am extremely passionate about sleep (I feel best when I’m getting nine or even 10 hours per night), but I also can’t resist the siren call of social media, so ‘doomscrolling’ has been my downfall this past year. In March and April, I was glued to my phone, tracking the rising COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. In May and June, I was reading everything I could about Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests. Most recently, it’s the vaccine rollout and evolving virus variants that have me preoccupied.

So, instead of trying to quit my late-night screen habit, I’ve decided to use it to my advantage. These days, YouTube videos that fall under the category of what I call ‘unintentional ASMR’ have become my sleepy-time secret weapon. Traditional whisper videos don’t work for me; I go for interviews or instructional videos featuring nice, pleasant voices that have zero affiliation to the current news cycle. My all-time favorites include a random beauty interview with Victoria Beckham (a vocal icon), anything from my favorite cat-centric Youtube channel (in-depth reviews of different kitty litters and foods, exciting stuff!), and a healthcare video about head lice (so gross, I know — but it works, so I watch!). Occasionally, it’ll take a few of these in a row before I drift off, but often, I’m almost asleep after one.”

— Elana, 34, quarantined in Manhattan with her fiancé, and her cat, Liz Lemon

“I’ve never been a good sleeper. Pandemic aside, I’ve always been filled with existential dread. So, I decided to make better sleep my quarantine project. Pre-COVID, I got around four hours [of sleep] a night due to work, constant travel, and stress — but now, I get around five or six hours and I feel much more well-rested. The key for me isn’t going to bed early, but rather, going to bed after 11:30 or midnight so I can stay asleep all night — and also, sticking to a hyper specific nighttime routine.

The first part of my bedtime routine is to go outside and get fresh air. If I work from home, then I require five minutes of outside-time no matter the weather. Next, I take my standard multi-vitamins. Then, I take a scalding hot shower, before moving through my aggressive, Joan Crawford-esque skincare routine, and make sure I have at least two liters of water at my bedside, so I don’t have to exit the room once the turn down starts (I call it that because going to sleep is a process. I’ve never been able to just fall asleep so I need to make it a really sensory experience). I put all of my devices on their respective chargers, refill my humidifier with water and citrus essential oils, burn palo santo, and then stretch. I stop looking at my phone an hour before I should be asleep, and watch a show I’ve already seen, then I’ll usually drift off about 20 minutes after its started. I wouldn’t exactly recommend this routine to everyone, being that it’s highly tailored to my own needs — which demand that I create structure to make sense of this mess — but it’s certainly worked for me.

— Dione, 33, quarantined in Brooklyn with her three roommates

“When all this madness started last March, I went to bed at 3 or 4 am every night. The red TV headlines were like tragic lullabies — I’d fall asleep devouring new stats or learning about the outbreak red zones. It was like being trapped in Groundhog Day. Day after day the same tiring-exhausting feeling. But after a few months, I decided those raccoon-like dark circles HAD TO GO. That’s when I decided to tweak a few things.

“I started to do online pilates sessions — 45 minutes daily — and I stopped drinking my beloved espressos after 2 pm. I darkened all our bedroom windows, started drinking decaf valerian or Linden tea at 9 pm, and lowered the heat in my house to 62F when I was getting ready to sleep. I also started taking an OTC natural sleep aid and replaced my pillow covers with silk ones. Now, I sleep seven uninterrupted hours and the nightmares have decreased severely in number. The dark circles are still there but at least I no longer feel like Bill Murray!”

— Ana, 40, quarantined with her husband and two sons in New Jersey

“I’ve been a bad sleeper since childhood, but things got way worse in college. I’m a night owl so I’m often my most creative and productive at night. But when I don’t have a reason to stay up working on anything, I still can’t fall asleep, no matter what I do. Once I’m out, I’m gone — I can sleep in easily until 10 am. (sometimes later), but getting to sleep has always been my issue. Most nights, I watch the clock go from 10 pm when I get into bed to read, to 11pm when my husband falls sound asleep, to 1 am when I’m wondering how the hell I’m still wide awake.

“I’ve tried tons of different things throughout the years to help me fall asleep in a more reasonable timeframe, but as of late, I’ve found a pretty solid routine. I love a good epsom salt bath. I love lavender oil on my palms. Some nights, I’ll try a CBD supplement I give myself a few hours at night to zone-out to bad television — usually Real Housewives or HGTV (I worship Leanne Ford!). Some nights, I use a Bluetooth-connected eye mask which lets me black out the world while I listen to a podcast (anything from Wondery to Parcast), and if that doesn’t help me doze off, I listen to a sleep meditation on my phone.

— Stacie, 30, quarantined with her husband and her dog in Scottsdale, AZ

“My sleep challenges have varied this past year. They’ve ranged from difficulty falling asleep, to trouble staying asleep, to struggling with getting out of bed. A few months ago, though, I tried rearranging the layout of my apartment, to support better sleep. I moved my bed near the window, where it now faces a wall with plants instead of my kitchen (oh, the studio life!) and I must say, I’ve been able to sleep through the night a lot better.

I also love taking night showers so that I feel warm and relaxed before going to bed. Then, once I’m showered, I typically light a candle, have a cup of tea, and try to relax on the couch and watch TV or read a book. I like to occasionally spritz my sheets with a calming lavender scent, moisturize my hands, and finally, turn on some ‘rain pipes’ sleep music which usually does the trick!”

— Jessica, 33, quarantined alone in Brooklyn, NY

Important Safety Information

DAYVIGO may cause serious side effects including:

decreased awareness and alertness. The morning after you take DAYVIGO, your ability to drive safely and think clearly may be decreased. You may also have sleepiness during the day.Do not take more DAYVIGO than prescribed. Do not take DAYVIGO unless you are able to stay in bed for a full night (at least 7 hours) before you must be active again. Take DAYVIGO right before going to bed.

Do not take DAYVIGO if you fall asleep often at unexpected times (narcolepsy).

DAYVIGO is a federally controlled substance because it can be abused or cause dependence.

Before taking DAYVIGO, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

have a history of depression, mental illness, or suicidal thoughts; drug or alcohol abuse or addiction; a sudden onset of muscle weakness (cataplexy); daytime sleepiness
have lung problems or breathing problems, including sleep apnea
have liver problems
are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.

Taking DAYVIGO with certain other medicines can cause serious side effects. DAYVIGO may affect the way other medicines work and other medicines may affect the way DAYVIGO works.
Do not take DAYVIGO with other medicines that can make you sleepy unless your healthcare provider tells you to.

What should I avoid while taking DAYVIGO?

Do not drink alcohol while taking DAYVIGO. It can increase your chances of getting serious side effects.
Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, do anything dangerous, or other activities that require clear thinking if you take DAYVIGO and have had less than a full night of sleep (at least 7 hours) or if you have taken more DAYVIGO than prescribed by your healthcare provider.
You may still feel drowsy the next day after taking DAYVIGO. Do not drive or do other dangerous activities until you feel fully awake.

DAYVIGO may cause serious side effects, including:

temporary inability to move or talk (sleep paralysis) for up to several minutes while you are going to sleep or waking up
temporary weakness in your legs that can happen during the day or at night
complex sleep behaviors such as sleep-walking, sleep-driving, preparing and eating food, making phone calls, having sex or doing other activities while not fully awake that you may not remember the next morning.
worsening depression and suicidal thoughts have happened during treatment with DAYVIGO.

The most common side effect of DAYVIGO is sleepiness.

These are not all of the possible side effects of DAYVIGO. Call your doctor for medical advice and if you have any new or worsening side effects.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugsto the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call1-800-FDA-1088.

Please read the Medication Guide for DAYVIGO and discuss it with your doctor.

“Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with both insomnia and depression by my primary care doctor. I had no issues falling asleep, but I was having trouble staying asleep. An hour or so after dosing off, I’d consistently find myself wide awake, again. Sometimes it was off and on, and sometimes I wouldn’t go back to sleep at all. Quarantine seemed to exacerbate all of these tendencies, making it harder for me to sleep than ever before. And after trying many over-the-counter sleep solutions, I was still not getting any more rest.

“About four months ago, my doctor prescribed me a sleep medication called DAYVIGOⓇ (lemborexant) CIV, which I was told might help people with insomnia fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Now, I take 10mg every day and am finding that I fall asleep — and stay asleep — in a way that feels natural. There have been a few nights where I’ve still woken up, even on the medicine, but overall, since taking DAYVIGO, I feel like my sleep has notably improved. Of course, results with any medication will vary, but for me personally, this has been a great option for my condition.”

—Emily*, quarantined in Salisbury, NC with her husband, son, and four dogs

Interviews have been edited for concision and clarity.

*Name has been changed to protect the identity of the respondent

Disclaimer: DAYVIGO is a prescription medicine for adults age 18 years and older who have trouble falling or staying asleep (insomnia). Do not take DAYVIGO if you fall asleep often at unexpected times (narcolepsy). Please see additional Important Safety Information included at the end of this article. Please also see Medication Guide for DAYVIGO.