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I’ll never forget the first time I bought makeup at Sephora. It was a few weeks before my 21st birthday, and one of my best friends came along to help me shop for my first-ever full glam (before then, lip gloss was about as far as I’d ventured). I knew immediately that I wanted to use Fenty Beauty, and my makeup-obsessed bestie happily helped me find my perfect match in the brand’s matte foundation. Six years later, my love affair with Rihanna’s iconic namesake label is still going strong—its Instant Retouch Concealer and now-discontinued bronzer included. Naturally, its newest innovation, the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Natural Matte Longwear Foundation, has already earned a permanent spot on my makeup shelf.
After launching in 2017 with a then-rare 40-shade range, Fenty Beauty helped raise the bar for what inclusive complexion products could look like. Nearly a decade later, its new foundation proves the brand isn’t done pushing the category forward.
Ahead, I get into a full digest of everything there is to know about Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Foundation, and why I’m obsessed with it (and you will be, too).
What Makes Fenty’s New Foundation Different?
If you’ve used the brand’s Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, you can think of Fluid Flex as a similar product, but all grown up. It’s not only breathable and delivers an impressive matte finish, but it’s powered by polymer technology that merges skincare and makeup seamlessly. This innovative, non-comedogenic formulation works to resist water and sebum, minimize fine lines and pores, protect the skin barrier, and create that natural, blurring effect—even for the most oily-skinned girl (me). Not to mention, Fluid Flex comes in an all-new 50-shade range that caters to undertones for an even more accurate match.
I Put Fenty’s New Foundation To The Test
As I mentioned before, Fenty Beauty’s original foundation was the first one I ever used, and it’s still a mainstay in my regimen. The new formula is even more of a favorite, because it truly does what it claims to do. As a (sometimes) proud normal-to-oily skin girly, I’ve had my fair share of complexion products that actually help me conquer excess sebum, and ones that simply don’t, despite their claims. I made sure to wear Fluid Flex in environments where I knew its staying power would truly be tested—a girls’ night out on the town with my friend on a very humid Friday, and the final night of Olivia Dean’s “The Art of Loving” residency at Madison Square Garden, where I was dancing and singing my heart out. And let’s just say, my face was still intact without any transfer anywhere by the end of both occasions.
Being able to find an exact match in the shade 456W for my complexion was satisfying, to say the least. It’s more than clear that the brand went back to the drawing board for this range, intentionally putting all undertones and skin tones first. My skin is proof of that—and it doesn’t just look like skin; it feels like it, too.
– Available in 50 shades to match undertones – Formulated in a hydrating, waterproof and matte finish – Offers medium, buildable coverage for up to 12-hour wear – Ingredients include starfruit extract for all-day oil control
As with anything Fenty Beauty creates, Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Foundation is relatively easy to use. A little really does go a long way, so I use one pump and blend it into my skin. I used my OG foundation brush, but you can even get better results with the Fluid Flex Foundation Brush 165.
If you’re looking for more coverage, feel free to apply another pump and blend as desired. You can also use a setting spray like the You Mist Makeup-Extending Setting Spray before completing the rest of your makeup for that extra matte effect. Either way, you’re bound to get the blurred, skin-like look that, as you can see, does everything but disappoint.
If your skin tends to get oily or you’re prone to breakouts, Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex is a foundation worth trying. It looks and feels like skin, enhancing my natural features without making me feel like I’ve altered my appearance—which is exactly my kind of glam. It makes me feel my most beautiful and confident, and that’s no shocker. Rihanna’s behind it, after all.
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.
This week: A teller working in banking who makes $22.06 an hour and spends some of it on a custom poem.
If you’d like to submit your own Money Diary, you can do so via our online form. We pay $150 for each published diary. Apologies but we’re not able to reply to every email.We are legally unable to publish any diaries that have been written with the use of AI.
This diary was written in 2026.
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Occupation: Teller Industry: Banking Age: 23 Location: Wichita, KS Salary: $22.06/hr Joint Income/Financial Setup: My spouse makes between $22-25/hr, so combined, we bring home around $70k per year after tax. We have a joint checking account for groceries/eating out and pet expenses, as well as a joint savings account for travel. We contribute the same amount to our checking account every month ($600 each). All other money is separate. We love having the joint checking since it makes any small purchases or eating out really easy — without having to keep track of who owes what. Assets: Checking: ~$450 (I contribute $300 biweekly and my spouse contributes $150 weekly) High-Yield Savings: $9,721.72 401(k): $8,623.70 (this is a combined value with my Roth) Car (KBB value): ~$18,000 Debt: $0 Paycheck Amount (biweekly): ~$1170 ($1,700 minus taxes, pet insurance, 10% 401(k) contribution, and 5% Roth contribution) Pronouns: They/them
Monthly Expenses
Housing Costs: $575 (one-bed, one-bathroom townhouse — plus pet rent, split evenly with my spouse) Loan Payments: $0 (I have one CC that I put larger purchases on to get cash back, but I pay them the same day they post) Utilities: $50-100 (gas and electric, depending on time of year, split evenly) Internet: $0 (we both have unlimited data on our phones and use our mobile hotspots to save money) Phone: $30 ($360 prepaid yearly for unlimited data with Mint Mobile) Car: $160 (insurance, tags, oil changes, and gas) Compost: $6 (split with spouse) Google One: $2.99
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? It was definitely assumed that I would go to college. My dad is highly educated, and my mom got her bachelor’s degree. Although I’m sure they wouldn’t have been opposed to me going to a trade school or something, college was just the default. For their generation, it was worth the cost and time, but now it’s not guaranteed you’ll make more, or even be able to pay back your loans. They told me my whole life that they would cover tuition or room and board, so if I could study hard and get a full tuition scholarship, I could go to school for free. I ended up getting a half-ride at a small liberal arts college, and paid for the room and board with a combination of savings, campus/summer research/off-campus jobs. Since I got a half-ride, my parents did contribute some money to my housing, and I did graduate with my bachelor’s degree debt-free, which is an immense blessing.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s) educate you about finances? My mom is really into finance and always managed the money in our house. She tried to teach me about the value of money from a young age. I was raised religious, so any money I made doing chores around the house had 10% go toward tithing, 50% to savings, and 40% to what she called “fun money.” If I wanted to go to the mall with my friends or get something from the store, it came from that. I also remember her telling me to open a credit card at a young age to build credit, but to never spend money I didn’t have (that advice apparently didn’t stick; I got into upwards of $2K at one point and $5K at another in credit card debt in my life, all of which I have since paid off).
What was your first job and why did you get it? I babysat for families in the church growing up for pocket money, but my first taxable job was during the summer at 16, working as a host at a chain restaurant for $4/hr plus tipshare. Quite literally, it is the hardest job I ever had in my life. I got it because I wanted to save for college and my parents wanted me to get work experience.
Did you worry about money growing up? I don’t know that I was worried, but I was definitely aware. My dad was in school during my childhood, and my mom didn’t work, so I knew that there were things we “couldn’t afford.” I think things were tighter than I knew, but they made things work. We would go out somewhere to eat like Taco Bell on birthdays, but otherwise never ate out. Every other year we drove twenty-plus hours to visit family, but otherwise we didn’t go on vacations. We got hand-me-down clothes from friends or family, or went to thrift stores. It just seemed normal then, but now that my dad makes more, they can afford a lot more. My siblings are all younger and I’m the only one who remembers it being different. My mom is still very frugal and particular with how they use their money, and they save a lot but they go on a lot of nice trips and eat out weekly, which is just kind of shocking to me.
Do you worry about money now? I’m thankful to have the means to provide for my lifestyle and have some leftover, but I’m very conscious that I have no choice but to work. I have an emergency fund built up that would last me about six months of unemployment, and I know I’m lucky enough to have a safety net in my family and spouse, but capitalism is just scary. I’m currently thinking about moving to part-time work to pursue writing as a career more seriously, which we can afford, but it does worry me. I’m aware I don’t really have that much in savings or my 401(k). It’s really important to me that I’m able to retire, and I care more about being able to work fewer hours and still make the same income than increasing my income.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net? I was pretty much responsible for myself in college. Other than the half of tuition my parents provided, I covered my rent/board and living expenses. I always paid my own insurance and tags for the car my parents let me drive, as well as my phone bill. I would say true financial independence happened at 22 when I’d had my own place for over a year, and got my own insurance and phone plan, instead of paying my mom back. If I really needed it, I think they would be a safety net for me, but I would like to avoid that at all costs.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain. As mentioned above, my parents paid for my college tuition, which I’m very grateful for. They also bought a car during my last year of college after I broke up with my long-time partner and didn’t have a way of getting to school out-of-state. They ended up giving me this car, paid off, which was unexpected, and I’m so lucky to have. My parents also offered $10K towards my wedding, which we ended up using ~$8K of.
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Day One: Tuesday
7:09 a.m. — Get out of bed. Morning routine using my spouse C.’s phone to do my Duolingo lesson (461 days of Spanish) and read my horoscope on CoStar, then brush my teeth and snuggle with C. and cat, Y. You can safely assume I’ll do this every day. I put out some food for Y. She’s on a prescription diet after a health scare, so it’s dry in the morning and canned in the evening. I already packed my breakfast yesterday and this week my work is providing lunch, so I kiss C. and head out.
8:30 a.m. — I snack on the breakfast I bring to work every day (fruit, cheese, peanut butter). It’s kind of a busy morning with calls but I do the LinkedIn and NYT games and manage to read a bit of the book I brought. I’ve read 52 books this year already.
12 p.m. — Eat the free lunch, which is surprisingly good. We very rarely get lunch paid for at my work, but this week has a lot of organizational/system changes happening, so they’re treating us. I sit in my car while I eat and read.
5:03 p.m. — It’s been a slower day, thankfully, after some busy weeks. I finish my book and rate it three stars. I try to start the other book I brought but after one sentence it’s clear I’m not going to like it. Yesterday, I was stuck here until almost 6 p.m. because of a system error, so I’m out a little bit earlier than usual today. I stop by the library on the way home to return the two books I brought to work today and pick up a hold.
6:00 p.m. — C. and I start on dinner — shrimp scampi. We are both gluten-free and don’t exactly love cooking, so dinner can sometimes be a struggle. Thankfully, we’ve been on a pretty good streak. It doesn’t sit well with me tonight, though. C. puts out the wet food for Y. We chat about what C. is going to do this evening. Today is a writing day for me. I have a novel I’ve been working on for the better part of a decade that is finally nearing a state where I can start querying agents. It’s definitely been a learning curve figuring out what pursuing writing while working full-time and spending time with C. and family looks like. We’ve settled on selecting a few days a week for me to focus on writing in the evening while C. hangs out with their family or works on their own projects. They decide to go to a baseball game with their family.
9:30 p.m. — C. gets back. I’m done writing for the night after getting a good amount of work done. I set a goal date to start querying and put down this draft, which is coming up in about ten days, and I feel good about making that deadline. We talk and catch up since we didn’t get to see each other much earlier. I take a quick shower with a shower cap on before falling asleep sometime around 10:45.
Daily Total: $0
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Day Two: Wednesday
7:11 a.m. — Typical morning routine using C.’s phone since I have a flip phone. I bought a flip phone at the beginning of 2025 when C. and I decided to quit social media as a New Year’s resolution. We ended up deleting our accounts but didn’t end up switching to flip phones since it seemed like a big jump. In July 2025, my phone broke and I decided to just try it out rather than buying a new phone. Now, it’s been nearly a year and other than using C.’s phone for Duolingo and banking apps, I rely solely on it.
11:05 a.m. — Lunch. We all come back to eat and chat while it’s slow for a second. C. texts me about a potential lead for a part-time job starting in the fall. I’m considering working part-time for a year so I can focus on writing and applying to an MFA program that would start next fall. For a year, we can definitely make the part-time work, and this job would be close to my house and I can potentially bike to it, so we could cut costs with only one car.
1:49 p.m. — Today has been slower, too. Over lunch, I start my new book, the hold I picked up yesterday. I text with the potential job and it sounds like it could definitely be a good fit, values-wise. It feels like a sign that I only decided to start looking two days ago, and this is checking every box, but I try not to get my hopes up.
5:30 p.m. — I call C. on my way home and they’re still at our friend D.’s house picking up a book for book club and chatting. They have made plans to hang while I write tonight, since it’s another writing day for me. I head home to start dinner — elote pasta salad, with some reheated leftovers from work. C. gets home pretty soon after me and we chat about our days. They are really excited about the potential job, and we set up a time to meet with the lead next week. C. works in the same field so they are invited to come along.
6:40 p.m. — Our downstairs neighbor texts C. that the yoga mat on our balcony fell into our yard again and that our other neighbor has a poster for us. We go down to chat with her. She’s the nicest older lady ever. The poster turns out to be from a few years ago for an event in our community. It’s sweet he thought of us and I put the poster up immediately. D. picks up C. to go pick up art supplies and snacks for a party C. is throwing this weekend.
8:45 p.m. — I finish up the chapter I’m writing and realize I only have one, potentially two, depending on how I go about it, more to write. This slightly terrifies me, so I call it a night and start watching movie trailers on YouTube. There’s a couple of funny ones that I decide we need to watch. C. gets home, gives me a haul of all the snacks she got and we catch up before getting in bed around 9:45 and zonking out pretty quickly.
Daily Total: $0
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Day Three: Thursday
7:05 a.m. — Get out of bed, morning snuggles and phone time. I get sucked into looking at old pictures. I’m leaving a bit later today (still correcting the overtime from Monday), so C. and I sit out on the balcony chatting about the part-time job until I have to leave. I get to work, eat my breakfast, and start doing calls. Thankfully, we’re almost caught up on the backlog of these and I won’t have to do as many soon. My boss’s boss comes down with candy, which I accept.
11:57 a.m. — We’ve had system issues all morning and it’s been moderately stressful. I’m glad it’s lunchtime. I read in my car and eat. When I come back from lunch, the issues have gotten worse, and it’s pretty busy for a while. I finish the book from yesterday and rate it four stars, barely. It started strong but didn’t really stick the landing.
3:55 p.m. — I journal intermittently about the ending for my novel since I’m still feeling anxious about writing it. It’s daunting to be so close to a sort of end, even if there’s plenty more to do in terms of edits if/when I get an agent. The querying stage will be much more nebulous. I write about my fears of not doing the story justice and what isn’t seeming to click right now in the narrative, which gives me an idea for what to do instead. It all kind of flows from there, and I outline for this weekend when I’ll have some writing time.
5:30 p.m. — Get home from work and C. has made stuffed peppers (without the peppers, so basically ground beef, rice, cream cheese, and tomato sauce). We eat, I load the dishwasher, and then we head to our rock climbing class. We just started this month and we’ve loved it. It was $60 a piece for four lessons, prepaid. We’re the only adults in the class and this week some of the kids didn’t show up either, so we get a lot more opportunities to climb. A kid asks what the best time is for one of the courses and the instructor says the fastest he’s timed is 35 seconds. For shits and giggles, I try it and get 38 seconds and briefly feel like I’m about to be scouted for my abilities.
7:55 p.m. — After class I grab a sparkling soda from a local drink place ($3.17, but I have $15.18 in cash back on my credit card) and we walk around the nearby nature preserve. The weather is really nice and we end up talking and sitting watching the water pretty late.
9:15 p.m. — Get home and C. realizes they’re not at all ready for the party this weekend. I take a shower and then help them set up before we get sucked into looking at my aunt’s Facebook and finding really old pictures of me from ten years ago. Lay down around 10:40 p.m. and fall asleep around 11:15 p.m.
Daily Total: $0
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Day Four: Friday
7:13 a.m. — Get out of bed. Definitely stayed up a bit too late last night. C. feeds Y. as I do my usual morning stuff. C. is tired and not in the best mood so I put on a song and do a corny dance. We keep listening to music while they eat breakfast and I pack my bag. We’re both in a good mood by the time I leave. When I get to work, I withdraw $20 from the ATM before I clock in. C. and I are going to a poetry open mic tonight with a suggested admission of $10 a piece. This comes from our joint checking, so my total is $10. It’s a busy morning and a client has made a complaint about something that wasn’t in my control. I try not to let it get under my skin. $10
9:57 a.m. — The deadline I gave myself to start querying is in one week. I bite the bullet and get a month’s subscription to a website about publishing deals for my querying research ($30 on my credit card, which still has $12.01 in cash back). It bothers me how much information in publishing is behind paywalls but I consider it an investment. I schedule it to cancel my membership before it charges me for another month and will decide then if it’s worth the money. $17.99
11:38 a.m. — I get a text that our electric bill is ready, so I go in and pay it. It’s $125.14 (already included in utilities above). Sigh. Gone are the months of winter/spring where we could squeak by paying $50-$75/month. I eat lunch in my car and start my new book. The hours after my lunch are so busy, and it’s not over yet. Usually there’s another rush around 3:30/4. I’m very grateful it’s Friday.
4:59 p.m. — It gets worse. Finally, I clock out and head home to feed Y. C. and I eat some leftovers before driving over to the poetry event. We park and I pay for two hours of parking through the app ($2.35 on joint card) and immediately realize the default license plate is C.’s old car. I moan and groan a little bit about having to do two more hours with the correct license plate ($2.35 on joint card) before we go inside. We give them our $20 donation and roam around the gallery before sitting down. There are art supplies at the tables and we chat with some strangers while collaging. $2.35
8:05 p.m. — I realize we’re probably going to need to extend the parking for another hour ($1.35 on joint card) so I do that before going up and reading two poems. I’m slightly nervous but they’re received well! We sit through the rest and have a lot of fun before heading home. I work on laundry while C. sets up for the party. I’m pretty tired and not in the greatest mood as I help and we end up going to bed soon after. I fall asleep pretty fast. $0.67
Daily Total: $31.01
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Day Five: Saturday
7:45 a.m. — C. comes in to snuggle and ask if I want them to start breakfast. I say yes and get in the shower while they make French toast, hashbrown patties, and eggs. We eat and move Y.’s stuff into the room. We set up all the food and supplies for the party.
10:05 a.m. — People are going to be late and C. gets a bit sad, but then everyone shows up in a big clump and I head into the office to write. I get about a thousand words written. C. grabs me to set up the projector to show everyone pictures. The first thing one of our friends says is, “Where’s the book?!” which is funny. I hang out with everyone until they have to leave so we can eat lunch and get ready to go to a musical (previously paid for, ~$84)
1:45 p.m. — Get to the musical and realize they moved us but the seats we originally had were by some family friends! We get a really yummy mocktail ($4.30 plus $1 tip on joint card) and end up moving to sit with them after intermission. They mention that their oldest has a pretty big role in a musical coming up next month. $2.65
5:15 p.m. — We get home and buy tickets to see the musical they mentioned ($90 from joint savings). $45
7:45 p.m. — It’s really hot and we decide to go swimming. We grab food on the way ($32.72 on joint card). C. and I swim for a while with my siblings before the weather starts to look kind of dicey. We end up playing some games inside with my family while it starts raining, hoping for the weather to blow over, but it just gets worse. $16.36
9:20 p.m. — Finally head home. Thankfully, it’s not actively raining but there’s so much lightning and the streets are kind of flooded. We are both tired but wound for sound and have a hard time getting to bed.
Daily Total: $64.01
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Day Six: Sunday
8:15 a.m. — I’m exhausted this morning. C. gets in the shower and I feed Y. and do my usual morning stuff. I started doing French lessons yesterday out of novelty and do three more today since they’re basic. We decide we’re going to bike to a coffee shop to get breakfast before going to a Pride event today. We get all dressed up and head out. On the way there, we run into N., a friend we haven’t seen in a while who is walking over to the event. We tell them we’ll see them there.
9:40 a.m. — Food finally comes out and we are #hangry. C. paid for the food on their card because we realized it’s the only card we brought but when we get home I’ll transfer everything I owe (my half is $13.79). After fueling up and refilling the water bottle, we bike over to the event. Pretty much immediately we run into N. who is there with a friend, too. We wander around with them and run into D. and a few other people we know. C. gets some stickers and tea and we share a mango limeade (my half is $2.50). We then run into C.’s boss and they chat for a while. N. and their friend are hungry but C. and I are still wanting to walk around so we part ways. $16.29
11:40 a.m. — I run into someone I know from a local writing group. I’ve missed several meetups because I’ve been busy, but we catch up a little and I end up getting a custom poem from them ($21.20). We also catch up with a musician friend performing. C. finds a really pretty frame which we get since we’re trying to make a gallery wall in our living room (my half is $5), and then we grab some herbs from the apothecary (my half is $5.29). I run into another person from writing group and start to feel like maybe I do live in a small town. We start to get hot and hungry so we bike home. $31.49
12:45 p.m. — I take a shower first thing. Then we have some lunch and C. figures out what I owe them and I send it to them. While we’re sitting there, I order our groceries for the coming week — everything we need for breakfast/lunch as well as four dinners. We’re trying out a different store and they have a deal for $30 off your first order, and with some other coupons, $130 worth of food ends up being $64.28 (on joint card). We will pick this up tomorrow after work. $32.14
4:40 p.m. — Get some much-needed chill time at home before C. and I head over to have dinner at my family’s house. We play board games and hang out before leaving a bit earlier than usual since we were there late yesterday.
8:20 p.m. — Get home and prep for the coming week. Go to sleep at a decent time and fall asleep around 10 p.m., thank God.
Daily Total: $79.92
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Day Seven: Monday
7:00 a.m. — Snuggle with C. when the alarm goes off until we have to get up. Usual morning routine. I’m still doing French even though I find the way words are pronounced really funny. Pack my lunch and I’m off to work. It’s a pretty typical morning. I crush the Wordle in two guesses, get no mistakes in Connections, and use no hints in Strands. This makes me feel unnecessarily accomplished.
10:05 a.m. — Continue tinkering with my query letter. I got some critiques back on it so I make some edits. I struggle sometimes with critical feedback but I know this will make it stronger, so I’m proud of myself for how I’m handling it. I have lunch, food from home, at my usual time. I’m annoyed about various work things and not in the best mood.
5:06 p.m. — Clock out and head home. Really glad to be off. Eat a random Unreal almond joy in my bag to tide me over until we make dinner later. When C. gets home, we go pick up the groceries (shrimp, tortillas, bread, seaweed, strawberries, jalapeño poppers, pork loin, avocados, lemons, cube cheese, string cheese, ground beef, broccoli, carrots, lemons, GF spaghetti noodles, oatmeal, potatoes — paid for yesterday). When we get there, I find out that they didn’t have shrimp or pork loin and never emailed me to let me know or try to substitute. ($14.73 back on the joint card). C. runs in and gets a lot of shrimp and a pork loin ($49.55 on the joint card). It’s so late by this point that we just give up and get Chipotle ($25.80 on the joint card). $30.31
7:15 p.m. — When we get home C. FaceTimes a friend while I get some writing done. I mostly tinker with my query letter (which is literally an endless task; it is never “finished”) and finish the second to last chapter. I just have one more chapter to go. C. says bye to their friend around 9:30 p.m. and we get in bed and fall asleep pretty quick.
Daily Total: $30.31
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The Breakdown
Conclusion: I think I did pretty decent this week. It was a somewhat average week, maybe on the lower end because typically we eat out more often, but we’ve been working on lessening that. The Pride event did give me the chance to spend some, and I did have to make some creative purchases, but overall I don’t think there’s much I would change. Keeping track of my spending actually made me feel better about what I’m buying and I feel more cognizant of the value I get from my purchases. In the future, I will probably have to be a bit more strict so I can pursue writing, but overall I think I’m not doing too bad.
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There’s something so undeniably cool about a comfortable outfit that manages to look incredibly chic at the same time. Right now, fashion lovers are anchoring those not-trying-too-hard looks with—the reason why we’re here—drawstring pants.
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Some bestsellers to consider adding to your cart include Free People’s nearly sold-out barrel design. The curvy silhouette is perfect for those who want something that has a modern twist. J.Crew’s Luna pant is another option that’s flying off the shelves, thanks to seven colors to choose from and variations made for petite and tall girlies. I could wax poetic on the effortlessly cool designs, but I’ll spare you and drop my faves below right now.
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When Selena Gomez released her inaugural fragrance for Rare Beauty, it quickly became one of my breakout favorite scents of 2025. Truthfully, I didn’t think she could outdo herself less than a year after such a successful first foray into the perfume world, but then she did just that earlier this month. Her sophomore scent, Rare Beginnings (which arguably makes a better name for a debut, but alas, I digress), is a departure from the dessert-like gourmand profile of Rare Eau de Parfum, breaking new ground in the world of fruity florals.
With notes of tart pear, sweet gardenia, and warm vanilla bean, Rare Beginnings sounded right up my alley on paper. (And it doesn’t hurt that the bottle is utterly gorgeous — a sage-green version of the original — not to mention an accessibility win, thanks to its wide, rounded top that’s easier to press.) I came of age in the 2000s and know my way around more than a few fruity scents; what I couldn’t have predicted, however, was just how much of a compliment magnet this would be.
My first impression of Rare Beginnings was that it immediately reminded me of a grown-up version of Victoria’s Secret PINK body sprays (the ones in those rectangular-prism-shaped bottles). It has the same flirty, juicy sweetness of my beloved teenage splashes, but with the undertones of “she has a 401(k).” And speaking of grown-up, I’m calling it now: This is a great option for the office (or, if you’re controversial, the gym), since it’s light and fresh. When I hugged a friend at a recent happy hour, she told me I smelled amazing. Night made!
The OG Rare perfume also launched with a set of fragrance-layering balms designed to melt into the skin with body heat and enhance certain notes when layered under the perfume. With the arrival of Rare Beginnings, two more balms have joined the lineup: Fruity Pear and Sweet Marshmallow.
At $78 for the full-size bottle (and $30 for the travel spray — the same as the original Rare), this is an expensive, gorgeous fruity scent that’s also something of a shapeshifter. When peared with the Fruity Pear balm, which smells delicious on its own, the succulent notes of pear nectar and lotus blossom really shine. With Sweet Marshmallow, which has a creamy, almost powdered-sugar-like quality, I found that the sneaky gourmand notes — candied pink sugar, nutty pistachio, and cozy vanilla bean — really come alive. In terms of longevity, I found that this one doesn’t linger quite as long as Rare, but I wasn’t totally surprised: Fruity notes tend to pull a disappearing act within a few hours of application, but I did find that Rare Beginnings tended to cling onto clothes much better than skin.
Ultimately, I’d say lightning has struck twice with Rare Beginnings. Like its predecessor, it has a sweet, nostalgic quality, but with the polish of a proper eau de parfum — and, best of all, it works just as well at the office as it does on date night without missing a beat. Add in the layering balms for a little fragrance versatility, and you’ve got the beginning of your newest signature scent era.
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On August 7, I turned 34. Birthdays have always made me reflective. During my new season, I take some time to think about where I am, where I thought I would be, what I’ve accomplished, what I still want, and how much of my childhood continues to influence the woman I’ve become. This year, though, turning 34 felt different. For the first time, I found myself really sitting with the fact that I am firmly in my mid-thirties, old enough to look backward with perspective and forward with a different understanding of time.
Then, nine days later, I woke up with a strange pang in my chest. I checked my phone and learned that Hayden Panettiere, one of my favorite child actresses and a driving force across film and television throughout the 2000s, had died at 36. Details are still emerging but early reports say that Panettiere passed away from a cardiac arrest, possibly due to an overdose, and that there was no evidence of foul play. She was only two years older than me, and for a moment, I couldn’t process it.
Panettiere wasn’t simply an actress I admired. She was part of my childhood. Like so many millennial girls who grew up in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I watched her grow up on screen. I knew her from Remember the Titans, Ice Princess, Raising Helen, Bring It On: All or Nothing, Heroes and, later, Nashville. She was one of those young actors who seemed always to be there as we moved from childhood into adolescence and, eventually, adulthood. So, when the news of her death spread, it didn’t feel like the death of a celebrity I’d never met; it felt like the loss of someone I knew, like a childhood friend I’d lost touch with. I opened TikTok and watched montage after montage of the Golden Globe-nominated actress and mother, her death leaving most TikTokers in disbelief.
Many of the young performers who helped create [the millennial] cultural landscape never got the chance to grow old alongside us.
Panettiere was only 36; we grew up with her, and she was so young. This doesn’t feel real. Between pouring over those TikToks, I realized that my grief wasn’t only about her. Panettiere’s life and now her death force my generation to confront the entertainment industry that raised us. Because millennials are old enough to remember these stars as children and now see them as adults, we’re seeing the aftereffects of growing up in the industry, and that perspective changes everything.
We were too young to understand what it meant for a child to become a working actor. We saw the red carpets, the television shows, the magazine covers and the premieres. We saw talented young people seemingly living extraordinary lives. We didn’t see the pressure, the exploitation or the ways that childhood stardom could follow someone long after the cameras stopped rolling, and the pitfalls that come when the adults responsible for protecting them care more about money than their wellbeing.
And in Panettiere’s case, we didn’t understand how profoundly growing up inside Hollywood affected her until she began telling us herself. That’s when I started looking at child stardom differently. I remember growing up in the late 1990s and early 2000s surrounded by a generous array of “kid-friendly” entertainment programming. Nickelodeon’s All That, Disney’s That’s So Raven, Glee, made-for-television movies like Life-Size, and so much more filled our screens. These programs gave us characters we loved, actors we admired, and stories that became part of the fabric of our childhoods.
But many of the young performers who helped create that cultural landscape never got the chance to grow old alongside us.
Some passed away before they made it to their 40th birthdays (Cory Monteith died from an accidental heroin overdose at 31). Others have openly navigated addiction (Lindsay Lohan has been open about her struggles with substance abuse), mental illness (Amanda Bynes’ mental health battles have been highly publicized), and the difficult realities of transitioning from childhood fame into adulthood.
That realization has become part of a larger millennial reckoning. Many of the child stars we grew up watching are no longer with us, like Michelle Trachtenberg, Brittany Murphy, Lee Thompson Young, and Aaron Carter. Their stories are not interchangeable, and Hollywood cannot be blamed for every tragedy. But collectively, they raise an uncomfortable question: What responsibility did the adults and institutions around these children have to protect them — and why did they so often fail?
In Panettiere’s case, the answer can be found in what she revealed about her childhood. In her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere wrote that she was introduced to drugs at 15 when a member of her public relations team allegedly gave her “happy pills” before red carpets and interviews to keep her focused and energetic. In a recent interview on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast and in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere revealed how, at 19, she finally confronted her mother, Lesley Vogel, about their complicated relationship. While filming Heroes, Panettiere summoned the courage to end their professional relationship, telling her mother in her trailer during lunch, “I don’t want us to work together anymore. I just want you to be my mom.” Vogel cared more about the business than their relationship and told Panettiere that she “owed” her. Panettiere clearly didn’t receive the emotional support that a child is owed from her mother.
For the sake of our entertainment, these children sacrificed their freedom… and fell victim to opportunistic, preying adults. When children become commodities, who is responsible for protecting them from a system built to profit from them?
Panettiere also described the intense pressures of being raised in Hollywood from infancy and being managed and conditioned from a young age. That conditioning extended to encounters with powerful adults. Panettiere recalled in her memoir that an “important executive at NBC” kissed her on the lips at a party in 2008 while she was starring on Heroes. She also described an encounter at 19 in which an “Oscar-winning actor and director” allegedly cornered her and exposed himself.
One of the most disturbing incidents occurred when she was 18. According to Panettiere and her memoir, an actress friend took her to a yacht party in the South of France and ushered her into a cabin where a famous British singer-songwriter in his 30s lay naked in bed.
“I want you to get in bed with him,” the friend told her. Panettiere wrote that she panicked but had spent her life trusting the people managing her. “Being ‘managed’ was routine, to the point where I lost faith in my intuition,” she wrote.
Her account speaks to something larger than one disturbing encounter: for the sake of our entertainment, these children sacrificed their freedom, lost trust in their own instincts, and fell victim to opportunistic, preying adults. When children become commodities, who is responsible for protecting them from a system built to profit from them? Panettiere later spoke openly about addiction to opioids and alcohol and her battle with postpartum depression. In a 2022 PEOPLE interview, she said, “I was on top of the world, and I ruined it.”
That framing deserves reconsideration. Panettiere didn’t “ruin” her life; she was a young woman trying to survive circumstances she had been taught to normalize. She had to navigate fame and a relentless industry with no support or supervision. The only thing ruined was the sanctity, safety, and innocence of her childhood, which everyone has a right to.
What’s most heartbreaking is that recently, it seemed as if Panettiere was finally entering a new chapter. On the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, Panettiere said, “I finally feel like I have shaken off all of this darkness and this negativity.”
That makes her death even more devastating. She was rebuilding and reclaiming her story, while bravely speaking openly about what had happened to her. And now, she is gone. We cannot know whether different interventions would have changed the course of Panettiere’s life. Her story was complicated, and it would be reductive to suggest Hollywood alone caused everything she endured.
Millennials grew up watching Hayden Panettiere become a star, and unfortunately, now we are watching what that stardom cost her.
But we can acknowledge what the industry asked of Hayden Panettiere. It asked a child to become a professional before she was old enough to understand the power dynamics surrounding her. It asked her to perform, remain marketable and, at times, suppress her own instincts in service of a career adults were building around her.
And when that child became an adult struggling with the consequences, the conversation too often became about what was wrong with her.
In 2015, Panettiere openly spoke about her postpartum depression (PPD) and mental health struggles after giving birth to her daughter in 2014. That same year, she was dropped by cosmetics company Neutrogena after a 10-year partnership, a decision she believes was connected to her decision to speak publicly about her postpartum depression. Years later, in 2018, she made the painful decision to sign over full custody of her daughter to her then-partner, Wladimir Klitschko, so she could focus on recovering from severe postpartum depression and addiction.
“I wouldn’t take [speaking about PPD] back, but…of all the things that I had been caught doing, that being the thing where they drew the line was shocking to me,” Panettiere told Shetty. She added that it was “heartbreaking” that their 10-year partnership ended without anyone from the company reaching out to her.
Her problems became plotlines on Nashville. That is the part millennials should reckon with. We grew up consuming these stars’ childhoods without understanding the machinery behind them. Now we are old enough to look back and ask whether the adults were protecting the children — or protecting the machine.
When I turned 34 this year, I found myself thinking about time differently, how childhood moves quickly into adulthood, what I want in this next chapter, and about the people I grew up watching. But Panettiere didn’t get to see 37. Her story allows us to reconsider what we owe the next generation of young performers. A child should not have to become the breadwinner before the adults around them decide to protect them. And even then, the money often still doesn’t buy them the love, security, and support they deserve.
Millennials grew up watching Hayden Panettiere become a star, and unfortunately, now we are watching what that stardom cost her. Her struggles shouldn’t be the end of her story. Instead, her legacy should start a harder conversation about what Hollywood owes the children it turns into stars, and whether we are finally ready to demand better.
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Before Sephora tweens were even born, Drunk Elephant had already made a name for itself with buzzy skincare formulas that inspire fervent fanbases. And after more than a decade (and one $845 million acquisition deal later), the brand is finally giving its community a bucket-list product: foundation. (Sort of — more on that later.)
“Kamo is a natural extension, perhaps evolution even, of our color drop family,” Drunk Elephant founder Tiffany Masterson says of the launch. Like its predecessors, it’s designed to be used in myriad ways: worn alone for the most comprehensive coverage, mixed with moisturizer for a sheer, skin-tint-like result, or combined into liquid illuminators (like Rhode’s Highlight Milk, for example) for a glowy finish.
In addition to a 4% concentration of skin barrier-supporting peptides, Kamo (available in 25 shades and retailing for $42) is infused with marula and green tea seed oils and squalane to moisturize skin and provide antioxidant benefits against pollution and UV damage. Ahead, three Refinery29 editors put the innovative drops to the ultimate summer wear test.
“Makeup alchemy isn’t usually my thing. Rather than mix my products to perfection, I prefer to use a dedicated foundation or concealer as a base, but lately, nothing has been sitting right on my skin. It’s a combination of the unprecedented heat in London and using tretinoin (don’t worry, I’m diligent with sunscreen!), which has left me with flaky patches and uneven texture. With that in mind, I’ve been wearing more moisturizer, and the fact that I can mix these drops with my go-to (currently Prequel Half & Half Fluid Moisturizer — I love the ceramides!) has been a godsend in the soaring temperatures.
I mix one drop (trust me, that’s all you need!) of Kamo into the milky lotion on the back of my hand, dunk my brush in — or what Katie Jane Hughes likes to call “priming” the brush — and apply all over. A single drop is enough to blanket breakouts and post-pimple staining. It’s even high-coverage enough that I can comfortably skip concealer under my eyes. It provides excellent coverage with a barely-there feel, but because one drop packs so much pigment, it really sticks around. I top mine off with setting spray, and I’m good to go from 8 a.m. until I come home in the evening.” — Jacqueline Kilikita, Beauty Director
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Shade(s) tested: 11N, 12W, 12N
“I love light, customizable coverage, so the concept of tailoring my complexion product was right up my alley. I liked being able to mix it into my day cream of choice (but never sunscreen, as this can disrupt the integrity of each formula, resulting in lower SPF protection than advertised) to create my own tinted moisturizer. A one-to-two ratio yielded a skin tint-like finish, while equal parts basically mimicked a medium-coverage foundation.
My preferred method, however, ended up being really similar to our Beauty Director; after applying a tinted sunscreen (my go-to is EltaMD’s UV Clear in Medium), I dispensed a pump of Kamo (and as she mentioned, a little truly does go a very long way with this stuff), worked it into the bristles of a fluffy, medium-sized brush, and “airbrushed” any imperfections away. This resulted in glowy, hydrated skin that looked even, but not like I was wearing a makeup mask. Just for curiosity’s sake, I also tried wearing Kamo alone (which required about two pumps for my entire face), but that ended up looking a bit heavier than I like. That said, I’m not mad that it’s almost too concentrated; even with a relatively small bottle, I doubt I’ll finish it anytime soon.” —Karina Hoshikawa, Senior Beauty Writer
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Shade(s) tested: 23C, 25C, and 24N
“Matching shades turned out to be an adventure. The Drunk Elephant team sent over 23C, 25C, and 24N after I let them know I fall into the rich category, but I probably should have been a bit more specific to land my exact match. I usually lean toward neutral undertones like 24N, but with a deep summer tan, I debated between 24N and 25C. When testing, I started with 23C on the back of my hand expecting a lighter swatch, but the color payoff has way more richness and depth once dispensed than it appears in the bottle.
Even though 23C was deeper than my natural tone, just one drop blended out seamlessly across the outer areas of my face for a sheer, sculpted, bronze finish. Trying 24N proved even deeper, so 23C ended up being the sweet spot. The formula itself feels less like a traditional foundation and more like blending a weightless, nourishing serum into the skin.
I wish I had 22N in my arsenal (I think that would be my true perfect match), but either way, the ultra-blendable formula melted seamlessly into my skin. With just a light layer, it evens out hyperpigmentation while leaving my skin looking like, well, skin. Not caked-up or heavy at all. This is strictly for the girlies who want an effortless, no-makeup makeup look. I gave it a test drive on Sunday before church, and a woman on the elevator stopped me just to compliment how fresh-faced I looked. Honestly, those are the absolute best compliments.” — Alexis Bennett Parker, Director of Shopping Partnerships
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Kevin “KevOnStage” and Melissa Fredericks are the hardest-working couple in independent media. The pair has turned their natural humor and 20+ years of partnership and parenting into a creative empire. Military brats who spent their childhoods traveling the globe, the pair met in high school and quickly became friends. Both athletic and churchy, with a special love for FUBU, Kev and Melissa began dating and never looked back. Kev and Melissa joined Naked Beauty to talk about their early connection and how it has grown into the partnership loved by their audience of millions. During the conversation, they talked about what moving around so much taught them about adaptability and how it prepared them for the flexible creative careers they have now. They dived deep into 90s style, and what they remember most about their high school selves.
No conversation with the Fredericks would be complete without hearing them discuss their process for chasing their ambitions across the country. Trading in a stable life and career for an uncertain future is no easy task, but the pair reminds us that there is no reward without risk. Kev and Melissa walk through the details of their journey to Los Angeles and how they decided together when and how to make the cross-country move. Clearly that choice was the correct one as they’ve built television shows, a media app, joint and separate podcasts, and creative content that is always flowing. They cover the most surprising accomplishments and how they celebrate every single win, despite their busy schedules. The group even played a fun game of “guess that beauty product,” and learned that Kevin definitely pays attention to Melissa’s makeup routine. Kev and Melissa are incredibly funny and talented individuals, but together, they are powerful.
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JoJo remembers her rise to fame with remarkable clarity — particularly the ferry ride into New Jersey to record her self-titled debut album, JoJo — because of how it smelled. A brand-new CD case. The papery scent of album liner notes. The warm, aromatic pull of the sandwich shop across the street from the studio. Those memories are embedded in her, as permanent as a signature scent.
“I was bullied in school because I was always very eccentric,” she says, recalling belting out Christina Aguilera songs on the jungle gym as a kid. “When Christina came out with her fragrance, it was such a concept to me — that maybe if I wore her fragrance, I could sound like her. Maybe I could turn into her,” JoJo recalls.
Not long afterwards, she burst onto the scene with her debut single, “Leave (Get Out),” becoming the youngest solo artist ever to top the Billboard Pop Songs chart at just 13 years old. What followed was a string of hits — “Too Little Too Late”, “Baby It’s You” and “Say So” — as well as a starring role alongside Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton in the 2006 teen fantasy movie Aquamarine. “That was such a moment,” she says. “All of us girls were inspiring each other and sharing beauty products like lotions and sunscreen and just looking out for each other.”
If she had to bottle that chapter of her life today? It would smell like EOS Beach Waves 24H Moisture Body Lotion & Body Mist and Toasted Marshmallow 24H Moisture Body Lotion & Body Mist. Equal parts tropical, sweet, and comforting. But what does the future smell like to JoJo? “Let’s see,” she muses. “The next 12 months smells like ascension. It smells like expansion. Jazz. Golden hour. New York City. Europe.”
Listen to the full podcast episode, where JoJo joins Nose Dive host Asia Grant — an NYC-based independent perfumer and creative director — for a conversation about opening for Usher, making her first album, her favorite celebrity fragrances of the ’00s, channeling confidence through scent, and so much more.
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R29 babes, this week acts as a bridge between eclipses, giving us a chance to process what the Leo Total Solar Eclipse awakened before the next wave of change arrives. During the first half of the week, the First Quarter Moon in Scorpio brings us deeper into our emotions and reveals the first challenges, decisions, or plot twists connected to whatever began around last week’s eclipse.
First Quarter Moons ask us to take action on what was initiated during the New Moon, and with Scorpio squaring off with the final degrees of Leo Season, we may have to confront fears, control issues, jealousy, or self-sabotaging tendencies that make us question whether we’re actually ready for the next level we asked for. Pay attention to what feels emotionally activating without letting every feeling run the show. The eclipse opened the door; this Scorpio Moon asks whether you’re willing to walk through it even when doing so requires leaving an old version of yourself behind.
Then, on August 22nd, the sun enters Virgo and Virgo Season begins, bringing some much-needed grounding energy as we continue moving through eclipse season. With the Pisces Lunar Eclipse arriving on the 28th, we’re still very much in a period of accelerated change, but Virgo energy helps us focus on what we can actually organize, simplify, and tend to in the present moment. Clean your space, answer the emails, get some rest, make the appointment, look at your schedule, and break the overwhelming goal into smaller steps. You don’t need to understand where every eclipse plot twist is taking you yet. Use this week to create enough order around you that when the Pisces eclipse brings its revelations and emotional release, you have a solid foundation to land on.
Read your horoscopes for your Sun and Rising signs for the most in-depth forecast.
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Aries Sun & Rising:
Aries, this week asks whether you’re ready for the deeper responsibilities that come with the exciting new chapter you just stepped into. The Scorpio First Quarter Moon activates your realm of intimacy, merging, outside resources, and transformation, one week after the Leo eclipse lit up your fame, creativity, romance, and fate zone. A dream may be gaining momentum, but now questions around money, trust, vulnerability, debt, funding, or who you’re willing to build with could surface. Handle the practical or emotional conversation you’ve been avoiding, ask for support if you need it, and pay attention to where fear of losing control is making expansion harder than it needs to be.
Virgo Season begins this weekend and shifts your attention toward your health, work, habits, and daily routine, giving you exactly the grounding you need between eclipses. The next month is about creating systems that can actually sustain everything you’re calling in. Simplify your schedule, clean up your sleep habits, organize your workspace, and decide which responsibilities genuinely deserve your energy. The glow-up is happening, Aries; now make sure your everyday life can keep up with it.
Taurus Sun & Rising:
Taurus, this week may reveal exactly what your relationships require from you as your life continues changing. The Scorpio First Quarter Moon activates your partnership and marriage zone, one week after the Leo eclipse initiated a major fresh start around home, family, and your emotional foundation. A partner, best friend, collaborator, or even an ex could bring up a conversation that forces you to clarify your boundaries and what commitment means to you now. You may also realize that creating the home or future you want requires greater compromise with someone you love. Address what’s coming up directly instead of digging your heels in and hoping the other person eventually reads your mind.
Virgo Season begins this weekend in your fate, true love, creativity, and inner child realm, bringing a much lighter energy into the picture. After all the emotional excavation, you’re being encouraged to reconnect with what actually makes you happy. Date, create, play, return to a hobby, take yourself somewhere beautiful, or make one tangible move toward a dream you’ve been overthinking. Virgo energy helps you turn inspiration into something real, one intentional step at a time.
Gemini Sun & Rising:
Gemini, the recent solar eclipse may have filled your head with possibilities, and this week asks you to figure out which ones deserve a place in your actual life. The Scorpio First Quarter Moon activates your work, wellness, and routine zone, one week after the Leo eclipse opened a powerful new chapter around communication, writing, learning, and sharing your ideas. Now comes the follow-through: the deadline, schedule, practice, health habit, or boring-but-necessary detail that turns an exciting idea into something sustainable. Look at where your time is actually going and cut down on the distractions that keep making you say, “I’ll do it tomorrow.”
Virgo Season begins this weekend and activates your home, family, and roots realm, encouraging you to ground yourself before next week’s eclipse brings another wave of change. Declutter, spend more time at home, have the family conversation, reorganize your space, or simply give yourself permission to be less available socially. Your mind has been moving fast, Gemini, and your next breakthrough may come once you create enough peace around yourself to actually hear yourself think.
Cancer Sun & Rising:
Cancer, this week asks you to get serious about what you want without sucking all the joy out of it. The Scorpio First Quarter Moon activates your fate, romance, creativity, and inner child realm, one week after the recent Solar Eclipse in Leo opened a major new chapter around money, security, and self-worth. You may now realize that greater financial stability requires taking a creative risk, believing more deeply in your talents, or investing time into something you genuinely love. Scorpio energy can make you intensely focused on the outcome, so avoid obsessing over whether something will “work” before you’ve even given it room to grow. Take one actionable step toward the idea, person, or passion that keeps pulling you in.
Virgo Season begins this weekend and activates your communication and learning zone, helping you organize everything eclipse season has been bringing to the surface. Write things down, make the call, send the email, have the conversation, or turn the million thoughts floating through your head into an actual plan. You’ll also become more selective about what deserves your attention and what is simply mental clutter. With another eclipse arriving next week, clarity is your superpower right now.
Leo Sun & Rising:
Leo, last week may have changed how you see yourself, and this week asks whether your foundation is ready for the person you’re becoming. The Scorpio First Quarter Moon activates your home, family, and roots sector one week after the recent Solar Eclipse in Leo initiated a major personal rebirth. A family dynamic, living situation, childhood pattern, or emotional trigger could challenge some of the bold decisions you’re making about your future. You may love where you’re headed while simultaneously realizing that certain parts of your private life need attention before you can fully enjoy it. Clean up your space, address the family conversation, create stronger boundaries, or simply give yourself enough privacy to process how quickly you’re changing.
Virgo Season begins this weekend and shifts your attention toward money, self-worth, and security, helping you ground all that eclipse-fueled confidence into something tangible. Look at your numbers, reassess your rates, create a savings goal, or decide what you want your next income milestone to be. After weeks of being encouraged to dream bigger and take up more space, Virgo energy asks you to become intentional about how you sustain that growth. Main-character energy hits differently when the bills are organized, too.
Virgo Sun & Rising:
Virgo, something you’ve been processing internally may finally be ready to become a conversation. The Scorpio First Quarter Moon activates your communication, learning, and mindset realm, one week after the recent Solar Eclipse in Leo initiated a deeper chapter of healing, solitude, and subconscious transformation. A realization you had privately may now require an email, boundary, confession, journal entry, or conversation that makes it real. Scorpio energy encourages honesty, so pay attention to what you keep thinking about repeatedly; there’s probably something underneath it that wants to be acknowledged. You don’t need to tell everybody your business, but you do need to tell yourself the truth.
Then, on August 22nd, Virgo Season begins and the sun enters your sign. Happy birthday season, Virgo! After weeks of processing, releasing, and doing so much behind-the-scenes emotional work, your annual reset is officially here. Start thinking about what you want this next year of your life to feel like, update your goals, refresh your appearance if you’re craving it, and give yourself permission to become more visible again. With another eclipse arriving next week, you don’t need your entire solar return year figured out yet; start by choosing yourself more intentionally and let the rest reveal itself from there.
Libra Sun & Rising:
Libra, this week asks you to look at whether your resources are keeping up with the future you’re creating. The Scorpio First Quarter Moon activates your money, security, and self-worth realm, one week after the recent Solar Eclipse in Leo opened a major new chapter around friendship, community, social media, and your long-term dreams. An exciting collaboration or opportunity may now require an investment, a financial decision, or greater confidence in what you bring to the table. Instead of spiraling over what you don’t have yet, look at what you can actually work with. Review your budget, negotiate your rate, ask the question, or make one strategic investment in the vision that’s starting to take shape.
Virgo Season begins this weekend and activates your spirituality, solitude, and healing zone, starting the quieter final stretch before your birthday season. Give yourself more space to process how quickly eclipse season has been rearranging your priorities. Sleep more, journal, clean up emotional loose ends, spend time offline, and notice which obligations have been draining you simply because you’ve gotten used to saying yes. Next week’s eclipse can bring another major revelation, so use this bridge week to hear yourself without everybody else’s opinions in the room.
Scorpio Sun & Rising:
Scorpio, this week could feel intense, but that intensity may be exactly what pushes you toward your next move. The First Quarter Moon takes place in your sign, one week after the recent Solar Eclipse in Leo activated your career and legacy sector. You may suddenly become hyperaware of the gap between where you are professionally and where you know you’re capable of going, or an opportunity could require you to show up with more confidence, visibility, and authority than you’re used to. Since the Scorpio Moon squares the final degrees of Leo Season, fears around being judged, failing publicly, losing control, or taking on greater responsibility could surface. Use the discomfort as information. The pressure you feel can become momentum once you give it somewhere to go.
Virgo Season begins this weekend and activates your friendship, community, social network, and future-goals realm, reminding you that your next professional level may require more collaboration. Reach out to the person you’ve been meaning to contact, reconnect with your network, ask for an introduction, or share what you’re working toward instead of trying to mastermind every step alone. Virgo energy helps you become more strategic about who belongs in your ecosystem and which connections actually support your growth. The right conversation this weekend could make the career challenge from earlier in the week much easier to solve.
Sagittarius Sun & Rising:
Sag, this week may bring up something you thought you were already over, especially as eclipse season stretches you toward a much bigger future. The Scorpio First Quarter Moon moves through your spirituality, solitude, healing, and subconscious zone, one week after the recent Solar Eclipse in Leo opened a fresh chapter around travel, entrepreneurship, and expansion. As exciting as that new horizon may feel, an old fear, regret, attachment, or self-sabotaging tendency could temporarily make you question whether you’re ready. Give yourself enough quiet to identify what’s actually bothering you instead of outrunning the feeling with another plan or distraction. Rest, journal, meditate, cry if you need to, and then decide whether that old story deserves any authority over where you go next.
Virgo Season begins this weekend and activates your career, reputation, and legacy sector, helping you turn last week’s big eclipse vision into a practical professional strategy. Think beyond inspiration and ask yourself what needs to happen next: Who needs the email? What needs to be submitted? Which skill needs strengthening? What deadline would keep you accountable? Your natural instinct is to see the whole horizon, Sag, but Virgo Season wants you to build the road that actually gets you there.
Capricorn Sun & Rising:
Capricorn, this week asks you to get strategic about who actually belongs in the future you’re building. The Scorpio First Quarter Moon activates your friendship, community, social media, and future-goals realm, one week after the recent Solar Eclipse in Leo opened a major new chapter around intimacy, shared resources, outside funding, and transformation. You may realize that reaching your next level requires asking for help, making a new connection, or becoming more intentional about the communities you invest your energy in. A friendship or collaboration could also reveal where expectations need to be clarified. Send the DM, ask for the introduction, follow up on the opportunity, and pay attention to who consistently shows up when you let yourself be supported.
Virgo Season begins this weekend and activates your travel, education, publishing, and expansion zone, helping you zoom back out after an emotionally intense start to eclipse season. You may feel inspired to plan a trip, return to school, teach something, expand your business, or finally take a bigger vision out of your notes app and give it some structure. Start researching, budgeting, applying, or mapping out the first few steps. You don’t need the entire journey planned yet, Capricorn; you just need enough of a plan to start moving.
Aquarius Sun & Rising:
Aquarius, this week could bring the first real test of the relationship chapter that last week’s eclipse opened for you. The Scorpio First Quarter Moon activates your career, reputation, and legacy sector, one week after the recent Solar Eclipse in Leo initiated major changes within your partnership realm. A relationship or collaboration may now intersect with your professional ambitions, or you could find yourself questioning how much compromise you’re willing to make while pursuing your own goals. A career challenge could also reveal where you need stronger boundaries or more support from the people closest to you. Have the conversation, make the professional move, and resist shrinking your ambitions just to keep everyone comfortable.
Virgo Season begins this weekend and takes you into your intimacy, transformation, and shared-resources realm, giving you a chance to look beneath the surface before next week’s eclipse. Money you share with others, debts, investments, trust, sex, and emotional reciprocity may require more attention. Get specific about what you owe, what you’re owed, what you’re willing to share, and where you need clearer boundaries. Eclipse season is changing your relationships, and Virgo energy helps you make sure those connections work practically as well as emotionally.
Pisces Sun & Rising:
Pisces, this week asks you to take one of your big eclipse-season visions seriously enough to actually do something about it. The Scorpio First Quarter Moon activates your travel, higher education, spirituality, publishing, and expansion realm, one week after the recent Solar Eclipse in Leo opened a fresh chapter around your health, work, and daily routine. You may realize that the lifestyle you want requires learning a new skill, changing environments, taking a trip, pursuing a certification, or simply believing that your current circumstances aren’t the limit of what’s available to you. Pick one possibility and research it, apply for it, book it, or start building toward it. Your intuition can point toward the destination, but you still have to take the first step.
Virgo Season begins this weekend and activates your partnership and relationship zone, bringing other people into sharper focus right before next week’s eclipse in your sign. Pay attention to how your closest relationships actually function day to day: who follows through, who listens, who reciprocates, and where expectations need to become clearer. Have the conversation you’ve been avoiding and let people show you what they’re capable of through their actions. With such a personal eclipse approaching, the relationships that can grow with the person you’re becoming will become much easier to recognize.
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