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Warning: This article discusses grief, illness and death.
How many times have you looked at your friend’s number on your phone, your thumb hovering over the dial button...then felt you couldn’t disturb them and locked the screen? Years ago, when my mom had to spend a couple of weeks in the hospital, I found myself doing just that. I’ve done it more times than I can remember. It’s easy to feel like the weight and responsibility of being there for someone when it’s really dark is reserved for partners, not friends. Society, after all, places more emotional emphasis on romance than friendship. It doesn’t always feel appropriate to call a friend and ask them to come over because you can’t bear to go home to an empty house, or face a diagnosis, or because you simply need to cry with someone. I remember all those years ago, standing in the dark under a billboard with my phone in hand, feeling as though it wasn’t fair to reach out to a friend, because friends don’t sign up to this kind of thing. Looking back, I was so wrong.
The Room Next Door recently hit big screens and what struck me when I went to see it was the gravity of what we can ask of our friends, how we do it, and how intimate platonic relationships can become in times of need. In the film, Tilda Swinton’s character, Martha, who is dying of cancer, makes the biggest possible request of another person, and it’s her friend Ingrid (Julianne Moore) who receives this request — there is no romantic partner to lean on. The film looks at how their friendship grows and is challenged in equal measure by Martha's request and Ingrid's desire to help. I left the screening feeling as though we should all be a bit braver within our friendships and ask for help when we need it — even if we feel the ask is big.
Refinery29 spoke to women about the times their friends rose to the occasion and didn’t make them feel burdensome. Often it’s our friends who understand us best and know what we need when the time comes. I’ve grown to learn this in the last couple of years, and if I could go back to that night when my mom was first staying in hospital, I’d have reached out to my friend. Now, when problems arrive that I can’t solve alone, I press the dial button. Support is always there.
*Some names have been changed to protect anonymity
This article was originally published in November, 2024 and has since been updatedAislinn, 35, Belfast, Northern Ireland
I am very lucky to have a wonderful husband but I have leaned hard on my friends this year in a way I haven’t on my husband.
I have the BRCA2 gene mutation, which means my risk of getting breast and/or ovarian cancer is markedly increased. My mom died of cancer young, my granny died at a young age, and aunts too. I decided to undergo risk-reducing surgery and get a full mastectomy.
Even though I have always anticipated I would do this, I still had a full breakdown at Christmas about it. For the first time ever, I had panic attacks that lasted days. I vomited all over the kitchen floor, took myself to bed, wept and wouldn’t eat. I ruined Christmas for everybody, unfortunately. My partner was so good but bless him, he didn’t know what to do at this stage.
One of my best friends had a similar experience when she was undergoing a health procedure. I contacted her on Boxing Day and she came right round the next day and she sat with me and let me cry and talked me down. She spoke to me about my feelings and related it to her own experiences. I am not exaggerating when I say she saved my life because she kept me sane for the whole of Christmas. I would voice-note her or text her, asking for validation, and she would send it. She took me on walks around the block. Her husband also took my husband out and was able to assure him that eventually I would be okay because they as a couple had experienced something similar.
When the operation came round she was making me food, sharing books for my sick bed, carrying my drains upstairs with me when I needed the toilet. I spoke to her about my body image, given the nature of the operation. She was my rock.Megan*, 31, Hastings, England
I was in my third year at university and the situation in my house-share was horrendous. It reached a point where I had to get out of there because my mental health was suffering. One of my university friends came and helped me take all of my stuff around to her house to store over the Christmas holidays while I thought of what to do next. When I came back in January, I ended up going back to her house and stayed for six weeks. We shared her room and I brought in a camp bed.
She helped me go to the estate agent on a daily basis so I could get out of that housing contract, though my old housemates didn’t make it easy for me and I had to put up a lot of money. Eventually I got out and was able to move into emergency accommodation offered by the university.
My friend refused to take any money from me for food or bills in the time I stayed with her. She said the situation wasn’t my fault and I shouldn’t have to pay for it. She helped me then move into my new accommodation. I was so fortunate this friend allowed me to share her room and to support me through that awful time. It was also at a time when I felt there wasn’t anyone else to turn to.Claire, 48, Staffordshire, England
My best friend, Laura, has been a central part of my world since we met at junior school in the mid '80s. She was a big part of my family and I hers, she knew and loved my parents and we always included each other in our day-to-day life as well as holidays and family parties.
I met my now husband in 2002 but when my father suddenly died in 2005, the only person I wanted was my best friend. My then fiancé had only met my dad a handful of times and they didn't yet have a relationship so the day after my dad died, when my fiancé asked if I wanted him to take the day off work, I said, "Please just take me to Laura’s."
I knew that the tears that she shed when she saw me were for the loss of my dad and how that affected her, rather than just because she felt sorry for me. I adore my husband but at that time I needed to grieve with someone and I knew that my amazing friend would just sit in the hole with me, and that is exactly what she did.
She shared my sadness, she didn't try to fix it, she held me physically and emotionally, she let me talk. So many people don't know how to talk about sudden loss and want to move on from it. She gave me her time, even though she has three daughters and a busy life. I knew I'd feel safe with her. I feel so exceptionally lucky that I have a friend who really is my safe place, and I know she feels the same about me. Even though Laura has moved to Ireland, our friendship is as strong as ever. When there is a crisis in the future, we will be straight on a plane to be with each other.Jasmyn*, 37, London
Nearly five years ago my mother had a debilitating stroke and although my partner was there, I just couldn’t speak to him about most of my worries. I turned to my friends for support. This all happened two months before the pandemic and as the world began to shut down. Staying home alone became my new norm; my partner was a key worker [during the pandemic] and was out every day so isolation, worry and despair really kicked in as I tried to navigate hospitals and my mother’s care from afar. I wasn’t allowed to see her as she was moved to a care facility, and she was unable to speak or walk after her stroke.
My friends and I would talk for hours as many of us either lived alone or spent a lot of time on our own. We would cook together virtually, play games (who remembers Clubhouse?) and just spend hours supporting each other. It deepened our connections. During a time when all of our lives felt so uncertain, I knew that in my lowest moments, I could lean on my friends entirely.Charlotte, 35, London
My best friend picked me up when my last relationship ended. I was at his apartment, stood outside with my belongings, and she was just there. She always shows up no matter what. I was her maid of honor that year and she asked me how I managed going through a breakup while helping with her wedding, but honestly she gave me hope. She’s had a baby since and she’s still incredible with being a huge support to me. Female friendships should really be celebrated.
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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.
Yes, easy-to-pull-and-go, adjustable trousers are having quite the moment. In addition to spotting several ladies wearing them during Copenhagen Fashion Week, Google’s data shows that the search for them is increasing year over year. And what’s even better? They look much more sophisticated than any pair of leggings.
Wear them with a frilly lace blouse or an understated tank top, depending on your mood. What solidifies the look as an instant hit? Finishing touches, like a pendant necklace or statement sunnies.
My personal favorite aspect is that drawstring pants are breezy enough to wear on sweltering summer days yet they give you enough coverage for when temperatures start to change in the fall. Cost-per-wear is one of the most important aspects I consider when shopping, so anything that I can keep in rotation year-round always earns bonus points.
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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