Just like a puff of smoke from an e-cig momentarily blurs our view of the world around us, there’s still a lot we can’t foresee about both vaping and CBD. Health officials just don’t have enough information about either of the fairly new frontiers to issue completely definitive guidance. But, as authorities are starting to crack down on vaping, specifically with black market or flavored products, a recent investigation by The Associated Press has also found vaping dangers in products marketed as CBD.

On Monday morning, The AP reported that some CBD vapes actually contain illegal, cheap, synthetic marijuana. The wire did laboratory testing on about 30 vaping products that are billed as CBD, the non psychoactive compound found in marijuana and hemp, and found that ten out of the 30 products contained types of synthetic marijuana, while others contained no CBD whatsoever. They noted that the practice of selling these fishy vaping products has sent dozens of people to the hospital over the past two years. They emphasized that it’s hard to catch the people selling these scammy products because official regulators haven’t caught up with the ever-growing trend, and drug enforcement agencies “have higher priorities.” 

AP Investigation: Some products claiming to contain the popular cannabis compound CBD actually use a powerful street drug instead. The practice has sent dozens to emergency rooms over the last two years. https://t.co/rNbHVABBWD

— The Associated Press (@AP) September 16, 2019

The investigation focuses on the story of Jay Jenkins, who tried a CBD vape to “relax,” but ended up in acute respiratory failure and eventually a coma — after taking just two puffs of a fraudulent CBD pen. The AP found that the cartridge he used contained a kind of synthetic marijuana tied to at least 11 deaths in Europe. “It’s Russian roulette,” James Neal-Kababick, director of Flora Research Laboratories, told The AP. 

The AP only tested products that were already suspected to be spiked, either by law enforcement or “online discussions.” They note that because of this, their findings aren’t representative of the entire market that covers hundreds of CBD products. 

All this news comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are investigating what’s causing vaping-related illnesses that have plagued over 400 people and killed six. The CDC has already flagged black-market products sold on the street, and the FDA is looking into a chemical called vitamin E acetate found in marijuana vaping products. The Trump Administration has also promised to take action, specifically moving to ban flavored vapes, which they say attract kids and teens. New York’s Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo also just announced on Sunday that he was planning emergency regulations this week to ban the sale of flavored e-cigs. Michigan already banned them. “No one can say long-term use of vaping — where you’re inhaling steam and chemicals deep into your lungs — is healthy,” Cuomo said, according to The New York Times.

CBD, for its part, also needs more supporting science. Although the FDA has approved it as part of a drug to treat epilepsy, research is inconclusive on other claims for what it can “fix,” such as anxiety or trouble sleeping.

And this new AP investigation just hits home the point that we have a lot of work to do when it comes to regulating and investigating the CBD and vaping industries.

As one exert, Michelle Peace, a forensic scientist at Virginia Commonwealth University who’s also looking into to CBD vapes, put it to The Associated Press: “As long as it remains unregulated like it currently is, you just give a really wide space for nefarious activity to continue.”

If you’ve had a problem with a CBD product, you can contact a local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.

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Welcome to Money Diaries, where we’re tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We’re asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last dollar.

Today: a product development merchandiser working in home decor who makes $40,000 per year and spends some of her money this week on grapefruit White Claw.

Occupation: Product Development Merchandiser
Industry: Home Decor
Age: 28
Location: Western Massachusetts
Salary: $40,000
Paycheck Amount (weekly): $508.09
Gender Identity: Woman

Monthly Expenses
Rent: $650
Student Loans: $100
Car Loan: $232
Car Insurance: $114
401(k): ~$140 (I contribute 6% and my employer matches 4%.)
Health/Dental/Vision Insurance: $372.36 (I cover myself and my partner.)
Internet/Phone: $0 (covered by my partner)
Netflix: $0 (We use my partner’s brother’s account in exchange for our DirecTV.)
Hulu: $0 (We use a friend’s account.)
Amazon Prime: $0 (We use a friend’s account.)
HBOGo/DirecTV Now: $10 (included in our phone plan)
Savings: $100 (I just recently started actually contributing to my savings again — ugh, I know.)
NYT Subscription: $8 ($2 weekly)
Stash: $20 ($5 weekly)
Misfits Market: $23.50 every other week

Day One

10 a.m. — I get out of bed. Had a bit of a rowdy night last night, but it was worth it and I shockingly feel okay. I make myself some tea and putz around the house a bit.

10:30 a.m. — My partner, N., gets up and is hurtinggg — he tends to go a little harder than me on the weekends. He heads out to get a coffee and bagel from Dunkin, but ends up coming back with coffee, French fries, and chicken nuggets from McDonald’s. I do not condone this purchase, but I do eat a bunch of fries. This is not the breakfast of champions.

11:15 a.m. — We are ripping off the deck in our backyard because it wasn’t built properly, and the lack of airflow makes it susceptible to mold where it joins to the house. This SUCKS. August in Massachusetts is basically a swamp, and while I love this most of the time, manual labor is a hot, sweaty mess.

2:30 p.m. — I take a break to eat some leftover quinoa salad and sesame noodles, and to drink a copious amount of water. So. Dehydrated.

4:30 p.m. — We finally call it quits — we are both aching and exhausted. I hop in the shower to wash off approximately five gallons of sweat.

5:15 p.m. — Our neighbor sees N. out in the yard after he has also showered and brings him a beer (this is a frequent occurrence). N. brings him around back to look at the (demolished) deck. They both work in the construction industry, so there is typically a lot of shop talk that I don’t really understand.

6 p.m. — N. heads off to his weekly kickball game, and I put on Jane the Virgin. I am late to start the series, but am now shamelessly addicted and mentally kicking myself for not starting it sooner.

8 p.m. — I decide to steam some Trader Joe’s cheese and green chile tamales, but by the time they’re done I don’t actually want them, so I stick them in the fridge. I had a drink when our neighbor was over…and a couple more since. Whoops. I am slightly drunk and impulse buy a pretty evil-eye ring on Etsy. To be fair, I have been looking at this ring for a while, so I did put a lot of thought into this purchase. I just didn’t necessarily plan on making it today. $27.50

Daily Total: $27.50

Day Two

7:15 a.m. — Somehow slept through my alarm, even though I fell asleep at like 10 last night. Whatever. N. is still in bed; he has a meeting and doesn’t have to be up until 8. I drag myself to my closet and decide what to wear in under a minute (this is unprecedented), brush my teeth and hair, realize it looks insane because I slept with it up, and pull out the curling iron. I do my makeup — mascara, eyebrow pencil, and gel.

7:40 a.m. — I put on the kettle for tea, grab a blender cup, and toss in frozen berries, a frozen banana, coconut milk, and ginger kombucha. Not gonna lie, I am slightly hungover and need literally anything in my stomach. I pack up my tea and the smoothie once they’re ready and trudge out the door.

10:45 a.m. — My stomach still feels subpar. I eat a few pieces of Trader Joe’s dried mango and refill my water. I contemplate how much time I need to finish the project I have due at 1 tomorrow. I think I can put it off until after lunch.

12:40 p.m. — I head home for lunch. One of the perks of working two miles from home is I can leave the office every day so I remember what the sun looks like, plus I’m never tempted to eat out. My Sunday Scaries order has arrived, which reminds me to take a few deep breaths for my always-there anxiety. I reheat the Trader Joe’s tamales that I made last night, then pound a bunch of water and lie on the couch for five minutes, checking Instagram, before dragging myself back out into the real world.

4 p.m. — FREEDOM. I contemplate driving to Aldi’s, but don’t feel like spending money, so I go home instead and proceed to watch as much Jane the Virgin as I can sneak in before N. comes home and wants to watch something together.

6:30 p.m. — N. is home, but our neighbor immediately greets him in the driveway with a can of beer, so he stays out there chatting. We got lucky and get along really well with all of our neighbors, which is awesome since we didn’t know anyone in our old neighborhood. In the meantime…more Jane the Virgin for me! Three beers later, N. is finally done chatting and comes into the house. Bye-bye, Jane. We’re hungry and settle on Trader Joe’s mandarin chicken for dinner, so I toss the chicken in to bake and stir-fry some broccoli and green beans to go with it. N. cleans the kitchen while I do this. We have gotten into a LOT of fights about chores, so this feels like a major win.

7:30 p.m. — Dishes cleaned, we plop on the couch and continue watching the new season of Mindhunter. N. loves this show — I think it’s good, but it creeps me out a lot. I pull out a coloring book and work on that for a while to distract myself, and then mess around on my phone looking at the Mint budget app (I’m obsessed with tracking my finances, but somehow still spend too much).

1 a.m. — Okay, so it turns out I can’t sleep. I get up and write out my thoughts while debating the pros of insomnia (being sort of productive?) versus the cons (literally tired all of the time; also I hate coffee and am very sensitive to caffeine).

Daily Total: $0

Day Three

7:45 a.m. — I didn’t fall asleep until somewhere around 3, so I’m not feeling like the best version of myself. Fortunately, I have a doctor’s appointment this morning, so I’m “working from home” until 8:40. Maybe it’ll look more convincing if I fire off a couple emails. My hair still looks okay from curling it yesterday, so I touch it up in an attempt to feel like my life is more put together than it is.

9:30 a.m. — I started taking an SSRI at the beginning of the year for anxiety and depression, and my doctor decided to up the dose a few months ago, which has resulted in some unfortunate side effects (weird amount of sweating, insomnia, restless legs, which led to more anxiety), so I scheduled this appointment to talk to her about my options. We decide I should try a different SSRI that is supposed to affect sleep less. Fingers crossed. My copay is $25. $25

12:45 p.m. — I get out of a long meeting and head home for lunch. I have no idea what I’m going to eat, but I haven’t eaten anything today and I’m HUNGRY. I end up settling on a Trader Joe’s turkey burger with green goddess dressing and goat cheese, wrapped in lettuce. It’s very messy, and the burger is still a bit disappointing, so I put some mayo on the second half. No burger is complete without mayo. Then I eat a plum to feel slightly healthier.

4:45 p.m. — Finally home. I feel like a dead body, but at least my hair looks amazing. N. is here already ripping apart the house with his coworker, B.

5:45 p.m. — Apparently N. told B. about our margarita machine, so I get sent out for supplies. I run down the street and pick up two bottles of margarita mix, a bottle of tequila, and a bottle of wine (my reward, since I have been informed B. is staying for dinner and I will probably have to go pick that up as well). This comes out to around $45. N. pays.

6:45 p.m. — The guys are getting hungry, so I order a pizza — we get a large with roasted garlic, whipped ricotta, and arugula, which (as predicted) I am sent to pick up 20 minutes later. N. pays for this as well. I make a salad to go with the pizza and eat with the guys (our neighbor winds up coming over, too, though he just has a margarita), and then go back into the bedroom to watch Jane the Virgin while the guys talk shop.

9 p.m. — Everyone has left, and we settle in to watch some Mindhunter before heading to bed. Here’s hoping that I can sleep tonight.

Daily Total: $25

Day Four

4:30 a.m. — Well, I woke up an hour ago, and despite my best efforts, my brain will not shut off. I head out to the couch so I don’t wake N. up, take some CBD, and type this up. Yes, I know, you’re not supposed to look at screens when you’re trying to sleep, but in my personal experience, it doesn’t matter what kind of light I’m looking at, they all keep me up. Also, I use an app called Flux that adjusts the light from my screen, so I use Darkroom mode. On the plus side, I got paid today, so I’ll update my budget spreadsheet.

4:45 a.m. — I do my bills, Venmo N. $150 for rent (I do this once a week; the total for the month is included in my monthly expenses), and pay $70 toward one of my credit cards (I have about $2,000 in credit card debt that I’m slowly chipping away at). Normally I pay more than this, but my car-loan payment just went through (also included in my monthly expenses). Sigh. One day I will be able to pay off my credit cards and not live paycheck to paycheck. $70

7:15 a.m. — I drag myself off the couch to get dressed and ready for work. I feel like a zombie, but someone else already said they’re in late with an ailment, and I always feel like it looks suspicious if two people call out. I know, I’m overthinking things, but if I’m really struggling I’ll work from home this afternoon. I make tea, grab a kombucha, trudge, trudge, trudge.

12:30 p.m. — So. Tired. I decide to head home for lunch so I don’t have to look at a screen anymore. I’m not super hungry for lunch, since I’ve been really bloated all day from the pizza, but I heat up some of the spaghetti squash and tomato sauce and eat that with a plum and more tea.

4 p.m. — I take a quick shower when I finish working, then head out to run errands. I go to Aldi’s and get olive oil, three bags of frozen fruit, sunflower seeds, three bottles of kombucha, avocado ranch dressing, garlic, Parmesan, mozzarella, hummus, cheddar, chia seeds, tortilla chips, and dark chocolate ($46.36). Then I head over to Market 32 to pick up my prescription, which I pay for in cash ($2.31). Finally, I pop into BJ’s and get gas ($25.04). I head home, unpack the groceries, and catch up with N., who walks in right as I’m finishing up. $73.71

6:15 p.m. — I drive to my friend L.’s house to pick her up, and we go to our other friend K.’s house for D&D. Yes, Dungeons & Dragons. K. approached us a while ago asking if we would be interested in playing and recording the game for a podcast he wants to make, so we’re currently meeting every few weeks with two other people to practice, since, except for K., no one in our group has played before.

7:30 p.m. — We are all ravenous, so we get two orders of cheesy bread from Domino’s. I don’t think I’ve had Domino’s since freshman year of college, and I’m going to regret it in the morning, but hunger and exhaustion make for bad decisions. L. pays. I’ll pay her back at some point later — we hang out a lot and don’t worry about paying each other back, since it always evens out in the end.

9:30 p.m. — We are all exhausted and wrap up the game. I drop off L., then head home, brush my teeth, and pass out by 10. N. is not home yet — he went out and had a guys’ night since I was out for the evening.

Daily Total: $143.71

Day Five

6:45 a.m. — I slept through the night!! Technically, I woke up half an hour ago, but that’s still a solid eight hours. SLEEP IS AMAZING. I roll around until my alarm goes off at 7 and then get up and start getting ready for work. Make tea, grab kombucha, and I’m out the door at the usual time.

12:30 p.m. — I head home for lunch and make a smoothie with frozen mango, peach, strawberry, pineapple, and banana, plus a tiny bit of leftover kombucha and coconut milk. It’s our friend C.’s birthday today, so I pull a couple sticks of butter out of the fridge — I want to make cookies for him before we all meet up for dinner tonight. I also snack on some chips and hummus, since N. will probably finish the hummus tonight (yes, the one I bought yesterday; he already ate over half of it).

4:45 p.m. — I leave work and drive home. I have to make these cookies for C., and I’m going to have a glass of wine while I do it and go full homemaker, because it’s Thursday and I like wine. Boom. They are amazing. I text with my friends while the cookies bake, and we decide we want to try press-on nails (can you say impulse shopping?). I find a good deal online, so I buy them ($29.70) and they Venmo $10 each for theirs. $9.70

7 p.m. — N. and I head out a little early so we can stop at the ATM before dinner. We’re the first ones at the restaurant, so we get a round of drinks, including one for the birthday boy — N. pays ($28, including tip). We have a large group, 14, so all the ladies sit at one end and the guys at the other. The ladies split two orders of bruschetta (the “bread” component is actually a slice of fried cheese — I’m in heaven), and L. gets some boneless buffalo chicken wings that we all pick at. I get an order of fish tacos for my entrée and two drinks (vodka soda with a splash of blood orange) over the course of the meal. We all split the check evenly to cover the birthday boy. $40

9:30 p.m. — B. gives me a ride home, since all the guys are going to play glow ball (golf with LED balls in the dark), and apparently we aren’t invited? I’m annoyed at N., who seems to be the one who created/enforced the rule, since I feel like I haven’t seen him much this week, and I know he’s going to come home very late and very drunk. Once home, I brush my teeth and knock out.

Daily Total: $49.70

Day Six

6:15 a.m. — I wake up, and sure enough, N. is not in bed. He must have gotten home really late and slept downstairs in the guest room. I roll around for a bit, enjoying having the king-sized bed to myself while I mess around on my phone, then get up and do some low-key tidying before starting to get ready for work. N. is still not up at 7:30, and I head to work early so I don’t have to deal with him moaning on about his hangover whenever he finally surfaces.

11 a.m. — I cave and text N. to make sure he’s alive. He is at work, so at least he didn’t call out — he didn’t get home until after 1 a.m. Also I’m HUNGRY, so I eat some dried apple rings. Is it 4 yet? Uuughhhhh.

12:10 p.m. — We have a company picnic at 12 today, but I generally don’t feel good after eating at them, so I sneak out a little early for lunch while everyone else is outside. I spread some hummus on a GF Norwegian flatbread from TJ’s and top it with a few slices of cheddar, and then have a cookie from last night. I feel unhealthy and make myself a smoothie.

3:30 p.m. — After browsing cake recipes for a while, I head out since I got in early. I head over to BJ’s for the second time this week to get flour and tuna. I forgot I told our friends that I would make dessert for the birthday celebration we’re having for C. on Sunday ($18.28). I head to Market 32 after and get butter, sour cream, a bottle of wine, two jumbo grapefruit White Claw seltzers ($5 for 2!), and three very unripe avocados. I accidentally forget to ring out the sour cream at self checkout…oops. It was only $1, though ($23.08). $41.36

7 p.m. — Cakes are done! After getting them in the oven, I relax on the sofa with a glass of wine and, you guessed it, Jane the Virgin. We’re going to meet up with our friends B. and L. for dinner around 7:15, and then go to a show with a few other friends at a local bar. C. ends up coming to dinner with us, too. We all split a plate of Reuben fries (exactly what it sounds like — a Reuben minus the bread, on top of fries — it’s amazing), and I get the Trash Browns for my main — hash-brown cakes topped with queso and a fried egg. Amazing. I also get a vodka soda. I pay cash, and N. pays for himself. $20

9 p.m. — We head over to the bar. I get a glass of wine, and N. gets a High Life. I pick up the tab, since he bought me a drink last night ($14 including tip). We realize halfway through our drinks that we’re absolutely exhausted, so we finish them, head home, and immediately pass out. $14

Daily Total: $75.36

Day Seven

9:45 a.m. — Sleeping for 12 hours is the best decision I have made all week — I feel like a new person. N. heads out to get a coffee. He used to get K cups, then ran out and decided he wanted something that takes up less counter space, but has yet to buy a new coffee maker or take the Keurig off the counter. Don’t get me started. I make my usual tea — Morning Thunder by Celestial Seasonings. It has maté and kind of tastes like dirt. I’m obsessed.

11:30 a.m. — After doing the dishes, I decide it’s time to get our basil plants under control. For some reason I let N. convince me that we needed six basil plants. Spoiler alert: We do not. I also have some carrot tops that I want to use up, so I rip those up in the salad spinner and go out to pick enough basil to fill it up, and then rinse it all off to make pesto. Pine nuts are too expensive, so I use pepitas and sunflower seeds, Parmesan, garlic, and olive oil that I bought the other day. It takes some tweaking, but after picking more basil and adding extra salt, we decide it’s perfect. I scoop it in a jar and put it in the freezer. This is the second time I’ve made pesto this summer, and I’m going to have to probably at least two more times. I’m not complaining because I LOVE pesto, but the ingredients are kind of expensive.

12 p.m. — N. goes over to talk to our neighbor, and then they both walk over for some Bloody Caesars (it’s like a Bloody Mary, but with Clamato juice — it’s popular in Canada). Since our neighbor brought his vodka over, I make myself a drink, too, with some fresh-squeezed orange and lime juice. We finished the vodka with the first round, so we pull out some Hendrick’s that was gifted to us and use that for the second round.

4 p.m. — We head over to N.’s friend/coworker’s birthday party. It started at noon, but it’s an all-day affair, so we don’t worry about getting there at a particular time. We intended to leave a couple hours ago, but N. had some unexpected technological issues, so I waited and puttered around the house while he worked on that.

6 p.m. — Free dinner! We don’t know too many people at the party, but we know the people cooking, so we decide to help them out with cooking steamers on the grill while they tackle a truly shocking amount of chicken. I nibble on some baked beans, two types of pasta salad, and veggies. I’m trying to cut back on how much meat I eat, since I haven’t been working out and don’t need much protein these days. Easier said than done when living with a meat lover, but I do my best.

8:30 p.m. — We’re pooped and head home. We had debated going out and getting a drink somewhere, but no one we know is out, and we aren’t really dressed for any of the bars. We end up staying in and going to bed pretty early (for a Saturday), around 10:30.

Daily Total: $0

If you are experiencing anxiety or depression and need support, please call the National Depressive/Manic-Depressive Association Hotline at 1-800-826-3632 or the Crisis Call Center’s 24-hour hotline at 1-775-784-8090.

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While last week’s Apple keynote in Cupertino, CA, didn’t exactly bring the smoke and mirrors of March’s event (wherein Oprah and Tim Cook hugged before a standing ovation and I may have shed a tear), there are three new additions to the iPhone family not to be slept on. And together with iOS 13, iPhone’s newest operating system coming out on Thursday, the new iPhones are pretty darn nice. I’ve been using the iPhone 11 and its more sophisticated cousins, the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, for the last week, and here are my honest thoughts thus far.

The iPhone 11 Basics

My coworker, upon looking at my iPhone 11 the other day, said: “That is a sexy phone, Anabel.” She was referring to its combination of purple hardware and Dark Mode screen (a feature of the forthcoming iOS 13). I have to agree with her. The iPhone 11’s color options are, in my opinion, even better than those of the iPhone XR, and I have gotten many compliments on the lavender shade of my 11 so far. I’ve been using this clear case from Apple to protect it, since I want to display the color of the phone but am too afraid to fully go commando.

Apart from the new colors (green, yellow, black, white, and (PRODUCT)RED in addition to purple), the real star of the iPhone 11 is the much-improved camera system, which contains two rear cameras (in comparison to the XR’s single rear camera) — but more on that later. Aside from all the new photo opps, the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max are all made with the most durable glass yet, which means you can drop these bad boys and feel a little less nervous doing so. (I did this the other day with my iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro Max at the same time, narrowly missing the toilet, and braced myself after what were two very loud thuds only to find both screens unscathed.) They all also have the A13 Bionic chip, the fastest chip in a smartphone, Wi-fi 6, the fastest ever Wi-fi, and the new Super Retina XDR display. While the presence of these new features isn’t as easily felt as, say, the new selfie camera, I can honestly say that these phones have felt a lot faster than my XR.

As far as battery life, the iPhone 11 can last up to an hour longer than the iPhone XR. It’s also fitted with spatial audio, which makes watching TV on your phone a much more immersive experience than before, since the sound is literally 3D. (Though it’s a bit annoying while watching Instagram Stories when I don’t need such intense audio.) This feature also seriously enhances the mobile gaming experience of Apple Arcade.

How The iPhone 11 Pro & Pro Max Compare

The iPhone Pro and Pro Max also come in cool colors, though they’re a bit more understated. I’ve been using the midnight green (there are also the silver, gold, and space gray that we’ve seen before). Its sleekness is largely due to the matte finish on the back, which both looks appealing and also makes the device less slippery. In fact, I might continue to let this one go naked. Apart from the cameras (and price tags), the only other differences between the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max and the iPhone 11 are that they are more water-resistant (up to four meters for up to 30 minutes) and have a longer battery life (the Pro lasts up to four hours more than iPhone XS, and the Pro Max lasts up to five hours longer than iPhone XS Max). And then, of course, the iPhone 11 Pro’s screen is 5.8 inches (smaller than the iPhone 11’s 6.1 inches), while the iPhone 11 Pro Max measures out at 6.5 inches. So if you’re looking for a more compact device that can fit in any pant pocket, the Max probably isn’t for you.

All About The Cameras

But now for the real stars of this party. The iPhone 11 comes with two rear cameras — wide and ultra-wide, the latter of which captures four times more field of view than was previously possible. Toggling between the lenses made me audibly gasp a few times — especially when peripheral objects I didn’t even think the camera could perceive on the outskirts of the frame appeared in full form on the display when I used the ultra-wide lens. These lenses, of course, can be utilized in photo to great effect, but where they especially shine is in video (4K video up to 60 fps, to be exact). Technically, it’s the highest quality video ever made possible by a smartphone, which makes sense — it’s really freaking high quality and cinematic when you see it up close. You can also switch between lenses while in video, or switch into video while taking a photo (a feature called QuickTake mode). The whole camera interface is a lot more seamless now. What the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max have that the iPhone 11 doesn’t, though, is a third rear camera with a telephoto lens that can capture 40 percent more light and really takes Portrait mode up a notch with more powerful zoom capability. (And speaking of Portrait mode, all three models support pet portrait photography, which, until this point on iPhone, was not a thing!)

Practically speaking, the best new feature here is Night mode, which pretty impressively brightens dark photos. It looks a whole lot like the Google Pixel’s Night Sight, only you don’t have to opt-in — it’s automatic in low-light settings. You can even use it as a flashlight. When you shine it at something dark, the screen will display it with more light than you can see with your own eye.

And, of course, there’s the improved selfie camera. It has a wider field of view than models before, so you can actually fit entire groups in the frame. Apple also seems especially proud of its new “Slofie” capability — a.k.a. the slo-mo selfie video just begging to be made into a viral video challenge on TikTok.

The Verdict

If you’re in the market for a new phone, this next-gen iPhone lineup is a great one. But if you have a model that already supports iOS 13 (basically, anything including and younger than an iPhone SE), it’s still kickin’, and you’re not a content creator or photographer who could majorly benefit from the improved camera system, there’s no need to rush out and buy a new one. (While the iPhone 11 Pro can’t compete with the capabilities of, say, a Sony a7 III, creators will definitely get a lot more use out of these new iPhone camera lenses than those of iPhone cameras past.) That said, as a non-content creator, to me, the coolest things about the new phones besides the cameras are the iOS 13 features (like in-text Memojis), which can be downloaded on most already-existing iPhone models and aren’t specific to this new hardware.

But if you do make photo or video content and don’t want to shell out thousands of dollars for a professional-grade camera, the 11 Pro and Pro Max, at $999 and $1,099, respectively, have cameras that are shockingly sophisticated. And even without the telephoto lens, the Phone 11 still has the ultra-wide and wide lenses. Plus, the latter model starts at $699, which is $100 less than last year’s iPhone XR launch price. Keep in mind, too, that trading in old devices can slash the cost of a new phone significantly (and it’s the environmentally sustainable thing to do).

The new iPhones are available for pre-order now and will ship this Friday.

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It’s no secret that going organic is trendy. People want quality and transparency in everything from their produce to their beauty products these days. And it doesn’t stop there. The newest frontier in the organic revolution is baby food. More specifically, baby blends that are non-GMO, 100% plant-derived, dairy-free, gluten-free, and with no added sugars. Toddler mush that’s innovative and that has a purpose. Baby food from brands like Cerebelly, which launched today, brings a new competitive edge to the growing global organic baby food market, which is predicted to reach $18.23 billion by 2026, according to MarketWatch.  

Cerebelly is the latest player in the ever-growing industry of fancy, natural baby food that includes brands such as Beech Nut and Peter Rabbit Organics. The new label wants to set kids up with a nutritional foundation by offering “brain-focused” food that delivers precise nutrients to nourish specific regions of the brain. It’s co-founded by Dr. Teresa Purzner, a practicing neurosurgeon with a PhD in developmental neurobiology and a mother of three. The foods use nutrients from superfoods such as chlorella, squash seeds, algal oil, kelp, and maitake mushrooms to support healthy brain development. Purzner notes taking care of the mind is especially crucial for kiddos, because for their first three years, their brain is developing rapidly, particularly when it comes to foundations in seeing, hearing, memory, cause and effect, attention, and social awareness. 

Cerebelly targets kids at their different ages and developmental stages, and as you track your child’s milestones on their website, they’ll send you different packets of food tailored to the way their brain is forming.

“The most complex and challenging aspect of its design was ensuring that we appropriately supported early brain development,” Purzner tells Refinery29. “The brain is an incredibly complex structure made up of many distinct regions, with each region growing during a specific developmental window.  Each region requires its own set of nutrients to develop properly. Cerebelly is designed to ensure that specific nutrients are delivered at specific times to support each brain region as it develops.”

The company focused on 40 distinct regions of the brain and 19 different nutrients, she explains, and different regions require different combinations of these 19 nutrients. For example, at around seven months, your little one is getting better at balancing and coordinating muscle movement, thanks to growth in areas of the brain responsible for motor development. “Pretty soon they’ll be sitting without support and moving from hands and knees to a sitting position all on their own,” Purzner explains. “Fine motor skills are developing too, like the ability to transfer objects from one hand to another. That balance and coordination is driven by the cerebellum and it’s supported nutritionally by zinc, folate, and niacin. Zinc can be found in spinach, beans, egg yolks, and beef. Look to things like legumes, broccoli and leafy greens for folate. Niacin [or vitamin B3] is found in squash seeds, beans, and legumes.” So, those nutrients are packed into the little pouches, which retail for $8.49 per variety pack (a box of three pouches) at Whole Foods. You can also sign up for a subscription that’ll range from $2.31 to $2.89 per pouch depending on how much you buy. 

Cerebelly is one startup in a lengthening line of innovators in the industry. Sharon Brown, a clinical nutritionist and the founder of Bonafide Provisions, says that the need for transformation in the world of baby food isn’t necessarily coming from scientists and manufacturers — but from smart parents. 

“They’re being more innovative than ever in their approach to baby food because, number one, parents are more educated than those of us who raised our babies 25 years ago,” Brown says. “Back then we didn’t have an instant encyclopedia, AKA, the Internet, at our fingertips where we could educate ourselves on how food affects babies’ development, brain health, immunity and overall health.”

Parents aren’t afraid to get a little creative, mix things up, and go past the classic Gerber label, Brown says. For example, when her son had to do continuous round of antibiotics, she incorporated bone broth into his routine. Similarly, Cerebelly’s founders hope parents will be into the idea of mixing up food types and flavors depending on developmental phases — and hope the kids won’t mind the changes in taste.

Purzner says she’s glad she found a place in the world of baby food, where parents are perhaps more open-minded than ever.

“I feel very fortunate to be entering the field in a time where there’s so much opportunity for improvement,” Purzner said of the baby food sector. “Being a start-up we really had the chance to get everything right, right from the start. Things like transparency, heavy metal testing, vegetable-first blends and adaptive nutrition that meets the current needs of the child.”

[Editor’s note: Christene Barberich, a co-founder of Refinery29, was previously a consultant for Cerebelly, but was not involved with writing or editing this piece.]

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In her new memoir, Scarred, Vancouver actress Sarah Edmondson tells the story of her time in the now infamous “sex slave cult” Nxivm. The group, which fronted as a personal development program, made headlines last year after the FBI arrested founder Keith Raniere and several well-known actresses, including Allison Mack and Kristen Kreuk, were exposed as current or former members. Raniere was found guilty of seven charges, including sex-trafficking, in June.

It was an outcome Edmondson never would have predicted when she signed on to take some courses in the early aughts. Over her decade plus with Nxivm, she rose to star recruiter, founder of the cult’s first and only Canadian chapter in Vancouver, and ultimately, to whistleblower. Here, she tells Refinery29 how cults hide the crazy and the pitch that brought in more than 2,000 new members.

Refinery29: Your memoir opens with a branding ceremony that you refer to as the “beginning of the end” of your Nxivm experience. Why did you start there?

Sarah Edmondson: “I decided to start with the branding because I think that was the craziest thing that happened to me — lying naked on a table, having someone burn my flesh. The goal was to draw readers in right away, and I feel like if I started by explaining that I signed up for a few personal development seminars, it’s like, what’s the big deal? That’s really the nature of how cults get you — by starting slow, promising to help you realize your goals. If someone had said early on, “Hey, Sarah, — can we brand you with our leader’s initials next to your crotch?,” I would have said, that’s fucking crazy.”

A lot of your experiences do seem pretty bonkers — you entered into a master/slave relationship [with senior member Lauren Salzman], providing naked photos of yourself as a form of collateral.

“Hey, I get it. If this hadn’t happened to me, I would have been the first to say, “What an idiot. Why didn’t she just leave?” The answer is that indoctrination is incredibly powerful. If you look at the branding ritual as an example, they convince you that you are triumphing over your own weakness. One of the things that can be helpful in terms of an explanation is to look at the ways in which cults are similar to abusive relationships. Nobody seeks out an abusive partner, but so many people stay in these relationships longer than they should — they make excuses, they ignore red flags, and they allow themselves to be emotionally manipulated.”

Do you think you were in a vulnerable position when you first joined?

“I was in my late 20s at the time, so that stage where you’re not a kid anymore, but not fully an adult and still figuring out what to do with your life. I was acting, but I wasn’t feeling very fulfilled by the work. I was really looking for a sense of purpose, a sense community. I guess you could say that made me vulnerable, but I think those are good things to want. More so than being naïve, I would say I was extremely idealistic, and that’s something Nxivm exploited.”

Nxivm was popular with actresses. Why do you think that is? 

“Well every centre had a different vibe. The one I co-founded in Vancouver was called 90210 because of all of the actors whose TV series shot there. The initial seminars help with a lot of the issues actors struggle with in terms of having confidence and needing to be validated. I can say from my own experience that after those early ESP seminars [Nxivm lingo that stands for Executive Success Program], I felt like things were going really well for me. I went to more auditions, I got off my sleeping pills, I felt like I was a causing agent in my life rather than just being at the whim of the world.”

You eventually became one of Nxivm’s top saleswomen, recruiting more than 2,000 members. What was your pitch?

“Well, first things first: You don’t attempt any kind of a pitch until you have established a rapport. That’s something that has always come naturally to me, just chit chatting and engaging with people. Part of pitching is that you kind of want to tailor the approach to the specific person and what they’re looking for. Are you up for some role-play?”

Sure.

“Okay, so you’re a journalist and maybe you’re telling me what you want to achieve in your career. So what would that be?”

I guess I would like to earn more money, work on more rewarding projects…

“And what is it that’s getting in the way of that? What are you doing to sabotage yourself?”

I could be more organized, better at promoting myself.

“Okay, that’s great. So what if I told you that you could take these classes and they would help you get to the root these problems of and how to work past them? You could stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution, and you would only have to pay $2,500.”

I’d say that sounds like a lot of money.

“Absolutely. I was an out-of-work actress living in a basement suite when I paid that money. Did I have it? Absolutely not. Was it worth it 1,000%? Yes.  Would I spend $100,000 to get what I have gotten out of training? Definitely. Do you trust me?”

Umm…

“Or maybe this isn’t for you. Maybe things are working well in your life the way they are. That’s okay. This part is called the “take away” and just thinking about it makes me feel so manipulative. On the other hand, I really thought these seminars were a wonderful opportunity. I have a lot of guilt about the people I brought in, but if there’s one thing I can hang my hat on, it’s that I never lied. I thought Keith Raniere was the greatest, wisest, most brilliant man on Earth. I had no idea what was going on with the women and everything that came out in the FBI’s investigation.”

Can you try to explain Raniere’s appeal? I have listened to some of his preaching on YouTube, and I really don’t see it.  

“Part of it is the Greek chorus. New members don’t generally meet Keith until they’ve done several levels of training. Some people don’t meet him for two years and during that time they have been worshiping him. We say, “Thank you, Vangaurd,” which is how we referred to him, at the end of every seminar. He was totally deified. It’s not like I thought he was a hot stud or anything. I just respected his beliefs. Or what I thought were his beliefs.”

Do you think his intentions were always evil, or was he someone who became corrupted by power?

“I would say more of the first, but I do think as time went on and he became more and more powerful, he also got more and more out of touch with reality. Like, “Oh, let’s brand people with my initials.” I don’t know if that’s something he was planning from the beginning. People who knew him towards the end told me he was scared of getting old. And we now know that he has this erectile dysfunction problem, which came out at the trial. I think that maybe amped up [his need for power] towards the end.”

You have a permanent reminder of your time in a cult. What do you see when you look at your scar today?

“It’s a mixed bag. Sometimes it’s “Fuck you, Keith,” and other times it’s, “You messed with the wrong person,” and other times it’s, “Thank god this happened” otherwise I’d still be in ESP pushing that BS. I’m grateful that I had what it took to wake up, I’m angry that they thought they could get away with that, I’m disgusted to have been a part of it, and I’m proud of myself for standing up to them. It’s all of those things depending on the day.”

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Weddings are always a very special day for the spouses-to-be… but they can be a big day for the guests as well. According to data from the Knot, almost 20% of guests hook up at or after the wedding. Mix excitement, alcohol, and music with the reminder that you’re single, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a hookup. Especially if you’re seated at the “singles’ table.”

Or, as Bella DePaulo, PhD, author of Singled Out: How Singles Are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After, previously described to Refinery29, “At weddings, people are dressed elegantly and often look sexy, there’s free-flowing alcohol, music, and a celebratory spirit. The newlyweds are in the throes of romance and, in the minds of the attendees, eager to get out of there and have some hot sex.” It’s only natural for guests to want to have some sex of their own.

For your entertainment (and convenience), we’ve gathered some wedding-themed pickup lines. Some are sweet, some are funny, and some are downright cringe-y. If you’re daring, go for it. If not, you might be better off asking them to dance or offering to “buy” them a drink from the open bar.

“I know all eyes are supposed to be on the bride, but I just couldn’t take mine off you.” (via Reddit)

“You don’t need to catch the bouquet to get lucky.” (via PickupLine.net)

“The next wedding you and I will be attending should be our own.” (via PickupLinesBest.com)

“Wouldn’t we look cute on a wedding cake together?” (via PickupLinesGalore.com)

“Hey, wanna be next?” (via Reddit)

“I’m not the wedding photographer, but I can picture us together.” (via PickupLine.net)

“I’m not the best man in the wedding, but I could be the best man you’ve ever had.” (via Reddit)

“I like your last name. Can I have it?” (via PickupLine.net)

“No, I didn’t drink too much champagne… I’m just intoxicated by you!” (via PickupLinesGalore.com)

“Weddings make me want to find my one true love. Maybe it’s you?” (via PickupLinesBest.com)

“Something borrowed, something blue, what’s your number so I can call you?” (via Reddit)

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Welcome to Money Diaries, where we’re tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We’re asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last dollar.

Today: a social media marketing specialist working in building materials/construction who makes $44,000 per year and spends some of her money this week on school notebooks.

Occupation: Social Media Marketing Specialist
Industry: Building Materials/Construction
Age: 24
Location: Cleveland, OH
Salary: $44,000 (This includes an extra $1,000 I’ve made from freelance in the past 2.5 months.)
Paycheck Amount (biweekly): $1,252 plus about $300/month from freelance
Gender Identity: Woman/She/Her

Monthly Expenses
Rent: $390 (water included, split with my boyfriend and roommate)
Car Loan: $245
Credit Card: $200 (total CC debt is ~$1,700 from an unexpected move)
Student Loans: $310 (~$40,000 total)
Utilities/Wi-Fi: ~$67 (for my share; this is split 3 ways with BF and our roommate)
Car Insurance: $170
Washer/Dryer: $100 (0% APR, $800 total)
Gym: $23
Apple Music/iCloud: $12
Netflix: $16 (My parents pay for Hulu, and we share.)
BarkBox: $23 (I spoil my dog, yes, but this actually has saved us money because I no longer buy him a new toy every time I go to the store, and he can’t shred them as quickly.)
Amazon Prime: $179 (yearly)
Microsoft Word: $99 (yearly)
401(k): I contribute 5% of my pay (taken out of my paycheck), but my company doesn’t match.
Savings: Before we bought the washer/dryer, I was putting back $200/month in savings (for the past two years), but now I deposit anything I make from freelance into my savings. I have about $3,500 in savings (I would have more, but I had a $1,000 emergency vet bill and a $1,200 deposit when we moved). My plan for my MBA is to try to pay as much as I can toward school with what I make from freelance in the coming semesters.

Day One

7:30 a.m. — I wake up hungover and in a tent. We spent this past weekend at my boyfriend, O.’s, family’s campground “glamping.” My family got a cabin and joined. It’s been a weekend full of beer, cornhole, golf-cart races, and great food. Our families get along so well, and I love it.

10 a.m. — We have breakfast with both families stuffed in his parents’ camper. Pancakes and bacon, what more could a girl ask for? O. and I pack our stuff up and head back to our house with my sister M. M. moved in with us this past summer, as O. is starting law school, we rent a three-bedroom, and it saves us all on rent. Plus, it’s really nice having her to hang with since O. is so busy.

12 p.m. — After we drop our stuff and shower, O. and I head to our favorite local coffee shop to do work. O. starts his 1L year (or his first year) tomorrow and already has had homework/reading/case studies for the past week. I have freelance work to do for a skin-care company I just started doing work for. I have a full-time job that I like, but don’t feel pushed at and don’t have a lot of freedom with. Freelance allows me to push myself, learn new skills, and also make extra money to pad my savings with. We get two coffees (cappuccinos) and a muffin to split. $11.15

3 p.m. — We finish up work and head to pick up some office/school supplies/home necessities. We get notebooks, pens, folders, binders, highlighters, Swiffer juice, sponges, and meal-prep Tupperware. I pay for my school stuff and the home supplies, and O. pays for his supplies. $36.10

4 p.m. — Next stop is groceries at Aldi (my favorite place). We get a family pack of chicken breast, Italian turkey sausage, tons of veggies, granola bars, smoked salmon, rice cakes, paper towels, and a few other odds and ends. While O. is in school, he pays for his half of his basic expenses with his savings and school loans, and I pay for my half of the basics, household items, fun stuff, and date stuff! We split groceries 50/50, which is what we do now. $45.83

7 p.m. — We get home and I meal-prep as O. does more school work on a case study. We meal-prep 90% of our lunches and one dinner a week to save money, but also just to save time as we don’t have much free time during the week. After meal prep, my sister and roommate, M., go to pick up Chipotle for O. and my other (younger) sister, A. I pay for O. and me, M. pays for hers and A’s. $17

9 p.m. — I wrap up some freelance stuff and take the dog for a walk. O. is finally done with school stuff when I get back, and we head up to bed. We talk for a while about this coming week, us both starting school, and some other life stuff. He’s nervous for law school, but I know he’s going to do great. We drift off around 11.

Daily Total: $110.08

Day Two

4:45 a.m. — Alarm goes off, and I snooze once before a wet nose wakes me up. I let the dog out, put on workout clothes, and O. and I head to the gym. We go to the gym together but don’t work out together. I have unlimited guests passes, so by going together, we save money. I lift legs for an hour.

6:30 a.m. — Home and I chug a glass of water as O. makes coffee for us. We shower and I get ready for the day. I wear a thin sweater (yes, it’s summer, but my office is freezing) and an A-line skirt. My skin-care routine in the morning is simple: I wash my face in the shower, and when I get out, I use toner (Pixi), a serum from the Ordinary (LOVE this brand, has saved my cystic acne self), and a moisturizer. Then I apply makeup. Pretty simple: cover-up, matte powder (I’m an oily bitch), highlighter, and mascara. I grab my meal-prepped lunch, kiss O. and the dog goodbye, and head to work by 7:20.

7:40 a.m. — At work, I scroll through social and play email catch-up from this weekend. After a couple hours, I take a break and have a yogurt and egg cup (meal-prepped and brought in).

1 p.m. — Lunch! I eat at my desk and read Money Diaries. I have a meeting with my boss after lunch, and it goes normally. We have a weekly meeting to just go over what’s going on in our department that week. I’d call it a department-wide meeting (and it is), but we’re a department of two, sooo…

3:30 p.m. — Snack break! I snack on watermelon, listen to the new T-Swift album, and online shop on the Ordinary. I get the same serum I have at home because I’m running low, and also a toner that’s better than the Pixi one I have and has more for half the price. I’m so excited. $20.96

4:45 p.m. — I head home for the day! Once home, I say hi to O. and the dog, grab a snack (rice cake with spinach artichoke dip and smoked salmon), do some freelance work, and then start my accounting online class.

7:30 p.m. — I take a break and make dinner. Teriyaki beef stir-fry. It’s so good, and since I chopped the veggies during meal prep, it’s also very quick to make! After dinner, O. does some reading and I take the dog for a quick 20-minute walk. He’s a very high-energy mutt (lab/collie/terrier mix — we did the DNA test on him) and requires a lot of exercise. My sister and I have a deal where she runs/walks him during the day and I make her dinner three or four nights a week. It’s great for both of us, because she loves walking him and I’m making dinner for O. and me anyway.

10 p.m. — I do some more accounting, and O. brings me a fudge pop from the freezer because he supports my chocolate addiction like the amazing boyfriend he is. After, we head to bed around 11. Then we sleep ;).

Daily Total: $20.96

Day Three

4:45 a.m. — Up for the gym and same routine as yesterday. I do cardio. O. is really tired, so he stays home and says he’s going to go for a run with the dog later today.

7 a.m. — I get ready, same as yesterday, but today I wear black jeans with a burnt orange flowy shirt and tan thick, strappy mini heels. I pack my lunch, coffee, and a bunch of snacks for the day, plus all my books for class later. Kiss to O. and the dog, and I head to work.

11 a.m. — It’s been a busy morning, and I finally go grab a Greek yogurt for breakfast. I read a Money Diary to decompress from my busy morning. Around 1, I break again for lunch.

4:45 p.m. — I leave work, rice cake with guac in hand. I drive into Cleveland for my class, park in the far parking lot ($4 — parking-pass drama, meaning the school lost mine and I have to pay to park right now), and walk to a nearby coffee shop. I grab a cold brew with a shot of mocha. The customer before me is super rude, so I tip my barista nicely. $9.25

9 p.m. — Class is finally over, and I walk back to my parking garage with two other students. We chat about class and where we live, and they’re both quite nice. I’m glad they’re with me, as being in a parking garage late at night in downtown makes me extremely nervous.

9:20 p.m. — Finally home for the night. O. waited for me to eat dinner, so we heat up our meal-prepped burrito bowls. We watch New Girl and chat about our days as we eat. I missed him a lot. After dinner I wash my face and do my skin-care routine (face wash, toner, Differin, anti-aging moisturizer), then we head up to bed. I practically fall into bed and am out like a light by 11.

Daily Total: $9.25

Day Four

4:45 a.m. — Alarm goes off, and it’s a big NOPE from me. I snooze but am up by 6 thanks to a wet nose. I skip the gym this morning but most likely will go later. I let the dog out and go about my normal routine. Today I’m feeling really tired and lazy, so I throw on a black shift dress with long bell sleeves and black pointed flats. Kisses to O. and the dog, and I’m off.

1:00 p.m. — After a super busy morning, I break for lunch and have General Tso’s chicken breast with mixed veggies and watermelon. I try to do some of my accounting PowerPoint at lunch, but have zero motivation and watch some fitness YouTubers instead.

4:45 p.m. — I head home for the day, and once there O. and I head to the gym. We’re there for about an hour. I do a full-body circuit workout followed by a HIIT workout. We then go to pick up sushi — the grocery store near us does $5 sushi on Wednesdays, and we love it. O. and I get a roll each, one to split, and some wontons. I pick some sushi up for my sisters, too, and they Venmo me immediately. $21

8:30 p.m. — I crank out three freelance articles in about an hour and a half and am feeling pretty good. I take the dog for a quick 20-minute walk, and O. does reading most of the night. I do my nighttime routine when I get back from the walk and head up to bed around 11. O. follows about a half hour later.

Daily Total: $21

Day Five

4:45 a.m. — Wake up, let dog out, gym. O. comes with. I do cardio, he lifts.

6:30 a.m. — Home from the gym, I get ready and pack my lunch for the day. O. makes coffee. To celebrate the coming Labor Day, it’s a jeans day on a Thursday at work. Absolutely wild. I throw on my comfiest jeans, a company long-sleeve tee, and my knock-off Birkenstocks. I then kiss O. and the dog goodbye and head to work.

11 a.m. — Glad it’s a jeans day, because today has been a pain in my ass. My boss and I spent the whole morning dealing with a difficult vendor. I finally get to have some breakfast and quickly eat two egg cups I brought in.

12:30 p.m. — Lunchtime! I have a meal-prepped burrito bowl with some watermelon on the side. I then work on a storyboard for an upcoming digital video for the rest of the day (this is my favorite part of my job — I love the creative/strategy side, but am less of a fan of the technical/budgeting side. I think eventually I’d like to be a creative director).

5:30 p.m. — I get home and snack on some cucumber slices and spinach dip. O. is at class late today, so I take the dog out and throw the ball around for half an hour with him. The neighbor dogs come out (behind the fence) and start barking their heads off at him. It gives him anxiety. He hasn’t been the best around other dogs lately. About four months ago, we were on a walk and a dog charged at him out of nowhere from a backyard and attacked him. Ever since, anytime we take him to the dog park, he has issues with other dogs. O. and I aren’t really sure what to do about this recent development, but have been keeping him away from other dogs for now until we can figure out what to do next (classes maybe?).

7 p.m. — I have a glass of wine and do some accounting until O. gets home. He joins me with the wine after a long day. O. and I make dinner together (this is what we usually do when we’re not so dang busy). Chicken drumsticks, quinoa salad, and corn on the cob. We watch New Girl as we eat. After, we debate studying more, but have zero motivation so we stay on the couch the rest of the night, other than briefly getting up to get ice cream. We head to bed around 10:30 and actually fall asleep around 11… 😉

Daily Total: $0

Day Six

4:45 a.m. — It’ Friday — I can do this! I take the dog out, put on gym clothes, and head to the gym. O. joins.

6:30 a.m. — I hop in the shower, and O. (who has no class on Fridays) goes to Starbucks to grab us coffee. I have a gift card from my birthday, so we use that. I get ready and throw on dark jeans with a striped casual button-down and my knock-off Birks. Usual skin-care and makeup routine. O. is back with coffee, and I kiss him and the dog goodbye and head to work.

12 p.m. — Friday mornings for me are just pulling and updating reports, so that’s what I do. Someone brought in doughnuts, so I have one. Around noon, two of my coworkers stop by to see if I want to go out to lunch (all the bosses are out today, and it’s super quiet around the office). I say yes excitedly, as I rarely go out for lunch with anyone and don’t have a ton of work friends other than these two, because my office skews a bit on the experienced side (the average age here is 56). We go to this nicer lunch place about ten minutes away. I have two ciders and a turkey and spinach wrap with a side salad ($30.72 with tip). After lunch, my coworker loses a bet to my other coworker and has to buy us all ice cream from this handmade shop down the street. I get cookie-dough ice cream. It’s amazing. $30.72

4:15 p.m. — The rest of the day is super slow (thanks to the cider and ice cream), and I head home early. O. is finishing up his reading for the day, and I load the dishwasher and then get ready for date night!

7 p.m. — O. and I head out to this new local beer place. We split a flight and each have a beer as well. We also get an app (tater tot nachos). I get a spicy BLT that sets my mouth on fire, and O. gets a buffalo wrap. We catch up on our weeks and get tipsy. He’s liking law school so far, but it’s a lot of work. I feel the same and think I might have to slow down on my freelance work a bit to make things work. $76.13

9 p.m. — We stop by a drugstore to pick up a six-pack and cookies for dessert. O. pays. We snack on cookies and beer and cuddle on the couch watching New Girl until we “go to bed” around 11. It may be Friday night, but we’re exhausted and both very introverted, so this is how we both prefer to spend our Friday nights.

Daily Total: $106.85

Day Seven

6 a.m. — Dog out. Back to bed. We actually wake up around 7:30. We make coffee, watch Netflix, and sip coffee in bed until about 10, then we make eggs and toast.

11 a.m. — After we shower, we head to the coffee shop for the day. I get a vanilla cap, and O. gets a red-eye. O. does some case studies, and I do some accounting and economics work. Around 2, O. buys a muffin for us to split (they’re huge). $6.24

5 p.m. — We stop by the store on our way home and pick up a 12-pack of summer shandy. We’re making turkey burgers for my sisters and ourselves tonight. Once we get home, O. grills the burgers and I hang with my sisters for a bit. We polish off 11 of the shandies. $15.79

9 p.m. — We take the dog for a walk and grab some ice cream on our way home. The rest of the night we binge-watch Netflix with my sisters and just hang out. Such a wild Saturday night, we know. We head to bed around 11:30. $4.25

Daily Total: $26.28

Want more Money Diaries? Well, you’re in luck — Refinery29 Canada is launching its own Canadian Money Diaries three times a week. (Which means once you’re done with catching up on all our diaries during your lunch break, you can head on over to R29 CA for even more.) You can now experience Money Diaries IRL at 29Rooms Toronto September 26th through October 6th. Buy tickets here.

Money Diaries are meant to reflect individual women’s experiences and do not necessarily reflect Refinery29’s point of view. Refinery29 in no way encourages illegal activity or harmful behavior.

The first step to getting your financial life in order is tracking what you spend — to try on your own, check out our guide to managing your money every day. For more money diaries, click here.

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Summer has come and gone, and just like that, we’re wearing sweaters and breaking up with iced coffee (for now). Even though vacation season is over, the months we spent soaking in the sun at the beach and bouncing from brunch to BBQ have left a lasting mark on our skin. We’re talking about the lingering sun damage that leaves skin peeling, dry, and uneven after a summer well sunned.

Speaking with dermatologists, the most common forms of sun damage are sun spots, sunburns, and dry skin. The number-one concern being sun spots. “They can happen even to the best of us who wear sunscreen religiously,” says dermatologist Estee Williams, M.D. Luckily, there are ways to tackle every sign of sun damage — even dark spots — and the pros are telling us how, ahead.

Brighten Sun Spots

There are many different types of hyperpigmentation, but sun spots usually appear after hours spent in the sun with little-to-no sun protection. As a natural defense mechanism against UV rays, the body amps up melanin production, which results in brown spots.

You can get sun spots anywhere on the body, but they’re more likely to appear in areas that are frequently exposed to the sun (like the face, hands, and arms). You can also tell sun spots from other dark spots because they tend to fade in the winter months. While sunscreen does help prevent sun spots, the effects of sun exposure vary from person to person.

As far as fading sun spots, you can add vitamin C, a clinically proven brightening agent, to your daily skin-care routine. However, it will take at least a month to see any difference. As an alternative, dermatologists recommend looking into lasers, like IPL (intense pulsed light), to reverse this type of sun damage. An IPL treatment transmits bright light — typically through a handheld device — that targets pigmentation. It’s rarely painful, but you can feel an uncomfortable zap from the light, similar to laser hair removal. Dr. Williams says it’ll probably take two treatments to erase sun spots. IPL is cleared for all skin tones, but one important thing to keep in mind is that your skin should not be actively tanned when getting laser treatments. “If the background of skin is tan, wait it out until your skin is as close to its base color before pursuing laser,” urges Kenneth Mark, M.D. So, early fall — when your Labor Day tan has finally faded — is the perfect time to schedule an appointment.

Treat A Bad Sunburn

First things first, tanned skin is damaged skin. “UV light exposure revs up pigment production, so having tanned skin means you have been exposed,” says Joshua Zeichner, MD, a New York-based dermatologist and director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital. “Even low-grade sun exposure can damage collagen and the DNA of skin cells.” And if your skin is burnt and peeling, that’s a sign of that the body is ridding itself of damaged skin cells.

Unfortunately, there are no quick remedies to reverse a tan or sunburn; it just takes time. It will take several weeks for skin cells to completely renew. During this time, it’s best to stay out of the sun and stock up on moisturizing products. Whatever you do, don’t pick or exfoliate the skin, especially if it’s peeling. “You can scar the skin by peeling it before it’s ready to come off. Just let it shed naturally,” says celebrity esthetician Renée Rouleau.

It’s also important to be mindful of makeup application when you’ve got a really bad sunburn. Firm brushes or cosmetics with acne-fighting ingredients can further aggravate inflamed skin. This is especially true if your skin is blistering because, with an open wound, makeup can reach the tissues underneath the skin barrier. Go for damp makeup sponges over firm brushes, use lightweight mineral makeup, and stick to a minimal routine until the burn has healed.

Soothe Dry Skin

Even if you don’t see sun spots or have a peeling sunburn, exposure to the sun causes skin to gradually lose moisture, making the complexion look dry and dull overall. That’s why the pros recommend exfoliating once or twice a week — but only once you’re not tan or burnt. “You want to exfoliate to get rid of the dead layer of skin cells,” says Dr. Mark, who recommends looking into gentle exfoliants like lactic acids. But don’t over-exfoliate. “If you develop dryness, redness, or inflammation then you definitely need to dial it back,” says Dr. Mark.

In addition to exfoliating, Dr. Mark recommends adding topical antioxidants to your fall skin-care routine. These antioxidants, like vitamins C and E, can help repair damaged skin cells. But most importantly, it’s crucial to continue using sunscreen, even as the temperatures drops, because UV rays are year-round — and your sun care should be, too.

At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.

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It’s not portrayed in the movies, but the problem with a pair of jeans that magically fits every member of a friend group is that there would, inevitably, be custody battles over who got to wear them which weekend. Not so with Old Navy‘s denim relaunch — now with improved construction (think: contoured waistband for a better fit), curve-hugging fabric, and better butt-enhancing cuts for all. And as seen in the video above, updated silhouettes like the on-trend Power Slim Straight, wow-inducing Rockstar Super Skinny, timeless Pop Icon Skinny, and always-reliable Kicker Boot-Cut mean that everybody gets to choose their own adventure, no sharing necessary.

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With the rising cost of housing, millennials’ insurmountable student debt, and the increasingly gig economy, a full-time high-paying job is the white rabbit of our generation. Whether you’re in school now, thinking about switching careers, or are merely just curious, it is certainly not a crime to investigate jobs that are the best-paying. While it is absolutely possible to live on the country’s average salary, $53,950 (especially if you don’t live on the coasts), life can certainly be easier with a fatter paycheck. And with a potential recession coming soon, locking in job security and a steep salary (which you deserve — shhh, imposter syndrome!) may be just what you need as 2019 comes to an end.

Glassdoor has made choosing your next career move easier with a new report on the most lucrative jobs, according to data pulled from the last year. Unsurprisingly, health care and tech jobs take the cake — and that’s based on base salary alone (bonuses and additional compensation not included). Ahead, the best-paying jobs in 2019.

1. Physician — $193,415

Welp, our parents were right (or at least mine were when they told me to become a doctor to be successful, but I digress) — being a physician will land you a high base paycheck. While finance jobs may offer you big bonus options, being a physician is the number one way to ensure a big take-home, no matter what the market does. Plus, you’ll get to save lives or whatever on the way, so it’s not too shabby a job. The only downside? Years of school and residency, followed by massive student debt.

2. Pharmacy Manager — $144,768

It’s no secret that there’s money in big pharma — and managing a pharmacy certainly will pay you the big bucks. You’ll have to go to four years of graduate school and then work your way up the ladder to manager, but it’s definitely not a bad career trajectory if you’re good at chemistry and have great interpersonal skills.

3. Dentist — $142,478

Health care continues to dominate! Now, when you go to the dentist, you usually see a dental hygienist, a job that won’t earn you quite as much dough, but if you’re down to get into the trenches with gum disease and oral surgery, then this high-paying field is for you. You’ll have graduate school to get through (do you see a trend here?), but in the end you’ll get to talk to people while you have your hands in their mouth, and that feels like a fun power dynamic to explore.

4. Pharmacist — $126,438

Coming in at number four is number two’s employee, which is honestly great news. This means that as you build your way up to that manager spot, you’ll still get a solid salary as a pharmacist — meaning you’ll be able to build wealth over the years and have a sweet retirement account set up by the time you hit manager. You’ll still need grad school, but those loans will pay themselves off with this high salary.

5. Enterprise Architect — $122,585

This job is basically the head of information technology, either in-house or at a consultancy. An enterprise architect is essentially in charge of designing IT systems across organizations. It doesn’t necessarily require graduate school, which is a plus if you don’t love school, and the job exists in many different fields — from health care to media.

6. Corporate Counsel — $117,588

If you’re planning to go to law school but don’t want to spend your life in the courtroom, then this career is for you. Corporate counsel is just a fancy way of saying a lawyer for a company. This is another job that exists in almost every field, so you may have to deal with contracts all day, but at least they can be contracts for a field that interests you!

7. Software Engineering Manager — $114,163

Ah, yes, the tech jobs have obviously made the top ten. Software engineering is a job of the 21st century — and it doesn’t always require a degree. Whether you’re Mark Zuckerberg, dropping out of college to create Facebook, or you go to coding bootcamp at night or even if you’re just a self-taught tumblr coder, software engineering is an excellent field to get into if you’d like a solid foundation to create a lasting career.

8. Physician Assistant — $113,855

Medical school may sound cool when you’re a young twenty-something, but those years of debt can become crippling — not to mention residency will take over your life for years. Being a physician assistant allows you to work in a health-care setting and work with patients, while only requiring an additional two years of school. Plus, as someone who has spent their fair share of time in hospitals, PAs get way more patient face-time, and the job can be just as rewarding (and less stressful) as being a physician.

9. Corporate Controller — $113,368

Just like every corporation needs a lawyer, every corporation needs an accountant. A corporate controller is in charge of finances at a company and requires only an undergraduate degree in finance or business (plus some years of experience). If numbers are your thing, this is a cool way to use your knowledge outside of an accounting firm.

10. Software Development Manager — $109,809

This role is similar to a software engineer manager, though at most companies it means you’re less senior. This means you’ll get paid well from the get-go and make more as you move up the ladder — and growth opportunity is incredibly important when you’re looking into potential careers.

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Let’s be honest. There are generally two kinds of people at workout classes: The people who want a fun, shake-it-up sweat session, but will only come by once a month or so. And then there are the dedicated addicts who will diligently keep coming week after week until they could do the workout in their sleep. Megan Roup’s Sculpt Society is fun (and tough) if you’re a haphazard joiner, but it’s really built for the latter kind of client.

Roup kicks off her classes, which have an ever-expanding following, with dance cardio. Then you transition into strength training moves, using signature sliding disks. You’ll do a round of abs, then sculpt one leg at a time with an ab break in between legs. You can use the optional ankle weights if you’re feeling really tough. She breaks up the sculpting and donkey kicks intentionally. “I concentrated for fifteen minutes on one side of my butt, I don’t want to go directly into it again,” she tells me after what was perhaps the sweatiest class of my life. “I need a mental break as well as a physical break before I do the other.” The class is finished off with another fun round of dance cardio — but this time you know all the moves from the beginning of class. She calls this a “party moment” to make you forget how hard you just worked out.

Be prepared: During the strength training and leg lifts, you’re going to sweat. A lot. “Because your heart rate’s up as you’re sculpting because of the cardio you just did, you’re having to work a little harder,” she explains. “It’s in a similar sense of a HIIT class, it’s like you’re spiking your heart rate and then you’re bringing it back down and then up and down again… You don’t realize that as you’re doing these slower movements, you’re sweating and it’s more intense.” 

The class is a very productive 50 minutes, and you can take it at her Energi studio near New York’s Union Square, which just opened this year, or at Project by Equinox. When her Sculpt Society was in early days, she would teach all her own classes which occasionally only had a few people in attendance. Today, people have gotten hooked, and she’s expanded to two studios, and has four trainers who help her teach. She also has a mat class for people who don’t want the high-impact of the jumping that comes with dance cardio, as well as a bench class.

The music when I went was a fun combination of rap songs I was vaguely familiar with but couldn’t name, and Taylor Swift dance remixes to which I knew every word. It really was a killer mix. “I spend a lot of time on my music — I feel like I’m a full time DJ,” Roup jokes. “I’m literally on YouTube or iTunes all the time trying to find new songs with dance remixes that have a bpm that’s fast enough for dance cardio.” 

People who do her class regularly take it very seriously. She has loyalists who come five days a week, and the classes routines are formatted to help them. She always does the same flow, but she mixes up the moves done in the strength training and sculpting blocks every week. However, she’ll keep it the same for seven days in a row, so that her regulars can get a hang of the combination and spend their time focusing on small movements, rather than on learning the combinations. “There’s something about knowing where you’re going and being able to focus on the little muscles,” Roup says. 

While anyone can try and enjoy her class, it’s the Roup addicts who lead. Consider yourself lucky if you’re behind one of them in the studio, as it seems like they could basically teach the class by the time they’re on their fifth day of the week. Ultimately this fosters a community you find yourself wanting to be a part of. Even if, like me, you’re someone who constantly bops in and out different classes, this one will make you at least consider placing your loyalty in Megan’s hand and canceling your ClassPass subscription. 

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If you follow even just a few Instagram influencers, you’ve probably seen many ads on your feed for weight loss products, such as “appetite suppressant lollipops” and “detox teas.” After today, you may see fewer of them. That’s because Instagram is rolling out community guidelines detailing what type of weight loss products and cosmetic procedures can be promoted on the app. Oh, and they’ll apply to Instagram users worldwide.

Under the new guidelines, posts that promote the “use of certain weight loss products or cosmetic procedures, and has an incentive to buy or includes a price,” will only be shown to users over 18. And content that “makes a miraculous claim about certain diet or weight loss products, and is linked to a commercial offer such as a discount code” will no longer be allowed. Over the coming weeks, Instagram will introduce the option to report posts that violate the new guidelines.

Jameela Jamil — The Good Place actress, founder of the Instagram movement iWeigh, and a vocal critic of IG weight loss ads — consulted with Instagram on the new guidelines. She said in a statement, “This is a huge win for our ongoing fight against the diet/detox industry. Facebook and Instagram taking a stand to protect the physical and mental health of people online, sends an important message out to the world. I’m thrilled to have been able to work towards this with them, alongside a host of other experts who shed light on the danger of these products.”

She added, “Instagram were supportive and helpful when I brought them my protests and petitions, they listened, they cared, they moved so efficiently, and communicated with us throughout the process. As someone who struggled with an eating disorder for most of my youth, I’ve personally known and suffered the perils of the devious side of the diet/detox industry. A focus of our advocacy since inception, it is a proud day for ‘I Weigh’ and a day of hope for our generation, who deserve respect and protection from the celebrities and influencers that they follow.”

These new community guidelines are the most recent move Instagram has made to help address mental health. In 2018, the platform introduced a set of tools allowing users to track the time they spent on Instagram each day, and earlier this year, they began testing the removal of “like” counts in certain countries.

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We’re always here for a Julianne Hough hair change, especially when she brings the drama. For her role as a judge on this season of America’s Got Talent, the actress and dancer has been toying with her blonde hair — stepping out with stage light-bright platinum highlights and long extensions styled in a slick ponytail.

Every switch-up throughout the season made for a glam moment on the red carpet, a stylized complement to Hough’s sequin designer gown of choice. But at the AGT finale, which aired this week, Hough shocked us all when she debuted her best — not to mention permanent — hairstyle to date: A fresh, blunt, chin-skimming bob.

From her past appearances, we know that Hough’s hair was previously a true lob length, the ends hovering around her shoulders, even when styled with a flat-iron bends. Now polished and straight, the star’s ends stop a clear two inches above her shoulders, which is to say, she’s had a run-in with the scissors.

Though Hough posted a cryptic Instagram before the AGT finale — where she was actually holding a pair of scissors to her hair — we know she didn’t give herself a DIY trim. But she did tap hairstylist Jill Buck, out of L.A.’s Nine Zero One Salon, to help her style her glittering grande finale look — proving it’s always best to go out with a bang (or a bob).

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