The first time that I acted on my suicidal thoughts landed me in the hospital emergency room.
“Do you really want to stay with all the crazy people?” The person who said those words to me was a mentor and a church leader.
Those words still echo with me to this day. It felt confusing because I didn’t feel “crazy.” I just felt a constant overwhelming sense of hopelessness, worthlessness and a deep sadness that I couldn’t shake off. Was this what crazy felt like? I wasn’t sure. I had no name for what this was, but somewhere inside, I knew I needed help.
After that, I had my first encounter with a mental health professional. I didn’t know that such people existed, but she helped me to define what depression was and how I could get help. Despite the validation by naming the depression and taking the first steps to get help, I walked away from the hospital with shame. I felt that I had to hide my mental illness.
I struggled in silence with my depression. I continued to suffer severe migraines. I used medication to numb the pain but also to prevent myself from feeling. It felt like I was constantly drowning in waves of shame pushing me further and further down. I attempted suicide two more times. Without help, I knew that I would not make it. For Asian Americans aged 15-34, suicide is the second leading cause of death.
After much encouragement and support from friends and my faith community (a different one than before), I started seeing a therapist and taking medication to treat my depression. It wasn’t an easy journey – I tried several different therapists before finding one that worked for me. I also had to do the same with medication. The biggest hurdle, though, was to rise out of the shame and stigma of mental illness. After sharing my story, I was able to help friends through their own battles with mental illness and more importantly, to speak the truth that they were valued and worthy.
I still feel the sting of shame as I continue my lifelong battle against depression, knowing that sometimes the lies will speak louder than the truth. I don’t want anyone to feel the way that I did. I don't want anyone to feel like they can’t get help. Are you feeling the weight of shame? Are you hearing the lies that depression tells? I’m here to fight with you. I’m here to speak the truth and remind you of your worthiness and beauty. I’m here to rise out of the shame with you. You are not alone.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, please call this number 1 (800) 273-8255 to get help because your life is worth it. You can also go to http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
It’s easy to get a bit carried away when you’re dreaming about what you want your birth to be like. For better or worse, birth plans don’t always turn out the way you want them to, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put your desires out there (even if they are a little strange). These moms (and a dad!) share the weirdest things they decided to add into their birth plans and how it panned out on their big day.
Big surprise, or no big deal?
Katherine D. and her partner didn't know or care if they were having a boy or girl, so they told hospital staff to hold off on the big announcement. "We didn't know the (apparent) sex of our baby and just really felt like it shouldn't be the most important detail about our child, so we didn't want anyone shouting 'it's a boy!' or 'it's a girl!' when he was born.
"It didn't seem weird at all to our home birth team, but when we transferred to the hospital and slowly every other request on the plan went out the window, they definitely thought it was weird. I guess the only reason they could fathom for not finding out the sex via ultrasound was wanting 'the surprise.' Our whole C-section team complied, though! The really hilarious part was that as they were checking him out and cleaning him up, my wife came up and whispered his name — the 'boy' name we had picked out — in my ear. So the whole time they were sewing me up, I knew, but all the nurses were still carefully avoiding saying 'he' in front of me."
Gettin' crafty
Sometimes a little pizzazz is necessary to make light of an uncomfortable situation. Jin L. crafted up her birth plan with markers, glitter glue and construction paper. "In bold, rainbow letters I had written 'literally everyone welcome to enter the room except my mother.' I don't think my body would have willingly released an offspring into the world with my biological mother in the room. Too dangerous."
Birthing to booty jams?
Screw the soothing sounds of Enya — let's get some R&B up in L&D. It may not be for everyone, but Sarah W. was all about getting down during labor with some unconventional beats. "I delivered our daughter to the likes of Destiny's Child, Salt-N-Pepa, Kanye West, Queen and the Ramones. My midwife joked that if Sir Mix-A-Lot's 'Baby Got Back' came on at any point, she might keel over laughing (it did, and she did). My daughter made her grand entrance to Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' — fitting, since my husband and I are both Canadian, and our daughter is American!"
Someone's got a strange appetite
This dad wanted to put in a special order on his partner's birth plan. "I wanted to eat the placenta," said Joe L., who had big plans for home-cooking the postnatal delicacy. Unfortunately his wish never came true, which is probably for the best. "I didn't think about it until it was too late, so it didn't make it on the birth plan. Maybe next time. My wife probably wouldn't have let me anyway. And I probably would have burnt it."
Give a mama some space
Gretchen B. didn't want anyone up in her business unless they were strictly invited. "I asked that no one get too 'in my bubble.' I didn't want people in my space, breathing on me or trying to coach me through labor without a clear invitation."
Mum’s the word
The words “contractions” and “labor” would seem to be pretty standard in the delivery room, but Jana M. put the kibosh on them in her plan. “My birth method refers to them as pressure waves and birthing time,” she said. Apparently the nurses complied.
Supersweet delivery
Jaimie S. had gestational diabetes and couldn't eat sugar during her pregnancy, so she knew just what she wanted on hand when the last push was over. "This wasn't in my official birth plan, but I packed Milanos for the hospital and told my husband I wanted them next to me the minute the baby was born." That's one well-deserved treat for a job well done.
Mariah Carey reportedly didn't see her highly publicized split from billionaire fiancé James Packer coming. She is devastated and heartbroken after she was "blindsided" when he broke up with her "out of nowhere," according to a source for E! News. Rumor has it that the couple ended their engagement over Packer's issues with Carey's lavish spending habits and her close relationship with a backup dancer as well as Packer's desire to go back to living a private life. But what really happened?
Things reportedly fell apart for the couple when they had a massive fight during a recent trip to Greece, according to a source for E! News. Carey and Packer were supposed to meet up in Los Angeles after the altercation "to talk through everything as adults," but before they even got the chance, Carey found out through the news that Packer had broken off their engagement.
"Mariah and James never met up after that," the source claims. "And they haven't spoken. The way the split news was handled was incredibly upsetting to her."
The same source went on to say, "The split has been devastating for Mariah. She loved James and was planning to marry him... She made life changes for this man to prepare for their future as husband and wife, even relocating to L.A., at James' request, so he could be closer to his children. Everything she has done over the past year is to prove how fully committed she is to their life together. She really wanted this to work. And then, completely out of the blue, it imploded."
As far reports claiming that Carey cheated with backup dancer Brian Tanaka, another source told E! News Carey and Tanaka's friendship is "completely platonic" — but that doesn't mean the insider can't see things developing between them in the future.
"Right now they are just close friends," the source said. "I can't promise things won't develop between them one day, who knows. But right now, the stories out there are an exaggeration and they definitely feel like a convenient ploy to make this whole mess look like her [Carey's] fault.
Another source also told Us Weeklythat the pair's relationship is just platonic, despite Packer's alleged worries, saying, "It wasn't sexual. She didn't cheat."
However, despite this very public split, a reconciliation reportedly isn't out of the question. A rep for the singer told Us Weekly, "They are trying to work it out. Right now, they're not sure if they will stay together. They are discussing it and plan to release an official statement together about their future."
Growing up, we all totally thought Prince William was the hunkiest of the royal family, but boy oh boy did that turn out to be inaccurate. Don't get us wrong, we wouldn't kick Wills out of bed for eating crackers, but Prince Harry is just so dang dreamy.
He looks pretty studly in his military garb, for one.
Now, it looks like the world's most eligible bachelor might have picked himself up a successful actress from USA's Suits. According to Britain's Sunday Express, Prince Harry is "besotted" with Meghan Markle — otherwise known as Rachel Zane — who he supposedly met in Toronto last May while he was there promoting the Invictus games and she was in town filming her show.
"He’s happier than he’s been for many years," a source said. "He’s in a very relaxed period of his life and Meghan has come along at the right time... They are taking each week as it comes and just enjoying each other’s company, but it’s fair to say that they love seeing each other and there’s a definite chemistry between them."
There's also a possibility that the relationship will go public in the not-so-far-off future.
"Harry has been desperate to keep the relationship quiet because he doesn’t want to scare Meghan off," Sunday Express' insider added. "He knows things will change when their romance is public knowledge, but he also knows he can’t keep it a secret for long."
People magazine reached out to Markle’s rep — who did not respond — and a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said they would not comment on private matters. Isn't exactly a denial, right?
And while a British tabloid isn't the most reliable of sources for relationship info on the royals, Markle has been spending an awful lot of time across the pond lately, as evidenced by her Instagram account — lending credence to the gossip.
Meghan Markle insta
Meghan Markle insta
The queen probably wouldn't exactly be stoked by Prince Harry getting serious with an actress — an American actress, to boot — but he and Markle actually make a gorgeous couple. Not to mention the fact that the pairing kind of makes sense, since Hollywood celebs are pretty much the American version of royalty.
What do you think of a Prince Harry/Meghan Markle matchup?
We're starting to wonder how Justin Bieber even has any fans left, because it sure seems like his constant tantrums would be enough to cure even the most raging case of Bieber Fever by now.
If you hadn't heard yet, the Biebs' most recent meltdown occurred last week, when he dropped the mic (but not in a good way) and ran off stage during a concert in Manchester because fans booed him after he scolded them for cheering and screaming during his set.
On Sunday, Bieber took to Twitter to address the meltdown.
"People tend to want to shut you down. What I mean by that is... people try to twist things, some people don't want to listen," he wrote in a now-deleted post, as captured by a fan account. "But I simply feel like, if I didn't use this platform to say how I truly feel, and if I didn't use this platform to be the man that I know I am, and speak from what's in my heart, then I'm doing myself injustice, and I'm not doing anybody in this audience any justice."
Bieber continued, "There's going to be times where I say the wrong thing, because I'm human. But I don't pretend to be perfect and I hope to God that, you know, I don't say the right thing all the time because if that was the case then I'd be a robot, and I'm just, I'm not a robot. There's times when I get upset... times when I get angry, there's times when I'm going to be frustrated. But I'm always going to be myself on this stage... All I was simply doing was wanting people to listen, to kind of hear me out a little bit. Certain people... certain cities aren't going to want to hear me out, and you know, sometimes it's my job to just say, 'hey, I'm not going to try to force anything.'"
So, basically, what he's trying to say is that his adoring fans didn't pipe down quickly enough for him to make the undoubtedly soul-bearing statement he had planned, so it's their fault he ended the show early.
What he is sorry for is the fact he even tweeted a kinda-sorta apology in the first place — the post wasn't up more than a few hours before he took it down. Either that or a member of his (probably underpaid) PR machine begged him to delete it.
It was bound to happen sooner or later. Two of Once Upon a Time's evilest, most cunning characters are joining forces — for now, at least. By the end of tonight's episode, the Evil Queen (or "Queenie," as Regina likes to call her) and Rumple were working together.
Firstly, the Evil Queen handed over the shears of destiny to Rumple. Yes, those same shears Jafar gave to Aladdin, who then handed them over to Emma, who then gave them to Hook to get rid of so she wasn't tempted to use them on herself and sever her ties as the savior once and for all.
As you probably recall, Hook didn't dispose of the shears, like he told Emma he did, but instead hung on to them. He just couldn't stand the thought of losing Emma, if that truly is her fate as the savior. Of course, the Evil Queen figured it out and even revealed Hook's lies to Henry. To make a long story short, Henry and Hook did bury the shears in a treasure chest thousands of leagues under water. Yes, Hook did own up to Emma about his lie, but all is thankfully good between them.
However, the Evil Queen had some friends in low places (she happened to have a few underwater creatures who owe her a favor) and she managed to get hold of the shears. But, rather than keeping them for herself, she handed them over to Rumple. Apparently, the shears can be used on everyone, not just saviors, like Belle and her unborn son.
Once again, it seems Rumple is trying to twist his fate and force things to work between him and Belle. When he is going to stop repeating the same mistakes and understand he can't force Belle into something she doesn't want? That's not who she is, and no one should ever be forced to do something they don't want to do. Moving on.
Who knows if his plan will work, but now that he possesses the shears, Rumple will surely at least try something. Why did Regina just hand over the shears willingly? Well, because Rumple (aka her mentor, when he was the Dark One in the Enchanted Forest) once told her, "Know what you want and go after it with everything you have." The first thing she wants is Rumple, so she kissed him (and just when it seemed like Belle may want to make amends with Rumple). The second thing Regina wants is for Rumple to help her get Snow White's heart once and for all.
It's unclear if Rumple will truly help the Evil Queen, but seeing as she did give him the shears, he may be feeling kind. There's a good chance he'll do whatever is best for him and take the shears and run. Now that he has them, does he really need to help the Evil Queen?
You never know what these two are thinking or what their true agendas are, but one thing remains certain: they make one fantastic duo. It's like the good old days of the Evil Queen and the Dark One are resurfacing. What's better than seeing two of the original OUAT villains partnering up? They could cause some serious damage and heartache throughout Storybrooke, so fans better get ready for what's ahead from Rumple and the Evil Queen.
As a final note, did anyone else notice that Rumple has now kissed Zelena, Cora and the Evil Queen (who is essentially a part of Regina)? It's definitely a bit creepy, but he clearly can't sever ties with this family.
And finally, we know the new baby boy's name: Elijah Everett Mandel Nece. The couple revealed that Elijah was chosen for its biblical roots, while Everett was Ford's father's middle name and Mandel was former NFL star Nece's dad's middle name.
A Hebrew name meaning "Yahweh is God," which was the name of the Old Testament prophet who went to heaven in a chariot of fire, Elijah has been in the top 100 U.S. baby boy names since 1995, hitting an all-time high of No. 11 in 2013 and staying there ever since.
Other celebrities who've chosen Elijah for their sons include Cher and Gregg Allman, Donnie Wahlberg, James Spader, Wynonna Judd, Elton John and Bono.
"Everyone can tell you it’s the greatest love you’ll ever know, but truly, watching my husband Ryan with little E is the truest of true love that’s of this world!" said Ford, who partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy on Dancing with the Stars in 2006 and was fifth to be eliminated from the show.
Ford and Nece married in 2015 and announced their pregnancy in March. Before Elijah's birth, Ford showed off his gender-neutral nursery, which she designed herself, naturally.
Willa Ford baby nursery
Willa Ford baby nursery
"With my personality, I just knew it had to look nature-y,” said Ford. "It’s so funny — we focus so much on the baby and what the baby’s gonna love. They’re never gonna know what it looks like! I’ll pay money if you can remember what your nursery looked like. It’s really about the mom!"
Congratulations to Ford and Nece on the arrival of baby Elijah!
More big names have joined the ranks of celebrities endorsing Hillary Clinton for President this week. Over the weekend, Beyoncé Instagrammed a clip of her viral TidalX concert speech about the importance of voting. While she didn't mention Clinton by name in the speech, Bey vaguely references getting a woman into the White House for the first time. Meanwhile, the creative minds behind the Key of Awesome YouTube channel released a hilarious video in support of Clinton, parodying the smash hit musical Hamilton. But these two are just the most recent in a long line of celebrity supporters of Clinton.
As Election Day approaches, more and more celebrities are adding their voices to the fray. And, while there are some celebrities hitting the road for Donald Trump and others advocating a third-party candidate, most celebrities speaking out about politics are supporting the Democratic nominee for president. Not only are they speaking out, but they've also gotten very creative with how they show support for Clinton.
Bey's speech to the audience at her TidalX performance didn't mention Clinton specifically, but called out to women, young people and people of color to remember that their voices can change the world — and had, when they elected Barack Obama president.
"I know it seems like things are bad, but if you think that can't get worse just ask your grandparents," she said. "Remember Barack Obama is our President. You made that happen, young people made that happen. We are not helpless. The fire is still burning. Please go out and vote this November. Too many people have died and sacrificed so much for us to have our voice, we have to use it. Get in formation. Use our voices to do something great for our children."
2. Key of Awesome
Hamilton Parody vote for Clinton
Hamilton Parody vote for Clinton
The Key of Awesome team is known for its funny, viral videos, even if they don't generally get political. But in this election season, writers couldn't pass up the change to burn Donald Trump at every possible turn. What makes it even funnier (and more sad) is that their insults are mostly based on the actual things Trump has done and said this election — from calling him a racist to labeling him "rapey."
3. Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus campaigns for Hillary Clinton
Miley Cyrus campaigns for Hillary Clinton
As noted above, Cyrus went all out to support Clinton on the campaign trail, speaking to college students about the Clinton-Kaine ticket. "We would choose her no matter what," Cyrus told Ellen DeGeneres about her encounters with students during the campaign. "I think she's a total goddess. I just love her." Cyrus even called Clinton "the first female president of the United States" on her Instagram page on Wednesday when wishing Clinton a happy birthday.
4. Mark Ruffalo
Save The Day Vote vid
Save The Day Vote vid
Joss Whedon, director of a few Avengers movies, gathered a host of famous faces to make a voting PSA for his Save the Day initiative. Robert Downey Jr., Julianne Moore, Martin Sheen and Scarlett Johansson all appeared in the ad to encourage voter turnout. The short, funny video is blatantly anti-Trump and subtly pro-Clinton — Don Cheadle appears to call Trump "a racist, abusive coward" — and promised that, if Trump is defeated, Mark Ruffalo (also in the ad) will do a nude scene in his next film. Clinton commented on the ad, calling Ruffalo "a true patriot" in an interview with People.
Katy Perry has been a Hillary Clinton supporter for a while now — she even performed at the Democratic National Convention in July. In the months since, Perry has campaigned on the road for Clinton, even wearing "Nasty Woman" T-shirts. On Tuesday, Perry celebrated her birthday by voting early in an American flag jacket, an experience she recorded and shared with fans on social media.
6. Shonda Rhimes
Shondaland for Hillary Clinton
Shondaland for Hillary Clinton
The creator of Scandal, Grey's Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder appeared alongside her three leading ladies — Kerry Washington, Ellen Pompeo and Viola Davis — in a pro-Clinton ad directed by Scandal star Tony Goldwyn. The minute-long video aired during ABC's infamous "TGIT" night (Thank God It's Thursday).
7. Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham for Hillary Clinton
Lena Dunham for Hillary Clinton
Lena Dunham has campaigned for Clinton since the primaries. She frequently Instagrams her Clinton-themed T-shirts and jewelry, and she spoke at the DNC with fellow actress America Ferrera.
8. America Ferrera
Lena Dunham and America Ferrera
Lena Dunham and America Ferrera
Ferrera has been very vocal about both her hatred of Trump and her love for Clinton, who she called "my kind of badass" in a blog post for the Huffington Post in April.
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9. Amber Tamblyn
Amber Tamblyn Lip Sync
Amber Tamblyn Lip Sync
Fans of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants will be thrilled to know that Ferrera has also been campaigning with her Sisterhood co-star Amber Tamblyn. When the two appeared on Spike's Lip Sync Battle together, Tamblyn performed "I Wanna Sex You Up" as Donald Trump while Ferrera performed as a "concerned citizen" — basically, they were just making fun of the Republican nominee (skip to the 1:30 mark in the video above to see their performance). Tamblyn took another stand against Trump by joining other women who were sharing personal accounts of sexual assault on social media.
James Franco officially endorsed Clinton on Wednesday with a parody of the "Most Interesting Man in the World" Dos Equis ads. "I don't always endorse candidates, but when I do, they're extraordinary," Franco says in the ad, which he shared on Instagram.
11. Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro Anti-Trump
Robert De Niro Anti-Trump
Robert De Niro didn't exactly endorse Clinton, but he did trash her opponent in leaked video footage cut from a #VoteYourFuture campaign. In the video, which (of course) went viral, De Niro called Trump "a national disaster" and "a punk." After the footage made the rounds, De Niro doubled down, telling reporters that Trump "does not have a clue about what goes on in the rest of the world."
12. Cher
Cher endorses Hillary Clinton
Cher endorses Hillary Clinton
Cher is not shy when it comes to sharing her opinions, especially on her Twitter account. The singer frequently tweets her support of Clinton (and her hatred for Trump), and she even performed at a Clinton fundraiser in August. She's scheduled to perform at yet another Clinton fundraiser in November.
13. Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis for Hillary Clinton
Jamie Lee Curtis for Hillary Clinton
Jamie Lee Curtis is a major presence on the Clinton campaign trail, having appeared at events alongside the candidate herself. "I believe that Hillary's experience during this time in the world is the most important asset we have. Hillary has skin in the game," Curtis told The Daily Beast.
14. Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato campaigns for Hillary Clinton
Demi Lovato campaigns for Hillary Clinton
Demi Lovato began campaigning for Hillary Clinton during the primaries, performing at rallies and speaking to young voters. Lovato also performed at the DNC and advocated for mental health issues. "I'm proud to support a presidential candidate who will fight to ensure all people living with mental health conditions get the care they need to lead fulfilling lives. That candidate is Hillary Clinton," she said at the DNC.
15. John Cho & Kal Penn
John Cho and Kal Penn campaign for Hillary Clinton
John Cho and Kal Penn campaign for Hillary Clinton
The duo from the Harold & Kumar series, John Cho and Kal Penn, hit the road for Clinton to campaign in North Carolina. The co-stars tweeted about their adventures as they spoke to young voters and took photos with a cardboard cutout of Justin Bieber.
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16. Jay Z
Jay Z supports Clinton
Jay Z supports Clinton
Jay Z is performing a special concert in Cleveland, Ohio, this week to support Clinton in the all-important swing state.
17. Debra Messing
Will & Grace scene about 2016 Election
Will & Grace scene about 2016 Election
Debra Messing and her former Will & Grace castmates reunited to film a new 10-minute episode denouncing Trump, which Messing, a strong Clinton supporter, has been doing on Twitter as well. Not only that, but she also got into a Twitter war with Susan Sarandon toward the end of the Democratic primary after Sarandon said she was hesitant to support Clinton instead of Bernie Sanders.
Debra Messing Twitter critique of Susan Sarandon
Debra Messing Twitter critique of Susan Sarandon
18. Chloë Grace Moretz
Chloe Grace Moretz for Hillary Clinton
Chloe Grace Moretz for Hillary Clinton
Actress Chloë Grace Moretz also appeared at the DNC to support Clinton and has been working for Clinton's campaign all year, helping energize young voters and register first-time voters.
19. Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari Vote video
Aziz Ansari Vote video
Aziz Ansari rants against Donald Trump in this Vote viral video for NextGen Climate. Though he stops short of endorsing Clinton, Ansari's message is decidedly anti-Trump.
Jacobson and Glazer declared their support for Clinton on their Comedy Central show Broad City. Clinton even made an appearance on the show.
21. Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
Lady Gaga for Hillary Clinton
Lady Gaga for Hillary Clinton
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett posed for a photo with Clinton before she became the official Democratic nominee. After she won the primary, Gaga congratulated her on Instagram, writing, "Nothing can keep a strong woman down. VOTE for the first female US president in history."
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22. Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman narrates Hillary Clinton video
Morgan Freeman narrates Hillary Clinton video
Morgan Freeman provided the voiceover for the official Clinton video at the DNC. Speaking about how he came to be involved with the campaign, Freeman told Jimmy Kimmel that Clinton's people called him and he agreed, no questions asked. "I said, 'Lead me to wherever you need me,'" Freeman told Kimmel.
23. Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer supports Hillary Clinton
Amy Schumer supports Hillary Clinton
Comedian Amy Schumer has made her support of Clinton clear in her work, be that on her show, Inside Amy Schumer, or during an appearance on The Ellen Show or in her stand-up. Schumer also appeared in a pro-Clinton video with Dunham to promote Dunham's interview with Clinton.
Amy Schumer & Lena Dunham for Hillary Clinton
Amy Schumer & Lena Dunham for Hillary Clinton
24. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for Hillary Clinton
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for Hillary Clinton
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar endorsed Clinton way back in April in an op-ed for The Washington Post. He has continued to support Clinton on the campaign trail, appearing at the DNC and acting as a frequent guest on political news shows.
25. Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks DNC
Elizabeth Banks DNC
When Elizabeth Banks played host at the DNC, she gathered together a bevy of celebrities, including Mandy Moore, Rob Reiner, Connie Britton and Eva Longoria, to sing Hillary Clinton's campaign song ("Fight Song" by Tori Kelly) a cappella. It was genius.
You probably have caught wind by now that Prince Harry might have gone and snagged himself a new girlfriend — a new girlfriend who happens to be an American actress.
But unless you're a major fan of Suits, it's likely you don't know much about Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's rumored new love who plays Rachel Zane on the popular USA show.
Let's get to know her a little, shall we? Here are some things to know about Markle.
"Every day after school for 10 years, I was on the set of Married... with Children, which is a really funny and perverse place for a little girl in a Catholic school uniform to grow up," she told Esquire in 2014. "There were a lot of times my dad would say, 'Meg, why don't you go and help with the craft services room over there? This is just a little off-color for your 11-year-old eyes.'"
2. She's a calligraphy master
"I went to an all-girls Catholic school for like six years during the time when kids actually had handwriting class. I've always had a propensity for getting the cursive down pretty well," Markle told Esquire. "What it evolved into was my pseudo-waitressing job when I was auditioning. I didn't wait tables. I did calligraphy for the invitations for, like, Robin Thicke and Paula Patton's wedding."
Didn't you just get a vision of her creating beautiful calligraphy while sitting in Kensington Palace?
3. She's a dedicated humanitarian
Meghan Markle insta 1
Meghan Markle insta 1
Prince Harry and Markle may come from different worlds, but they do have one huge thing in common: a passion for helping others.
In 2014, Markle was appointed as ambassador for World Vision's Clean Water Campaign.
"They sent me the pitch. I did that gut check, and when I read the proposal — what they wanted to do in these communities in Rwanda — I had chills. How could I turn that down?" Markle told Ebony.
Markle also works with the United Nations Women, the HeForShe campaign and the international charity One Young World.
"The Tig is a hub for the discerning palate — those with a hunger for food, travel, fashion & beauty," Markle writes on the site. "I wanted to create a space to share all of these loves, to invite friends to share theirs as well, and to be the breeding ground for ideas & excitement — for an inspired lifestyle."
5. She was a suitcase girl on Deal or No Deal
Image: NBC
Before she got her big acting break, Markle was one of the infamous suitcase girls on the game show — but that doesn't mean she's exactly proud of it.
"I would put that in the category of things I was doing while I was auditioning to try to make ends meet," she told Esquire. "Definitely working on Deal or No Deal was a learning experience, and it helped me to understand what I would rather be doing. So if that's a way for me to gloss over that subject, then I will happily shift gears into something else."
Markle certainly leads a well-rounded life, and it sure seems like she's the perfect combination of brains, beauty, talent and heart that make her fit to date royalty.
Don't you think Markle and Prince Harry actually make a perfect couple?
The actor admitted he's planning to do the thing we all joke about every election season: head straight for the border if his candidate doesn't win. Though, in Trump's case, who can even blame him?
He let his master plan slip during an interview on The Bestseller Experiment, a podcast covering the upcoming election.
"It wouldn’t be a vacation, I’d be an expatriate. Absolutely. I would definitely move!" Cranston said. "It is not real to me that that would happen. I hope to God it won’t."
This election season has sparked a little more talk about America's northern neighbor than usual. From fake ads selling tiny Canadian towns as potential new homes for American defectors to dating sites specifically for matching politics-weary Americans with Canadians who might (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) help them get citizenship, the U.S. has probably never been so collectively enamored with the idea of crossing the border for good.
Canada for President ad
Canada for President ad
The good news is that even if Cranston doesn't want to be anywhere near Trump, he still kind of likes the idea of playing him at some point — but only if Breaking Bad writer Vince Gilligan is involved in creating the part.
"He’s such a tragic Shakespearean character," Cranston explained. "He’s comedic because of the tragedy of this man’s soul. The delusion that he has, the supreme narcissism. In the States, there will be classes taught on this election period. There will be books written, movies made because of the anomaly he presented."
Update, Oct. 31, 11:30 a.m.: Michael Phelps and Nicole Johnson are now double married.
After tricking everyone and getting secretly married back in June, they had a second (and far more public) ceremony Saturday in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
And lord, was their second wedding gorgeous. Johnson's dress designer dished to People magazine about working with the former Miss California to get all the details right for the perfect gown.
"She did not want the traditional bridal gown," Israeli designer Julie Vino explained. "She wanted something that was a little more easygoing and flowing, and a slit up the side. She always wanted something with a slit. It was something that she had in her head from the beginning."
Johnson shared photos of the dress on her Instagram, and it is stunning.
Nicole Johnson wedding dress
Nicole Johnson wedding dress
If I could wear a dress like that, I'd have as many weddings as possible.
Back when he was in Rio at the Olympics, Phelps talked about the wedding he and his fiancée, former Miss California Nicole Johnson, were planning.
"I really can’t wait to get married," he said at the time. "It will be a small destination wedding later this year. It’s the next big milestone I’m looking forward to."
Now, news has come out that Phelps and Johnson actually exchanged vows in Arizona back in June, months before the Olympics. TMZ reports that Phelps' agent, Peter Carlisle, was the officiant, and the couple's 6-month-old son, Boomer, was part of the ceremony as well.
No one can really blame him for wanting to keep it under wraps. For a celeb who wants a small, intimate, private ceremony, the pressure of being in the spotlight all the time must get annoying. And with the Olympics this year, Phelps was definitely in the spotlight.
People should definitely look past this little bit of deceit, and instead be happy for the couple. After all, Phelps has been gushing about his now-wife for years.
"I said to a couple of my friends if I ever had the chance to get her back, that would be it. She was the one I loved the most," he said last year, after they split in 2011 and got back together in 2014. "Her and I have been on and off for eight years. It's been a long time. We've been through a lot. But I love her to death. We've been able to grow as a couple through everything we've been through, the positive changes I've made in my life."
Congrats to Michael Phelps and his wife, Nicole Johnson! Now they can focus on making more babies. I mean, look at that face...
No matter how thoughtfully planned out your birth plan may be, there are bound to be a few surprises once you hit home base, aka, the delivery room. If you're giving birth for the first time, your first shock (and horror) may be the sight of a doctor's toolkit by your bed filled with scalpels and scissors.
Yes, scissors.
It isn't uncommon for women to report that the experience of childbirth left them feeling as if they had little control over their bodies. Some may feel anger or resentment over never being asked by their doctor whether they wanted to tear naturally or have an episiotomy, which is a surgical incision made to the muscle between the vagina and the anus that helps deliver a baby. The best thing we can do as women is arm ourselves with facts about the pros and cons of each — and learn why these decisions are sometimes made for us.
The episiotomy used to be the most common surgical procedure performed on women, says Dr. Sherry Ross, OB-GYN and women’s health expert at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. The good news, especially if you're frightened of this procedure, is that the episiotomy is on the decline and less commonly recommended as the first choice for helping deliver a baby vaginally. "It used to be this procedure made enough room for the baby’s head to be delivered with the least amount of damage to the vagina," Ross says. "Now it’s thought to be more damaging than helpful."
The pros to getting an episiotomy include preventing tearing into the rectum or urethra and reducing the amount of time you have to push during labor. On the other hand, there are several complications involved with the procedure that could include infection, longer healing time, increased extension of vagina affected, bleeding, pain at the site of the episiotomy and future pain during sexual intercourse.
Women who are most likely to tear during childbirth include those giving birth for the first time or who have a larger-than-normal-size baby, vacuum- or forceps-assisted delivery, vaginal swelling due to prolonged pushing, the need to expedite delivery because of fetal distress and/or a baby being born face-up.
You may resent not being asked ahead of time by your doctor if you want an episiotomy, but doctors say the decision to do an elective episiotomy is not known until the moment right before birth.
"Most doctors do not ask because we do not do routine episiotomies," says Dr. Sarah Yamaguchi, OB-GYN at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles. "We only do them when they are medically indicated, such as when the baby’s heartbeat is very low and the baby needs to come out immediately and we cannot wait for the natural process to occur. Also, in some cases, it does seem like an episiotomy will provide an easier recovery than natural tearing, so it is done. The decision for an episiotomy is not made hours or days ahead of time. It is made at the very last second when the physician feels it would be the right decision for the patient."
Yamaguchi encourages women to ask their doctors questions about episiotomies if they are concerned and reminds us that it's crucial we trust our OB-GYN. With that said, childbirth is one time in our lives when we may not be able to control the wheel.
"A lot of women want to tightly control their labor and their delivery, but that is impossible," Yamaguchi says. "There is still a lot of art to obstetrics, and to restrict your physician from what they think is best can end up causing more harm than good."
Bottom line: As long as you trust your doctor, you are likely in very good hands — and any concerns you have about birth and tearing should be brought up long before your water breaks.
"The important thing is to have a conversation with your doctor prior to the last 10 seconds of your delivery," Yamaguchi says.
"I always reassure my patients the decision of cutting the vagina or letting the tissue tear naturally is determined at the time of the delivery," says Ross. "Some factors include how long the woman has been pushing, how large is the baby’s head, how swollen is the vagina and is there any reason to deliver the baby quickly due to fetal distress? As long as you reassure a pregnant woman you have their best interest and the interest of the baby first and foremost, the conversation ends comfortably."
Adele told fans at a recent gig that she was planning to expand her family as soon as her tour is over, but in her latest interview she's revealed much, much more about her thoughts on having another baby — and it wasn't a straightforward decision.
"I'm too scared," she told Vanity Fair when asked if she wants more children (she has son Angelo, 4, with partner Simon Konecki). "I had really bad postpartum depression after I had my son, and it frightened me."
The award-winning singer revealed that she didn't take antidepressants, and that she was also "very reluctant" to talk about her illness. "My boyfriend said I should talk to other women who were pregnant, and I said, 'Fuck that, I ain't hanging around with a fuckin' bunch of mothers,'" she admitted. However, despite her initial reluctance, she found herself "gravitating towards pregnant women and other women with children" because they were "a bit more patient."
So many moms who have experienced postpartum depression will relate to Adele's experience. According to the American Psychological Association, up to 1 in 7 women experience postpartum depression. So if you're in a group of new moms, chances are several of them are going through the same mental health struggles. And it's so true that sometimes, you just know who's been where you are without having to exchange more than a few words.
"I knew I could just sit there and chat absolute mush with my friends who had children, and we wouldn’t judge each other," said Adele. "One day I said to a friend, 'I fuckin' hate this,' and she just burst into tears and said, 'I fuckin' hate this, too.' And it was done. It lifted."
She also acknowledged that postpartum depression can come in many forms: "My knowledge of postpartum — or postnatal, as we call it in England —is that you don’t want to be with your child; you’re worried you might hurt your child; you’re worried you weren’t doing a good job. But I was obsessed with my child. I felt very inadequate; I felt like I’d made the worst decision of my life."
Like Hayden Panettiere, Drew Barrymore, Alanis Morissette, Brooke Shields and all the other celebrity mothers who've opened up about having postpartum depression, it's incredibly brave of Adele to share her experience — especially considering how much she guards her privacy. We might think we have nothing in common with the women who walk the red carpet, grace the covers of glossy magazines and have bank balances we can only dream of. But when you become a mom, none of that matters. Every one of us is susceptible to the stresses and anxieties of motherhood, and postpartum depression can affect anyone, regardless of their background or status.
So how did Adele deal with her mental health issues? She gave herself an afternoon a week "just to do whatever the fuck I want without my baby." As she says, this doesn't make you a bad mother: "it makes you a better mom if you give yourself a better time."
Kelly Ripa clearly faced the same difficult question the rest of us do: With so many great, topical Halloween costume options, how do you choose just one?
On Monday's Halloween episode of Live!, Ripa pulled out all the stops and wore pretty much every costume. First, she came out dressed as Beyoncé in Lemonade, clearly a popular choice for this year.
Image: WABC-TV
While Ripa rocked her Bey look, guest co-host Jerry O'Connell was dressed as Negan from The Walking Dead... before Ripa herself donned that costume — and a barbed wire bat, of course, to swing it at one of her co-hosting prospects: Neil Patrick Harris, Jimmi Simpson or O'Connell himself.
In a nod to the epic cliffhanger on TWD, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays Negan, made a brief appearance to help Ripa choose, though the camera cut away without revealing his choice. Guess we'll find out next season.
Next up was Hamilton, and Ripa's chance to joke about her indecision when it comes to picking out a Halloween costume.
Image: WABC-TV
"My game is Kelly Ripa’s Halloween and there’s a million wigs I haven’t worn," she sang, dressed as the founding father from the famous musical. "But just you wait! Just you wait!"
Other costumes Ripa tried on during the show included Mr. Robot's Elliot and Harley Quinn.
Kelly Ripa Halloween Harley Quinn
Kelly Ripa Halloween Harley Quinn
But easily one of her best looks was Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. For that look, Ripa wore a bad comb-over wig, a black suit and way, way too much bronzer.
Image: WABC-TV
"I brought my smoking-hot wife Melania," she said in a Trump impression during a Family Feud sketch spoofing the candidate and his wife. "My gorgeous daughter Ivanka — isn’t she beautiful, folks? We are going to make game shows great again!"
My son and daughter were born only two years apart. Both births lasted about 21 hours. Both births took place in the same hospital. Both were full term. I elected for an epidural both times. However, the experiences were as different as night and day. My son’s birth was a nightmarish experience where I felt like I had no control and was under-informed on absolutely everything being done to me. The experience left me traumatized and afraid to give birth again. My daughter’s birth, however, was amazing — an experience during which I felt strong and calm from start to finish.
I realized in retrospect there were a few key things I could have done to avoid some of the trauma of my first birth experience — the things I did differently the second time around. Of course, it would have been impossible for me to have an ideal birth the first time around. There are some things you simply can't know until you've experienced them firsthand. While there is no way for a first-time mom to feel as experienced and knowledgeable as a second-, third- or fourth-time mom, hopefully you can still learn from my two contrasting experiences. These four things made my daughter’s birth so much better, and I wish I had known them earlier.
1. Brush up on a variety of birth stories
Be prepared for a variety of birthing possibilities, even if your heart is set on a particular birth plan. When I was pregnant with my son, I knew I wanted to try for a natural birth. I immersed myself in books and documentaries and methods for having a successful drug-free birth. No pain medication, no epidural, no nothing. That was the only experience I was prepared for, so I was at a loss when plans changed midway through.
When I was later pregnant with my daughter, I read lots of birth stories and talked to friends who had gone through all-natural home birth, C-sections and medicated hospital births. Hearing the experiences of others helped me feel prepared and unafraid of the unknown. The second time around, I knew that the outcome was really out of my control, so the best I could do was be prepared for anything.
Learn about drugs and their side effects, even if you plan to have a natural birth. If I had known that Demerol could slow down labor and make you feel disoriented, I never would have taken it during my son’s birth. The nurse described it like it was Tylenol going into my IV, and I believed her. After that point, I lost all control and felt drunk, my labor all but stopped and many other interventions were necessary because of it.
When my daughter was born, I was well aware that my plans might need to change, so I armed myself with the knowledge I needed to make decisions I was comfortable with. If I wasn’t sure about something (because let’s face it, I didn’t have time to read up on every single thing while pregnant and parenting a toddler), I made sure to ask my nurse or doctor questions until I felt fully informed.
3. Choose your team
Surround yourself with a great team if you want a great birth. If your mom stresses you out, don’t have her in the room. If you have a nurse you don’t like, ask for a new one (yes, you can do that, and I definitely did). If you can’t have your own doctor in the middle of the night, talk to the on-call doctor until you feel at ease. When my son was born, I dealt with a lot of different hospital staff members, and many of them bullied me into decisions I later regretted, interventions I didn't feel fully comfortable with (such as breaking my water), putting me on Pitocin and using vacuum-suction to deliver my son.
During my daughter’s birth, I knew I wanted only one nurse and my husband in the room with me. I had a good conversation with the anesthesiologist, so I felt comfortable when it came time to have my epidural. Everyone around me made me feel comfortable and supported, which was exactly what I needed. If someone was making my birth experience more difficult, they didn’t belong anywhere near me.
4. Speak up
This is your birth, and you should have a say in how it goes. I wish I had been vocal about my desire to have my son placed on my chest as soon as he was born. I had to wait an agonizing amount of time to hold him for the first time, all because I never asked if I could have him first.
The second time around, I was very clear about what I wanted, whether it was a chocolate pudding or a walk around labor and delivery or having my baby placed against my chest for some immediate skin-to-skin. I felt so much more in control by being able to call some of the shots, even if it was just for small things.
Need help roasting your turkey but loathe talking on the phone? I feel you. Talking with human beings you don't know on the phone is so echh, especially when you're mustering all your social energy for your exasperating relatives and/or in-laws. Holidays are hard enough on introverts, aren't they?
Well, happy day to you, because this year you'll be able to reach the Butterball Help Line via text — in the manner in which we are accustomed. This means no one will be able to hear your sobs of frustration as you work your way through your culinary crisis.
For the first time ever, you can use emoji to express your turkey-roasting angst via the hotline number 844-877-3456. That said, we do advise using some descriptive words to get the help you're really after. Texting is available Nov. 17 through 24.
And of course, you're still welcome to call, chat online, email or even send ye olde snail mail if you'd rather. Turkey Talk is there for you, which is more than we can say for your cousin Ryan, who you know is going to bail on bringing anything at all, as usual.
When planning a wedding, there are always compromises to be made and extravagances to be cut due to budgetary restrictions. But a wedding just isn't a wedding without a Champagne toast, so bubbly is one of those things that you probably can't do without.
The good news is whether you have $1,000 or $1,000,000 to spend on your big day, there are a ton of amazing Champagnes and sparkling wines on the market that will fit your specific wedding budget.
It's a touch difficult to find a quality French sparkling wine that actually hails from the region of Champagne for less than $25, but it's rather simple to find a delicious bubbly from somewhere in the U.S. or even Spain.
Roederer Estate Brut: One of California's premier sparklers, this brut is a sleek and balanced Champagne with hints of apple, vanilla and cinnamon. It goes for a suggested retail of $24 per bottle.
Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut: Often referred to as "black-bottle bubbly," this sparkling wine is certain to impress your guests with it's full-bodied and bright apple, pear and citrus flavors. It currently retails on Total Wine from $8 per 750-milliliter bottle and up.
If you've got a little more to spend in the alcohol department, consider the following sparkling wines sure to make an impact on you and your guests' taste buds.
Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut: A crowd-pleaser from France, Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut is light and dry with subtle hints of crisp apple and creamy vanilla. It currently retails at $47 on Wine.com.
Ayala Brut Majeur: This Champagne is aromatic on the nose and pairs perfectly with Asian cuisine, seafood and chicken. Hints of apple, raspberry and lemon make Ayala Brut Majeur unforgettable. Get it on Wine.com now for $40.
Perhaps you're having an elegant wedding serving guests with sophisticated palates. Give these a whirl.
Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial: Champagne lovers agree that this is the best! It's fruity, smells of wild strawberries and has hints of raspberry and cream. Originating in France, Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial is romantic and sensual. Get it on Wine.com now for $60 a bottle.
Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec: A clean, brilliant yellow Champagne that's fresh and fruity — without being too sweet — is Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec. Any palate will love the smooth flavor with hints of praline. It currently retails for $70 per 750-milliliter bottle.
And finally, if you're willing to splurge on the best Champagne out there for your special day, don't miss our top picks for Champagnes over $100.
Bollinger Grande Année Brut: This exceptional Champagne is so prestigious, it's only produced when the best harvests occur. It's rich and complex, and we love its rose-gold color. Flavors include glamorous peach, pear, jasmine and lilac. Available on Wine.com for $150 a bottle.
Dom Pérignon 2004: Like candied fruit, Dom Pérignon is the Champagne of Champagnes, and you really can't go wrong with this classic. With hints of ginger, pear and lemon, Dom Pérignon will have even the Champagne critics at your wedding coming back for more. Available on Wine.com for $190 per bottle.
For certain students and their parents, home schooling can offer a great deal of flexibility. It can also alleviate some of the challenges of mainstream or traditional schooling. But home schooling is not without its own set of difficulties. For first-time parent-teachers, these difficulties can prove to be quite frustrating. Luckily, solutions to the most common home schooling challenges exist, and they are easier than you might think! Consider these four examples:
Complex curriculum
Do you remember every aspect of your fifth grade social studies class, your eighth grade math class, or your third grade English class? Very few people do, which can make aspects of homeschooling seem nearly impossible. You might fear the day your six-year-old student begins to work with fractions and long division, or you might dread the moment when you need to explain genetic inheritance to your teenager. But you are not alone. The Internet is an excellent resource for parent-teachers, as are guest instructors. Any subject expert can be a guest instructor, from your next-door neighbor who is an accountant, to a fellow home school parent who is also an artist. You may even end up serving as a guest instructor to another student!
Balancing the roles of parent and teacher can be difficult — especially if you have very young children in your home. A student who is frustrated by an algebra problem or a primary source from the Revolutionary War may quickly cease to think of you as a “real teacher,” even though you are. One of the best ways to address this challenge is to set guidelines with your child’s input. What behavior is acceptable when you are acting as an instructor? What academic and emotional support will she expect of you? Consider committing these rules to writing to make them official.
Frequent distractions
Computers, smartphones, and televisions — not to mention the refrigerator and your student’s favorite toys — can distract you and your family from your home schooling goals. The occasional distraction will occur, but there are steps you can take to limit other disruptions. For example, if you have an extra room in your home, transform it into a space used exclusively for home schooling. Do not allow electronics in this room unless they are applicable to the day’s lessons. Limit food and drink to prearranged breaks, but do remember to schedule these breaks, as small snacks like almonds and water can increase your child’s focus.
Social isolation
When you and your student live and learn in the same environment, this space can begin to seem restrictive. However, the beauty of home schooling is that your child’s education can occur anywhere. For instance, if you are exploring weather systems, you can journey to the nearest science museum. If you are reading about the planets in our solar system, you can visit a planetarium. Partnering with other home schooling families is also an option, as is enrolling your student in community extracurriculars like sports leagues, music lessons, and the like.
For more tips and strategies to help your student succeed in school, visit varsitytutors.com.
This is a good week for reviewing accounts. You'll like what you see on Tuesday when numbers show that you're getting a wonderful return on your investment dollars. You have the sun/Neptune trine to thank because trines often bring good luck and fortune. In your case, the fortune will be literal because Neptune is the planet of revenue streams in astrology. When Neptune's powerful, you will see your coffers fill and your cash-flow flow. But just because you're in the money doesn't necessarily mean that others are as well, which is why you'll want to beware of people reneging on their debts on the 9th.
You're often criticized for being stubborn, but you know that it's in service to a higher cause. You have no problem parking yourself in the middle of the road and refusing to budge. It exasperates people, but that's because they're fickle and shortsighted. You know that people make decisions haphazardly and will come around to your way of thinking if you wait them out. Ironically, the tables will be turned on Nov. 4 when breaking developments force you to rethink your own staunchly held position. Evidently, you maintained it more out of force of habit than as the result of true reflection.
You have all the elements in place to make a spectacular success of a certain project or venture. Unfortunately, the pieces are not in the right order. Now, you might be tempted to throw all your thoughts and ideas against the wall to see what sticks, but you'd be better off examining each and every one of them in minute detail on Wednesday, when your powers of analysis are at their height thanks to a penetrating Mercury/Pluto sextile. What emerges over the weekend will be a strategy for moving forward. This will get you the results you want right when you want them.
Neptune symbolizes the things we long for and know that we'll never have, but cherish anyway. It sounds self-defeating until you realize that infatuation is good. If you didn't believe that the person you're falling in love with is your soul mate, the project you're beginning is a moneymaker or that you've finally discovered the life path that leads to your higher purpose, then what would be the point of trying anything new? Neptune provides the antidote to our "been there, done that" society. This is something you'll experience on Nov. 1 when an enchanting sun/Neptune trine gets you to dream the impossible dream once more.
Not everyone who comes breezing into your life is meant to stay. Certain encounters are meant to raise your consciousness, expand your horizons and enliven your spirit, and that's exactly what a certain someone will do on Nov. 4. He will lift you out of that slump you've fallen into and get you excited about your life again. Unfortunately, he'll be gone before you know it, but look at it this way: would you really have valued him if he had stuck around? Think of him as a wonderful angel who came into your life at just the right time to turn things around.
It isn't easy changing the habits of a lifetime, but the Mercury/Pluto sextile on Nov. 2 will help. Your success won't be based on willpower or shaming yourself into a leaner, healthier and more fiscally responsible you. Success comes from setting a goal and then formulating a list of easy-to-follow actionable steps. Take advantage of the fact that you are a creature of routine by scheduling a regular time for exercise, meals or monthly payments, and you will make your progress sustainable. It may seem like baby steps, but these baby steps will lead to major strides in a short amount of time.
Success attracts admirers, but it can also attract imitators and rivals as well. You don't usually see yourself this way, which is why it's important for you to change thinking caps. Librans are far too self-effacing to believe that anyone might covet their accomplishments, but rest assured that this is something that you must take more seriously. What started out as someone wanting to learn at your knee has turned into a situation in which the student is looking to kick the teacher to the curb. You will need to protect your interests in the next couple of weeks, so be prepared for things to get nasty.
You know that instinct of yours that knows when to stop what you're doing and retrace your steps? You'll want to pay attention to it on Nov. 2 when Mercury sextiles Pluto. There are different ways of communicating that lie outside the wireless network of texting and instant messaging. There are dreams, intuition and seismic vibrations — which are what animals pick up on before an earthquake hits. As a Scorpio, you have a healthy respect for the hidden and the unexplainable. Heed the impulse to touch base with a client or contact a loved one, and you'll avert a disaster just in the nick of time.
You're tired of being scolded by your spouse, reprimanded by your boss and condescended by your children. But this is what happens when you put yourself in a position in which you are beholden to others financially. It's been a hard lesson to learn, but it looks like it's finally sinking in. Continue working to pay back what you owe because this is what will make you solvent, and solvency is the only thing that will bring the freedom you crave. When you were told months ago that freedom comes at a price, little did you know that it would cost so much.
Something's got to give, and it looks like it will be those heavy expectations that you put on yourself. There comes a time when we outgrow certain perspectives and for you, that time is now. You're finally beginning to realize what friends have been telling you for years. You work harder than most, accomplish much of what you set out to do and hold yourself to standards that are impressive, but not necessarily shared or appreciated by everybody. So loosen up on the tight reins. You'll discover that you'll still reach your destination, plus you get to enjoy the sights along the way.
Helping people to realize their dreams helps you to realize yours. And this isn't about being politically and/or karmically correct. What it stems from is your idea of a communal ecosystem. You know that your greatest resources are your human resources. You don't believe in the scorched-earth competitive mindset in which one person screws over somebody else to get to the top. You believe that the sum is made up of its parts, so the more you help the parts to develop their full potential, the greater the sum will be and everyone benefits — like you'll see on Nov. 4 when Venus trines Uranus.
You've always seen yourself as a dreamer, a hopeless romantic, which is why it may come as a shock to you when someone asks what she can do to help on Nov. 2. This person may be a supporter, a backer or even a friend who believes in you. As a Pisces, you're too quick to discount your creative vision without taking into account how it can seize the imagination and enthusiasm of others. Listen to what this person has to say and heed her advice and wise counsel, because you may have just found that special collaborator who can make your dreams a reality.
Having oily skin can be maddening any time of year—how are you supposed to keep your makeup on when it keeps sliding off?—but that frustration increases when all oil-production hell breaks loose. Good stuff.
The default solution to this conundrum is to say that a primer will solve all your problems, but the truth is that not all primers are created equally. The best primer for oily skin, however, can change your makeup game and keep it that way. You’ll get smoother, clearer skin, a more balanced complexion, and makeup that lasts all day long.
This luxurious mattifying powder-gel is an oily skin lifesaver, whether you wear it alone or under makeup: As a primer, its lightweight texture softens and hydrate, and plant extracts help control sebum over-production for a long-lasting matte finish. (Sephora $36)
2. bareMinerals PrimeTime™ Oil Control Foundation Primer
This oil-free foundation primer is formulated specifically for people with oily skin to create a silky smooth canvas from the get go. Throughout the day, it holds up to combat excess oil and absorb shine while hiding pores, fine lines, and wrinkles. (Sephora, $24)
3. Smashbox Photo Finish Oil-Free Pore Minimizing Foundation Primer
When primer pros Smashbox release a new formula, makeup lovers pay attention—and this one did not disappoint. The non-drying formula locks in makeup and absorbs oil to keep your face shine-free throughout the day. Plus, it's sweat and humidity-resistant for up to eight hours, so consider it a safe choice for summer. (Smashbox $39)
This lightweight primer quickly minimizes the appearance of pores and fine lines to help makeup stay put. The super silky texture leaves skin super smooth and shine-free, and the vitamin E in the formula protects skin from damaging free radicals. (Sephora $31)
This mineral-based, water-resistant primer—with SPF 15!—neutralizes and balances skin to minimize shine. The satin finish minimizes the appearance of pores and leaves makeup feeling fresh, and decidedly non-slippery, all day. (Sephora $52)
6. Too Faced Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer
This primer is scientifically formulated—whatever that means—to achieve the appearance of smooth, poreless skin even without makeup. Vitamins A & C, mulberry extract, and an impressive amount of retinol to conceal pores and leave skin firm and hydrated. (Too Faced Cosmetics, $30)
This primer wants to replace traditional foundation, primer, color corrector, and powder to enhance the appearance of your skin in one fell swoop. On top of keeping your makeup on all day, it also works to improve skin tone, help maintain hydration, and reduce the appearance of redness, discoloration, pores, fine lines, and shine. A multitasker for the ages. (Perfekt Beauty $48)
This formula is water-based, so it has a super lightweight feel that really lets skin breathe. Pomegranate extract is an antioxidant powerhouse that helps tighten pores while willow bark extract balances skin, witch hazel mattifies and keeps impurities out, and rice starch absorbs excess surface oil and softens skin. (Korres $33)
Ever-matte, indeed: This one controls oil and keeps skin mattified and pores minimized for up to 12 hours. Think of it as a "liquid blotting paper" to keep skin matte and shine-free all day long, sans silicone, oil, alcohol, or fragrance. (BECCA $36)
