#tell me why i switched back to my usual budget brand and my hair is immediately a thousand times better. like.

[fingertipsmp3]

Tbh I also think if your expensive shampoo makes my hair worse I should be allowed to kill you with a rock

[smolbeansnook]

Humbug

   Kaylyn pets the cats when she’s sad.

   It’s the holiday season, honestly. Don’t get her wrong, Kay loves Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Halloween’s special because she gets to throw on a costume and sit on the front steps outside her apartment door, a bowl of bite-sized candies in her lap while children race up and down the concrete pathway to greet her. Sure, her costume isn’t the best or the flashiest every year (2016, she dressed as Darkwing Duck and all she had to show for it was a black cape and some sort of crappy plastic duck beak mask), and sure, she doesn’t have the full-sized bars of candy because, let’s be honest, she’s not made of money and the budget’s tight, and sure, she doesn’t always have the world’s best Halloween decorations on display by her windows.

   These factors, however, don’t deter her from handing out Reese’s, Snickers and Milky Ways to the next Captain America or Harry Potter that wanders up to her bowl. Kay likes to make kids smile. She likes watching the parents take pictures.

   Thanksgiving is a little tougher, but not so bad. Last year, Kay made the mistake of trying to cook her own turkey in the oven and nearly burned her apartment down, so this year, she bought thirty dollars worth of Popeyes and ate it all by herself while she FaceTimed with her brother and watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Bucky, her retired German shepherd that she adopted when she first joined Steelheart City’s police force, lay his big head on her left thigh and gazed at his owner with large, sad brown eyes until he was inevitably given the handouts he worked oh so hard for. Kay gets to talk to Kaelan and that’s all swell, she can’t really complain.

   Christmas, however… Christmas is the holiday that hits her the hardest. It’s the one time of year that Kay misses her parents the most. Her father enlisted in the air force and had been shot down after maybe two years of active duty. Her mother initially survived a collision including her tiny Subaru and a semi-truck, but didn’t make it to the hospital with a heartbeat. Kay’s last family Christmas was fourteen years ago, when she was six years old and her papa gifted her a brand new pair of red sneakers for soccer. Now, her parents are six feet under with only pictures and graves left behind. Her twin brother is off at some expensive college and spending Christmas with some broad that he thinks just might be his true love. Kay’s uncle, who’s not really her uncle but did help raise her, is spending Christmas with his own family in the other side of the country, and Kay couldn’t follow him because, well, she’s a cop, and cops stay home.

   Kay decorates her Christmas tree alone. She buys presents alone. She listens to holiday music alone. She sticks a bow on Bucky’s head and takes a picture for social media alone. Before that, however, Kay goes to the pet shop to see if she can’t find anything to buy her old dog for Christmas, and that’s when she usually finds the kitties in their cages toward the front of the store, waiting to be adopted.

   So, yeah. Kaylyn pets the cats when she’s sad. She’s sure that she’s bothered the owner by coming in almost every single day for the last week, but she just couldn’t help herself.. “Oh, I’m just taking another look at that collar for old Buck,” she’d say, and then stroll casually over to the cages by the windows and reach through the arm-holes to pet soft fur and fuzzy ears. The owner didn’t have the heart to tell her to buy what she wants and leave, because it’s Christmas, and the only person who can be that heartless on Christmas is Scrooge, and he’s a story. Or at least, Kay’s pretty sure Scrooge is just a story. Oh man, what if Scrooge was based on a real person who hates Christmas, and then saw ghosts? Who hates Christmas, anyway?! Wait, Kay, stay focused. Pet the cats.

   “Humbug.”

   A sudden, single spoken word snapped Kay out of her trance of sad thoughts and Christmas ponderings. Blinking her blue eyes, she now noticed that she switched from petting the black and white kitty to petting the brown and peach kitty. The feline’s fur was soft beneath her fingertips. A long-hair, for sure, but Kay had no idea what breed the cat is. The young woman used her free hand to gently tuck her ebony hair behind her ear, and as she did so, she turned her body just slightly to look over her shoulder.

   Behind her, only a few feet away, there stood a rather tall man in the petshop’s work uniform. The uniform came with a rather ridiculous-looking bright yellow vest and blue trousers, but the clothes weren’t what struck Kay as odd. It was the hair. The man had vibrant blue hair, and even worse, vibrant blue eyebrows. She couldn’t tell if this employee had dyed his hair such an unnatural color, or if he was born with some horrific color-changing mutation. After a few moments of simply staring at the employee, Kay realized she finally hadn’t spoken yet. In her sudden effort to think of something to say, all she could muster up was,

   “What?”

   “The cat.” The man smiled, taking a small step closer to the cages - and by extension Kay - and gestured to the cat the woman was petting with a long, slender finger. “Humbug. That’s his name.”

   Kay’s lashes fluttered as she blinked in momentary confusion, allowing her gaze to drift from the employee’s finger toward the cage. The cat sat on the other side, her green eyes now staring up at the woman with confusion, as if the kitty was wondering why the human had stopped petting her. Kay’s brain took a few moments to process what she was being told, and then, finally, it clicked.

   “Oh! Humbug!” The woman’s eyes lit up and she began to softly laugh, although anyone could have guessed that her laughter was born from nervousness. “Who would ever give a cat that name? Or any animal?”

   Kay let her gaze drift back to the employee’s face, only to notice that the man was smiling a little wider than before. “It’s not the most terrible name to give an animal.” The man’s voice, combined with his appearance, led Kay to believe that he might have been in his mid twenties, maybe just barely shy of twenty-five. He continued, “We once got a rottweiler named Hades in the store. Nicest dog I’ve ever met. I spent ten minutes of my shift feeding him treats while his owner went outside to smoke.”

   Kay’s smile, previously faint and polite, soon transitioned to something a little more genuine. She giggled - sincerely this time - and slowly withdrew her hand from Humbug’s fur. “Is that right?”

   “That’s right.” The employee nodded. Kay noticed the man’s eyes following the movement of her hand, although his gaze soon returned to her face. Once again, he smiled at her. “Were you considering adopting one of our furry friends, here? Humbug’s the oldest, been here the longest, and she needs a good home.”

   “Oh, no, I couldn’t.” Kay immediately chimed, trying to ignore the guilt slowly creeping up the back of her head. “I mean, I’d love to, but, uh… I’ve got a shepherd at home and I’m not sure how well he’d do with cats.”

   The employee, again, gave a slow nod, his expression unwavering. “Part of my job here at Elenclaw Pets is to stroll on over to this neck of the store and convince you to adopt, but… that isn’t necessarily why I’m standing here.” Finally, the man’s smile flickered, faltering just slightly. “This isn’t the first time I’ve seen you petting the cats this week.”

   Kay could immediately feel every muscle in her body tense up, anxiousness washing through her mind like waves crashing on the surface of a wide, dark ocean. “Are you kicking me out? Look man, I’m sorry, I know I come here all the time and never actually buy a cat or a toy or anything, it’s just…” As Kay trailed off, she suddenly found herself at a loss for words. What was she supposed to tell this man? The employee stood there, patiently waiting for the young woman to finish her sentence. Kay knew she owed the man something, some sort of actual response rather than unfinished thoughts, but… she was left with nothing. Feeling a bit idiotic, Kay slowly rolled her shoulders in a gentle shrug. To her surprise, the man spoke again, his voice gentle.

   “I’m not kicking you out.” He told Kay, taking a moment to think and shifting his weight a bit where he stood, as if making himself more comfortable after standing in the same place for so long. He then continued, “I just happened to notice you stop in lately to look. It’s fine for you to come in and visit the cats, God knows they need attention, except… well… most people smile when they pet animals.” The man’s eyes, a much deeper blue than Kay’s own, studied the woman’s face. “I just noticed that you don’t smile when you pet them.”

   What the hell is Kay supposed to say to that? Caught between embarrassed and surprised, the young woman hardly knew what words to shove out of her talking-hole. “I, uh…” Kay could feel heat flush her face as a rosish hue dusted her ivory cheeks, a very good representation of her inner turmoil. Finally, unknowing of what sort of response to give the man, she simply swallowed thickly and opted for, “I, uh… guess I don’t.” She lowered her gaze, unable to look him directly in the eye anymore, and instead glanced toward Humbug again. Once more, she reached through the arm-hole of the glass barrier and gently pet Humbug’s fur. Soft rumbling came from the feline’s small body, as if Kay had jump-started a motor that ran on happiness and love. A thought suddenly pierced Kay’s mind, a way to save this embarrassing moment, and she suddenly found herself laughing nervously. “You’re… kinda observant, huh?”

   The Elenclaw Pets employee chuckled - actually chuckled, the noise coming from deep within his throat and could have very well been mistaken for a rumbling lion if one wasn’t listening very well - and gave a slow shrug of his shoulders. “Anyone else would have told me I’m creepy.”

   “A pet store employee telling me he watches me pet cats every day and notices I don’t smile? No, not creepy at all.” Kay managed to form a good enough sentence to produce a response. Ah, yes, good. Jokes. Jokes is a good way out of any awkward situation.

   The employee’s chuckling turned into soft laughter. He settled one hand on his hip and reached out with his other to prop his palm against the wall, eyeing the young woman. “Would it be alright with you if I asked you why you’re so sad?”

   Kay shot the man a quick look, “Who said I’m sad?”

   “You do. Every time you come in.” The employee shot back. “Every time you wander over to the cats and take a look at them. You don’t smile. You just talk to them, too soft for anyone to hear, and you always look…” The man paused in speech a moment, as if thinking, and then continued, “...forlorn.”

   The rosish hue that dusted Kay’s cheeks turned just a little bit darker. Unable to look directly at the employee anymore, she simply stared at Humbug. What could she say to this guy? What could she tell this man, a simple pet store employee, an NPC in her life who’s opinion hardly even mattered? She couldn’t just say nothing, so…

   “The same bullshit reason everyone looks sad today.” Kay answered softly. “It’s Christmas Eve.”

   A sudden silence fell between the two. For several long, horrible moments, they simply said nothing. Kay kept her gaze on the cat, and she didn’t want to know if the employee was looking at her or looking elsewhere. She knew he was still there - she could see him in her peripheral - but she just didn’t have the heart to make eye-contact.

   Finally, after those few moments passed, the employee cleared his throat. “I see.” Was the answer he chose to give her. A few more moments passed. Seconds seemed to stretch by like minutes, and Kay was too polite to walk away and abruptly end an innocent conversation. Just before the silence could be deemed anymore awkward, the man’s voice pierced the air again. “Miss… our shop isn’t usually open on holidays, but… Humbug, here… she gets quite a bit lonely.” He paused. “Tomorrow is Christmas… and by some holiday miracle, the doors might just be unlocked, and if they are, well… I’m sure Humbug could use some company.”

   Humbug’s green eyes stared into Kay’s blue ones. Kay hesitated, her hand stilling on the cat’s fur, before the young woman finally mustered up the courage to look up at the employee again. Once more, the man was smiling at her, standing there in his ridiculous bright yellow vest. It was then that Kay finally noticed a set of keys on the man’s belt, and she momentarily wondered if those keys happened to be the ones that opened the store’s doors.

   “I… don’t know what to say…” Kay managed. She finally smiled, feeling a bit of happiness bubble up in her chest. “Thank you, sir.”

   “My pleasure.” The employee replied. He turned away, just slightly, and lifted his hand off of the wall to instead slightly wave to Kay. “If there was anything else you needed, miss, I’ll be by the reptiles.”

   Kay watched the employee turn and begin to head away, strolling down the tile path with long legs. “Wait!” The young woman suddenly found herself calling out, even though she was, like, ninety percent sure her brain didn’t plan that. The employee stopped upon command, and turned to look at her. Kay smiled, her eyes giving the man a once-over. That blue hair didn’t look so bad now. “What’s your name?”

   The man cracked another smile. “Lawrence.” He told her. Then, finally, he turned on his heel again and walked off, this time uninterrupted by Kay’s calls. The ebony-haired woman watched the employee walk off, then turned to look at the cats again.

   Humbug stared at Kay, the feline’s eyes almost half-lidded with some sort of unreadable expression. “What?” Kay asked. Humbug simply yawned, withdrew from Kay’s touch, and curled up in the corner of her cage to get some sleep. Kay broke out into a ridiculous grin that she simply couldn’t wipe off her face. Shoving her hands into the pockets of her coat, she headed for the doors. Just as she reached the exit, she turned back to look for Lawrence, only to see the employee by the reptile section, looking right back at her. Kay smiled and waved. Lawrence waved back, and the two then turned away from each other, and went about their business. Kay headed to her car, almost a bit reluctantly.

   Christmas didn’t sound too bad, suddenly.

- - - -

A/N: So I got a sudden burst of writing inspiration (I don’t EVER GET THOSE OMG) and banged this out in about an hour and a half, I think. I don’t know, it’s like 11:30 at night and I’m tired. Anyway, these characters are actually based off of two WoW OC RP characters that I have with a very good friend. I love giving modern twists to things, and I figured that I’d like to see my little paladin in a bit calmer of a setting than Alliance vs Horde. So here’s Kay suffering through the holidays.

Context: -Elenclaw Pets, the name is based off of another character belonging to another RP partner. -Steelheart is where my character currently lives in WoW. It’s a made-up place. -Yes, Bucky is adorable and you should love him.

[sumisuchan]

The Lost Children Ch.3

I went to the market the next day. Morganite had prepared a note for me, stating I had her permission to go. She had even sealed it like an envelope meant to be delivered, written in her aristocratic cursive and signed at the bottom, with her card and its credits tucked in the middle.

The stationery she selected was light pink.

“I’ve never had a Pearl before,” Morganite explained. “I hope this is enough. If anyone bothers you, come to my office. Do you know where it is?”

She wore such a look of concern.

“This should suffice, My Lady, but I’ll alert you if there’s any trouble.”

“Alright then,” for the first time, it occurred to me how much shorter she was than I am. Before, she seemed somehow taller, but stood only to the point of my nose.

I took her letter and tucked it away.

“Well, I’ll see you after work today, Pearl.”

“Thank you, Madame. I hope today isn’t too taxing for you.”

“Thank you, Pearl. I hope the same for you.”

How many times would I need to stifle my laughter?

I left shortly after finishing Act Four of the play I was reading.

It was rare that I ever went to the market; it was rare that any gem went. Whenever Blue Diamond sent her Pearl, she always sent her alone, aside from the one day she allowed me to go along in an odd bout of sympathy.

I remember it as a circular chamber, divided into sections of various goods. At the time I went, they carried books, tea, and household items a noble might want. The entire area was full of searching Pearls with short lists in hand.

I was unsurprised to find it wholly unchanged as I waited to enter.

Two Quartz guards stood before the polite queue of Pearls. They towered above us, only admitting one at a time. The reasoning behind it didn’t make much sense to me. I suppose they didn’t want the marketplace swarming all at once, so they allowed only a certain number of Pearls in and waited for a few to leave before admitting more. Standing in line, I looked at the others. Most were some shade of blue, white, or yellow, but even then, there was the occasional green or red. Each of us wore our uniforms to imitate our masters. Soft fabric mimicked shoulder pads, or lengthy skirts to shadow heavy fabric.

I lost myself in admiring the different outfits, but Blue Diamond’s Pearl emerged with an opaque bag and drew my attention. She, too, opened her mouth in surprise.

The guards allowed her through, and in one smooth motion, she pulled something from the band of her skirts, walked at an even pace to me, and stuffed it into my left hand and moved along, as though nothing had happened. No one had noticed, and I felt the smooth texture of paper.

Promptly, I placed it inside the front part of my outfit, flat against my stomach, and stepped forward, presenting my note from Morganite to the guards.

“What a cute note,” the one on the right said.

“Let me see—” the left one giggled, reading it over. “Who is your master? I haven’t seen you before.”

“Lady Morganite of Yellow Diamond’s Court, Ma’am.”

“Lady Morganite?”

“You didn’t write this yourself, did you?”

Before I could answer, both of them began laughing and gave me the note back, allowing me through. I squeezed it a bit too roughly, but moved on to find a bustling market place, much like the one I remembered. Now there seemed to be newer things, different spices, and more options, but I went straight for the tea. That’s what Morganite had sent me for, after all.

The shopkeeper of this section belonged to White Diamond—a Pearl who watched me come in with a little shock, twisting her face and crinkling her nose, which stuck straight up into the air. With a hand on her chest and a gasp, she said, “Oh my…My condolences. Has Blue Diamond sent you today?”

“No,” I answered. “I work for a Lady Morganite now.”

“Well—” It was odd, seeing some of White’s mannerisms grafted onto this Pearl. She was a true miniature, keeping her mistress’s elegance. Had I kept any of my Diamond’s? Did I consciously realize it or was it just programing? She continued. “At least you’re working under a pink gem, though it must be odd to switch courts again.” She must have been older. That was why White allowed her to work here.

I answered, “It is odd. I wonder who they’ll pass me off to next.”

She didn’t laugh. Her face instead displayed a mixture of disapproval and horror, as if it were my fault I had changed owners so many times.

I began to browse the overwhelming number of teas.

“Please let me know if you have any questions, or if your mistress has requested any flavors.”

“She didn’t, actually. Lady Morganite doesn’t seem very picky.” The shelves stood from the floor to the ceiling, without a free space between the boxes and jars. Some wore labels from worlds whose writing I couldn’t read. Would I create poison if I mixed the wrong two together? From the other side of the room, the other Pearl’s eyes burrowed into my flesh, at the nape of my neck, hunting after my secrets. I’m sure she wondered what was wrong with me, having been assigned to a lady who would send me for tea, but wouldn’t specify a flavor.

“Do you recommend any?”

“The cosmic fruit infusions are easily the most popular,” she walked straight to the back wall and held out her arms, indicating three separate shelves. “Enchanting space berry is very good in my opinion, certainly suited for a pink gem, though my personal favorite would be black hole with Earth orange, but it is quite strong.” She removed a jar and took off the cap, then held it beneath my nose.

It was strong, with an influence of citrus.

“We actually cultivate this brand on Homeworld. I’ve even seen the trees from which these fruits grow. How they managed to make such a savage thing taste so wonderful is beyond me, but oh—” She placed the cap back on, slowly, “Perhaps that was insensitive of me. Your Diamond…”

“It wasn’t the fruit trees that did it.” I picked under one of my nails. “I’d like that flavor, and the space berry as well.”

“Certainly. My apologies.” She took both jars. “Your mistress lets you drink tea?”

“She does.” She makes it for me.

“You must be very good, then. I’m one of very few Pearls My Diamond treats to tea, but I’ve served her for so long.” Her gem reflected a deep crème color, an off-white that suggested an older style of procuring Pearls. Its perfect roundness struck me as uncanny, and she stuck her nose in the air again, placing the loose tea into two clear, separate bags. “It’s nice to see another Diamond’s Pearl here, even if…” Her finger paused on one of the numbers of her machine. “You do resemble her.”

“Thank you.”

“That will be fourteen credits.”

I handed her Morganite’s card, which she scanned and quickly returned, along with my bag.

“Let me know what you think of those flavors, if she allows you to taste them.”

“I will. Thank you.”

Another Pearl entered as I left, who the clerk greeted with a simple ‘Hello.’ I didn’t bother looking at the other goods the shops had to offer, despite lingering outside the bookstore for several seconds. They were out of the budget, and Morganite’s permission. Not to mention, the note begged to be read and answered. It burned against my stomach, no doubt collecting sweat along the edges.

I had learned to write by copying.

Armed with every word my Diamond had ever commanded I read, I traced my finger through the dust of Blue Diamond’s library, before wiping it away and destroying the evidence for good. I would write the titles of the books stacked upon the shelves, and try to make the loops and hooks and corners as loose, or tight, or thick, or thin as they were printed.

I can admit that it was an especially useless skill. In that opulent pit of untouched literature, I neither needed to read nor write, but there I was, touching every virginal title with my ill-meaning eyes and copying them in dust I made accomplice to my crimes, before murdering them away and hoping for more to abuse the next day.

Her Pearl caught me once. I had written halfway through A Diamond’s Wish in amateurish but passable calligraphy when I heard her gasp. I turned with my print covered in dust, grey-handed, my face undoubtedly severe.  

Quietly, she said, “I didn’t know you could write. Or read.”

“What are you even doing here?” I smeared my hand into my skirts. “Doesn’t Blue Diamond have you record her messages—”

“She does, but,” the edges of her lips folded into a grin. “Yellow Diamond has come to visit, so she sent me away. I like to come because there’s usually no one else here, except for you.”

For good measure, I wiped my hand off again, this time against my stomach. “Yellow Diamond, huh?”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell her.” She leaned in, a bit closer. “In fact, I’m glad. The house Pearls can barely read at all. I thought I really might have been the only one.”

I asked her about her favorite story, but she didn’t have one. Blue Diamond never asked her to read out loud for her. She did, however, shove a note into my hand a few days later. It even included a blank sheet for me to reply, which I did in small amounts of stolen ink when absolutely no one was watching.

There wasn’t too much shit to talk, but we made do.

She would write me paragraphs about how Blue Diamond would cry (usually about My Diamond, but there were plenty of other topics) and how she would hold in her sighs. One time she told me she was glad her hair hid her eyes so no one could see them rolling.

I laughed out loud at that, which echoed inside the library.

We exchanged notes as often as possible, without drawing suspicion, and destroyed them once we had read and answered.

That day, her note began in typical form. I read it over a pungent cup of black hole orange I had made, sitting at the table in Morganite’s library. She wrote in her neat hand:

‘I worried I wouldn’t be able to write to you ever again. I’m not even sure if you’ll receive this message. I’ve been trying to devise a way to get it to you, but not much comes to mind. I plan on carrying it with me everywhere until I see you again. We have to meet at some point.

‘Blue Diamond is crying as much as ever. I think she misses you, even though she would never admit that. I see her stop in front of the library and sigh before we keep moving. You must have reminded her of Pink Diamond, even though she didn’t have much for you to do. I miss you too. Things seem even slower now that you’ve left.

‘How is life with Morganite? Does she treat you well? Does she allow you to read? I hope you’re happy there.

‘—Pearl’

I took a sip of tea while considering my response. There wasn’t any paper I could use to reply in Morganite’s library, but there was in her office, as well as writing utensils. Still, I remained a moment and read it over again, smoothing my index finger and thumb over the corners of the paper.

I made a point of finishing my tea before I stood, as the kitchen was on the way to the office. Opening the door, I went to drop off my cup, and moved toward those wide double doors I had polished not long before that day. They were styled classically—the kind you had to open manually, and with Pearl’s note folded into my hand, I pushed the right-side open and slipped inside.

Any parchment she kept in the bottom drawer of her desk, and surely, she wouldn’t notice one sheet missing. Or would she? Perhaps my fingers would have the distinct feeling of parchment if they ever met hers again.

I stood in one place too long, and as I took a single step forward, the doors opened in the main room a little before Morganite should have come home. Nearly dropping and the crumpling the note, I stuffed it back into my outfit. My body quickened but I held still.

“Pearl—” My Lady’s voice reverberated outside the office in the wide expanses of the chamber itself. “Pearl, where are you?”

She sounded pained and panicked. If I remained where I was, she would surely look for me, so I came out and found her crinkled on the floor before the entrance, bleeding.

Morganite was on her knees, skirts pulling and trapped beneath her legs when she looked up to me with blood trailing along her cheeks. “Pearl—” her arms shook and seized, which left her to claw at the floorboards as she fell. “Call Jasper—her number—”

Her head began to roll around like a ball moving back and forth, and I went to the phone.

[anneedmonds]

Je Suis Pretty Bloody Relaxed

I’ve just been away for four days and I didn’t do any work at all! Four whole days without my laptop! Taking childbirth out of the equation (and those necessary, blurry months either side) I haven’t spent that much time entirely work-free since I went to Florida for the New Year which was in – please hold whilst I Google my own life – 2013. Over six and a half years ago.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been on holiday since then, I’ve relaxed since then, but never – not for more than about two days in a row – have I been parted from my trusty MacBook Pro. We can’t be separated, usually, and I’ll tell you why: if there’s ever going to be an administrative crisis, such as a server going down or a client wanting some sort of detailed analysis of a brand campaign or an app developer needing the login to my developer account, you can guarantee that it will happen approximately seven hours after I’ve left home. So having my laptop with me is like being in a mobile office – I have everything I need, apart from a chair that spins (surely a must) and a stapler (probably not so important these days), and I can fulfil almost every type of task from whichever far-flung hotel room or holiday home I’ve hunkered down in.

But the only problem with this mobile office scenario is that the temptation to check in on things is just far too strong. You start off by logging into BA.com to choose your seats for the flight back and before you know it you’ve tinkered with your website design, spent four hours reorganising your Youtube videos into keyword-optimised categories and written a quick comparative piece on budget sunscreens. Instead of being out in the warm, lying beneath a fig tree with a glass of something chilled, you’ve spent the majority of your precious afternoon in a boxy hotel room listening to the air con unit wheeze, drinking a minibar coke that’s so expensive it’ll potentially require its own secured loan.

So for this trip I left the laptop at home. I should say, in the interests of complete transparency, that I left the laptop and the children at home. Which was a real first. Mr AMR and I have been away for a couple of nights in the UK on our own together, but never abroad. It felt incredibly odd for the first three, maybe four minutes and then we just wiped away our tears and got on with the difficult task of doing absolutely anything we wanted to do, at whatever time, without having to constantly look around us to check whether one or more small child was trying to escape/eat something inadvisable/draw on walls with a red crayon.

I jest, obviously, we missed them an enormous amount on the first day.

I can highly recommend a short break without your children, if you can manage it and you have trusted family members that can step in to take care of the babysitting element. We don’t really have family that nearby, so it’s a very infrequent occurrence for us, but boy is it reviving. My children are my absolute raison d’etre, the lights of my life – I often feel quite physically pained on the occasions I have to go away for work – but I would say that, on rough calculation, a two night holiday somewhere hot without your dependents in tow gives the same degree of relaxation as 4,356 days somewhere hot with them.

It’s like concentrated, hyper-boosted relaxation time. You really do completely switch off – it’s amazing how quickly you can go from highly-strung hunter of missing felt-tip pen lids to laid-back, zen goddess. I was so relaxed by day three that I could barely speak – I was so relaxed that I let a wasp feast on a speck of air-dried ham that had stuck to my knee. And I have a fear of wasps that nears phobia level.

Maybe it’s different if your kids are older, and going on holiday with them gets easier, but still. What can be more rejuvenating than passing on nearly all your responsibilities to another person? You can still stress about whether you’re going to accidentally damage the hire car, with its €1500 insurance excess and wobbly wheels, and you can still worry about the mosquitoes and the currency exchange rate and whether the “do not disturb” sign will actually stop the cleaner from opening the door when you’re still in bed/naked in the shower/on the toilet, but ultimately you’re fretting over the small-fry.

Holiday anxieties are not the same as parenting anxieties. And of course you return home to the same old insecurities and worries – whether you shout too much, whether a temperature of 39C requires a call to 111, whether any supermarket will ever stock girls’ white knee-high socks ever again – but I can’t help but thinking that a few days’ respite from the relentless, often repetitive daily routine is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.

Also I must say this (soppy part): the excitement when you’re on the return journey, knowing that you’re going to be reunited, is almost as good as the relaxation. My two tiny people were asleep, but I risked waking them up and I scooped them into my arms (separately, I’m not Hulk Hogan) so that I could give them a squeeze and have a good old smell of their hair.

Question: do holidays with kids get easier, or is it just that the demands on you change? Are holidays with children ever truly relaxing? I ask this non-rhetorically, because mine are so small and I have no idea what’s coming to me. I like to imagine that holidays with teens are easy-peasy, because you can surely just drop them off at the windsurfing depot and pick them up again at tea time, but then do they roll their eyes at you when they’re not allowed to use their phones in the restaurant? Do you have to watch them in case they fall in love with the bar-tender and then sneak out of the adjoining room (interconnecting doors!) in the early hours of the morning? Let me know. I’ll begin mental preparation tomorrow.

PS: I went to Provence for a wedding and it was no kids allowed, which was possibly one of the greatest gifts the bride and groom could have given to their guests. I mean at first, I did think, oh, the children would’ve looked so cute in little smart outfits and it would have been such fun taking them to all of the lovely old towns, but after approximately eighteen seconds it dawned on me that I would be going to a wedding. With wine. Not pregnant. Totally at liberty to wallow in a hangover for as long as I wanted.

As it happened, I didn’t really have a hangover but the wedding was epic. I don’t want to embarrass her, but @maddiechester was the most gorgeous bride and did half of her speech in fluent French, which impressed me to the point that I almost cried. (I cry at odd things.) It also made me want to scrub up on my French, so I think I might download one of those online courses that I can listen to through my earphones. Y’know, in my spare time. Any recommendations, drop them below.

The post Je Suis Pretty Bloody Relaxed appeared first on A MODEL RECOMMENDS.

Je Suis Pretty Bloody Relaxed was first posted on August 28, 2019 at 9:49 am. ©2018 "A Model Recommends". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at contact@amodelrecommends.com Je Suis Pretty Bloody Relaxed published first on https://medium.com/@SkinAlley

[dsrajawat]

Realme’s India story unfolded at a time when the competition was at its peak in the industry. Launching competitive products back to back at disruptive prices is one prime reason why Realme has managed to rapidly grow in stature in such a short time. Close on the heels of Realme X, the brand is again back in action with the Realme 5 Pro and Realme 5 and has in fact already teased the Realme XT from the 5 Pro launch stage.

The 5-series phones are successors to the Realme 3 Pro and Realme 3 smartphones offering improved hardware (read: current generation chipsets) and new Quad Cameras. Recently, the Realme 5 Pro entered our den and since then we have been pushing it hard. Our experience with the device suggests that it has its pros and cons. Should you buy the Realme 5 Pro or should you rather buy the Realme X? Let’s discuss the details in our Realme 5 Pro review.

Realme 5 Pro Review: Key Competitors and Price

The Realme 5 Pro is aimed at the budget buyers and comes in three variants ranging from Rs 13,999 to 15,999. This means it will be competing with the Redmi Note 7 Pro, Realme X, Vivo Z1 Pro, Samsung Galaxy M30, Samsung Galaxy A30, and Honor 20i.

Realme 5 Pro Unboxing: What’s in the box

The Realme 5 Pro retail in the standard package. The Realme 5 Pro box content includes the phone, a TPU case for extra protection, a SIM ejector tool, documentation, 20W VOOC charger, and USB-C cable.

Realme 5 Pro Review: Design and Build Quality

As evident from images, we have the Realme 5 Pro Crystal Green variant that sort of reminds us of Vivo Z1 Pro. One of the reasons is perhaps the ‘holographic gradient back’. The rear panel has a diamond design pattern which is a variation of the gradient that we usually see on Realme phones. Realme says the fine details are achieved through a complex process and it took them 78 adjustments to perfect the final look.

The phone is predominantly made out of polycarbonate and has a glass finish. The rear panel is smooth with seamless curves on edges ensuring a firm grip. Though it isn’t as premium as the Realme X, it doesn’t feel cheap either.

The side rail is also plastic and it houses the sim-tray and volume rocker on the left, and power key on the right edge. Buttons feel firm and have decent tactile feedback. Unlike X, the 5 Pro doesn’t have any pop-up camera mechanism and houses selfie cam within a tiny V-shaped notch at the top. On close inspection, you will notice extremely slim bezels on the sides and a relatively bigger chin at the bottom.

The quad-camera setup at the back protrudes slightly, however, the bundled case evens out the hump. On the right of the rear camera module, there is a capacitive fingerprint sensor that is aptly placed, fast and reliable. And yes, the handset has a reversible Type-C charging port.

Realme has also nailed it in terms of build quality. There are no flexes or creaks and the Realme 5 Pro feels really solid in hand. The display is shielded by Gorilla Glass 3 and Realme claims the phone is splash resistant (though, there’s no IP certification).

Realme 5 Pro Review: Display

The Realme 5 Pro has a 6.3-inch FHD+ screen (19:9) on the front. Realme claims more than 90 percent screen-to-body ratio which is fantastic and says that the notch is 30 percent smaller than on the last generation phone (we couldn’t tell).

The screen is an IPS LCD panel which is not as charming as the AMOLED one we saw on the Realme X but is decent enough for the price. The display itself is sharp and vivid and users will have the option to adjust to warmer tones. The screen can get 450nits bright and outdoor visibility is just about average.

Realme 5 Pro Review: Performance

Performance is the strong suit of the Realme 5 Pro. It is driven by Qualcomm’s new age 700-series chipset – the Snapdragon 712. Competitors have been calling out Realme for use of dated chipset, so this should temporarily put them to rest. The Realme 5 Pro’s Snapdragon 712 is a higher clocked variant of Snapdragon 710 and shows 10% performance improvement.

We have the 5 Pro in 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant with us, but it also available in 4GB+64GB and 6GB+64GB options. The good thing is the type of RAM is LPDDR4X and the storage class is UFS 2.1. This is as good as it gets in this price segment.

During the time I was using the Realme 5 Pro for this review, it felt fast and zippy. Everything I threw at it worked without stuttering or lags. With ample RAM at its disposal, it managed to hold quite a few apps active in memory, resulting in smooth multitasking experience.

Realme also claims that its Game Boost is optimized to improve performance of top 100 games on play store. How about our gaming experience on the phone? Well, we are perfectly content. We tested a handful of games including PUBG mobile which by default set to high settings. I am no pro in PUBG mobile but I had no trouble in para dropping at Pochinki in Erangel and fighting my way to Chicken dinner. I didn’t encounter any frame drop issues either.

Realme 5 Pro Review: Software

The Realme 5 Pro runs ColorOS 6 leased from Oppo, but with several refinements. In terms of features, Color OS is as rich as any other android based custom OS. There’s Game Assist, Game Space, Smart Driving modes, Clone Apps and a lot more. The software also includes DRM L1 certification and supports HD streaming from apps like Netflix and Prime Videos.

The presence of extensive bloatware and the extra mile Oppo has walked just to imitate all that’s good and bad with iOS is what bugs me. At the same time, consumers who aren’t particular about their OS needs shouldn’t mind the Color OS.

All said and done, I am glad that Realme will soon replace the software with its own Realme OS (probably in October).

Realme 5 Pro Camera Review

Realme has gradually improved and polished its camera software. The Realme 5 Pro gets a new versatile Quad Camera setup at the back which is a combination of 48MP Sony IMX56 sensor with 8MP ultra-wide camera, 2MP Macro camera, and 2MP Portrait sensor. There’s a 16MP selfie snapper on the front.

The 48MP primary sensor has an f/1.8 aperture and uses Pixel binning and merges four pixes to one to produces sharper, vivid 12MP images. For those who wish to shoot in true 48MP resolution, they can switch to the dedicated mode in the camera menu.

Looking at the shots taken from the Realme 5 Pro, it manages to capture saturated images with a good amount of details. Though the camera tends to produce images leaning towards warmer tones.

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In a low light scenario, Realme X managed to impress us with clean noise-free images. The Nightspace mode can successfully enhance dark scenes.

The Realme 5 Pro also manages to do a decent job with portrait mode. Its algorithms can detect subject edges but at times struggle with hairs and other finer details, which is also a case with every other phone in this segment.

As for selfies, the 5 Pro delivers decent output but it excessively depends on AI feature which at times eats into necessary details.

Realme 5 Pro Battery

The Realme 5 Pro relies on its 4,035 mAh battery that comfortably managed to deliver a full day millage. Realme bundled it with a 20W (5V/4A) VOOC 3.0 fast charger that takes a little more than an hour to fully refill our Realme 5 Pro battery from a dead state. All said and done, the battery experience is excellent for the price. 

Realme 5 Pro Review Verdict: Should you buy it?

The Realme 5 Pro is a powerful package considering the price for which it retails in the market. In fact, the Realme 5 Pro is now the cheapest Snapdragon 712 phone in the country and should be a very alluring option for consumers who prioritize gaming. The versatile camera with the 48MP Sony sensor in the lead and extremely fast charging are other features to look forward to. 

So, is the Realme 5 Pro a worthy buy in this budget? We’d say yes. Though, if you can spend more, the Realme X with a more premium design and gorgeous AMOLED display should be a better choice overall. 

Pros:

Performance

Battery life, Fast charging

Versatile cameras

Dedicated SD card slot

Cons:

Thick

Software needs improvement

Realme 5 Pro Review With Pros and Cons Realme's India story unfolded at a time when the competition was at its peak in the industry.

[love-transparentstudentarca-blog]

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Is there any health insurance programs, other than Medi-Cal or Medicare to help the nearly indigent in Calif.?""

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I'm 17years old how much would it be to insure a Volkswagen Golf?

Does having big bore kit affect the insurance cost?

Im looking at buying a vespa scooter registered as a 50cc, im 16 years old, and was wondering because it has a 110cc big bore kit fitted on it how this would effect the insurance cost? Thanks for any help.""

Insurance higher on Acura or Honda?

Purchasing a car either 2010 Acura csx or 2013 Honda civic , and I'm curious if the insurance would be higher on one or the other? Any opinions would be awesome. Thanks in advance!""

How much a month would car insurance be for a 2010 dodge charger? Im about to turn 18 and plan on getting this?

car. I know it depends on where u live etc..but i want to know the average cost per month of this particular car. I'm going to be joining the marines..idk if this matters but most places offer a military discount. So any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Auto insurance question in Michigan?

i am making monthly payments on a brand new 2008 colbot that i got in dec 2007. I have shopped around for cheaper full coverage auto insurance, that what i already have. I can't seem to find no car insurance cheaper than what i have. My car insurance is more than my car payment. I have talked to a few insurance companies and we went over different things that could make it cheaper. But, they can't beat the price that i already have. My credit isn't the best, but shouldn't a car payment be more than insurance? Anyone have any ideas where and how i could get a cheaper car insurance policy?""

Around how much would insurance be in georgia for a 16 year old with a 2008 yamaha r1?

Around how much would insurance be in georgia for a 16 year old with a 2008 yamaha r1?

What if I am pregnant and I don't have insurance?

I live in California if that helps any. I am 18 years old and was supposed to start my period a few days ago. I already live on my own in an apartment with my boyfriend and we are nervous about if I were to et pregnant how would we pay the bills? Is there anything we can do do get health insurance quickly if we find out that I am pregnant? Would we get approved fast enough and would people even approve me? How does that all work? Thanks

Is there dental insurance with the Affordable Health Care Act?

Is there dental insurance with the Affordable Health Care Act?

I had a commercial accident in 2008 and looking for a chep insurance plz help?

I live in toronto i have been driving car with G licence since the end of 2000. i had a commercial accident in 2008 in which i was found guilty but no claim was paid. im still driving and looking for chaep insurance for a car. anybody's advice would be greatful.

Is it possible to cancel my car insurance?

I am a new driver and I have to pay around $135 a month. I am a guy by the way so this may be why it is so high. I have a job, but it's part time and doesn't pay well. I don't plan on driving the car often, just to school and work only 2-3 days a week and taking the bus the other days. I also do not plan on driving in the winter months. Is it possible to cancel my insurance while keeping my license from Dec. to March? My policy is under my parents and we have an extra car that just sits in the garage and it's the one I drive. Also, the insurance people said I could wait until January to lower my insurance rate to $110. I like the idea, but I don't want to wait hehe. Can I cancel my insurance then return to it a couple months later?""

Teen Car Insurance Question?

I am looking to buy car insurance for my son who will be 16 1/2. Will it be cheaper than the average premium to have him drive a 1995 truck? also... if you have a teen driver how much did it cost to add them to the policy? thank you

What is the cheapest car insurance company ?

The only way i can get a inexpensive sports car is to find my dad a better insurance company.

Can you drive your parents' car without insurance?

Im 17 years old , I live in California and my parents have AAA insurance and I have my Driver's license. is it true that you need permission from them in order to drive?""

What is state financed insurance in Florida?

i am looking for treatment centers for my son in Florida and i am in Virginia and when i read insurance info every one of them takes state financed insurance? what is this?

What is the best source to compare the insurance costs for all model of cars and trucks?

I am looking for a list that has the average insurance rates for different model of cars. I need makes and models listed all together in a single source, and don't have the time to compare just 3 or four models at a time, nor go on line and check out one at a time. I need something in a spreadhsheet, or that I can cut and paste into a spreadsheet.""

Where can i find cheap auto insurance in buffalo ny?

looking for insurance for my dodge caravan

""Boston, MA Health Insurance?""

I am moving from Southern California to Boston, MA. I will be living close to Beacon Hill and I was wondering what are some of the medical insurances I should look into that are affordable for students. Thank you""

How much is an Audi A4 to Insure?

I don't want a quote, and I don't want an american insurance bracket or whatever they're called, just, if you could, name a car that would be about the same as an Audi A4 to insure. 1.8 litre, say, 2000-2002, I hear they're cheap to insure but, if anyone could confirm or deny I'd appreciate it.""

Why is there a disclaimer on the Allstate Auto Insurance commercials that says Not available in all states ?

Afterall, its called Allstate !""

maryland medicaid insurance

maryland medicaid insurance

Motorcycle insurance?

I just bought a new 2013 triumph thruxton and I was wondering how much insurance would cost me I got a quote from progressive and it ended up being 3744 every six months can anyone shed some light on why its so expensive by the way I'm 18 and I paid the bike in full no loans it's paid for completely

What kinds of cars are expensive to insure?

im 18 and looking to buy my first car under my parents' insurance. what cars should i stay away from? i am most likely going to buy an mustang gt coupe (1960-1990). what factors make cars more expensive to insure? ive heard things like, type of car, how easy it is to steal, and even color color affect how much i will pay for insurance. i dont just want to know the categories, i want to know what to avoid, ei, stay away from red cars. stuff like that.""

Would insurance be cheaper then normal for this car?

Would insurance be cheaper then normal for this car, its a 1993 ford mustang 4 cylinder auto, because its old and a auto 4 cylinder? Plan is to insure it with the auto four banger in it, then do an engine swap imported v6 turbo, with manual transmission, new drive shaft, differential, exhaust, etc.. what they don't know.. they don't know lol""

Does having a manual transmission affect insurance rates?

Will it make a difference in insurance rates here in the U.S., home of the lazy, horrible driver who pays more attention to the radio then to the road? Sorry for being so critical. I'm just pissed that my dad thinks that. Perhaps 85 of the wotld drives stick for crying out loud! I shouldn't be penalized for the typical Americans sake! So, any ideas? Need info A.S.A.P! Any positive input appreciated.""

I just got my license and have no insurance..?

no car yet but will soon have one...what do you recommend?what will be cheaper to get my own insurance or be put on my parents...

What is the cheapest car insurance in southern california?

im 17 and a half, with C average grades. just started driving, what is the cheapest car insurance?""

Auto insurance in florida?

okay heard a rumor that as of october 2007 NO auto insurance is required in the state of florida.... anyone else heard of this ?

Mitsubishi evo 8 or mr car payments and insurance info?

if you have any of these two cars, how much is your monthly car payment? how much you pay for insurance. I'm planning to ge one but these two payments may not let me get it. I'd like to see if i can afford it. please give me some good answers. Thankyou""

Short term health Insurance for my parents who coming to California from China ?

My parents are coming to visit me (California) from China. They plan to stay in U.S. for 6 months. They're 67 yrs old, my father has Diabetes (not so serious) and my mother is very healthy. I'm thinking to get a short term health insurance for them just in case they need to see a doctor. Since it's the first time they come to U.S. they have a visit visa, I'm US citizen. What insurance I should get for them? Thank you very much for your response in advance!""

Best renters insurance in california?

Best renters insurance in california?

""I'm a 17 year old, I have to pay my own car insurance. What's the cheapest? Can you give me your rates? (:?""

I'm specifically asking teens, 17-23, who pay their OWN insurance. My mom isn't going to include me on hers, so I'm on my own. Give me some rates! How much do you pay? Monthly/yearly, and HOW do you pay it? Every 3 months, monthly, or yearly? THANKS!""

Could anyone tell me a cheap reliable 125cc motobike with cheap insurance ?

Could anyone tell me a cheap reliable 125cc motobike with cheap insurance ?

What is better - socialized medicine or affordable health insurance?

What is better - socialized medicine or affordable health insurance?

How much would Car insurance cost per month for a new teen driver driving a sport car?

I might get a Honda Prelude or a Honda Civic and a prelude is more sportish than a civic. But how much would it cost for car insurance per month for either cars ?

How much cost an insurance in massachusetts?

I am not working and I will need an insurance.

2003 Mustang GT insurance cost?

I am looking at a 2003 Mustang GT with 93k miles on it. I am a 16 year old boy and we are looking to add this to my parent's current policy. I have good grades, we will have multiple cars and home insurance with the same company. Any idea on an approximate cost per month for insurance on this car?""

""What do you want, universal health care or affordable health insurance??""

What do you want, universal health care or affordable health insurance??""

Adding newborn to insurance policy?

I have a family medical plan and added my son as a dependent 4 days after his birth online. I received a bill in the mail stating my son was uninsured so I called my insurance company. They stated it could take up to 4 weeks for processing. I followed their advice and now my son is out of the 30 day window and they are claiming I failed to check a box to enroll him in my family coverage. Trying to appeal. Am I out of luck?

What is the best occupation to have to get cheap car insurance?

I'm paying the same amount as my car is worth to insure it. I''m old enough to not be a boy racer in a baceball cap and young enough to not be an old duffer in a flat cap .

I need health insurance for my daughter?

I am a 70 % disabled military veteran looking for affordable health insurance for my daughter. Any suggestions?

What car insurance company is best for an 18 year old?

I am 18 years old and am going to attend college in late september. I have practiced driving and am working on my license to live on campus. I know car insurance is expensive but I just want to know which would be the best coverage if I get into a collision and would be the cheapest. My mom said it would cost about $300 but that sounds crazy :/. I know Im a new driver but why would it be that expensive? It sounds hard to narrow down considering all the possibilities but Im new to this whole world of cars and insurance. My parents wont help me out at all. In fact, Ive been saving up for when this moment would come. I saved up $606. Plus, Im going to apply for a part time job at my college that will pay $10 an hour. I should be making about $120 a week which would be like $480 if I dont spend my money on stupid stuff which I wont. So basically, $480 is my budget. Well it might be a bit less. I have to eat too so I guess I could live off of 80 dollars of food. So that would be leave me with 400. As you can see, im really struggling to try and work out a plan. If you could give me some opinions that would be great. Thanks for reading what I have to say :) -Nick""

What do i do with the car insurance?

if my car insurance expires pretty soon but im leaving to mexico for a while do i still need to have the car insured even if its jus going to be parked?? or do i still need to have it insured?

I'm looking for low cost health insurance in california?

I'm looking for low cost health insurance in california?

What is the cheapest car insurance?

What is the cheapest car insurance?

I'm17 and have not got my license yet but when i do how can i get cheap car insurance?

I have heard that if i buy a classic car, my insurance will be cheaper, is this true? And do you have any tips for getting it as low as possible""

maryland medicaid insurance

maryland medicaid insurance

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-horse-16-he-used-ex-racehorse-what-best-insurance-him-thomas-west"

[kellyp72]

6 Reasons Why You Should Care about the Green Beauty Movement

As my previous post on the Green Beauty Movement mentioned, more people have become aware of the presence of harmful chemicals in many commercial personal care products. As a result of that growing awareness, as well as a general increase in public discussions about major climate-related and public health crises, there is more interest than ever in environmental issues. The Green Beauty Movement represents one small aspect of this phenomenon, but it is more important as a bellweather of healthy living trends than you might have realized. Here are six reasons why the Green Beauty Movement matters for the collective, global push towards a greener environment and a healthier you.

1. Because there is a direct connection between the products you use and the health issues you are dealing with. Many people don’t think about what might be in the toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, lotion, soap, or makeup they use, but most commercial brands contain chemicals that have been linked with negative health outcomes ranging from ones that are mildly inconvenient (e.g. skin irritation) or life-threatening (e.g. cancer). Companies selling these products, as well as government regulatory bodies, usually claim that the amount of potentially harmful chemicals in them is miniscule and not much of a threat to human health. That is largely true, except if you think about the fact that you are using these products every day, multiple times a day, and are being exposed on a constant basis to harmful chemicals that may be behind some of the health issues you and/or your family members have been facing. Most studies and reports that downplay the harm caused by chemicals like parabens or ureas don’t take this into consideration. Instead, clinical studies tend to focus on a single instance of exposure in a controlled environment. If you are pregnant, the ingredients in the personal care products you use are entering your baby’s bloodstream through the placenta, and their little bodies are not equipped to excrete (flush out) these chemicals adequately.

2. Because the US government does not really regulate what goes into your cosmetics or other personal care products. The FDA is responsible for guaranteeing the safety of cosmetics by enforcing the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (FD&C Act), while the EPA is in charge of regulating pesticides and toxic substances under the FD&C Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act. Back in 2015, the EPA and FDA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for sharing data on pesticides and toxic chemicals, which was intended to enable them to better assess risks to the public and the environment. However, despite these responsibilities, the FDA and EPA have been unable to carry out their responsibilities effectively, in part because of the high number of potentially dangerous chemicals that enter the market each year, in part because of effective lobbying and obfuscating by the chemical industry, and in part because of staff shortages and budget cuts in these agencies. Under the Trump administration, regulatory bodies like the EPA and FDA have been further hobbled in their ability to regulate industry’s use of harmful chemicals in commercial industrial and consumer products. A new study by Northwestern University shows that consumer complaints about harmful chemicals in cosmetic products more than doubled from 2015-2016, but the EPA has largely ignored these complaints. What’s more, cosmetics companies are not required by law to report complaints about their products to the FDA or any other regulatory body.

3. Because it demonstrates the power of consumers to change manufacturing practices that harm us. The bottom line: you as a consumer have to take matters into your own hands. Is it fair that you have to virtually get a degree in chemistry to understand whether the products you are using may cause your health to suffer? Absolutely not! But the fact is, it’s going to be up to you to do the work if you want to know more. Fortunately, two things are making it easier for you to become better informed. One, more people are demanding toxin-free beauty products, and you don’t need an MBA to figure out that consumer demand drives production. There are many green beauty products and companies out there working hard to bring you eco-friendly, effective products. But caveat emptor: as more companies get into the green beauty game, that means more companies will also engage in greenwashing to convince you to buy their brand. How can you avoid falling for the eco-friendly hype? That brings us to the second thing that’s making it easier for you to become informed: activists and others out there are giving you the tools, tips, lists, and apps you need to make more informed decisions. One great tool? Our toxic chemical cheat sheet. It’s one of the tools available when you sign up for the free resources library on the Green and Prosperous website.

4. Because it is helping raise awareness about the prevalence of toxic chemicals in personal care products. While most millennials have been trending towards healthy living for a while now, with American youth in their 20s and younger being way more concerned about GMOs, organic food, and green living than other groups, the rise in interest and awareness about harmful chemicals in personal care products and other consumables cuts across boundaries of class, ethnicity, age, income, and geographic location. By some accounts, the health and wellness industry is set to become the next trillion dollar industry, with environmentally friendly beauty and anti-aging products topping the list of most sought-after consumables.

5. Because the more people become interested in green beauty, the more companies will offer these products, driving competition and (ultimately) increasing affordability. It’s no secret that many organic or otherwise eco-friendly beauty products don’t come cheap. Toxin-free nail polishes tend to start around $9 a bottle, and organic anti-aging skin creams can easily run into the hundreds of dollars. A few companies offer products that are lower-priced and more affordable, but none (at least as far as I know) has been making products for low-income or poor people, who disproportionately suffer the consequences of exposure to harmful chemicals in the environment and in the products they use. Want to make the switch but don’t want to break the bank? Check out these products by Dr. Bronner. They make more than just soap, and are currently offering a monthly special of 15% off! Alba Botanica, Desert Essence, Güd, and Kiss My Face also make great eco-friendly and budget-friendly products.

6. Because the more you care about green beauty, the harder green beauty companies will work to ensure that their products meet the highest standards for performance, sustainability, and authenticity. It’s no secret that even the most eco-conscious companies can make mistakes. That’s to say, in the best case scenario they are mistakes. Companies from Whole Foods’ 365 brand to Boots Retail USA have been sued for allowing harmful chemicals into some of their products. This brings me back to a point made in #3 of this list: the power of the consumer. The same is true for green beauty products as any other – ultimately consumers have the power to change manufacturing practices, and it’s often collectives of consumer groups that call companies to task if they have not lived up to the standards they profess. One of the most recent unfortunate examples has been the Honest Company, which settled a nationwide class-action lawsuit for $1.55 million over accusations that it misled consumers about ingredients in its laundry detergent and dish soap. Another example is Wen by Chaz Dean, the hair care products company owned by direct marketing pioneer Guthy Renker (which has been around since the late 1980s). A class-action lawsuit against Wen drew the attention of the FDA, which launched an investigation into the safety of its Cleansing Conditioners just last year. Other companies have taken note and are working overtime to ensure the safety and reliability of their products, in some cases taking on the manufacturing and sourcing of those products themselves.

Are you interested in making the switch to green beauty products? The last post in this series asks the experts to name their go-to products and tell you why they recommend them, so come back to find out more in a week!

In the meantime, you may want to browse some of the products on our Recommended Products page. Have a recommendation? Drop me a note using the Comments box below this post.