A post shared by Jill Dillard (@jillmdillard) on Nov 16, 2019 at 6:52am PST

People Magazine has a series of articles and interviews with Jill Dillard (nee Duggar), 29, the first of the 19 Kids and Counting daughters to get married. (Jill’s abusive brother, Josh, was the first son to marry.) Jill told People that she had to fight to get paid for her work on the spinoff reality show, Counting On, which shows the Duggar kids’ family and is surprisingly still airing. Despite the fact that Jill and her husband did seven seasons of that show there were not paid for it. Her dad, Jim-Bob, pocketed the money. I bet he’s doing that to the other kids who are still on, but they’re keeping quiet. Jill and her husband, Derick, had to use lawyers to recover some money, which Jill says ended up being around minimum wage. What’s more is that Jill is using barrier birth control, which goes against her family’s wacky belief system that women should be vessels to pump out as many babies as possible for God’s army.

“Growing up, it was ingrained in me that if you don’t have as many kids as you’re able to, that there’s something wrong with that,” Jill, 29, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “But there was a shift in me where I felt like it wasn’t wrong if you decide as a couple that it’s best for you to wait.”

Jill shares sons Israel David, 5, and Samuel Scott, 3, with husband Derick Dillard, whom she wed in 2014. After giving birth to her first child via C-section in 2015, her doctor recommended she wait 18 months to get pregnant again.

“Children are a blessing, but that doesn’t mean that at all costs you should have as many kids as possible,” she says.

“I think you need to do what’s healthiest and best for your family,” says Jill, adding that she and Derick, 31, rely on “non-hormonal birth control” such as various barrier methods.

Jim Bob, 55, was reportedly the primary payee for 19 Kids and then for Counting On, which came with an estimated $25,000 to $45,000 per episode paycheck, yet Jill tells PEOPLE that she didn’t receive any compensation until she quit the show in 2017.

“That’s when we got an attorney involved and finally recovered some of the money,” she says, adding, “It was a process.” (TLC declined to comment.)

Even then, the amount was nowhere near what she feels she was due. “It probably ended up being a little more than minimum wage,” her husband Derick Dillard, 31, revealed in a video on their Dillard Family Official YouTube page. “But we were able to recover at least something.”
Jill says that in recent years, she and Derick have distanced themselves from her family, adding that it’s been “difficult.” Still, her hope is to one day reconcile with her loved ones.

“I never expected this to happen or for it to get to this point,” Jill says. “But I’m realizing I can’t put a timeline on healing. I love my family and they love me. I really just have to follow God’s lead and take it one day at a time.”

When reached by PEOPLE, Jim Bob and Michelle, 54, provided the following statement: “Every family has differences of opinion and perspective at times, but families work things out. We all love Jill, Derick, and their boys very much. It is our prayer that our relationship is healed and fully restored quickly!”

[From two articles on People]

It’s notable how utterly careful Jill is being. She is still very much a conservative Christian (her husband is particularly problematic), she’s just saying that it’s her decision to use barrier birth control at her doctor’s orders. She’s not even using oral birth control and she’s likely specifying the method because she knows her family considers hormonal birth control an abortifacient. (It is absolutely not.)I also think there’s so much more she’s not saying about the money issue and how hard she had to fight her family to get paid. In another article on People, Jill and Derick state that they were told they couldn’t pursue specific careers while filming the show – again which they didn’t get paid for. Jim-Bob was absolutely still trying to control his family, particularly his daughters, through that reality show, and TLC is complicit by continuing to air it. There’s probably so much more dark secrets about the Duggars, and we’ve only heard a fraction of what’s happening.

Also, Jill got a nose ring and cut her hair. That had to have chapped her parents’ asses.

A post shared by Jill Dillard (@jillmdillard) on Sep 7, 2020 at 5:22pm PDT

A post shared by Jill Dillard (@jillmdillard) on Oct 18, 2020 at 11:43am PDT

A post shared by Jill Dillard (@jillmdillard) on Dec 21, 2019 at 6:29am PST

After all of the drama about Ghilaine Maxwell’s newly unsealed 2016 deposition, it doesn’t seem like there’s a ton of new info in there? Granted, it’s going to take a second for news outlets to pore over every detail in the nearly 500-page document. What’s interesting is that the names of many of the abusers/rapists were blacked out in the document… but then the Daily Mail pointed out that “The names of all of those in Epstein’s circle, including Prince Andrew, were redacted but previous accounts given by Epstein victims, plus an index at the back of the papers, allow them to be identified.” So you can’t actually do a word search for “Duke of York” or “Prince Andrew,” but you can manually go through the deposition and cross-reference which name goes where. Which is what various outlets are doing. Here’s some of the Mail’s (offensive) coverage:

Prince Andrew repeatedly labelled his sex accuser Virginia Roberts ‘a liar’, claiming ‘everything she said is a lie’, new court documents revealed last night. The claim was made by Ghislaine Maxwell, the Duke’s longtime friend – now accused of being a madam for billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The exchange was in a previously unknown phone call between the two as scandal swirled around them when Miss Roberts, Epstein’s former ‘sex slave’, made bombshell claims she was forced to sleep with the prince.

Maxwell was questioned in 2016 as she defended herself in a defamation claim, having called Miss Roberts a liar. The case was later settled out of court.

Over seven hours, the British socialite was quizzed extensively about her relationship with Epstein, her knowledge of ‘sexual trafficking’, sex with minors, non-consensual sex and sex involving Miss Roberts.

A phone call between the prince and Maxwell saw them both blast Miss Roberts as a liar, the court papers say. It was made after Miss Roberts released a bombshell deposition in 2015 claiming she was forced, as Epstein’s 17-year-old ‘sex slave’, to sleep with Andrew, claims he emphatically denies.

An email chain, uncovered last year, showed the Duke ask Maxwell: ‘Let me know when we can talk. Got some specific questions to ask you about Virginia Roberts,’ to which he got a reply saying: ‘Have some info. Call me when you have a moment.’

Sigrid McCawley, for Miss Roberts, asked Maxwell: ‘What did you talk about?’ and was told ‘Just what a liar she is.’

‘What did he [the Duke] say to you?’ Maxwell was asked, replying: ‘What a liar she is… I don’t think he told me why she was a liar. The substance of everything that she said was a lie with regard to him.’

[From The Daily Mail]

Can media outlets please change the language around everything involving Epstein and Maxwell? We’re speaking about children, human trafficking and rape. This isn’t “non-consensual sex.” Jesus. Ghislaine also flatly denied procuring children for Epstein’s abuse. So… Ghislaine also lied her ass off in this depo.

What else? Maxwell apparently said that Virginia was lying about being raped by Andrew in Ghislaine’s London home because Virginia said something about the bathtub, and Maxwell said actually the bathtub wasn’t big enough for that.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, WENN.

Matthew McConaughey memoir Greenlights was released this week based on journal entries he’s been keeping for over 30 years. He says he recently went back to these diaries and decided to organise all those experiences and memories into a book – going into the desert by himself to put it all together….

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It was Ryan’s first time. He was understandably scared. It all happened so fast. Like, REALLY fast. He wept. I pretended to weep. Then he called all his friend. #voteearly

A post shared by Blake Lively (@blakelively) on Oct 22, 2020 at 12:28pm PDT

A few days ago, I was truly thinking to myself “I wonder what Blake Lively is up to?” It’s not that I miss her, I just think it’s weird that someone who used to be so ubiquitous in the gossip/celebrity world can just disappear for months at a time now. I know Blake and Ryan Reynolds spend most of their time outside of the major hubs of gossip now (NYC and LA) and they likely live somewhere in upstate New York most of the time? So that’s probably where they vote now too – Ryan is an American citizen, he naturalized a few years ago and this is likely the first presidential election in which he’s been able to vote.

So, Blake posted this photo where she and Ryan are voting early, with a nice message about how it was Ryan’s first time and he cried. Cute, right? Except people were like “what’s up with her shoes??” Ryan posted the same image, and Blake is clearly barefoot (and on her tippy-toes) in the photo. As it turns out, Blake decided to Photoshop some shoes on her feet. For an IG about voting!!

why did blake lively draw on shoes??? pic.twitter.com/okc65h29gW

— irene anna kim (@enerianna) October 22, 2020

Ryan and Blake then joked about it on their IG Stories, and Blake basically said that she was so happy to be out of a onesie and something about shoes ruining her look, and none of it makes any sense? Why didn’t she just put shoes on, damn.

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This is my first time voting in America. I’d like to thank my wife Blake for making my first time so gentle and loving. It was super scary at first, then exciting and now I’m a little tired. But proud. #VoteEarly

A post shared by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds) on Oct 22, 2020 at 12:28pm PDT

Photos courtesy of Instagram, Backgrid.

The CDC issued a change to their definition of what constitutes a “close contact” of a person testing positive for coronavirus, meaning that more people exposed to covid-positive individuals will need to quarantine and get tested. The previous guidelines stated that “close contact” meant that someone spent fifteen minutes around that person, but they’re now stating that it’s a total of fifteen minutes over the course of 24 hours. They’re basing this on a case study out of a prison in Vermont, where six new prisoners and a prison guard all caught the virus. The guard was allegedly wearing a mask at all times but caught it too. I’m relying on CNBC’s reporting here because I read several articles about this and think they do the best job of reporting it.

The Centers for Disease Control updated its definition of what it means to be in “close contact” with someone infected with Covid-19 on Wednesday, after publishing a report on Covid-19 cases that took place at a Vermont correctional facility.

Previously, the agency said that “close contact” meant being within six feet of an infected person for 15 consecutive minutes. Now, it’s considered “close contact” if you spend a total of 15 minutes within six feet of an infected person over the course of a 24-hour period, starting two days before the onset of illness. For example, if you had three five-minute exposures to the person over the course of a day, that would count as close contact.

A study published on Wednesday outlines how a mask-wearing corrections officer in Vermont contracted Covid-19 after having several brief interactions with Covid-positive individuals over the course of an eight-hour shift.

After reviewing surveillance footage, public health officials noted that a 20-year-old corrections officer had 22 interactions (lasting about a minute each) within six feet of six incarcerated or detained individuals who were asymptomatic and awaiting Covid-19 test results. In total, the study authors estimate the officer had 17 minutes of exposure to infected people over the course of the day.

A day later, the six individuals tested positive for Covid-19. But since the corrections officer wasn’t technically deemed a “close contact,” he continued to go to work. Seven days after the brief exposures, he developed symptoms of Covid-19.

It’s worth noting that the officer was wearing a microfiber cloth mask, gown, goggles for eye protection and in most interactions, gloves. The incarcerated or detained people also wore microfiber cloth masks most of the time, but the CDC says “during several encounters in a cell doorway or in the recreation room, [they] did not wear masks.”

[From CNBC]

First of all, the fact that we’re not hearing more about how coronavirus is spreading so rapidly in the incarcerated population (and among unlawfully detained immigrants) is unconscionable. There are surely so many cases where cases are going unreported. Why are prisons and jails not enforcing mask-wearing? Oh I know, because they don’t care if prisoners get sick or die. They will spend millions of dollars outfitting prisons with military tactical gear but balk at basic preventative measures during a pandemic. The for-profit prison system needs to be abolished.

As for how this affects everyday people, we need to wear masks at all times, remain vigilant, and not make exceptions for friends. (The CNBC article has more on that if you’re interested.) My son and I have the KN95 masks (from Amazon and they’re available at stores near me now) and are only wearing those, not the cloth masks, when we go out. This also really brings it home that people working in the service industry need to consistently and correctly wear masks. Whenever I go shopping I see multiple shoppers in my small town (which has had 500 cases so far) without masks. I also see workers talking to each other with their masks pulled down. There are always people with their masks pulled down beneath their nose. It’s frankly scary and makes me anxious whenever I go out. Plus, I know people who are still hanging out in groups over five and who are not in a social bubble. I wish them well and hope they’re ok but I doubt I’ll ever hang out with them again, even when this is over. It’s just too much of ideological difference for me to ignore.

Photos credit: Michael Amadeus/Unsplash and Anna Shvets/Pexels

Granted, I haven’t watched the news since Donald Trump tested positive for coronavirus (it feels like that happened months ago, right?), but doesn’t it seem like Ivanka Trump has been in the wind for a while? Part of me thinks that Ivanka is quietly figuring out her post-White House plans, and perhaps considering a move out of the country. But another part of me realizes that Ivanka *has* been campaigning on behalf of her father, and the reason we aren’t hearing that much about her is because she sucks at it. Take this recent campaign appearance:

Ivanka Trump says that during the pandemic she’s been playing board games and learning guitar. pic.twitter.com/Bf3kR96QER

— The Recount (@therecount) October 19, 2020

In case you don’t want to hear her lisp through her fake teeth, she says: “During this pandemic, we’ve reconnected to some of life’s simple pleasures. Board games, for example. We’ve dusted off all of ours, for sure. I took up playing guitar, because my husband was working very late nights. I’d come home, after I’d put the kids to bed and after I went back online and finished my work, I’d be sitting there, and so I taught myself — or am teaching myself — how to play guitar.” Ah, yes. So relatable! To be a wife, a mother of three, senior advisor to the president, daddy’s favorite child AND deal with the pandemic by playing board games and teaching yourself to play the guitar. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are unemployed and being evicted because of the pandemic, which Ivanka’s administration has done nothing about.

But that’s not all! Apparently, this is all part of some kind of last-ditch effort by the Trump campaign. They think Ivanka will help them win back suburban white women. LOL.

The Trump campaign’s last-ditch effort to win back the suburban women fleeing the president in the polls has fallen to one person: Ivanka Trump. In the past six weeks, Trump has made personal appeals for her father at 17 campaign stops, engaging in intimate question-and-answer sessions where she tells stories about the president. She’s made stops at local businesses to pose with children in Halloween costumes. She’s bought cider and doughnuts. She’s rolled out bread for baking.

It’s the traditional politicking that is hard to imagine coming from any other Trump family member, let alone President Donald Trump himself. Her brothers, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and her sister-in-law, Lara Trump, are mostly sent out to throw red meat to Trump’s conservative base. So Ivanka Trump has become the de facto head of the eleventh-hour campaign to appeal to swing voters, specifically the white college educated women who helped propel the president’s come-from-behind victory in 2016.

But with polls showing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden winning that slice of women by 20 percentage points or more, it’s a taxing assignment. Ivanka Trump has visited 10 battleground states — Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona — and expects to campaign in Pennsylvania, Florida and North Carolina again before the election, one Trump political aide said.

Aides say Trump was eager to hit the campaign trail to ensure that Americans recognize what’s at stake in the election. “She wants to make sure people understand what four more years of Donald Trump means — delivering for and uplifting all Americans,” the first aide said.

Still, political analysts are skeptical that a last-minute attempt to soften the president’s coarse politics will have much of an effect.

“The reality is that women voters are looking at the substance of what’s happened,” said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. “It’s kind of late, three weeks out, to try suddenly to be having a different tone and tenor. I don’t think she alone can make up for what these women have been seeing the last four years.”

[From Politico]

I mean… clearly, Melania Trump is not going to do it. Mel said “f–k Christmas” and now she’s pretending to still feel terrible with the coronavirus, which she can drag out for another week and a half and clearly avoid the rest of the election cycle. So it’s left to Ivanka to try to put the glossy, plastic face on fascism. Will it work? I think that much like Eric and Don Jr’s efforts, Ivanka is largely preaching to the Nazi choir. She’s not actually trying to convince swing-voter women to “come back to Trump.” She’s telling white female Trump supporters that they made the right choice, that their whiteness is more important than democracy or fairness or economic stability.

Two Days, Four States! ??

Thank you Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Michigan! ?

Remember to VOTE for the People’s President ?@realDonaldTrump? on or before Nov 3rd!

Visit https://t.co/4LpkOIzPKE or text VOTE to 88022 to learn more! pic.twitter.com/GdWRuEeRsi

— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 22, 2020

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

In Monday’s site open, Lainey mentioned how “horny seems to be one of the themes of 2020 that doesn’t make us feel like sh-t,” and many were assuming Ariana’s new track “Positions” would be all about the positions that get her horny. Overnight she dropped the song (and music video) which serves as t…

Tom Sykes at the Daily Beast has a new interview with Robert Lacey, the supposed “respected royal expert” who wrote Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult, the same book we’ve been discussing for much of the past month. Lacey obviously talks out of both sides of his mouth, but I also sort of suspect that he’s purposely dropping in some truth-bombs which will re-center some narratives. One, Meghan is not the reason for William and Harry’s falling out. Two, William is a rage-monster. Three, William & Kate don’t actually *want* Harry and Meghan to come back. That last one is an interesting little truth. You can read Sykes’ interview with Lacey here. Some highlights (Lacey covers a lot of the same old ground, I’m just highlighting what I think is new stuff):

The Cambridges don’t want to reconcile with the Sussexes: “I used to be optimistic of some sort of reconciliation. I am less so now. I am actually coming to feel that it actually suits William and Kate quite well to have Harry and Meghan off the territory. You know it’s the old, ‘This town is too small for both of us’ syndrome. William and Kate are determinedly stepping into the void that Harry has left.”

The Queen screwed it up too: Lacey tells me, for example, that he finds it “absolutely astonishing” that photos of the Sussexes were not prominently displayed on the royal desk for the 2019 Christmas broadcast. “They were there the year before. But in 2019, the Queen could not even bring herself to say their name. The word Sussex never crossed her lips in her Christmas broadcast. She couldn’t even bring herself to say Archie’s name. She just referred to the arrival of her “eighth great-grandchild,” and moved on. “They’re victims of many things, these boys, but certainly Harry is a victim of the royal system,” said Lacey.

William & Kate immediately felt jealous of & competitive with Meghan: “Everything was going well with the magic threesome of William and Kate and Harry, with Harry playing the subordinate backup role, and then along comes Meghan. She made Harry realize the reality of this subordinate role. Then they become the royal superstars, the royal rock stars, and the Fab Four rapidly disintegrates under the pressure of the competition for celebrity and attention and affection that Harry and Meghan create. William’s possible jealousy has never been voiced, but Ken Wharfe (Diana’s personal protection officer), for example, told me he always got the feeling that William had a jealousy of the lovable rogue affection that Harry generated.”

Harry has always been the bigger man: “I thought it was interesting that when Harry effectively disclosed the feud to (ITV broadcaster) Tom Bradby he followed it up, almost immediately, by saying: ‘But look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. And we’re certainly on different paths at the moment, but I’ll always be there for him, as I know he’ll always be there for me.’ I’m not aware of William ever publicly saying anything like that.”

Meghan made Harry a better man, and William hated that: “I don’t think anybody can dispute that Meghan at least crystallized the ideas and the discontents that he already had. She has really transformed Harry. I mean, whatever you think of the pair of them, sitting there speaking to the world about global issues of sustainability or social justice, it’s definitely not the dunce, bottom-of-the-class Harry, any longer, and I think this is another aspect that has discomforted his elder brother.”

How bad do the Windsors look in the wake of the Sussexit: “Very bad,” said Lacey. “They’ve effectively expelled two mixed race individuals. So I don’t think it’s surprising that, Barbados is saying, ‘Thank you very much, we don’t want a white Head of State anymore,’ and Jamaica looks to be going the same way. The Windsors so far have not been able to do ‘Woke’, and when I’ve said that, I get floods of emails from people who say, ‘Woke is finished.’ Well, I don’t agree. I do not think Woke is finished. I think Woke is the gospel of the rising generation and this couple articulated it and will go on articulating it. Harry and Meghan are united in programs of self-realization—and to hell with any blood institution that gets in the way.”

The one-year review: “The people who will judge the success of the arrangement are the Queen, Charles and William. There’s no mention of Harry even being involved in that. So the royal family have a decision to make; are Harry and Meghan in or out? If they’re out they then become ex-royals and to be an ex-royal puts them in the same category then as the Windsors (the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson)—except unlike the Windsors, they’re not going to shut up. The Duke of Windsor did shut up. He produced his memoirs and went into quiet oblivion. This couple are not going quietly. They will not shut up. They are not going away.”

[From The Daily Beast]

I get that a lot of people have already cancelled and written off Lacey, but I’d just like to point out that he is a very established, well-respected “royal historian” and royal commentator and he’s saying some sh-t which none of the other royal commentators will ever say: that Will and Kate were jealous, that they felt competitive with Meghan and Harry, that they don’t want M&H to come back. Lacey is also one of the few people talking about the long-term repercussions for just how awful the Windsors were to Meghan. Anyway! Yeah, this is all stuff we knew, but it’s fascinating to me that Lacey is the one saying it.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red and Backgrid.

From CB: I got the yoga socks and like them so much I want to wear them every day. I even did one of those modern dance barefoot type workouts in them. (This is the one I did and thank you MrsRobinson for mentioning it in the Tia Mowry post.) I also got the outlet shelf and can recommend it. It was easy to install and works well for the Echo dot and my electric toothbrush. The magnesium spray is good and I do recommend it, but please be careful and don’t use it every day. Frankly I got the runs after a few days and think it was from too much magnesium. I’m just going to use it once a week from now on. Here are some more things that Hecate and I are looking at.

Tea Tree shampoo and conditioner for color treated hair and itchy scalp relief

From CB: I’m having itchiness and sensitivity issues with my scalp due to how harsh my at-home hair dye is. I’ve gotten a tea tree oil spray by Hask I’m using and would like to try tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner. This Tea Tree Shampoo and Conditioner for Color Treated Hair by Maple Holistics is paraben and sulfate free. It’s said to be great for treating dandruff, dry scalp and itchy, sensitive scalp. You get 10 ounces each of shampoo and conditioner for under $17. It has 4.5 stars, over 600 ratings and a B on Fakespot. Reviewers write that it really works to reduce itchiness and treat dandruff. “I have had issues with a dry itchy scalp throughout my life. I have tried so many different things that I was considering going to a dermatologist to seek relief. I have tried multiple anti dandruff shampoos that did not bring as much as relief as this. I like that this product is natural. The conditioner also works wonders compared to other natural conditioners that I have tried.” and “My hair shines everytime I use this shampoo + conditioner, and no flakiness and itch due to dry scalp!”

A K-Beauty facial cream called the best, most affordable moisturizer

From CB: I don’t need any more moisturizers but now that I’ve read the reviews for this I want it. Moistfull Collagen by K-Beauty brand Etude House has 4.5 stars, over 1,800 ratings and a B on Fakespot. You get 2.5 ounces for $18.50. Women say that it’s just as good as much more expensive brands. They write “As far as I’m concerned, it’s my holy grail of moisturizers, and I’ve tried Clinique, SKII, La Prairie, La Mer, La Roche Posay, Avene.” “This moisturizer not only absorbs easily, it also feels light and leaves my skin fully moisturized.” “This moisturizer is very lightweight, has a gel-like texture, and a nice scent (slightly orangey but not aggressive).” It comes in a new and old formula but people say to stick with the old one as it’s not as perfumey.

A all natural nail fungus treatment

From CB: I’ve never had this problem before but one of my big toenails is funky now. I thought I must have smacked it, but I’m pretty sure it’s nail fungus. I bought this and have been using it for three days so far. It seems to be working although the verdict is still out. This nail fungus treatment by Foot Cure dissolves the old nail so a new nail can grow in its place. It has 145 ratings, 4.1 stars and an A on Fakespot. So many people say that they went to the podiatrist and tried everything before finding this. (Note that these reviews are for a single bottle of the product, which is no longer available. They’re selling them in 2 packs only now.) “My podiatrist has given me RX’s for meds, I’ve tried Vicks and all the weird remedies that people come up with! I didn’t have high hopes for this AT ALL. I cannot even tell you how much and how quickly this worked! Its only been a couple of weeks!” “Even went to the podiatrist and what they gave me didn’t work. Within 3 days of using this product it literally disintegrated the bad infected nail and new nail has been growing.” “I have been using this product for 5 days, morning and night. The change is already amazing. Color is noticeably improving. Cuticles are smooth and soft. Yes, there is an odor – oregano with light lavender undertones – but it doesn’t last long and is not off-putting.” Personally I don’t mind the smell although you can definitely smell it.

A pretty shimmer eye palette for autumn that’s super affordable

From Hecate: Amazon suggested this new release color palette for me and I thought it was so pretty I wanted to post it, even though it only has a few reviews so far. Back when I could afford it, I purchased some Fenty eye palettes with the shimmer and matte shadows and I just love how they look on. This LUXAZA reminds me a little of those and the whole palette is only $9! Plus the product is cruelty free. It has 23 reviews, 4.7 stars and the same score on ReviewMeta. Reviewers say you get great quality for the price, “I cant believe how much quality I got for such little money. The colors are super pigmented and beautiful.” Another spoke to its versatility, “This would be a great set for traveling as you have a large variety of colors that can be used for day or night looks.” I might get a couple for gifts.

Aromatherapy tablets for a spa shower experience

From Hecate: I’ve been enjoying weekend spa baths – adding salts and oils or bombs, if I have them. These tablets are designed to provide the same spa experience for the shower, which means I wouldn’t have to wait for the weekend to indulge. The tablets are infused with essential oils that are released when you place them on the shower floor. Each gift set is $20 and contains 16 tablets that come in five scents: Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Lavender & Rose, Sweet Orange & Bergamot, Eucalyptus & Peppermint. They have 400 reviews and 4.5 stars on ReviewMeta. Reviewers say they work great in the bath as well, “So soft and moisturized after a bath with one of these.” One said, quite simply, they do exactly what they say they will, “With these bath bombs you can get spa like experience at home. They are just perfect size.” These are listed as gift sets, but I am totally buying these for me.

A fancy cat swing for your fancy cat friends

From Hecate: I saw this on Buzzfeed and it just made me so happy. As you know, I am fantasy shopping for my fantasy cat that I can’t adopt yet. This is totally going on HeKitty’s wish list. This macramé cat swing comes with all the hanging equipment to attach it plus an extension rope so you can hang it exactly where your feline overlord wants it. I love the look, I can think of five places it would look fabulous in my house. It does only come in one color – so hopefully that works with your aesthetic. The hammock comes with a cat bed for $54 or without for $35. It earned 4.3 stars on both Amazon and ReviewMeta. Reviewers say it’s money well spent, “Worth every penny! My kitten loves sleeping and playing in it!” and that you get what you pay for, “This is very nice and came exactly as pictured.” Most of the reviews talk about how much their cats like playing on it and how well made it is. Many of the folks who bought it recommend getting the bed with the swing both because it fits perfectly and because it’s catnip infused.

Fun disposable masks for the holidays

From Hecate: I know, I know – it’s too early to talk about the holidays (is it, though?) but these are available now and they may not be when winter rolls around. I’ve started keeping a box of disposable masks in the car just case anyone forgets one. I haven’t seen too many fun ones. These come 50 masks to a box, two designs to choose from, both under $20 and are currently in stock. They’re brand new so there aren’t a lot of reviews, but they did earn 4.6 stars, which ReviewMeta confirmed. One review said, they feel nice, “The material is pretty soft and comfortable,” while a few others point out that they are not too tight around the ears like some disposable masks can be. Since we know we know we’ll still be wearing them come the holidays, might as well have fun with it!

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Dear Gossips, “Where is your beast mode?” Beyoncé showed us her beast mode yesterday in an IVY PARK Drip 2 video posted on her channels yesterday after releasing still images of the collection. The still images were already enough – but as she intended, the video hyped it all up even more. Duana, Ka…