e56dh t by koledadelosaz

Hot choc s e a s o n, a t l a s t !

THIS MONTH IN COSMO

From

the

editor

oes anyone else feel slightly ashamed to be looking forward to autumn? After months of lockdowns, followed by a typically wet British ‘summer’, I feel like I should be clinging on to every last lingering ray of sunshine. Like I should be making over-ambitious outdoor plans and refusing to take my overworn loungewear back out from the murky depths of my drawers. But instead, I can’t wait. Everything about this issue made me want to pull out my cosiest knit (p51), gorge on the yummiest seasonal snacks I can find (p67) and binge-watch a new TV series (p10). In fact, I have to confess, when it comes to our ‘How long can you last without cancelling plans?’ game (p68) I… well, let’s just say I didn’t get far. A light drizzle and a gust of wind is enough to send me crawling back to my snuggly lair of impulse-bought candles and unnecessary throw cushions tbh. There’s something appealing about the free pass autumn gives you to just take it slow. To focus on yourself. Whether that’s journalling for the first time (p37), going on long walks to clear your head

4·

C O S M O P O L I TA N

(p45), or finally getting that new haircut that makes you feel like a new person (we’ve got all the inspo you need on p27). But the change in seasons can also bring on more seismic personal shifts, too. On p38, one writer reveals what happened to her body when she decided to re-evaluate her contraceptive choice and come off the pill, while on p58 and p63, we dig into the big question of knowing when it’s time to change careers and how to actually do it. Plus, when it comes to change, the country’s students have been at the sharp end of it. Nine freshers open up their firstyear diaries to us on p78, as we explore what campus life was like during one of the most turbulent times on record. So, make a cuppa, snuggle up and get reading!

CLA IRE H ODG SO N Ed ito r-i n- Ch i e f

Keep in touch by follow ing me on Twitter @ C la ir e _H o dge and Instagram @ C la ir e _H o dge

A diary of coming off the pill

The magical world of Awkwaﬁna

The students of COVID – diary of a fresher

We get inside the minds of royal superfans

Can a medium cure grief?

INSIDE

PLAY

GLOW

MOVE

STYLE

EARN

RELAX

READ

121

LOVE

127

EXPLORE

This issue is a Beauty Special! Wherever you see this logo in the magazine or online, you’ll know the page is packed with the latest launches, newest trends and top insider tips, celebrating beauty in all its many forms.

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY MEI TAO. COVER FASHION BY CASSIE ANDERSON. HAIR: KYLEE HEATH A-FRAME AGENCY USING R+CO. MAKE-UP: KARA YOSHIMOTO BUA AT A-FRAME AGENCY USING CHANEL. MANICURE: THUY NGUYEN A-FRAME AGENCY. FASHION ASSISTANT: KATE COLLINS. PRODUCTION: CRAWFORD & CO PRODUCTIONS. GUCCI JACKET AND PANTS, BVLGARI EARRINGS AND NECKLACE. ON THIS PAGE: GETTY IMAGES, PHOTOGRAPHER SARAH BRICK. HAIR AND MAKE-UP: JOLANDA COETZER AT LHA REPRESENTS USING URBAN DECAY AND SACHAJUAN.

COVER STORIES

R AND OM Q U E ST ION O F T HE M O N TH… What would your perfect club night be?

CLAIRE HODGSON Mine would open at 5pm and close by 10pm so I could be in bed by 11pm. That, or there’d be an area where you could nap in between downing tequila shots and eating sweets from a pick ‘n’ mix stand.

Editor-in-Chief Executive Editor (Digital) JESS EDWARDS (maternity) Acting Executive Editor (Digital) ZOE SHENTON Creative Director DECLAN FAHY Workﬂow Director CARLY LEVY

ENTERTAINMENT Acting Entertainment Editor DUSTY BAXTER-WRIGHT Acting Senior Entertainment & Lifestyle Writer DANIELLA SCOTT

FEATURES Features Director CATRIONA INNES Senior Editor CYAN TURAN (maternity) Sex & Relationships Editor PAISLEY GILMOUR Acting Senior Editor MEGAN SUTTON Features Writer JENNIFER SAVIN

DESIGN Art Director WILL JACK Art Editor JESSICA LOCKETT Art Editor NATHALIE BATES Art Editor JESSICA WEBB Senior Designer (Digital/Motion) ALICE COWLING Designer KATIE WILDE Designer FLORENCE OGRAM

My ideal club night would be my house. Eating Domino’s and drinking pints in the bath while watching Narcos. Sorry about me.

PICTURES It pretty much already exists: Swiftogeddon, where they play non-stop Taylor Swift, all night long. I would slightly adjust it though to also include a pasta bar with a selection of shapes and sauces.

Photographic Director RACHAEL CLARK Photographic Director EMILY MURPHY Picture Editor JODIE MCEWAN Picture Editor SARAH ANDERSON

PRODUCTION Group Chief Sub/Production Editor VICTORIA RUDLAND Deputy Chief Sub Editor MATT BLACKWELL Deputy Chief Sub Editor JAMES BROWN

BEAUTY Beauty Director VICTORIA JOWETT

FASHION Fashion Director SASKIA QUIRKE Fashion Editor NATASHA HARDING Bookings Editor SOPHIE LEEN Shopping Editor MADDY ALFORD Fashion Assistant COURTNEY SMITH

A roller disco dream with neon lights, glow sticks and power ballads. Oh, and mandatory crimped hair for all.

SOCIAL & VIDEO Social Media Manager SOPHIE BOYDEN Video Lead ALEX HERING (maternity) Acting Video Lead EDIE JEFFERYS Snapchat Editor FIONA HAYWARD Junior Video Editor/Producer TYRA CHUCK

Ibiza pool party, disco and house music, inflatables, unlimited snacks and cheap drinks. Every ticket sold comes with a free two days off afterwards, too.

CONTRIBUTORS LOTTIE LUMSDEN (Group Talent Director) AMANDA STATHAM (Travel) KEEKS REID (Beauty) LAUREN NICOLE COPPIN CAMPBELL (Fashion)

WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO… AMY BANNERMAN, CAT COSTELLOE, AMY GRIER, CATRIONA HARVEY-JENNER, REBECCA HASTINGS, HANNAH JONES, NATALIE MICHAELIDES, KATE PASOLA, CASSIE POWNEY, STUART SELNER

Champagne on tap, 80s/90s/00s bangers on repeat and a strict ‘no heels’ policy, so I could dance the night away in trainers.

HE A RST UK

HEA R ST SOLUT I O NS Chief Commercial Officer JANE WOLFSON Head of Partnerships MARK MCCAFFERTY Head of Clients OLLIE LLOYD Head of Digital Sales RYAN BUCKLEY Head of Fashion & Beauty SARAH TSIRKAS Head of Finance & Motors PETE CAMMIDGE Head of Travel DENISE DEGROOT Head of Classiﬁed & Independents LEE RIMMER Client Director, Health & Wellness (maternity cover) CHRIS HEALY Client Director, Fashion EMMA BARNES Client Director, Beauty LEE BAILEY Watches & Jewellery Manager OLIVIA HORROCKS-BURNS Head of Media Planning LUCY PORTER Media Planning Manager BETH RONAN COM M U N IC AT I ONS & PR Director of PR & Communications EFFIE KANYUA Deputy Head of PR BEN BOLTON S H OW S & E VE N TS Head of Events, Ops & Delivery MADOLYN GROVE Events Partnership Director MICHELLE PAGLIARULO Events Partnership Manager ALICE MATTHEWS Events Partnership Manager CONNIE FITCH

CO NSU M ER S A LE S & M A R KET I NG Chief Consumer Revenue Officer, Hearst Europe REID HOLLAND Circulation & Subscriptions Director JAMES HILL Head of Subscriptions, Marketing & Circulation JUSTINE BOUCHER Digital Marketing & CRM Director SEEMA KUMARI H E ARS T M AG AZI N E S IN TER NATI O N A L President, Hearst Magazines DEBI CHIRICHELLA Senior Vice President/Editorial & Brand Director KIM ST CLAIR BODDEN Deputy Brands Director CHLOE O’BRIEN Editor-in-Chief, Cosmopolitan (1965-1997) HELEN GURLEY BROWN I N T ER NATI O NA L ED ITI ON S Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, Middle East, Netherlands, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Ukraine, USA

For all advertising enquiries, go to hearst.co.uk/brands/cosmopolitan. For all PR enquiries, email pressenquiries@hearst.co.uk. For all event enquiries, contact hearstevents@hearst.co.uk. Already a subscriber? Visit hearstmagazines.co.uk/managemyaccount to update your contact details, renew your subscription and ﬁnd out when your next issue is due to be delivered. Contact us at hearstmagazines.co.uk/contact-us. Call us on 01858 438439. Lines open weekdays, 8am-9.30pm; Saturdays, 8am-4pm. Please note: You can also contact us regarding new subscriptions and back issues.

Cosmopolitan UK is printed in Poland by Quad/Graphics Europe and distributed by Frontline Ltd, Peterborough (01733 555161)

This magazine can be recycled either through your kerbside collection, or at a local recycling point. Log on to recyclenow. com and enter your postcode to ﬁnd your nearest sites.

Cosmopolitan UK is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK’s magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint, please email complaints@hearst.co.uk or visit hearst.co.uk/hearst-magazines-uk-complaints-procedure. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors’ Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit ipso.co.uk Cosmopolitan UK is published in the UK by The National Magazine Company Limited. House of Hearst, 30 Panton Street, London SW1Y 4AJ. Copyright ©, The National Magazine Company Limited, 2021. All rights reserved. ISSN 0141-0555. Published six times a year. Conditions apply. Cosmopolitan is a trademark of Hearst Magazines Inc., 300 West 57th Street, New York NY 10019, USA. COSMO is a trademark of The National Magazine Company Limited.

6·

C O S M O P O L I TA N

COMPILED BY JENNIFER SAVIN. PHOTOGRAPHY: SARAH BRICK; ANTONIO PETRONZIO

Interim CEO, Hearst UK | President, Hearst Europe SIMON HORNE Finance Director JULIEN LITZELMAN Chief People Officer, Hearst Europe SURINDER SIMMONS Director of Operations SOPHIE WILKINSON Chief International Brand Officer, Hearst Europe MATT HAYES Group Brand Director STEVEN MILES Editorial Business Director CONNIE OSBORNE Business Strategy Director ROMAIN METRAS Editorial Business Manager STACEY TOMLIN Digital Development Director MATT HILL

WORDS DUSTY BAXTER-WRIGHT. PHOTOGRAPH DEAN ROGERS/NETFLIX

play

E v e r y b o d y ’s t a l k i n g a b o u t . . . Finally, the West End’s acclaimed musical about a wannabe drag queen has been made into a ﬁlm. Yep, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie lands this month, with newcomer Max Harwood as Jamie New, and Richard E Grant as his drag-queen mentor Loco Chanelle. It follows Jamie’s journey through self-acceptance and into the spotlight as he discovers who he truly wants to be. A perfect antidote to the autumn blues. Premieres on Amazon Prime Video on 17th September

C O S M O P O L I TA N

play tv

What to watch now you’ve binged Sex Education Let these offbeat shows about love and relationships fill that hole in your life Wo r d s D U S T Y B A X T E R-W R I G H T

Season 3 of Sex Education arrives on Netﬂix 17 September

Atypical

Euphoria

Love, Victor

What’s the vibe? An 18-year-old with autism wants to date. His family must help him become independent ﬁrst.

What’s the vibe? Follows troubled classmates, focusing on a 17-year-old recovering drug addict.

What’s the vibe? A teenage boy on a journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home and in school.

What's the vibe? Two teenagers on a military base explore love, loss and ﬁnding yourself.

Who’s in it? Anne Hathaway and Dev Patel in series one; Lucy Boynton and Kit Harington in series two.

Who’s in it? Keir Gilchrist, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Rapaport.

Who’s in it? Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Hunter Schafer.

Who’s in it? Relative newcomers Michael Cimino, George Sear and Nick Robinson.

Who's in it? No one recognisable, but it's co-created by the director of Call Me By Your Name.

Is it like Sex Education? If you want characters to emotionally invest in, this does the trick. Series 1 and 2 are on Amazon Prime

Is it like Sex Education? An emotional and social education that’s funny and touching. Watch series 1 to 3 on Netﬂix

Is it like Sex Education? It navigates teenage life, exploring identity and friendship, so yes. Series 1 and 2 are on Disney+

Is it like Sex Education? No aubergines or sex tips, but it’s a sweet coming-of-age tale. Watch series 1 on BBC iPlayer

What’s the vibe? Standalone episodes that explore the complexities of love.

10 ·

C O S M O P O L I TA N

Is it like Sex Education? The only characters you may love more than Otis and Eric are Rue and Jules. Watch series 1 on Amazon Prime

We Are Who We Are

PHOTOGRAPHY: MOVIESTILLSDB, NETFLIX

Modern Love

play books

Finally! Your favourite authors are back

WORDS: DUSTY BAXTER-WRIGHT, SOPHIE BOYDEN, CAT HARVEY- JENNER, REBECCA HASTINGS, MEGAN SUTTON. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

It’s so exciting when your go-to author brings out a new book, and this autumn, some of the nation’s much-loved storytellers are doing just that

Magpie

Apples Never Fall

The Man Who Died Twice

Empress & Aniya

Beautiful World, Where Are You

WHO? Elizabeth Day returns with her first work of fiction since the publication of her gripping novel, The Party, in 2017.

WHO? Acclaimed thriller writer and author of Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty is back with a deliciously dark story set in suburbia.

WHO? Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club was a 2020 must-read, so it’s no surprise a follow-up is here already.

WHO? After her hit debut Queenie, Candice Carty-Williams has turned her hand to young adult fiction with this story.

WHO? Following the runaway success of Normal People, Sally Rooney returns with her highly anticipated third novel.

OUR VERDICT Her juiciest thriller yet, it follows Marisa as she moves in with her new boyfriend Jake, and they begin trying for a baby. They also take in a lodger, Kate, to alleviate financial pressure – but Kate’s obsessive behaviour worries Marisa, while Jake doesn’t seem to care. A huge twist turns the narrative on its head – be prepared to forget everything you thought you knew about the characters. With underlying themes of infertility, trauma and mental health, Magpie is moving as well as totally tense. Out now

OUR VERDICT Fans of Moriarty know how skilled she is at writing tense mystery dramas, and Apples Never Fall doesn’t disappoint. When Joy, a mother of four, goes missing, suspicion falls on her husband Stan, whose face is inexplicably scratched. At first, it’s unfathomable this picture-perfect family would have secrets, but when time winds back to the arrival of a strange woman at the Delaneys’ door, everything unravels. It takes a while to get into the story, but further along, there’s some gripping pace that makes up for it. Out now

OUR VERDICT In The Man Who Died Twice, readers rejoin Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim from Osman’s first book. (If you haven’t read it, the sequel would still be enjoyable, even without the backstory of how four OAPs came to be solving murders.) When someone from Elizabeth’s past gets in touch with stories of stolen diamonds, multiple murders and a violent mobster, our favourite pensioners are on the case. Despite its crime thriller-esque plot, the story is uplifting, thanks to the warm characters. Out 16 September

OUR VERDICT Think Freaky Friday but with a south London edge: Empress & Aniya follows two teenagers from very different backgrounds, as Empress starts at Aniya’s private school on a scholarship. After accidentally casting a spell and switching bodies, the pair quickly come to understand what it’s really like to step into the other’s shoes. It’s full of fun moments while covering important issues like privilege and female friendship. The teenagers (and adults) in your life need to read this. Out 7 October

OUR VERDICT If the relationships in Rooney’s other books had you hooked, you’ll love her latest offering. Whereas previously she’s centred on student protagonists, BWWAY feels more grown up, with the characters nearing 30 and working out what they want from adulthood. Alice is a successful novelist critical of her fame, while Eileen is confused about where she stands with her childhood friend, Simon. There’s love, sex and drifting apart, threaded together by Rooney’s signature skill in writing about everyday life. Out now

C O S M O P O L I TA N

TH E OF F I C I AL CO S MO R AN KI N G OF

Daniel Craig is set to ﬁnish his 15year run as 007 in No Time To Die this month, and the internet has been feverishly dream-casting his successor. We gathered some of the top contenders, added a couple of our own (because we're opinionated), and put them on a scale of could-beJames to should-be-James

all the best new

Word s

options

K AY L E I G H R O B E R T S

6th

Dev Patel FUNNY GUY

Henry Cavill th

THE UNDERRATED CONVENTIONAL

9th

Janelle Monáe

CANDIDATE

THE AMERICAN WHO

If the next Bond absolutely had to be another traditionally attractive white cis man, we could do a lot worse than Henry, whose acting talents were honestly wasted playing so-perfect-you’relow-key-boring Superman.

COULD GET IT RIGHT

Daniel Kaluuya th

THE THINKING PERSON’S SEX

Harry Styles

SYMBOL

THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE

Fantasy scenario: he signs on and the resulting movie turns a mirror on society and truly modernises the world of 007. Here. For. That.

We get it. The One Direction alum has style for days, a ﬂuid attitude that is beyond sexy and, based on his turn in Dunkirk, the chops to pull it off.

Another brill idea: recasting JB’s signature drink as... a cosmopolitan

THE RELUCTANT

Unlike most of the people on this list, she’s not British. But she is one of the most talented humans on the planet, which is why her name’s been thrown around as a contender to sing a new theme song. We have a far better idea: let her own the whole damn thing!

Real talk for a second: this man would be a truly dashing and debonair leading man. Heartbreakingly, he has gone on the record saying he doesn’t particularly want the part – unless, that is, the script had a comedic angle. (Scriptwriters, are you listening?)

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

ake (not stir ) things up o sh t me i T

7th

play movies

1st When you spot doughnuts in the of fice kitchen

2nd

THE OMG YES PLS rd

Emily Blunt THE VERIFIED

5th

Thandiwe Newton THE FULL-STOP BADASS

We just think it’s funny how she was once in the running to be a Bond girl, because it’s pretty clear she should just be in charge here. Watch any 30-second clip of her chillsinducing work on Westworld and you’ll see what we mean.

Tom Hiddleston THE COMEBACK KID

Backstory time: he was once seen as a Bond front runner, but in 2017, reports surfaced that franchise producer Barbara Broccoli eliminated him as he wasn’t ‘tough enough’. Interesting, as that’s exactly why we want Tom to get the role.

Idris Elba

ACTION STAR

James Bond saves the world in every movie, and yeah, we’d put our fate in Emily’s Edge of Tomorrow-proven hands. She’s got that whole l-trust-her-butI’m-also-scared-of-her thing absolutely nailed. Maybe it’s her piercing gaze? Her chilled perfection? Whatever it is, it’s working.

Henry Golding THE LUXE LAD

Prefer to focus on Bond’s dashing qualities? Then this Henry can’t not be your pick. If Crazy Rich Asians taught us anything, it’s that he can wear the hell out of a tux – and an affinity for formal wear is approximately 73% of this job. We think.

FRONT RUNNER

The internet’s been begging for this for years and it’s obvious why: the London-born actor is everything Bond should be. Brilliant? Obviously. Charming? Yep. Physically gorgeous? Erm, hell yeah. Metaphysically gorgeous? You betcha. No Time To Die is in cinemas 30 September

C O S M O P O L I TA N

play music

Ben Platt is here to make you with this perfectly curated playlist The Dear Evan Hansen and Pitch Perfect star fully endorses dancing it out Wo r d s E M M A B AT Y 5. ‘First and foremost, I love Haim because they’re fantastic Jewish sisters and they’re from LA, so they’re girls of my own heart. This song‘s got a lot of funk.’

Press play

Evergreen BY YEBBA

6. ‘It’s so rare that someone can take a classic song that’s not theirs and make you hear it in a way you’ve never heard it before. To do that with a Joni Mitchell song is even harder.’

I Know A Place BY MUNA

Your Smiling Face BY JAMES TAYLOR

Whitn 4

Light On

BY MAGGIE ROGERS

The Steps

A Case Of You

God Is A Woman (live version)

Missing U BY ROBYN

How Will I Know

A song to of fer comfor t in dark times

BY WHITNEY HOUSTON

So Will I

US BON K C A R T

1. ‘Yebba is one of the greatest vocalists I‘ve ever heard. This song really ﬁlls me up – it feels very warm and calming.’ 2. ‘I Know A Place is one of my favourite “release everything” dance songs – a jump-around-andthrow-your-arms-to-theside kind of song.’

BY BEN PLATT 3. ‘My family is Jewish, and whenever one of us had a bar or bat mitzvah,

16 ·

feel happy

BY JAMES BLAKE

BY ARIANA GRANDE

song mak

7. ‘Ariana Grande does so many different vocal things that are impressive. As a singer, it‘s so fun to listen to.’

BY HAIM

e y ’s

C O S M O P O L I TA N

my dad would make us a montage of pictures and home videos. One of the songs he set my sister‘s video to was Your Smiling Face. Whenever I hear it, it always makes me think of my family.’ 4. ‘I saw Maggie Rogers live twice, and I listened to her album about 300 out of 365 days last year. Light On can really take you out of your head and into your body.’

8. ‘I love a song that juxtaposes joyful release with a lyric that‘s more melancholy. Positive on positive can be overkill.’ 9. ‘How Will I Know is the ultimate joymaker. I can’t listen to it without feeling happy or smiling a bit.’ 10. ‘I wanted to write a song that I would listen to when the anxiety of this year becomes too much. I’m hoping it comforts many people.’ Dear Evan Hansen is in cinemas 22 October

PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTERSTOCK

play movies

The what-notto-watch guide to

scary mov Based on your deepest, darkest fears Wo r d s L AU R A H A N R A H A N

H i i i, m i n d i f I steal you f o r a s e c?

E FEAR

Children The reaction Love ‘em, or not so much, children are unpredictable. What are they thinking?! So when you pair that with dead eyes or ﬂoaty nightgowns, they’re like little bombs about to explode (or projectile-vomit) on you. The reason ‘This trope is especially bad for people with a rosy views of kids,’ says Clasen. ‘A sweet-looking child who is equipped with disturbing traits, like homicidal motives, sets off two contradictory responses.’ The diagnosis Basically, you love kids a lot. Aww. Avoid Village of the Damned, The Ring, The Shining

Amputation The reaction What if you got a paper cut, which is ouch-y, but instead of a little slice across your ﬁnger, it was your ENTIRE ARM? Make it stop. The reason ‘People high on sensitivity and empathy can feel as though their own limbs are getting torn off,’ says Clasen. The diagnosis You’re extra compassionate – good for you. Avoid The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hostel, Saw

E FEAR

Shower scenes

y ridiculous friend refuses to see scary movies with me. She won’t even watch Dead To Me on Netﬂix, which is basically a comedy, just because of the title. That episode of Friends where Monica wears a turkey on her head? Too gruesome for her. I, on the other hand, will watch it all. Give me pools of blood, vaginas with teeth and human centipedes all the livelong day. Except for just one tiny, very speciﬁc little thing: needles. I’ve heard that somewhere in the Saw movies, there’s a scene with a pit full of syringes and, to be honest, even writing this sentence has me breaking out in a cold sweat. So now that we’re fully into the swing of scary movie season and getting ready to voluntarily experience every possible trigger packed into 90-minute stints, I asked horror specialist Mathias Clasen, PhD, associate professor at Aarhus University in Denmark, what these very particular fears actually mean.

18 ·

C O S M O P O L I TA N

The reaction When your partner comes home wasted, at least you know they’ll sleep it off. Unless of course, bae can suddenly rotate their head 360 degrees and wants to consume your soul. The reason ‘This resonates strongly with people who think that evil forces exist in the world,’ explains Clasen, ‘and it taps into the fear of losing control of one’s body and mind.’ The diagnosis You legit believe in ghosts, aka we want to be your friend. Avoid The Exorcist, The Conjuring, Insidious

The reason ‘This hits folks who have a keen sense of physical vulnerability,’ says Clasen. ‘It exploits the facts that you’re naked, the ﬂoor is slippery and visibility is poor because of steam and the water in your eyes.’ The diagnosis Frankly? You’re just a rational human being. Get a seethrough shower curtain, though. Avoid Psycho, The Grudge, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5

PHOTOGRAPHY: MOVIESTILLS DB, GETTY IMAGES

Po s s e s s i o n

The reaction So fresh, so clean, but also so vulnerable, so unable to hear anything and so unable to see because of stubborn waterproof mascara mixed with soap.

play celebrity

Just a list of R I DI C ULO US LY AMBI TI O U S PO P C U LTU R E

HALLOWEEN COSTUMES YO U S HO U LD ATTEMPT THI S YEAR By ELIZABETH ENTENMAN

GLENN CLOSE DOING ‘DA BUTT’ AT THE OSC ARS As in, when eminent award-winner Glenn Close threw it back at this year’s Academy Awards after she was asked if she knew the 1980s hit Da Butt. You’ll need a table, a little lamp and shocked audience members (most importantly, Daniel Kaluuya, if he’s available). 2

NICOLE KIDMAN’S COAT IN THE UNDOING You know, the green one. Simply rent a Grinch costume. 4

TOM HOLLAND AND ZENDAYA KISSING IN A CAR But instead of being either of them (logistically tricky to be both), be the internet melting down. You dress as molten lava. Everyone understands implicitly.

EVERY MOVIE THAT GOT DEL AY ED, COMBINED Pair Scarlett Johansson’s red Black Widow wig with Timothée Chalamet’s Dune bodysuit. Carry a dalmatian. Be James Bond. Better still, do it all at once. 6

MEGAN THEE STALLION AND CARDI B’S GRAMMYS PERFORMANCE Speciﬁcally that moment during their WAP performance where they crossed their four legs like a spider. Dress up like a literal spider and carry macaroni and cheese.

THE DUKE’S SPOON FROM BRIDGERTON One part foil, two parts papier mâché tongue. You’ll likely need to rewatch some old episodes of Art Attack to get the texture bang on.

HARRY STYLES’ GREEN FE ATHER BOA FROM THE GRAMMYS This one isn’t really about the costume. Sure, you’ve got to glue together a full suit made of the same mint-green feathers, but it’s mainly about embodying the sexuality inherent in the boa itself. Practise in the mirror.

ADDITIONAL WORDS: DANIELLA SCOTT. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

OPRAH MID-HARRY AND MEGHAN INTERVIEW Carry a sign that says ‘Were you si-lent or were you si-lenced?’ and do that very speciﬁc hand motion she did. Maybe wear a pink jumper.

C O S M O P O L I TA N

glow BS -FREE BEAUTY THAT WORKS FOR YOU Beauty director Victoria Jowett on this month’s #empties

USING UP DAN ES S A M YR I C KS B E AU TY VIS I O N F LUS H IN T U TU, £1 8 There’s nothing quite like this creamy tint to give cheeks a rosy, sun-kissed flush – picture yourself just back from a week in Ibiza, after spending a little too much time on that poolside lounger (we can only dream). The satin, semi-matte finish is uber-flattering on textured skin, smoothing pores and blurring fine lines, all while giving a healthy sheen.

USING NEXT

PHOTOGRAPH AGATA PEC

M ILK M AK EU P B I O N IC BLU SH IN T EL EPO RT, £ 2 1 I never knew I needed my blusher to have skincare beneﬁts until I tried this. It’s made with a blend of hyaluronic acid and plant-derived collagen, which hydrates the skin and seals in moisture – so you get that plump, dewy, I-just-drank-eight-glasses-of-water glow. If you have a chronically dry complexion (like me), this cream blush is a game-changer.

C O S M O P O L I TA N

Beauty lab Bases with benefits Want an all-singing, all-dancing foundation? Cassie Powney puts the newest formulations through their paces Collection Cica Foundation, £6.49 (17 shades) It was only a matter of time before anti-inflammatory cica (centella asiatica leaf extract) found its way into a foundation. This one glides on effortlessly (that’ll be the silicone – fine by me) and offers medium coverage with minimal fade throughout the day. Plus, it costs the same as my daily coffee-and-croissant habit, so… Morphe Filter Effect Foundation, £18 (40 shades) This creamy foundation blurs blemishes beautifully, leaving a medium-coverage, satin-matte finish that lasts all day. Great for oily skin types, but a bit exposing for those with dry patches or fine lines *raises hand*. With Fenty-level shade offerings, it’s a shame it doesn’t quite deliver on its hydrating promise.

PICK EDITOR’S

bareMinerals Original Liquid Mineral Foundation, £31 (30 shades) If this was a Friends episode, it would be The One That Got All The Compliments. I’m talking medium coverage with a hint of healthy glow that lasts all day (it even survived a midday nap). The fact this mineral-based formula contains soothing and hydrating squalane and prickly pear extract is by the by – I’m stocking up because it makes my skin look better instantly.

LOVES 2021

Iconic London Radiance Booster, £30 (10 shades) It’s no surprise the brand famed for its decadent highlighter has created a base that takes dewy to new levels. This sheer gel-crème formula leaves skin looking super-polished, but (understandably) doesn’t blank out hardcore blemishes like others on the page. I wore it underneath my usual foundation for a lit-from-within glow.

Back to BASE-ICS Seasoned MUA Scarlett Burton knows a thing or two when it comes to finding the perfect foundation

1 SHINE VS DEW If your skin’s on the oily side (read: you have a shiny T-zone), Scarlett advises you opt for a matte foundation ﬁrst, then add highlights where needed (eg, the cheekbones) for a dewy ﬁnish.

2 PREP LIKE A PRO ‘I always prep dry or dehydrated skin with a hyaluronic acid, then follow with a hydrating primer and dewyﬁnish foundation,’ explains Burton. ‘This helps to bounce back light and create the illusion of glowy skin.’

Esse Foundation, £57 (10 shades) It’s nice to see make-up brands prioritising healthy microbiomes (the good bacteria that populate the surface of our skin). This certiﬁed-organic formula is super-blendable for a full-coverage foundation, but the bacteria-based science is reﬂected in the price. Me? I’d prefer to spend more on my skincare and go cheaper with my base.

Clarins Everlasting Foundation, £31 (24 shades) Full-coverage matte foundations just aren’t for me and my ﬁne lines, which is why I was so pleasantly surprised by this one. The creamy formula gives maximum coverage while looking far from cakey, and there’s zero fade by the end of the day, thanks to a clever organic-oatsugar polymer that ﬁxes colour pigment to the skin. Consider me converted.

3 PHOTOGRAPHY: TARYN RAE-LEE. MODEL: CHIZOBA AT MILK MANAGEMENT. MAKE-UP: ROSIE WILLIAMS @RFWMAKEUP. RETOUCH: NICOLETTE AT MONROE RETOUCH. SCARLETTBURTON.COM

For more of our favourite foundations, go to Cosmopolitan.com/ UK/foundations

TRY, THEN BUY Burton recommends going into store and applying the foundation you’re considering (or getting a counter assistant to do it), then wearing it all day to see how it performs, checking the colour in all lights.

4 BODY BLEND ‘Always check your arms and chest when choosing your shade,’ urges Burton. ‘It needs to blend with the rest of your skin in order to look natural.’ No high-necked jumpers when shopping for foundation then…

C O S M O P O L I TA N

My life in

beauty Model, mum and body-positivity activist Ashley Graham only has time for hard-working beauty products in her life, thank you very much Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, £15.50 ‘My favourite for spots – I’ve been breaking out like crazy on my cheeks with all the maskwearing.’

Heritage Store Rosewater & Glycerin, £7.99 ‘I spray this on throughout the day, even after my make-up, for baby-soft skin.’

26 ·

C O S M O P O L I TA N

Schwarzkopf got2b Ultra Glued Styling Gel For Edges, £4.19 ‘When I’m in mum mode, I just brush up my eyebrows with this and curl my lashes.’

St. Tropez Tan x Ashley Graham Limited Edition Ultimate Glow Kit, £38 ‘If I’ve got a tan, I feel conﬁdent. It’s like an accessory for me.’

Revlon SkinLights Face Glow Illuminator, £9.99 ‘I wear this every day on the high parts of my cheeks, nose and upper lip.’

Environ Youth EssentiA Antioxidant Defence Crème Plus, £68 ‘If you’re going to splurge, splurge on good skincare. I love the Environ products.’

AS TOLD TO CASSIE POWNEY. PHOTOGRAPH BEN RITTER

John Frieda FrizzEase Dream Curls Daily Styling Spray, £5.99 ‘I’ve used this since I was 14. I get out of the shower, part my hair and spray it all over.’

Aurelia Balance & Glow Day Oil, £38 ‘I ﬁrst put this on before a ﬂight and stayed moisturised and glowy from New York to LA.’

Your official autumn After we’ve spent the past two years defending make-up and obsessing over skincare, hair is finally having its moment

S TY L ES 1

Wor ds

Early 2000s revival ‘Expect to see lots of playful ways to dress up the hair with elastics, like variations of bubble ponies and pull-through braids.’ Justine Marjan, celebrity hairstylist

RUBY BUDDEMEYER

Volume à la Farrah Fawcett ‘Big, ﬂuffy volume continues to have a huge inﬂuence in the hair space, especially the natural body that comes from drawing your hot rollers forward and wrapping away from the face. It’s an iconic ‘70s look.’ JM 3

Loose and half-up ‘Super-sleek high ponytails are phasing out for softer half-up looks with tons of texture. Bonus: They pair great with face-framing curtain fringes (which, yep, are still a thing).’ Josh Liu, hairstylist and founder of Útiles beauty

PHOTOGRAPHY: CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT @DESH.DESHH WEARING A WIG BY SENSATIONNEL, @KUKUWAASSAN STYLED BY CREATIVE HAIRSTYLIST LINDA HA @HAIRWITHLINDA, @PAIGE_ WATKINS, @SASKIATEJE, EDWARD BERTHELOT/GETTY IMAGES

Baby plaits ‘Baby braids are an easy element that add a lot of impact. Prepare to see lots of variation too (think: twist rope braids, bubble braids and varying thicknesses).’ JL

5 3

Classic blow-out ‘This look is timeless and always fresh. Blowouts are sticking around for autumn and beach waves are taking a back seat.’ JL

C O S M O P O L I TA N

CUTS 6

Mid-length cut ‘We’re seeing a resurgence of hair that falls just below the collar bones, almost like a grown-out lob. Ask your stylist to cut with a razor for extra texture.’ JM

CO LOU RS 9

Tonal strawberry ‘Like Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby, saturated strawberry tones are the perfect balance between a bright red and a subtle blonde. It’s lowmaintenance *and* highimpact.’ Aura Friedman, expert colourist

Modern mullet ‘Celebs like Miley Cyrus have made a huge case for the mullet – short in the front and longish in the back. It’s an instant vibe that’s easy to style.’ JM

10 8

Face-framing layers ‘They’re having a moment, especially on longer lengths. Plus, they look great sleek and straight or blown-out with lots of volume.’ JM

Neon pops ‘A little colour can go a long way, especially when it’s a mega-bright pop of neon layered beneath your natural hair colour.’ AF

Buzzed and bright ‘Bright tones, like canary, orange and aqua, are on the rise – and they look especially cool on short styles, like a pixie or buzz cut.’ AF 8

. . .A n d t h e s ma rt es t t ool s Take your routine to the next level with these new releases

Beauty Works Jumbo Waver, £70 Okay, I know this looks like a very complicated contraption but I promise it’s about to make heat styling 100 times easier. The three extra-large barrels create loose, natural-looking waves in seconds and the ceramic plates keep your hair soft and shiny throughout the process.

Tangle Teezer The Scalp Exfoliator and Massager, £8 Take your routine up a notch with this gentle-buteffective scalp tool. The combination of long and short teeth help exfoliate your scalp (that circulation boost = one of the keys to a healthy scalp) and the handheld size means you’re in complete control of the pressure.

Aquis Copper Sure Rapid Dry Hair Wrap, £30 Aquis’ microﬁbre towels just got an upgrade. Made with the same moisturewicking and frizzeliminating fabric as the OG wrap, this one also includes antimicrobial technology that helps prevent bacteria build-up. And that means you can wash your towel less.

Dyson SuperSonic Hair Dryer, £299 The super-lightweight hair dryer now has a brand-new ﬂyaway attachment (£30), featuring Dyson’s Coanda effect technology that lifts hair and smooths it, leaving strands looking sleek. The powerful motor means it dries around six times faster than other dryers.

GHD Unplugged, £299 This cordless straightener doesn’t require a bulky charging base – it connects with a USB cable, so you can plug it into your computer, your car, wherever. It’s light as hell, too, which means on-the-go straightening is actually doable. With a full charge, you’ll get 30 minutes of styling without needing a socket.

The co ol e st n ew p roduct s a n d treat m e nt s

These six picks should 100% be on your radar 11 2

Shampoo bars No, you aren’t imagining it: they’re everywhere right now, thanks to their ability to gently cleanse and cut back on waste, too (one bar typically lasts for at least 30 washes. Amazing). TRY: Davines Dede Shampoo Bar, £14, Garnier Ultimate Blends Coco & Aloe Vera Shampoo Bar, £7.99, Klorane Shampoo Bar with Mango, £11.

PRODUCT COPY: VICTORIA JOWETT. PHOTOGRAPHY: CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: @VANESSAEVELYNH, @OH_DAKOTAA, KIRSTIN SINCLAIR/GETTY IMAGES, HELENE PAMBRUN/PARIS MATCH/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES, @SARAHHHBELL, @SYDERONI STYLED BY @SALSALHAIR/NOVA ARTS SALON

The Inkey List Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Scrub, £11.99, is like a facial for your scalp. This treatment combines chemical and physical exfoliators to gently remove dead skin and product build-up.

3 6

Rebundle Braid Better in Blonde, £14.54 This biodegradable braiding hair – made out of extracted banana ﬁbre no less – was designed with both scalp health and the environment in mind. It’s less irritating than plastic synthetic hair and made with non-toxic, safe ingredients. They’re also vegan – bonus.

Pureology Strength Cure Shampoo and Conditioner Duo, £45.55 Weak or fragile hair types will love the strengthening beneﬁts of this duo, which deeply penetrates strands to repair, strengthen and make your hair more resistant to breakage.

SheaMoisture Wig & Weave Tea Tree & Borage Seed Oil Bond Release Spray, £9.99 This alcohol-free spray blasts your skin with tea tree oil, borage seed oil and aloe vera so you can easily remove your wig or weave without risking irritation or damage.

Olaplex No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask, £26 This helps reconnect broken bonds within the hair, leaving you with softer and stronger strands. Skip your in-shower conditioner and work it through your lengths to repair damage.

L’Oréal Professionnel Metal Detox In-Salon Treatment, available at salons nationwide Seven years in the making, this innovative new treatment is designed to target copper build-up in the hair ﬁbre, which can make it more vulnerable to damage. The result offers up to 87% reduction in breakage. Pure genius.

C O S M O P O L I TA N

Maskne is real, friends. Here’s how I cured mine Has the pandemic played havoc with your skin? Find out how to fix it... Wo rd s L A U R E N B A L S A M O

et me start by saying that I am totally and completely aware that, in the grand scheme of things, this is a very small problem to be complaining about right now. But unlike the utter shitshow that the global pandemic has brought about, it’s a problem that is relatively easy to fix. And, as a skin-obsessed beauty editor, I just need five minutes to talk/vent about it. Is that okay? So: maskne – and yes, that’s the official name for the very common, very annoying form of acne that comes from wearing face masks, was something I dealt with constantly during the first low months of quarantine, back in 2020. Because, duh, I wore a mask absolutely everywhere outside my home (and still do). And because face coverings create a humid environment that traps sweat, oil and bacteria on the skin,

explains dermatologist Dr Joshua Zeichner, ‘this can cause whiteheads, red bumps and pustules’. But! All of this, I learned, is actually pretty preventable and treatable if you know the right steps to take. Which, after reading these pages, you will. And my now-clear skin is proof. 1. Wear a 100% cotton mask ‘Not only is cotton softer and less irritating on your skin than other rough fabrics like synthetic plastic (what N95 masks are made of), polyester and denim, but it’s also breathable, which means it’ll create less of a humid environment for breakouts to thrive,’ Dr Zeichner says. 2. Wash it every time Don’t whine – it will only take a minute and is entirely worth it. A germy mask is doing your skin (and your health) zero favours. ‘Wash it after every use

“All of this is actually pretty preventable if you know the right steps.”

with a gentle detergent that’s dye- and fragrance-free,’ says Dr Zeichner, since those can get lodged in fabric and cause breakouts when pressed against your skin for long periods of time.

glow

UR ANTI O Y KNE K IT AS M

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES; HIPTIPICO; @LEAHKIRSCH. *ACCORDING TO A COSMO US POLL. EMBROIDERED FLORAL MASK, HIPTIPICO. RED TIE-DYE MASK, LEAH KIRSCH

3. Keep your face clean, too Speciﬁcally with a salicylic acid-infused cleanser. ‘It’s a beta hydroxy acid that effectively dissolves the excess oil, dirt and dead skin cells that build up in pores and cause breakouts,’ explains Dr Zeichner. Let the cleanser sit on your face for 30 seconds before washing it off so it has a chance to work its clarifying magic. If you’re going to be working out in your mask, do a cleanse both immediately before and after pulling it on. Sounds extra, but if you’re sweating under that thing, your skin could really beneﬁt from a pore-purging double shot. 4. Don’t skip the moisturiser After you wash, be sure to apply on oil-free one with ingredients such as hyaluronic acid or glycerine. Skipping this means that your skin might churn out extra oil to overcompensate for a lack of hydration. And extra oil = more breakouts for you.

BREATHABLE MASK

Dr Barbara Sturm Nano-Silver Mask, £30

5. But do skip the under-mask make-up Sorry, but wearing foundation, or any make-up for that matter, under a mask is a hard no if you want to avoid spots. ‘When make-up gets trapped against your skin like this, it’s basically a one way ticket to clogged pores and breakouts,’ says Dr Zeichner. This is doubly true for people who aren’t super diligent about washing their masks – any older make-up that’s still stuck on the fabric also gets smooshed against your skin again and again. If you must wear foundation, try one that’s oil-free, noncomedogenic and less likely to mess up your complexion, such as Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation And Concealer, £29.

SALICYLIC ACID CLEANSER

Verso Acne Deep Cleanse, £35

6. Use benzoyl peroxide Okay, so it’s possible that you do all the right things and still break out. (Remember when I said I needed to vent? Yeah.) This is where a leave-on benzoyl peroxide product comes in. It’s the best spot treatment for maskne, says Dr Zeichner. ‘Benzoyl peroxide reduces inﬂammation, kills acne-causing bacteria and helps open up pores,

targeting all the main causes of angry pimples created by your mask.’ Just keep in mind that while the twice-daily treatment is effective, slathering on too much – or too-high a concentration – can end up irritating your skin even more. Your best bet is to head to the pharmacy and consult the person at the counter. They’ll likely recommend a 5% concentration. Go easy, follow the pharmacist’s advice and, if in doubt, consult your GP.

OIL-FREE MOISTURISER

Murad Clarifying Oil Free Water Gel, £38

BENZOYL PEROXIDE SPOT TREATMENT

Acnecide Spot Treatment With Benzoyl Peroxide, £7.99

C O S M O P O L I TA N

Which one applies make-up better?

tools: O

O LS F REV R

FIN

E B AT E

Fingers

> E VERY S T R H

Two beauty editors investigate

AUTY EDIT

Even though beauty is literally my job, make-up isn’t really my thing. Sure, I get as excited as anyone by a pretty new eyeshadow palette, but my personal routine is… not even a routine? My vibe is less J Lo, more Emily Ratajkowski. So the second something feels time-consuming or a teeeeny bit complicated, it’s a hard no. That’s why make-up tools seem to me like the most over-hyped products in the business. They’re high-maintenance (all that dampening and cleaning, ugh) and you have to keep buying new ones or risk rubbing months-old make-up all over your face. Also, I already have – for free, for life – something that does a better job. Hello, my ring ﬁnger is the perfect size for dabbing blush on my cheeks or tapping concealer on my spots. The warmth from my skin also heats up my make-up nicely, making it easier to apply. And I swear that the results look more natural. Whether this is lazy or pure genius, IDK, but #TeamNoTools has been good to me, so I’m going to stick with it. C O S M O P O L I TA N

Beautyblender The Original Blender, £17

Beauty Pie Seamless Foundation Buffing Brush, £35

e.l.f. Dual Sided Silicone Blender, £7.50

The takeaway General rule of thumb (lol, had to): Use a sponge for foundation, a brush for tapping on powder and ﬁngers for cream blush or basic eyeshadow. BUT, if you’re just never going to get around to cleaning all of your tools once a week, you probably shouldn’t use them at all.

g a Kwarten A N

Y ASSIST

No offence to anyone (and by anyone, I mean Ruby), but how many things do you touch before doing your make-up? Your phone, a million times. Your toothbrush, the water bottle you haven’t scrubbed lately. Call me paranoid, but even if you wash your hands afterwards, a ton of bacteria is probably still lurking. Putting all that ick on your face is how you end up with spots – and I’m not about that life. For me, the only way to apply make-up is with a brush or sponge. Plus, there’s a reason every make-up artist’s kit is stocked with a million tools: magazineworthy ~lewks~ don’t just happen. If you want to do a smoky eye (or anything that involves more than smudging on some cream shadow), you need a make-up brush (or two) for shading and detailing. If you use a powder or full-coverage foundation, it needs buffing into your skin for a subtle glow. Your ﬁngers just can’t do it the way a Beautyblender can. So, yes, it’s an extra thing, but if you hate acne and love cool make-up, it’s an extra thing that’s worth it.

PHOTOGRAPHY: YASU & JUNKO/TRUNK ARCHIVE

To s p o n g e, or not to s p o n g e?

y B ey U m u e dd S O

32 ·

MAKE A ‘SANDWICH’ ‘Apply gel against the grain of your brows ﬁrst, then reload your spoolie and brush them back down again. Sandwiching each hair in gel makes brows look extra thick.’ VINCENT OQUENDO (@MAKEUPVINCENT)

MASCARA WORKS TOO ‘If your brows are on the darker side, save cash and use brown or black mascara to ﬁll them in. Most formulas give perfect deﬁnition, tint and hold.’ PATRICK TA (@PATRICKTA)

USE YOUR HAIR PATTERN AS A GUIDE ‘If your hairs grow straight up at the inner part of your brow, horizontal at the arch, and down at the tail, your pencil strokes should do the same.’ KATIE JANE HUGHES (@KATIEJANEHUGHES)

START AT THE ARCH ‘Fill in the centre of your brow ﬁrst, working toward the tail, then ﬁnish at the beginning. This will keep you from overloading product on the front end and creating a heavy, unnatural look.’ SIR JOHN BARNETT (@SIRJOHNOFFICIAL)

WIPE , THEN SWIPE USE A LINER BRUSH ‘Dip it in brow gel or cream and use it to draw super-thin lines. Unlike spoolies, liner brushes make it easy to mimic the look of natural hair.’

PHOTOGRAPHY: STEPHANE COUTELLE/ART LICENSING PARTNER

ALANA WRIGHT (@ALANAWRIGHTMAKEUP)

‘Before you apply anything, dust your spoolie or brush against your hand once or twice to take off some of the product. If you skip this step, you could end up with weirdly thick and goopy brows.’ JESSA BLADES (@JESSABLADES)

An insider ’s guide to getting

the best brows of your life The hacks you haven’t heard, from the make-up artists who invented them Wor ds L A U R E N B A L S A M O

C O S M O P O L I TA N

fancy perfume person The rules and recommendations for elevating your scent game Wor d s R U B Y B U D D E M E Y E R

1. Find your fragrance vibe. Figure out which notes – the individual scents, like lemon or rose, that make up a perfume – you do and don’t like. Start a list and jot down what you associate with them. No need to be overly technical about it, though. In my ‘hell yes’ column are jasmine and gardenia (to me, they’re basically summer bottled) and in my ‘just no’ column is strawberry (it’s too candy-like for me). 2. Revisit your old favourites. This can help you accomplish step 1, but let me also say that while discovering a new scent (see step 3) is a power move, there’s no shame in keeping a former fave in your mix (mine is, and always will be, Chanel No5 – it just smells rich). All Perfume People have an evergreen like this: it’s proof of good – and lasting – taste.

3. Now search for something unique. Mass perfume brands are great. Almost too great

Right this way for instant chicness…

1 Ouai Dean Street EDP, £46 (50ml) Apricot, rose, magnolia and amber are the heroes of this perfume (inspired by the brand’s favourite street in London). It’s refreshingly cool with just a little edge – kinda like the city that inspired it.

2 Chanel N°5 Parfum, £180 (15ml) It’s a classic for a reason, folks. Ylang-ylang, neroli, rose and jasmine all come together in a way that’s truly iconic.

3 Björk & Berries Mareld EDP, £85 (50ml) To make it smell like a latenight dip in the ocean, eco-luxe Swedish beauty brand Björk & Berries added a touch of salted ﬁg, crisp eucalyptus and warm bergamot to this fragrance.

PHOTOGRAPHY: LYDIA STUBBS/THE BLONDEY WAY PHOTOGRAPHY. MODEL: LIZ MACE INSTAGRAM/@STELLA218

How to smell like a

(aka why everyone in your squad still smells like Santal 33). Your feed is a good place for ﬁnding fresh indie scents. Smash the follow button on inﬂuencers like @TiffBenson, @JusDeRose and @FunmiMonet for not-yeteverywhere ideas. 4. Or DIY your own scent. Combining different fragrances you already own is an easy way to create a coveted signature blend. My go-to concoction is layering a bold eau de parfum over something more subtle like a scented body lotion, mist or wash.

8 5

7 8 Maison Christian Dior Eden-Roc, £99 (40ml)

4 Marc Jacobs Perfect Intense EDP, £85 (50ml) Clean with a kick – this woodsy ﬂoral juice is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Trust us.

5 Ellis Brooklyn Bee EDP, £100 (50ml) Meet the perfect combo of warm and spicy (hi, honey and rum).

7 6 Versace Dylan Turquoise Pour Femme EDT, £64 (50ml) A quick PSA that lemon and mandarin are kind of having a glow-up. Consider this zesty pick the perfect plus one to any of your summer plans.

Diptyque Orphéon EDP, £125 (75ml)

One whiff of the sea salt and jasmine blend will transport you from your ﬂat to a yacht on the French Riviera.

9 This smells just as unique as it looks, thanks to a woody proﬁle that’ll remind you of sipping drinks in a (nice) bar with your friends.

Boy Smells Rose Load Cologne de Parfum, £105 (65ml) Don’t worry, this isn’t your average rose perfume. It’s got touches of pink peppercorn and raspberry blossom that smell cool as hell.

5. Oh, upgrade your space too. True experts know how to make everything smell good – including their home, car, office, etc. It’s all about using a variety of different mediums (this is an art, OK?) like diffusers, candles, and room sprays to create a moment without dousing yourself in perfume, says fragrance influencer Tiff Benson. Just stick to one scent family (like citrus or all-white florals) so you get chic hotellobby vibes, not Grandma’s-house vibes (sorry, nan). 6. And choose your bottles wisely. Honestly, finding a perfume that’s just as stimulating for your eyes as it is for your nose = next-level fanciness. So if you manage to do all of the above and score a lovely little work of art for your dressing table… well, then my work here is done.

C O S M O P O L I TA N

Cosmopolitan promotion for Hada Labo

Your

‘skinsulation’ guide Just like your wardrobe, your skincare routine needs a seasonal refresh

a 1

Switch up your cleanser

Get de-puffing

Rehydrate religiously

Protect your skin barrier

As your full-coverage foundation replaces your skin tint, it’s also time to swap your exfoliating face wash, which can strip the skin of moisture, for a more hydrating option. Take a tip from J-Beauty and choose a product that nourishes as it cleans. The Gentle Hydrating Cleanser from cult Japanese skincare brand Hada Labo Tokyo is fragrance-free, so it won’t irritate sensitive winter skin, and it’s packed with hyaluronic acid to ensure you’re adding moisture at every stage of your routine.

If you associate summer with antihistamines, you’ll be glad the hay-fever months are behind you. But your face could still be suffering the effects. In order to de-puff, encourage lymph drainage and generally treat yourself, we recommend a facial massage. If you’re not on a budget, book yourself in for a session at FaceGym, which specialises in facial workouts. Or, if you prefer to give it a go yourself at home, try following one of facialist Abigail James’ step-by-step massage tutorials on YouTube.

It’s likely those warm summer days have left your skin in need of serious hydration – and now here comes the central heating to remove any last remaining moisture. While it’s tempting to reach for heavy creams, they can be harder for your skin to absorb if it’s dry or dehydrated, so it’s more effective to layer up lighter products. With its clear, watery texture and multiple types of hyaluronic acid, Hada Labo Tokyo’s Super Hydrator Lotion is formulated to rehydrate from within. Applied before your moisturiser, it’s like a refreshing drink for your skin.

Harsh weather can cause skin irritation, which is easier to prevent than treat. Before you put on your thermals, wrap your skin in a protective cream. Look for moisturisers with the words ‘repair’ or ‘barrier’, and ingredients such as ceramides.

Super-hydrate your skin with the Hada Labo Tokyo range, available at Amazon and Superdrug 36 ·

C O S M O P O L I TA N

Hada Labo To k y o Gentle Hydrating C l e a n s e r, £13 . 45, and AntiAging Super Hydrator L o t i o n, £17. 45

WORDS LAURA CAPON. EDITED BY ALISON LYNCH

s we bid goodbye to sundowners and golden-hour sunlight and say hello to crisp autumn days and pumpkin spice lattes, it’s not just our wardrobes that need updating. A change of season means tweaking your skincare routine in order to tackle the repercussions of those months of sun damage, while simultaneously preparing your skin barrier for the colder days to come. It doesn’t have to be complicated, though, thanks to these four simple steps.

move STRETCH YOUR BODY AND YOUR MIND

How to journal for mental health (properly)

WORDS JENNIFER SAVIN AND REBECCA HASTINGS. PHOTOGRAPH STOCKSY

Hands up if you have a journal that’s just gathering dust? Well, pick it back up – it really can offer mental health beneﬁts, such as regulating emotions, stress and anxiety. ‘Jot down what you want to get out of keeping a journal beforehand,’ advises Helen Colebrook, author of Journal With Purpose. ‘Is it to record the happenings of each day, process your feelings, plan out your dream life, or get creative?’ She adds that taking a ‘little and often’ approach to journalling – perhaps taking 10 minutes while dinner is cooking – is a solid tactic, too. Now, which drawer did you leave it in?

C O S M O P O L I TA N

A diary of

coming off There’s so much advice available to people starting the contraceptive pill, but not a lot of information about what happens when you come off it. Catriona Harvey-Jenner shares the diary she kept of her first pill-free month…

move

y fiancé Ryan didn’t believe me at first, when I told him I couldn’t see. I didn’t want it to be happening either, but there it was: a large, bright spot on the left-hand side that moved whenever I shifted my gaze. It blocked out half of my sight, the way the flash of a camera lingers after the shot has been taken. Ryan gripped my shoulders, steadying me as I moved away from my computer. It had to be bad lighting, an overdose of screen time finally catching up with me after months of working from home. But it wasn’t. It was a warning sign. One that was about to change my relationship with contraception irreversibly. i

C O S M O P O L I TA N

’d been taking the combined pill for almost 13 years. Possible side effects of this type of pill can include mood changes and unusual bleeding, among others. But I’d never experienced them. In fact, the pill and I have always got on very well. I appreciated how it allowed me to control when I had a period, and gave me peace of mind that I wouldn’t end up unexpectedly pregnant. But what I was less aware of is that the combined pill elevates the risk of a stroke, as does a ‘migraine with aura’ – which is what caused my loss of sight that morning. Combined, the two factors are way too unsafe to chance. I’d never had a migraine before, let alone temporary blindness, but after a trip to A&E and then a specialist eye hospital, I was told it was likely stress-induced. Something to monitor but nothing to worry about, my GP told me, before taking me off the pill ‘with immediate effect’. There were other options, but for me, there were drawbacks to them all. In fact, with contraceptive cycle-tracking app Natural Cycles having racked up over 1.8 million global users since it was founded in 2013, it’s clear that many of us are swerving traditional contraception altogether – and I was about to do the same. Ryan and I decided to opt for condoms and cycle tracking. But what would happen to my body when I went cold turkey? I could ﬁnd plenty of information on what happens when you go on the pill, but not so much on coming off it. While everyone’s experience is different, here’s what happened to me in the month that followed…

Perhaps it sounds silly, but I feel a sense of mourning as I drop the pill packet I’d become so used to seeing on my bedside table into the bin. Almost immediately, I begin to feel what I think are side effects from going without the pill. The day after my GP consultation, I wake with a headache. It swims from one temple to the other, traversing down to the nape of my neck, dialling up in severity and then back down again before settling at the top of my eye. It doesn’t leave for almost two weeks. Considering the scary circumstances that led me to coming off the pill, it’s hard to tell whether this is some kind of contraceptive withdrawal symptom or just a migraine now living permanently, rent-free, in my head. Anecdotally at least, a headache seems to be a

common side effect of coming off the pill, with plenty of others online also bemoaning a fuzzy, painful head. Scientiﬁc studies have never conﬁrmed it, but it’s thought that this may be down to the drop in hormones. When you take the combined pill at the same time each day, it provides you with steady levels of two man-made hormones – oestrogen and progestogen – which mimic natural hormones and tell your body not to produce an egg. When you stop taking the pill, those synthetic hormones drain from your system, and it can take a little while for your body’s own hormone production to pick back up. So is this the cause of my new headache? Dr Janet Barter, vice president of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, thinks it’s likely. ‘It could be possible that once you’ve come off the pill and it’s out of your system, your own

ovaries haven’t started building up the oestrogen yet,’ she explains. ‘You may have had a slightly lower oestrogen level in those couple of weeks, which might then have manifested as a headache.’

The way I see it, my ovaries have more or less lain dormant for nearly 13 years – and they’re about to get a wake-up call. I just never expected to feel it. On day 12, as I’m waiting for a bus, I feel a stabbing pain on the lower left-hand side of my back. It’s excruciating – like a bolt of lightning etching itself into my tissue – and dissipates almost as quickly as it comes. What I don’t realise at the time is that I’m probably experiencing the sensation of my ovaries releasing an actual egg, known as ‘mittelschmerz’.

DR BARTER’S ADVICE

A German term that translates as ‘middle pain’, mittelschmerz is so called because it tends to occur mid-way through a menstrual cycle – and here is mine, arriving like clockwork.

PHOTOGRAPHY: STOCKSY, GETTY IMAGES

The following two days bring a dull ache in my lower back, the same location where the pain struck first. This is also mittelschmerz, thinks Dr Barter. ‘When you ovulate, you release the egg, which is microscopically small, and a little bit of fluid. That fluid can irritate your perimetrium, which is the inner lining of your pelvis.’ Who knew the release of one tiny egg could bring with it such painful fanfare?

As a bridesmaid dress fitting looms, I tentatively step on the bathroom scales. To my surprise, the digits before me declare I weigh 1.5kg less than my standard weight. Scientific studies show no evidence that birth control pills cause weight gain in those who take them, but here I am with the figures to suggest otherwise: my eating and exercise habits haven’t changed over the past three weeks. My experience matches that of ‘women in the real world’, advises Dr Barter, who tells me it could be possible to lose ‘a small amount of fluid retention’ from the pill once you stop taking it.

I’m almost a month into my new pill-free life when

I become aware of a funny sensation in my nipples. As I brush past them with my hand, haphazardly trying to put on a bra, I notice a stirring of sensitivity that causes a pang of horror. Tender boobs are a sign of pregnancy, right? Have I really abandoned my pill packet and wound up pregnant within just four weeks?

My sensitive nips (and with them, my fears) hang around for a couple of days, but all is well again with the arrival of some familiar churning in my lower abdomen. Cramps – and far more distinct ones than I’d ever got from a pill withdrawal bleed, that’s for sure. Promptly, on day 28, my period turns up – conﬁrming that I may not have a badly timed baby on the way, but I do have a very efficient menstrual cycle. It also explains the tenderness in my breasts a few days ago, which is a common symptom of PMS I hadn’t remembered experiencing before starting on the pill all those years ago. The punctual arrival of my period comes as a bit of a surprise to me – I’d expected it would take a few months of irregular bleeding to get back into the reliable rhythm I’d always experienced as a teenager. But this is a myth many people wrongly believe, explains Dr Barter. Long ago, doctors adopted the concept of ‘post-pill amenorrhea’, which suggested you might miss periods for a few months after coming off the pill. This could likely have been the case in the 1970s, due to the higher dose of hormones the

contraceptives contained back then, but it’s not something that experts stand by now. ‘We don’t believe that post-pill amenorrhea exists,’ says Dr Barter. ‘We sometimes see people whose periods are quite infrequent when they ﬁrst come off the pill. But if they remember back to why they ﬁrst started on the pill, they’ll often say it was because their periods weren’t regular. What you go back to is your [cycle as it was] naturally.’

Six days later I am still very much on my period, an inconvenient novelty after the shorter, lighter withdrawal bleeds I had become used to on the pill. But in the grand scheme of things, reflecting on my first pill-free month, I feel lucky that my body has treated me so well. What Dr Barter has shown me is that there are actually very few symptoms that manifest because you stop hormonal contraception. Any you do suffer are generally your body’s own natural reaction to the ups and downs of its menstrual cycle as it adjusts to no longer being suppressed by a sustained influx of synthetic hormones. ‘Your hormones affect everything about you,’ Dr Barter tells me sagely. But over the past four weeks, I’ve had no major mood swings, no spot outbreaks, and only some light crampy pain in the run-up to my period returning, which did so like clockwork. The predictability of the pill was convenient, but actually, it looks like my body’s own natural rhythms aren’t so bad either. V

TO ANYONE CONSIDERING

COMING OFF THE PILL

There’s no need to consult a doctor before you take the decision to ditch your contraception, unless you’re using it to treat a condition like endometriosis or fibroids. You can stop taking the pill at any time, but if you wait until you’ve finished a strip, you’ll have an idea of where you are in your cycle (and when your period is likely to start). Keep track of your period dates. That way, you’ll be clear on how regular your natural cycle is. If your periods don’t come back after three months, and you’re sure you aren’t pregnant, go to see your doctor. There’s usually a cause for irregular periods, so it’s worth trying to figure it out. You can become fertile again within one week of stopping the pill, so make sure to use other protection if you don’t plan on getting pregnant. If you’re coming off the pill with a view to conceive, you need to do the prep. Carry out a mental checklist of how fit and healthy you are. Are you on any medications that might affect a pregnancy? Do you take recreational drugs? Do you smoke? How much alcohol you drink? It’s more important than you might think.

C O S M O P O L I TA N

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

5 POST-WORKOUT SKINCARE TIPS Everything you need to know to care for your skin, with a little help from Aveeno®

ot much beats the endorphin boost that comes from exercise – it increases blood ﬂow, improves your mood and is generally great for both the mind and body. The only drawback? Getting sweaty can aggravate dry, sensitive skin. Dry, sensitive skin can occur if you have a weakened moisture barrier, caused by an imbalance in the community of microorganisms that work together to keep your skin protected and healthy. It’s an issue that can affect people of all ages and skin types – so if sweat makes your skin feel dry and tight after exercise, here is a post-exercise game plan to maintain soft, supple and healthy-looking skin.

One of the simplest changes you can make to keep your skin feeling hydrated is to drink plenty of ﬂuids throughout the day, every day. Upping your water intake, particularly if you exercise regularly, can offset water loss and increase hydration in the skin. Post-workout, always take a shower or bath with lukewarm rather than hot water, as the lower temperature can help to close pores that may have been dilated due to sweat. Try to limit your washing to no longer than 10 minutes, as the longer you shower, the more moisture you lose. Whether you have normal skin that needs a little extra care or suffer with dry skin, choose a mild, soap-free shower gel, such as Aveeno Daily Moisturising Body Wash, which helps

2 3

preserve the skin’s natural moisture barrier. It’ll leave your skin with a clean, fresh feeling without drying it out. Apply body lotion as soon as you ﬁnish washing, when your skin will still be damp and soft. Aveeno Daily Moisturising Body Lotion locks in moisture for 24 hours to gently nourish the skin and improves the natural skin’s moisture barrier. Don’t forget about your hands either. Aveeno’s fast-absorbing Daily Moisturising Hand Cream protects and nourishes dry hands, and is suitable even for sensitive skin. Skincare routine, sorted.

4 5

Aveeno Daily Moisturising B o d y L o t i o n, R R P £7. 8 6

Find out how Aveeno’s prebiotic oat formulas can help support your skin at Aveeno.co.uk

move

Life in

body... multiple sclerosis

with

AS TOLD TO JENNIFER SAVIN. PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF KIMBERLEY ROAN M C VEIGH. *ACCORDING TO MS SOCIETY

When Kimberley Roan McVeigh, 33, from Glasgow, ﬁrst became unwell, she put her symptoms down to a trapped nerve

our years ago, I woke up and realised that I couldn’t feel my right leg. It was an otherwise unremarkable Thursday morning in April, and I put the numbness down to sleeping funny, or a trapped nerve. I was working as a teacher and couldn’t contemplate the idea of falling ill. Before that day, I’d been feeling more tired than usual, but had put it down to

W H AT HELPS KIMBERLEY

‘teacher’s flu’. In fact, I’d felt embarrassed that I was seemingly unable to ‘hack the pace’ of my new job. But when I swung my legs out of bed and couldn’t feel the ground beneath me, I knew it was time to see a doctor. My GP referred me for tests and I was taken to hospital, where I fretted about occupying a bed that could have been more urgently needed by someone else. After scans and a lumbar puncture –

Having goals MS doesn’t have to stop you from achieving great things. I’ve travelled to Africa and helped to build a school, and created my own vintage fashion magazine, C’est La Vintage.

where needles are put into your back to extract spinal fluid – I was allowed to leave, but returned for MRIs and further appointments. Finally, six months later, I was diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), an incurable neurological condition that affects your brain and spinal cord. In people who

have MS, their immune system mistakenly attacks the coating that protects their nerves (myelin). It’s estimated that there are over 130,000 people living with MS in the UK.*

Medication It helps prevent me relapsing and controls some of my symptoms (although it can also introduce new ones, such as hot flushes). Oxygen therapy can help repair muscles too.

Part of the reason it can take so long to get a diagnosis is because the symptoms are so varied – for some people, MS impacts their vision, but others lose their balance or their ability to walk, talk and swallow. My MS is characterised by loss of sensation, muscle spasms and extreme fatigue (to the extent that even putting my hair in rollers can feel exhausting). At first, I was in a daze. Hearing people say things like ‘Is MS the one where you end up in a wheelchair?’ didn’t help either, but doing a course with Revive MS, a support organisation, taught me that grieving isn’t something we only do when a loved one dies – you can grieve for your health, too. Once I’d accepted that, I educated myself about MS. I made a new life motto: it’s incurable, not terminal. My diagnosis forced me to consider what makes life valuable and what brings me joy. I’m still a teacher (and after a year of practice, can walk in heels again) but I have to pace myself. If I’m overtired, my leg will go again. Now, I use MS as a driving force to go after what makes me happy. For more information about MS, visit Mssociety.org.uk

Role models Seeing Selma Blair, who also has MS, on the red carpet with her walking cane was a big moment. But it’s not always obvious if somebody has MS – raising awareness is crucial.

C O S M O P O L I TA N

Get your kicks on long walks

Try before you train... walking boots Team Cosmo tackle treks in typically unpredictable weather to see how these boots really hold up in all conditions All-round great value

Berghaus Expeditor Trek 2.0 Boots, £100 These are the comﬁest shoes I’ve ever worn. I’ve spent a lot of time breaking boots in, but these were ready to go straight away. The suede and mesh material was breathable, while the waterproof lining prevented soggy socks. They took a while to tie up, but that’s really my only criticism. I trekked over muddy ﬁelds and rocky terrain, and my feet and ankles always felt supported. If you want an all-rounder with a reasonable price tag, these could be perfect. Fiona, Snapchat Editor

Comfy and cushioned

Danner Mountain Light Cascade Clovis, around £295 You might recognise these beauties from their starring role on Reese Witherspoon’s feet in Wild. But don’t be mistaken – they’re plenty durable. Lightweight and easy to clean, they’re comfy without needing thick socks. The Gore-Tex lining is airy, while the Vibram sole packs plenty of grip. If you’re willing to invest, these will survive trail walks and city strolls. I suppose if they’re good enough for Reese, eh? S o p h i e, B o o k i n g s E d i t o r

Merrell Moab 2 Mid Gore-Tex, £130 I’ve always been a little bit scared of full-on hiking boots. I’m not a hardcore walker and tend to think ‘proper’ boots will take ages to wear in and give me painful blisters along the way. I normally go with a trainer hybrid, but these wonders have changed my view, if not my life. Comfortable from the very ﬁrst outing and surprisingly light to wear, they perfectly cushioned my ankles and my feet weren’t too hot, thanks to the (waterproof) Gore-Tex outer and mesh lining. Hannah, Chief Sub- Editor

COMPILED BY SOPHIE LEEN. PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES

Flex it, girl

Ariat Skyline Summit Gore-Tex, £170 I’ve tried many walking boots and none have ticked every box. These have got it all. Made from leather and fabric, they’re waterproof and sturdy, but also breathable. They were comfy when worn with thin socks and the shock-absorbing midsole made walking on uneven terrain (Hackney canal) a pleasure. Most women’s boots are dainty, but these are nicely chunky without making your feet look huge. Ideal for rainy festival days and long Sunday walks in the countryside. P a i s l e y, S e x a n d R e l a t i o n s h i p s E d i t o r

Vivobarefoot Tracker II FG, £190 Warning: you may not go back to traditional hiking boots after wearing these. Designed to create a barefoot feeling and let you connect with nature, they were lightweight and comfortable, putting a spring in my step without losing the all-important grip. They’d be great on a hot-weather hike, although the soles are quite thin and you’ll feel the rocky ground beneath you. The best bit is you can fold them up super-small – perfect for spontaneous travellers. Jessica, Art Editor

Decathlon Waterproof Mountain Walking Boots MH500 Mid, £59.99 I tested these boots over a week of intense heat followed by torrential downpours. Normally I’d be dodging puddles, but not with these. Sturdy, lightweight and, most importantly, waterproof, they allowed me to walk miles in comfort without the worry of wet feet. The colour palette is simple but stylish, with dark colours to hide the dirt from muddy trails. These will be a lifesaver on trips where four seasons can appear in a day. J o d i e, P i c t u r e E d i t o r

C O S M O P O L I TA N

style FA S H I O N T H AT M A K E S YO U F E E L A S G R E AT A S YO U LO O K

Knitty pretty

WORDS NATASHA HARDING. PHOTOGRAPH LISA SAYS GAH

What do you wear when it’s too warm for a coat, but too cold for a long-sleeved top? Answer: a vibrant knit. The ultimate trans-seasonal staple, you can wear a chunky jumper with retro trousers or a silky skirt, or pulled over a dress. This season, it’s all about vintageinspired designs – think technicolour cross-stitching, mismatched patches and cosy fabrics. Yep, the mood is basically Lorelai Gilmore circa autumn 2004, and we’re all in. J u m p e r, S t i n e G o y a S t u d i o at Lisa Says Gah

C O S M O P O L I TA N

Literall

y oth e

autumn trends but leopard print, I'm begging Wor d s L A U R E N A D H A V

d t k e o n el n m e a E D s bl dia ’ll f . T t u ic i ith o IL U like e w e. Y a ch Q h let ur ell uc mp text ’ h m in tty , co uffy ook e Pr ake d p le l es an whi m s na ape gly sh snug

r ou y W s O k a ng n L L lic ki io Y E as s ba ens y e b E R tﬁts ntin dim ok nit, T o e T ou ra or l –k c U a i r t r! u B fo q m ls d ma ria teve s e d t e i o te ak our nt. A chr ma wha m v o It fa die on the er, h e gr a m up leat n i to ng y, ixi rse m je

n E hio ce. s N I fa nan p S H en inte dam . H wh a y es I G e it w m oap piec s H ov lo l ly s a ese i a g h t ot risin eed an t G rp e n u ou o c l s is ll y th t A lo c

6 3

1.Quilted jacket, £58, Asos 2.Bag, £26, Next 3.Sandals, £38, Next 4

4.Bag, £24.99, H&M 5.Rings, £5.99, Pull & Bear 6.Trousers, £45, River Island 7.Shoes, £85, Charles & Keith

8.Jumper, £70, House of Sunny 9.Beret, £8, Monki 10.Shoes, £125, Uterqüe 11.Bag, £185, Uterqüe

COMPILED BY NATASHA HARDING AND ZULI ALAO. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES, JASON JEAN/BLAUBLUTEDITION.COM, FRENCHY STYLE/BLAUBLUT-EDITION.COM, THE STYLE STALKER/BLAUBLUT-EDITION.COM

style

We love leopard print. It has neutral hues, it goes with everything, it looks good on everyone and it’s already made its way on to millions of garments and OOTDs (plus zillions of notorious midi skirts). But I can’t be the only one suffering from Big Cat Fatigue. Especially when there are so many other trends to try... r ve of o u t g h yo K iltin nc ler e t tha ns! k R u l Y ma trus tio r.) O qu a b ki ed. E a g p t e W th L t H wi mix for ura I S igh , bu ng o mp T C sed ou her nco PA es m ern ori o ju A tt b it g P nfu ts y get s e s pa on- an ’ co is le s to asse d is n tM a e , b , th ure gl r d to th lish tha t t o u d t t lef tex nte Yo rse sty ing o i r e e N th T e r e o ts be. av re a y ey n n o i i ll e pr o v th ota tr T ( re

s. es life l on o C eas ys t ess L A s da dr is L I are n ent th m in s tel autu atem ries . s a r st o le : p ole r a ess urp A PS g co ithe acc g p e le in in Br with subt opp p or

19 16

12 15

12.Bag, £17.99, Pull & Bear 13.Sweater, £59.99, Mango 14.Jeans, £27.50, Oasis 15.Bandana, £19.99, TK Maxx

20.Bag, £75, Roop 21.Sunglasses, £149, Jimmy Fairly 22.Dress, £35.99, Mango 23.Blazer, £40, Monki

16.Trainers, £119, Desigual 17.Mini bag, £84, Desigual 18.Jeans, £69.99, Jaded London at Zalando 19.Denim jacket, £55.99, Pull & Bear

C O S M O P O L I TA N

style

A whole page of the

fuzziest, softest, cosiest items we could find

Joggers, £ 27, G i l l y H i c k s

It’s hygge season, baby Wo rd s R A C H E L T O R G E R S O N Sh op p i n g E d it o r M A D D Y A L F O R D

Hoodie, £117, Pangaia

P yjama set, £ 5 5 , V i c t o r i a ’s Secret

Scrunchie, £ 2 2, Orchard Moon

Sweat shir t, £85, Les Girls Les Boys

J u m p e r, £ 70 , Ly l e & S c o t t

Slippers, £48, Reiss

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

J u m p e r, £ 59. 5 0, Oliver Bonas

JUST A L I T T L E T I P. . . The more natural a fabric is, the softer it is to the touch. So if you’re trying to live your snuggliest life, investigate that tag.

Tr o u s e r s , £35, R iver Island

Sweater set, £15 0 , F r e e People

S l i p p e r s , £110, U g g

S o c k s , £ 2 9. 5 0 , To m L a n e

C O S M O P O L I TA N

style

Hi, style is

seasonless now Restrictive rules? We’ll pass…

Words R A C H E L T O R G E R S O N

I don’t know about you, but for me, it all feels like a blur. And by “it all” I mean, of course, the space-time continuum. But also the way fashion has evolved to keep up with the times, instead of staying ahead. Bear with me here. The whole fashion

industry has worked forever, as you likely know, around “seasons” of collections – and it’s “shown” those collections at Fashion Week, to buyers and editors like me, about six months ahead of time so we can make all our plans. But even before COVID-19 halted clothing production, virtualised runway shows and kept us in tracksuits 24/7, things were starting to change.

Shoppers wanted to wear a trend as soon as they saw it, not wait six months for it to be “in”. Style stars started blending seasonal clothes on the street, wearing boots and knitted vests in warm weather and layered

slip dresses and sandals with socks in the cold. It may seem small, but this shift is actually kind of major. We grew up hearing that certain hues and textures had a time and a place. As I got my start in the industry, following those rules made sense, and the ability to preview

thing that should really matter when getting dressed for winter versus summer is whether or not you’II feel warm enough. Another new thing that feels totally right: being able to wear

collections months ahead of time did seem great. But the world moves too fast for that now. Plus, the concept of “what to wear when” just feels… off, in this post-apocalyptic landscape. The only

items year-round means less spending for you and less waste for the environment. Sure, there will always be quick fads, but go ahead and wear that neon skirt this autumn instead of switching to checks. You’ll decide what you want to wear, whenever you damn well please. And doesn’t that power feel nice?

PHOTOGRAPHS SKWAD PHOTOGRAPHY/BLAUBLUT-EDITION.COM, FRENCHY STYLE/BLAUBLUT-EDITION.COM, GETTY IMAGES

“The concept of ‘what to wear when’ now just feels off ”

style

K NOT I T Loop a short scarf around your neck, tie it on the side, et voilà.

W RAP IT

O N E - SH O U LD E R IT

Works best with square-shaped scarves far a three-point cowl effect.

Even better if there’s a cute colour scheme and a brooch involved.

H OW TO

wrap your scarf ...in ways that won’t make you look like an extra in Harry Potter

T IE IT

Just walk around cuddled up in a big scarf. What? It’s cold!

Wo rds L A U R E N A D H A V

Drape and knot a silk scarf around your head for retro vibes.

B ELT I T

DRAP E I T

P I N IT

For my asymmetrical babes, slip a scarf over one shoulder and cinch.

Like #5, but with a longer tail to toss dramatically behind you.

Sometimes, your scarf is prettier than your top. Show it off like so.

PHOTOGRAPHY: FRENCHY STYLE/BLAUBLUT-EDITION.COM, JASON JEAN/BLAUBLUT-EDITION.COM, SANDRA SEMBURG/BLAUBLUT-EDITION.COM, GETTY IMAGES

B LAN KE T I T

C O S M O P O L I TA N

These are the sexiest celebrity “revenge looks” of all time

Princess Diana

Jennifer Aniston

(1994)

(2005)

WORDS NATASHA HARDING. PHOTOGRAPHS GETTY IMAGES

The OG opted for a short, off-the-shoulder black dress that gloriously broke royal protocol on the same night that a TV documentary aired in which Prince Charles conﬁrmed he had been unfaithful to her.

Following ﬁve years of marriage, Jennifer and Brad Pitt’s divorce was the talk of the town. That is, until she arrived on the red carpet looking nothing short of radiant in this sequin situation.

Reese Witherspoon Elizabeth Hurley (2000 ) As someone who was catapulted into the spotlight by a certain safety-pin dress, Liz’s post-Hugh Grant plunging ivory gown was an undeniably tactical wardrobe choice.

(2007) Who could forget the zesty yellow strapless mini that Reese wore to the Golden Globes following her split from Ryan Phillippe?

style

You’ve heard about the post-break-up haircut – often a dramatic chop, new fringe or a fresh colour. Well, this is fashion’s equivalent. First made famous by Princess Diana back in 1994, the revenge dress is more than just an outﬁt – it’s a statement. Because what better way to show that you’re living your best life than by putting your best fashion foot forward?

Gigi Hadid (2015)

Jennifer Lopez (2014) After J.Lo and Marc Anthony ﬁnalised their divorce, Jenny From The Block stepped out at her album launch wearing the most stunning hot-pink midi we’ve ever laid eyes on.

Gigi rocked the break-up hairstyle (via a faux bob) and revenge dress for her American Music Awards look, hot on the heels of her split from Joe Jonas.

Bella Hadid (2017)

Selena Gomez (2016) After the heated #Jelena Instagram feud with her ex, Justin Bieber, Selena attended the Grammys in a very sexy navy sequinned gown with backless detailing and ﬂattering cut-outs.

While it might not be a dress per se, Bella’s near-naked Met Gala catsuit was a not-sosubtle “I’m over it” move after she parted ways with The Weeknd.

C O S M O P O L I TA N

earn

WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER

WORDS REBECCA HASTINGS. PHOTOGRAPH GETTY IMAGES

Scroll yourself solvent Sometimes, the extra brainpower that goes into being ‘good at money’ can be off-putting – and a bit boring. But Instagram could be the key to staying in control of our cash. There’s now a crop of accounts that empower their followers to take care of their finances, covering everything from investing (@thisgirlinvests) to money-saving hacks (@gofundyourself). The accounts aren’t preachy – they understand how easy it is to get into a difficult financial situation, and offer practical advice, at the touch of your fingertips, for getting out of it.

C O S M O P O L I TA N

YOUR THREE-STEP GUIDE TO

earn

A game plan from experts, plus hard-won advice from women who’ve made big work switches…

C O S M O P O L I TA N

If we were all on one big career ladder, then the pandemic has definitely given it a big old shake. The uncertainly, boredom and time to reflect has changed many people’s plans, and 41% of global workers are considering handing in their notice, rising to 54% of 18- to 25-year-olds, according to Microsoft research. In fact, so many people are thinking of upping sticks job-wise that the term ‘the great resignation’ was coined by management professor Anthony Klotz and has since been trending online. But how the hell do you know what your next career move will be? And if you’re even the right person for it? We asked the experts to find out…

allow you to get a job done effectively. USE YOUR T I M E W I S E LY The Sunday scaries are getting way too much to handle. But instead of quitting in a blaze of glory, it’s important to think very carefully about what’s next. ‘Consider the industries and jobs that interest you. Often, jobseekers don’t realise the power they have,’ says Vicki Salemi, career expert at Monster. It’s time to identify your transferable skills – usually thought of as productive personality traits that

Do this now: Salemi recommends doing an audit of your week then thinking about the transferable skills you used. Maybe you cooked dinner while FaceTiming a friend (hiya, multitasking) or found a way to present something more clearly at work (communicator extraordinaire). You can then use LinkedIn’s free Career Explorer tool to match your skills to roles you’d be suited to.

‘Often jobseekers don’t realise the power they have’ Learn from those who did it: Elizabeth le Farge, 35, worked in NHS admin until she decided to retrain aged 30. While working full-time, she completed a two-year access to nursing diploma before

three years studying at university and on-thejob training. She’s now a test and trace nurse at the Royal Marsden Hospital. ‘I’m great at prioritising tasks and dealing with competing

demands thanks to my time managing the diaries of directors. For nurses, prioritisation can mean life or death. If two equally unwell patients need you at the same time, teamwork is essential. I always found managing priorities in administrative work a lonely task but, as a nurse, I’ve learned how to divide and conquer, which has taken my prioritisation skills to the next level.’

earn

WIDEN YOUR NETWORK It’s easy to feel pigeonholed in your current industry, but there’s so much out there when you really look. Start by browsing the job market using sites like Glassdoor, then set up chats with people who have jobs in areas you’re interested in. ‘There used to be a lot of stigma around losing a job and the pandemic has really lifted that. We’ve seen lots of people posting on LinkedIn asking for

Do this now: Draft an email that can be adapted so as not to look too cut and paste. Send it to anyone you know within the ﬁeld you fancy working in, or the HR departments of desired companies. A simple: ‘Hi [name here], I’m doing some career research groundwork. I’m excited about pursuing new roles, and I would love to talk to you about it.’ Once you’re chatting? ‘Ask what interests them about what they do, and what they’d do

WORDS: MEGAN SUTTON. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

‘Carve out 15 mins a day for plotting out your next move’ help, resulting in everything from encouraging support to new job opportunities,’ says Charlotte Davies, career expert at LinkedIn. If you’re still in work but looking to make a move, Davies suggests carving out 15 minutes a day for plotting out your next move. Add the #OpenToWork frame to your proﬁle photo on LinkedIn and make it only visible to recruiters, making them 40% more likely to message you.

differently if they were to restart their career now,’ Salemi says. Learn from those who did it: Scarlett Farhang, 25, set up a baking business, Scarlett Bakes Cakes, after being made redundant from recruitment. ‘I built a social media following of 30k in a year, largely through my people skills. Speaking with customers would result in free marketing when they shared my page. When customers were difficult, I’d think: you never know how big a person’s network is.’

COULD T H E S E F A S TGROWING JOB CATEGORIES BE YOUR NEXT MOVE? LinkedIn data revealed the most in-demand jobs in the UK in 2021. Here are just a few…

E-commerce personnel As online shopping boomed during the pandemic, companies hired thousands of e-commerce workers to help get products to customers. Roles including driver, supply chain associate, warehouse team lead and online specialist grew by 143% in 2020 compared with 2019 – Amazon was the top hiring company.

Finance With a turbulent economy, it makes sense that ﬁnancial roles, from investment specialists to treasurers, grew by 82% in 2020. This ﬁeld had the most remote job openings of all 15 categories in LinkedIn’s research – top hiring companies include HSBC and Morgan Stanley.

Customer service Travel restrictions, lockdowns and curfews have pushed businesses to ﬁnd new ways of serving their customers, leading to a 54% growth in customer service roles, including retail and call centre jobs. Top hiring companies included Sitel, Capita and B&Q.

BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE So, you’ve identified your skills, done the groundwork and found your ideal new role. First, yay! Now, it’s time to make that application shine by highlighting your skills with quantifiable evidence. ‘Let’s say you became the chair of a volunteer group at university and used your organisational skills to raise X amount of food donations, anything you can quantify will be helpful in backing up those transferable skills. Then an interviewer can ask questions for further details,’ advises Salemi. Do this now: As a fun way to grow confidence, arrange time with a friend to give each other morale-boosting intros – covering achievements, interests and personality traits – that you can record, tweak and use in situations like an interview. ‘It might be a case of stepping outside your comfort zone to hear someone you trust and respect praise you so you can own it and incorporate it into your own elevator pitch, boosting your confidence,’ Salemi says. ‘When recording, try not to interrupt each

other and enjoy the process. Listen back, take notes, edit the pitch until it sounds and feels right for you, and time it – it shouldn’t exceed 30 seconds. Once refined, save your master elevator pitch in your phone notes to refer to any time.’ Learn from those who did it: Anuoluwapo Elegbede, 24, worked as a finance assistant, focused on spreadsheets and invoices, but pursued full-time modelling in late 2019 – years after being scouted as a student. ‘The day I quit my job, I got booked for a massive campaign for Primark and felt I’d made the best decision of my life, but a lack of confidence has come later. If I’m feeling low, I always give myself an hour to be sad and cry to release the emotion. After that, I try not to dwell on any negativity so I’ll talk to friends, read a book or meditate – just being at peace with myself. Then I’ll speak to my agent, arrange some test shoots, and maybe post something on Instagram. I’m someone who’s always thinking about what I can be doing next to give myself the best possible chance, after I’ve mourned the loss of a job I didn’t get.’ C O S M O P O L I TA N

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Soothe your scalp ...and discover healthy-looking hair with the new haircare range from Aveeno Sensitive scalps are surprisingly common, often causing itchiness, flaking and dryness. One brand that knows healthy hair starts at the crown is Aveeno. The skincare expert has now turned its skills to haircare, launching a new collection of shampoos and conditioners with formulas that are clinically proven to soothe any scalp troubles while nourishing tresses from root to tip and targeting your specific hair needs. Here’s how to find the right botanical blend for your hair and soothe your scalp at the same time.

OAT MILK The hero ingredient at the heart of the new range is colloidal oats, known for their moisturising properties. Oat milk, found in the Aveeno Daily Moisture+ Oat Milk Blend, is known to be especially nourishing, making this shampoo and conditioner ideal for dry, damaged hair, as well as bringing relief to a sensitive scalp.

BLACKBERRY & QUINOA It may sound unlikely but this pairing can actually work magic for coloured hair. Not

only does it beneﬁt your scalp, the Aveeno Colour Protect+ Blackberry & Quinoa Blend also prevents breakage and colour fade over time, protecting your hair hue and leaving it vibrant with every wash.

ALMOND OIL Constantly battling against a halo of frizz and struggling to keep things sleek? Try the Aveeno Frizz Calming+ Almond Oil Blend, which is infused with hydrating almond oil, to leave hair smooth and manageable.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR Best known as a store-cupboard staple, this wonder liquid can also clean product-laden hair, stripping away build-up and residue and balancing its pH levels. It’s no wonder Aveeno has harnessed these properties in its Clarify & Shine+ Apple Cider Vinegar Blend to deliver gorgeously glossy hair.

FRESH GREENS Calling all those with ﬁne hair! The Aveeno Volumising+ Fresh Greens Blend,

AV EENO DAILY MOISTU R E+ OAT MIL K BLE ND SH AMP OO & C ONDI TIONER , £8.99 EACH

with its mix of refreshing cucumber, rosemary oil and peppermint extract, is formulated to help your hair appear thicker and fuller.

ROSE WATER & CHAMOMILE A spritz of rose water and a cup of chamomile tea are go-to soothers, and both ingredients feature in the Aveeno Gentle Moisture+ Rose Water & Chamomile Blend. The gentle formula gives weightless hydration, so this shampoo and conditioner are perfect for dry hair. Swish away! The new Aveeno scalp-soothing haircare range is available at Boots and boots.com

ll your e t to bo w

earn

you’re unhappy at work

WORDS DANI BLUM, CYAN TURAN. PHOTOGRAPH MOVIESTILLS DB

Hating on your job but not sure how to express it? Here’s how to speak up (without getting ﬁred) You can’t be happy at work all the time. But if you’re really beginning to dread it, are regularly crying on the job, or find yourself bitching non-stop with your colleagues, then it’s time to schedule a tricky conversation. Try these (uber-mature) approaches…

Be specific Make a list of every factor that frustrates you, even the silly ones – it will help get them off your chest. Then, narrow it down to the most critical issues, like the ones you rant about to your friends

in WhatsApp chats (erm, hello, working overtime without extra pay). That’s the stuff you want to get into with your boss.

Watch your words Saying you’re miserable and demanding a fix is going to do you precisely zero favours. Instead of calling out your supervisor’s micromanaging, career coach Andrea Goeglein, PhD, advises trying something like: ‘I need your help with a challenge I’m having.’ The point is to make your boss want to help you solve these problems, not get defensive.

Bring ideas Come with solutions, says consultant Steve McClatchy. If you wish ‘travelling for work’ meant getting on a plane instead of the number seven bus, find industry-relevant events to attend. Then tell your boss how this would help your team. ‘I can make connections that might bring in business’ sounds far more mature than ‘I want a change of scene’.

Diarise it The very idea of sending a ‘Hey, can we chat?’ email is enough to make you want to

keep quiet altogether. The solution? Ask if you can set up a monthly 20-minute check-in with your boss. Use the first one to bring up whatever’s bothering you, and the rest can be productive follow-up conversations about your work. IT’S TIME TO LEAVE WHEN… 1 The role isn’t really the right fit for you. 2 Your boss isn’t on your side. 3 You, erm, hate your colleagues. 4 There’s no room to grow beyond your existing role.

C O S M O P O L I TA N

relax

WORDS DANIELLA SCOTT. PHOTOGRAPH STOCKSY

CHILLING OUT NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD

I t ’s c a r v i n g s e a s o n . . . Pumpkins: the perfect way to celebrate spooky season without throwing away your life savings on a fancy-dress costume you’ll only wear once. And with pumpkin-picking patches popping up (now that’s a tongue-twister) across the country over the last couple of years, we’re getting increasingly crafty. In 2019, everyone loved a painted pumpkin, and 2020 was all about the Trumpkins (that’s Donald Trump pumpkins to you and me). Our predictions for 2021? First prize to anyone who manages to carve an ode to the Friends reunion or a disgruntled Jackie Weaver. Happy haunting!

C O S M O P O L I TA N

relax Chocol

ate

,b ut

“Want to stay in tonight and do something weird?” – you to the Cadbury’s multipack

Halloween sweets in brownies

I T ’ S A B O U T T I M E YO U S TA R T E D P U T T I N G

you kno t as w

WORDS ASHLEY OERMAN. PHOTOGRAPH AARON DURALL. *HARIBO AND PERCY PIGS ARE EQUALLY ACCEPTABLE

Listen, I’m not here to judge re: how you acquired a surplus of fun-size bags of sweets, but I am here to tell you the best way to eat them. Behold: the monster of all brownie recipes.

Grease an 8-x-8-inch baking tin and preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). 2

Prepare a box of brownie mix as per the instructions, but use three eggs. 3

Drop bitesize pieces of Crunchie, Milky Way and/or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups into the mix. 4

Spread your batter mix into the tin. Then layer on M&Ms, KitKats or whatever else you can get your hands on. 5

Bake according to the brownie mix instructions, or for up to 50 minutes. Let the brownies cool, then top with gummy worms.*

C O S M O P O L I TA N

How long can you last

I’ll just meet the squad there solo.

without cancelling your plans?

GO TO 9

Me? Show up anywhere alone? Nope. AT LEAST YOU TRIED

How much rain is too much rain? 8

Wo rd s T A Y L O R A N D R E W S

Just as you’re walking out the door with that #FridayEnergy, you spot a text from your best friend that her partner has surprised her with concert tickets for tonight. Still heading into town?

RT STA

Only here for the chip-shop run later

Hello! No, this is not a dream: you’ve done it. You’ve officially made it to Friday (praise be). You have dinner with your friends at 7pm and, yeah, you’re pretty psyched to be kneedeep in rosé. But it’s also still morning – and you haven’t left your house yet. Will your plans survive?

Spray some anti-frizz on this mane and throw it in a topknot. Oh, and grab an umbrella that matches my outﬁt.

Obsessively check the forecast like it’s views on my perfectly curated Instagram.

GO TO 2

GO TO 7

Your work wife has had a non-stop stomach ache all day. Even though you know it’s clearly not contagious, yours is starting to get a little achey too. Are you still down to clown?

This is too much for Yup. I’m going to use this opportunity to take an today. Don’t blame me, this is basically extra-long lunch and swing by Boots for something sympathy pains. that’ll sort me out. MAYBE TRY NEXT WEEK

GO TO 3

PHOTOGRAPHY: MOVIESTILLS DB

Let’s start with the forecast: The weather apps are predicting rain all day. What do you do?

relax

Would you believe this standstill traffic? Google Maps is estimating an additional 30 minutes of travel time…

IT’S NOT YOU,

Use that sketchy app for bumpy back-road directions. I might vom, but I will make it.

IT’S THIS DAY

TGIF!

Head to Five Guys, then go home to start a Gossip Girl marathon. Bye!

END

I guess this means I have to drink and tidy up at home tonight. WHEN IT’S RAINING

I’m going to stuff it all under my bed tomorrow morning and offer to pay my ﬂatmate’s share of the utilities if she helps me.

ANYWAY?

GO TO 8

WHO GOES OUT

Real friends invite you out even when they know you’ll cancel, right?

Surprise! Your parents want to take you to brunch tomorrow, but your sink is covered in toothpaste and everything you’ve worn this week is on the ﬂoor. Your move…

Wow. You win Friend of the Year for not cancelling. You must be really dedicated (or someone has an embarrassing photo of you). Alas, everyone else now wants to reschedule. NOW YOU MAY SLEEP

I guess I’ll order a small, sad salad. GO TO 8

Well, considering I’m worth a total of £2.57 right now, I’m just going to go and warm up last night’s leftovers. DEPLOY THAT “SORRY I’M THE WORST” TEXT

5 You check your phone and one of your mates has changed up the location tonight. Now, you’re going for a fancy dinner at a rooftop restaurant because, ‘Why not?!’ What’s the plan?

Of course? This is the perfect excuse not to leave my bed tomorrow mid-hangover. GO TO 6

3 It’s not even 11am and you’ve fallen asleep at your desk. Twice. This is what you get for downloading TikTok after 10pm…

‘Make that two espresso shots, please!’

Send your group chat a picture of your dark under-eye circles with the caption: ‘Not even a vodka soda could ﬁx these.’

GO TO 4

GO TO 5

Your colleague won’t shut up about their new Netﬂix obsession: a love story with vampires and werewolves. You can’t wait to watch. Still going?

Nope. My world will literally crumble around me if I don’t binge the entire thing tonight. LET’S STOP MAKING FRIDAYNIGHT PLANS FOREVER

C O S M O P O L I TA N

Top and skirt, Loewe. Earrings, Ana Khouri. Necklace, Michelle Fantaci. Ring, Tom Wood

P h o t o g r a p h y M E I TA O Styling CASSIE ANDERSON

Nora Lum, the multi-named, multitalented, multi-hyphenate star of the groundbreaking Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, has some (literal) tricks up her sleeve i Wo r d s L A N E M O O R E

celebrity

wkwafina taught me a magic trick, and no, I’m not going to tell you how it works. Mostly because I can’t tell you how it works, because this interview took place this spring, when the world was on the brink of maybe, possibly, kind of reopening, when we still couldn’t be in the same room together. And honestly, it is basically impossible to learn magic over Zoom. I mean, I could attempt to describe it (and tell you that it involved some tape and a pair of scissors and tarot cards), but we’d all be better off imagining an alternate reality instead: that I was hanging out at a party with Nora Lum, the 33-year-old comedian, actor, rapper and writer from Queens, New York – who, as the story goes, gave herself the stage name Awkwafina to channel a more confident version of herself, and also because it was funny (but you can still call her Nora). And at said imaginary party, she whipped out some cards and was like, ‘Want to see a magic trick?’ and I was like, ‘Um, yes, person-I-was-notexpecting-to-suddenly-do-magic-atthis-party-with-me.’

Coat and skirt, both Louis Vuitton. Earrings, Ana Khouri. Necklaces, Anita Ko. Ring, Fernando Jorge. Shoes, Giuseppe Zanotti

NORA:

Alright – I don’t know if I’m going

to get sued by the magicians’ union for doing this. There’s an unspoken code. LANE:

I don’t know the code?

NORA:

You’re not supposed to! You know

those jokes where the point of the joke is that it took an hour to get to a punchline? That’s what magic is.

The origin story of a lot of comedians takes a sudden detour at some point, usually childhood, to magic. For Nora, it happened as an adult in an extremely weird year. Like the rest of us, grasping for something sublime to distract from the grim reality, Nora got seriously into magic tricks – not the ‘tigers for no reason’ or ‘women in bikinis needlessly getting sawed in half by some guy named Dave’ kind, but just straight-up card tricks, including the one she’s currently trying to teach me at this ‘party’. We ﬁrst met pre-magic, more than seven years ago, as two NYC comedians at a podcast festival. As is so often the case with women, we liked each other but worried the other person didn’t feel the same way. Still, we ended up talking for hours about I-don’t-remember-what on some streetside steps that, in i

‘U lt im a t el y, co me dy is re al ly lo ng

a nd r ea lly c raz y c on te mpl at i on’

C O S M O P O L I TA N

celebrity

‘ You h ave to r ea l l y hit a ki nd of

to re ally wa nt it, to f ig ht f or it ’

hindsight, were probably covered in dog urine (and also human urine). I do remember that she was just someone who got it. Someone who was hustling just as much as I was to get to the same dream. Who already knew with everything she had that this is what she was meant to do, that there was really no choice because it’s this or it’s nothing. She came by that knowledge honestly, starting at the ultracompetitive Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City (the movie Fame is based on it; Nicki Minaj is also an alum). Nora trained in classical and jazz music (she played the trumpet) while experimenting with hip-hop, writing and producing. She’d been raised in Queens by her grandmother and father after her mother died when she was just four years old, and Nora felt like she was fuelled by her history – even if short – at a young age. ‘When I was growing up, I knew how I was socioeconomically classiﬁed,’ Nora says now. ‘I knew that my grandma was a working-class immigrant and my dad was a single dad. I knew that I would have to get through in my own way. That taught me a lot of lessons, like you really have to humble yourself, doing waitress jobs and applying to really hip stores and not getting the job and feeling like, what is even out there? You have to really hit a kind of rock bottom to really want it, to ﬁght for it.’

LANE:

Oh my god, I just realised

something: you got rejected for a job by Beacon’s Closet [the aforementioned ‘hip store’, a Brooklynbased vintage and second-hand clothing chain] the same way so many of my clothes have gotten rejected there. They’re like, ‘Ew, no, we won’t be taking this.’ NORA:

Much respect to Beacon’s Closet,

but I would bring hauls of clothes there. I remember taking them back home and pulling out the rejects and giving the clothes a pep talk, like, ‘You were really cute.’

Jacket and trousers, both Gucci. Earrings and necklace, both BVLGARI

Nora’s first job was at a book publishing house, where she was hired and promptly fired after going viral with her first big trick: the music video for a rap song she’d written called My Vag. In the video, which now has more than 6.3 million views on YouTube, she deadpans lyrics like ‘My vag like an operatic ballad / Yo vag like Grandpa’s cabbage’ and ‘It’s time that we let the world know / Bitch, ya vag look like Janet Reno / Awkwafina’s a genius / and her vagina is 50 times better than a penis’, between lo-fi scenes of her getting her nails painted and playing pretend gynaecologist, wearing a doctor’s head mirror and pulling crisps out of a pair of open legs. As one commenter noted, ‘This song was totally worth you getting fired.’ Of course, not everyone thought My Vag was a firing offence. MTV called and gave Nora a year-long stint as a panellist and co-host on its riff-filled talking-head commentary franchise Girl Code in the US. Next came an acting role in Bad Neighbours 2 with Zac Efron, Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne. By 2018, Awkwafina and her brand of street-smart-meets-proudlymessy humour was ‘suddenly’

everywhere: stealing scenes from Hollywood A-listers like Sandra Bullock in Ocean’s 8 and Constance Wu in Crazy Rich Asians; hosting Saturday Night Live. In 2020, she received a Golden Globe (not to mention a ton of Oscar buzz) for her performance in the indie dramedy film The Farewell. All this landed Nora her very own series, Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens (airing on iPlayer here in the UK), which debuted in January 2020 and is loosely based on her life – except that the TV version of Nora is still in her late 20s, still living in Queens, still working and hustling and failing her way toward adulthood. The series was picked up for a second season before the first episode even ran. Good thing, because in the US, Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens was Comedy Central’s highestrated prime-time series launch in more than three years. Somehow, writing and starring in her very own television show hasn’t slowed down Nora’s film career. Earlier this spring, she voiced Sisu, the glowing, wisecracking dragon in the Disney animated hit Raya And The Last Dragon. And this month, I give you eight words: Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings. A full-blown Marvel superhero movie – and the highly anticipated origin story for the comic book character of the same name, about a martial artist/trained assassin confronting his past – with Nora as one of its stars. And yes, she’s doing her own stunts. i NORA:

Dangling off of things and ﬂying,

falling backward… it’s different from, say, an indie rom-com. LANE: NORA:

That sounds f*cking awesome. It’s weird to switch

from ‘friend mode.’

C O S M O P O L I TA N

celebrity

She means it’s different from playing ‘ Wh en t he AA P I the role of The Funny Sidekick (see: com mu ni ty i s se en a s Crazy Rich Asians). Or maybe she means The Funny Dragon Sidekick (Raya And The Last Dragon). Or The Funny Slacker-With-Big-Dreams-WhoYou-Wish-Were-Your-Real-Life-Sidekick (Nora From Queens). And breaking out of that pigeonhole has been like pulling off a magic trick itself. She th en pe o pl e wi l l k no w talks about the results of the monthslong stunt training that challenged tha t we’r e he re, her to become ambidextrous, ‘Now you k now? ’ I pick up the paper with my right hand instead of my left.’ This is part of her magic, of course: laugh. ‘Yeah,’ says Nora. ‘There’s always the work is there, very much so, but going to be the immediate want that is, you can barely see it because you’re so “OK, well, I’m going to do this because distracted by her charm. By how she I want you to feel joy right now.” But appears so effortlessly human and ultimately, a lot of comedy is grounded warm while also driving a speeding, in really long periods of solitude and sideways bus in a Marvel movie. really crazy contemplation.’ And then there’s her impact. That That’s the thing about ‘being funny’: Golden Globe? Nora is the first Asian it actually, often, comes from struggle American performer to win in the lead and trauma – from being doubted, actress category for a film. And it’s hard being told you’re too much, being told to overstate the cultural significance you’re too little. It comes from people of Shang-Chi, the first Marvel film to assuming that because you’re funny, star an Asian superhero. To have that you can take a punch that really didn’t – and the thrill of celebrating Asian need to be thrown. cultures and peoples – happen this year, after the brutal wrongs the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) NORA: There’s something that happens community has faced… ‘these movies when you’re criticised, make me so proud, just as a watcher, or someone calls you ugly… because they contribute to visibility, which I do think has real-life effects,’ LANE: Yeah– says Nora. ‘When the AAPI community is seen as not ancillary characters, it’s NORA: You don’t listen to them, whatever, almost like, then people will know that and you come home, we’re here, you know?’ and you look in the mirror and That said, it’s all a lot of pressure you’re like, am I ugly? – especially when, despite your newfound Marvel status, you’re still known for being the hilarious person everyone wants to be friends with. Sure, yes, success can be a good – a very And then the more well-known you good – thing. Nora now has a bigger become, the more it can feel like, wait, fan base. More people are listening to you expect me to be funny all the what she has to say. She can pay her time? But sometimes I am napping? bills on time. But it’s come with a side I wonder out loud about the message of intense criticism and aggressive so many comedians get, that they’re focus on Awkwafina, the person valuable only when making people Nora presents to the world. It’s a

complicated duality, really, and one she’s intent on continuing to navigate. (‘The sacriﬁces I make,’ she says, ‘I make because I love it so much. And I want it so much.’) But she’s stopped looking for validation in tweets or YouTube comments or reviews, turning instead to ‘actual people I love and respect, to myself and my own achievements.’ Maybe it’s maturity, she muses, or maybe it’s just the natural armour you grow when you’re a celebrity who’s had her breakthrough moment and survived to tell the tale. Not that she’s done trying hard or stressing hard. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever get to that point,’ she says. ‘Before, I’d do anything because I was waiting, being lost, knowing that things could change tomorrow, or they might never. I didn’t know that it would work, and when it started to, I realised this is something that could actually happen. It’s like when you step into Oz and you start to see one magical thing and you’re like, how does that even exist? But then it numbs you to crazier, more magical things.’ Which is maybe why, at this point, it seems like second nature for Nora to surprise us with something we never saw coming. V NORA:

I’m going to get

absolutely f*cking— LANE:

...railed by the magic community.

NORA:

But it’s literally a game

of improvisation and red herrings and thinking on your feet and misdirection and… can I show you one more?

Shirt and trousers, both Phillip Lim. Shoes, Manolo Blahnik. Necklaces and rings, all Anita Ko Hair Kylee Heath at A-Frame Agency using R+Co. Make-up Kara Yoshimoto Bua at A-Frame Agency using Chanel. Nails Thuy Nguyen at A-Frame Agency. Fashion assistant Kate Collins. Production Crawford & Co Productions

C O S M O P O L I TA N

t e t he e M

students

COVID of

Online lectures. Protests. Illegal parties and quarantine with strangers. Loneliness, uncertainty and burnout. Starting university is always tumultuous, but what about those who became pandemic freshers? We followed nine people who started university in 2020 to find out what student life was like during a very strange year i Wo r d s c o m p i l e d b y A M Y G R I E R , C AT R I O N A I N N E S, J E N N I F E R S AV I N, C A T H A R V E Y- J E N N E R A N D M E G A N S U T T O N

read

ANA STAC IA JIDO, 25, foreign student from Canada, studying Law, University of Leeds

THE STUDENTS

ANA STAC IA JIDO, 25, foreign student from Canada, studying Law, University of Leeds

CAITLIN H E LLY E R , 2 0, studying Marketing, University of Bristol

September 2020

prices for fewer facilities and online teaching. There are some days I really regret coming here and spending so much money to be treated like a cash cow. My mental health is also not great. I really like my ﬂatmates, but knowing that they’re the only human contact I can have is stressful.

LIV FAC E Y, 2 0, studying English, King’s College London

14 September In England, social gatherings of more than six people become illegal

OLIVIA PAGE, 20, studying Creative Writing, University of Brighton

OMOLOLU O B E M B E , 1 9, studying Chemical Engineering, University of the West of England

FRANCESCA H U G H E S , 1 9, studying Film and Literature, University of Warwick

R AFFAELE BALDO, 25, foreign student from Italy, studying Illustration, Nottingham Trent University

ISABELLA SMITHEMAN, 1 9, studying English and French, University of Manchester

PRI YANK A VIRDI, 20, studying Chemistry, Biology and Psychology, University of Glasgow

September AJ I’m the only person living in my ﬂat at the moment, and even when people do arrive, I won’t be able to say hello as I’ll still be in quarantine. It was so hard to say goodbye to my family and friends in Calgary, but thank God for crafting, The Vampire Diaries and the godforsaken dating apps for keeping me occupied. FH I’ve told all my ﬂatmates that because I have cerebral palsy, that means I am

high-risk, so I am only comfortable meeting within the rule of six and at a distance. But I keep seeing on Instagram that I’ve been ignored, and some are meeting in large groups. I’ve been trying to fill my days during Freshers’ Week with online society taster events, but I still feel so lonely. Then, last night, one of my flatmates – who I know has been going to crowded parties – brought their friends back to our flat. As this keeps happening, I’ve

OO We’re allowed to meet other students on Swansea beach, which is great, as ﬂat parties aren’t allowed. It had been so much fun, but a few nights ago someone brought back some random boys, and when I went to get some water from the kitchen, one of them was so inappropriate. I had to lock myself in my room and called my friends to come stay with me. I felt unsafe being there by myself. LF I’ve convinced Mum to buy me a desk and an office chair. I’m living at home while studying in London, and working from my childhood bed was not very motivating.

had to arrange for my dad to pick me up as I can’t risk contaminating my carers and their other clients. I feel like a failure returning to my childhood bedroom, less than a week after I left it. IS It feels like we’ve been lied to in order to get us to move to campus and pay rent. On day two, they told us that all teaching has been moved online! I want to protest, so we’ve organised a rent strike – it feels so wrong that we’re paying these

RB My new housemates have introduced me to beans and jacket potatoes! When I arrived from Bologna they were all waiting for me at the train station in Nottingham, and I’m now so nervous and excited for university to begin. But I’m also conscious of how far away I am from the support network I worked hard to build. My mental health –

16 September Northern Ireland’s universities warn they will take disciplinary action against any students who breach COVID-19 public health guidelines

22 September New restrictions are announced to curb a rise in infections, meaning that pubs, cafes, restaurants and casinos across the UK must close at 10pm and only provide table service

27 September In Cardiff, Llanelli and Swansea, no one is allowed to leave or enter their area without ‘reasonable excuse’ and people can’t meet indoors with anyone outside of their household

28 September 40 UK universities have had reports of COVID cases and thousands of students are selfisolating as the semester begins

read

LIV FAC E Y, 2 0, studying English, King’s College London

though I’m more in control than ever – can be wobbly. PV I’ve got COVID! So do my nine other flatmates… thankfully, my symptoms only lasted a few days. Our wifi has been down in the flat, meaning I was behind on lessons straight away.

October IS There are now a few hundred students on rent strike. We hoped that the threat of withholding our rent would encourage the uni to have a conversation with its freshers, but instead, we have been threatened with menacing emails and ﬁnes. Most of my time is now spent worrying about whether coming to uni was the right thing to do.

October

OO It’s Nigerian Independence Day, so the Nigerians on campus arranged a celebration. Within the Afro-Caribbean Society we had food, music and dancing. I’ve been trying to remain sociable and making friends. Spending too much time alone in my room was starting to take a toll on my happiness. i

5 October Three university students die of suspected drug overdoses in the north-east of England

8 October Manchester University student Finn Kitson dies in his halls of residence while his ﬂat is being told to self-isolate

14 October A new three-tier system of restrictions is introduced in England, placing each region under its own alert level

15 October Nicola Sturgeon announces the wearing of face coverings is to become mandatory in communal workspaces in Scotland

C O S M O P O L I TA N

self-isolate, but I can’t do that any longer. I need to maintain some small moments of normality. I told my friends that Instagram had been making me so jealous of all the fun they’re having, especially over Halloween. But then one of my closest friends showed me a photo she had taken when she had felt sad and lonely, only a few hours before she took the Halloween pics I’d seen on her feed. It reminded me that not everything is as it seems on social media.

CH The longest I have been absent from my family is ﬁve days, so not knowing when I might see them next is daunting. I have quickly formed an alliance with the other girl in my ﬂat, though – we had a group meal, which began at 2pm with all of us going shopping for the food, and ended at 4am the next morning. University is what you make it, and living on campus feels like a literal bubble, as we have everything we need there.

OP I couldn’t believe it when I got chatted up on the bus! I’ve actually been seeing the guy since then, but I think I’ve developed the ick, which is awkward because he keeps saying he loves me. My ﬂatmates have also discovered intense spinny-chair races down the hall… very smart after a bottle of wine.

CAITLIN H E LLY E R , 2 0, studying Marketing, University of Bristol

November

RB I’ve started chatting to a classmate who is non-binary. As a trans man, it’s a relief to have something in common with someone. I have also found other trans and queer people on dating apps. They are out there… I just miss having a physical community.

16 October Pubs and restaurants close as Northern Ireland begins a month of tighter restrictions

82 ·

C O S M O P O L I TA N

AJ Why did I come to university again? *eye roll* With another lockdown ahead, my flatmates and I decided to go out once before we were cooped up in our flat for a month. I had not been that drunk in a very long time. We were chatting to these guys, and all of a sudden this man kissed me and one of my other flatmates. In a global

‘My parents came to pick me up, and university was over’ pandemic? Sir, please – the answer is no. FH We are now allowed three in-person seminars, and they’ve been so good to actually see people in real life. But it also means that sometimes I’m in a room

19 October Cardiff student Lily Arkwright takes her own life. Her mother later says that lockdown restrictions had a dramatic effect on the 19-year-old’s wellbeing

with a bunch of people who I know have been going to loads of parties. It made me so stressed that I burst into tears when I got back to my bedroom. I know some people would argue that I should lock myself in there and completely

24 October 1,300 Bristol University students sign up to a rent strike, asking for cheaper and more ﬂexible rents and better wellbeing support

IS Anger on campus is rising. We’re going into another national lockdown and there’s now an 8ft fence around our entire campus. We organised a protest at 8pm one evening. I spoke on the megaphone to a thousand young people who were angry and desperate. The following week, myself and some other students entered Tower, a former residential hall that had fallen into disuse, and started an occupation. CH As I’m disabled, I didn’t want to be stranded in the second lockdown. My parents came to pick me up, and university was over before it even began.

31 October Boris Johnson announces a second lockdown in England, due to last four weeks from 5 November

30 November Mass testing of students begins ahead of the university ‘travel window’ opening on 3 December, although testing isn’t available in all universities

December

read

2 December England’s second lockdown ends after four weeks and the country returns to a three-tier system

8 December 90-year-old Margaret Keenan is the ﬁrst person in the world to be given a COVID-19 vaccine as part of a mass vaccination programme

December AJ All of my ﬂatmates have gone home for the holidays, so I am alone all month. Hello, Christmas on FaceTime! It’s so weird learning online and it can feel so fake. Also, as an international student, I’m forking out over £19,500 for this tuition. There are deﬁnitely moments when I wish I had someone to lean on and share this weird time with, because being on the other side of the globe from my family and friends, in a pandemic, can get really lonely.

25 November Rent strikers at the University of Manchester succeed in negotiating a 30% rent reduction for students living in halls of residence during semester one of 2020

9 November New measures around limited socialising come into force in Wales after the ‘ﬁrebreak’ lockdown

5 November University of Manchester students protest against fencing being put up around halls of residence

2 November As curbs on hospitality expire, Scotland’s new ﬁve-tier system comes into force

November

19 December Tougher restrictions are announced for London and parts of south-east England, meaning people must stay at home for Christmas

OMOLOLU O B E M B E , 1 9, studying Chemical Engineering, University of Swansea

I have such fear of missing out now and wish I’d thought more before coming home. OP I had a really severe anxiety attack a few weeks ago and had to go home for a few days. I worry about my friends judging me because of my anxiety. But then, when I got back, we had a fun night when we

linked up with another ﬂat and went to a bonﬁre party in the woods. I didn’t get home until 6am, which ruined my sleeping pattern – classic self-sabotage. I do sometimes think my life would be simpler if I didn’t love to go out so much. PV I celebrated Diwali with a couple of friends

from a different ﬂat. We made DIY decorations and cooked Indian food, and it has been nice to spend time with people from a similar ethnic background to me. Sometimes I think I should have deferred my place, as next year would be more carefree, but then I remember all the amazing people I have met.

OO We had a Christmas dinner where everyone brought food from across the world, including sushi, Moroccan rice and pulled pork. It was so fun, but then my ﬂatmates complained about the noise and security came and ended our dinner. There was an argument that ended in a physical ﬁght. Such a crap end to the evening. OP One night, we just party-hopped all night and it felt like the whole of the halls was out. It was sick. But there were at least 100 i C O S M O P O L I TA N

read

20 December As case numbers head in the wrong direction, travel between Scotland and the rest of the UK is no longer legal in an attempt to better control the virus

26 December Scotland’s mainland goes into tight level four restrictions, meaning household mixing isn’t allowed and pubs and restaurants must close

26 December Northern Ireland goes into a six-week lockdown after rules were brieﬂy relaxed for Christmas Day

January 5 January Mainland Scotland goes into lockdown with a new legal requirement forbidding anyone to leave home except for essential purposes

people in one ﬂat party we went to – it was a bit much, and me and my mate just didn’t think it was worth it. Mostly, my time has been spent talking about Tinder boys and Father Christmas, that’s it.

6 January England enters its third national lockdown due to a rapid rise in infections, particularly of the new variant ﬁrst discovered in Kent

RB As a transgender person, I worry a lot about my hormone replacement therapy. I brought enough to last for a while, but I need more to keep it going. The Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health has an absurdly long waiting list (three years!) and they’re not replying to my emails. Should I ﬂy back to Italy in the middle of a lockdown? Can they send me some to the UK? Was I reckless to not consider this before moving here? PV It feels as though the university has pretty much been a petri dish for COVID the last few months, so now I’m home, I’m worried about giving it to my family. Also, now that London is in Tier 4, I don’t know when I’ll be able to get back to Scotland and I can’t see my home friends, which I’d been really looking forward to. The airport was so quiet when I was making my way home. 84 ·

C O S M O P O L I TA N

8 January The Scottish government announces that university students will be taught online throughout January and February

OLIVIA PAGE, 20, studying Creative Writing, University of Brighton

January IS The government is telling us not to return to campus, but the uni has promised no compensation for empty rooms. I don’t have a bedroom at home, and there’s no way I could have carried on learning online while sleeping on the sofa, so I’ve come back. Everyone here is so stressed by what’s going on. The rent strike is growing – there are now 55

rent-striking universities across the country.

my cancelled ﬂight and my university is providing students with a rent rebate, which lots of others aren’t.

OO I’ve not been able to go back to my university accommodation or see any of my friends. But I am lucky as Swansea allowed us to apply for rent reduction.

PV We’d all booked travel to go back and now the government says we can’t. I got some money back from

14 January A National Union of Students (NUS) survey ﬁnds 9% of students have relied on food banks during the pandemic

LF There was a racist incident that happened on a Teams chat and was then transferred to WhatsApp. People are now being contacted on their mobiles and feeling very unsafe. I have also ﬁnished my exams now… just have to wait to see if I pass.

18 January £40 million of funding is given to universities in Wales to support students facing ﬁnancial hardship, helping those most affected by the pandemic with expenses

February AJ I am struggling. Everything is closed, I can’t see my friends and family and I’ve got migraines from all the online learning. At this point I would lick the vaccine off the pavement to get things back to normal.

R AFFAELE BALDO, 25, foreign student from Italy, studying Illustration, Nottingham Trent University

February

FRANCESCA H U G H E S , 1 9, studying Film and Literature, University of Warwick

5 February Economy minister Diane Dodds announces that thousands of university students in Northern Ireland will receive £500 in an attempt to help with the ﬁnancial impact of COVID

FH Even though I’m clinically vulnerable because I am a young disabled person, I seem to have been forgotten about and so I’ve been on a wild chase for the vaccine. I need it for my health, but also for a flicker of hope. I am so bored at home, but at least I feel safe here. I watch my course mates building bonds and partying together, and feel so alone. IS The police presence on campus has created an extremely hostile environment, with students – particularly non-white students – afraid to leave their flats out of fear of police harassment. Police have been entering flats randomly, one time threatening a flat playing Monopoly together! OO I’m back in Swansea and have some freedom again! But my new friends have

15 February Hotel quarantine for people arriving from 33 high-risk countries is introduced in England

all got a house for next year without me – they arranged it when I wasn’t here. I’m trying hard not to let it get me down, though. I will be able to ﬁnd somewhere nice and meet even more people. LF I spend most of my seminars on my phone, messaging my friends in the same seminar, complaining about the experience of online uni. Sometimes I think: is all the stress worth it for this experience? It’s draining.

swiping, I matched with this girl and decided to meet up that weekend, and we had the best (seven-hour!) hangout. OO The security at university are very strict and they’re now standing outside ﬂat doors so nobody can get into the building unless they live there. I feel very isolated, as I’ve decided to distance myself from my ﬁrst-term friends. There is the occasional beach party, but they’re quickly shut down.

‘I left the house for a funeral and sobbed into a damp mask’ PV Travelling during a pandemic is weird. I made my way back to Glasgow on an almost empty train to ﬁnd my ﬂatmates waiting for me at the station. But there are still some days I think I should drop out, I’m so worried about everything.

March AJ I have found my friend soulmate! I had been struggling to build genuine relationships, so I downloaded Bumble BFF. The ﬁrst day of

18 February Lockdown in Northern Ireland is extended until 1 April amid concerns St Patrick’s Day celebrations could cause cases to rise

PV We marched through Kelvingrove Park late at night after the murder of Sarah Everard to show our solidarity with victims of sexual violence. It was good to see so many people who cared about the cause, but the fact it’s even necessary is heartbreaking. FH I left the house to attend a very small funeral for a woman who was like a grandmother to me, and sobbed into a damp mask. i

22 February Boris Johnson sets out a roadmap for easing restrictions in England

C O S M O P O L I TA N

read

April AJ The only thing on my mind right now is exams, exams, exams. I’m actually really proud looking back on what I’ve achieved in the past year. I hope I’ve done well in my exams, but I also know that with everything going on, even just finishing this year is something to be proud of. IS We occupied the Samuel Alexander Building in protest of the university’s repeated prioritisation of profit over students and their mismanagement of the university during the COVID crisis. It’s ironic that it is only through occupying a building that I have finally stepped foot in a university premises and lecture theatre for the first time.

March

RB I have to go back to Italy to stock up on my medications. I’m worried because it is time I could have spent on my university course, and I am very anxious about money too, as this trip has been expensive. I feel isolated at times and insecure, being far away from all my loved ones, and I’m concerned about my relevance in other people’s lives.

86 ·

8 March In England, all college students and some university students on practical courses return to in-person learning

C O S M O P O L I TA N

ISABELLA SMITHEMAN, 1 9 , studying English and French, University of Manchester

13 March In Wales, the stay-at-home restrictions are replaced by a new ‘stay local’ rule, meaning people can travel within their local area

27 March Restrictions continue to ease – in Wales, the ‘stay local’ rule is lifted and six people can meet outdoors

29 March Restrictions ease in England, with six people or two households allowed to gather outdoors

17 May While most of mainland Scotland moves down to level two, Glasgow and Moray remain in level three, with travel to and from these areas prohibited

May FH I have felt imprisoned in my own mind. I’ve been so lonely and have sought out professional support, as I didn’t want to ﬂounder on the university’s long waiting list anymore and knew I needed to do something to help myself urgently. My GP prescribed me medication, but I then had to explain my situation to my lecturers in order for them to view me and my situation – including my deadlines and assignments – with compassion. It’s been hard being a pandemic fresher. I’m proud of myself for surviving it.

PRI YANK A VERDI, 20, studying Chemistry, Biology and Psychology, University of Glasgow

17 May All university students in England can return to in-person teaching

OO I have received a £3,500 scholarship to attend Texas A&M University for my second year! I’m excited, but I’m also worried about my mental health. I have regular check-ins with a doctor just to ensure I’m okay and can keep my head above water. LF There were many times when I didn’t think I’d make it to the end of this year, that I would drop out because pandemic university really isn’t a vibe. I think the fact that it has been online for so long, and that I haven’t had the typical fresher’s

April

PHOTOGRAPHS ALEX GRACE, EMLI BENDIXEN, IRE AKINFISOYE, JAHNAY TENNAI. *MEDIUM.COM/ PERLEGO/A-YEAR-DISRUPTED-THE-IMPACT-OF-THE-CORONAVIRUS-ON-STUDENTS-IN-THE-UK-1E47EF8A2E29

experience that I had been hearing about for years, has made me feel like I’ve failed. But in reality, that experience was out of my control. RB The last lesson in person was lovely. I baked some vegan brownies for everyone. I have nothing to complain about – I feel happy and blessed. Sometimes I still feel isolated, especially when trying to reconnect to a new queer community here, but I’m glad I pursued this path, even with the difficulties the pandemic presented. PV Before we break up for summer, I want to

2 April A ‘stay local’ message is introduced in Scotland, with non-essential services including hairdressers opening soon afterwards

make sure my last week is memorable. We’ve managed to go to a few pubs and walk around the city, and packing up my room was emotional. I felt like my personality was slowly being drained from the space. There are days I think things might have been better if

it wasn’t for COVID – like actually having labs and lectures on campus, and being able to meet face-to-face without the two-metre distance. And yes, it probably would have been great, but the year I had was also amazing and I wouldn’t change it a bit. V

17 May Research ﬁnds half of UK students are concerned about the impact of pandemic tuition on job prospects*

17 May As cases fall in England, up to 30 people can meet outdoors, while indoors, the rule of six applies again

May BEHIND THE SCENES

Amy Grier ‘I can remember my ﬁrst year at uni like it was yesterday. When the pandemic hit, my thoughts turned to the students whose experience would be altered forever by something outside their control. I’m so proud we got to share their stories, so that there is a record of this time, and how it really affected young people.’

5 April Scotland’s CMO Catherine Calderwood resigns after breaking lockdown rules

8 April An NUS survey ﬁnds 23% of students have been unable to pay their rent in full over the past four months

12 April In England, hospitality venues can serve customers outdoors and non-essential retail opens

12 April In Northern Ireland, stay-athome messaging is replaced with ‘stay local’

C O S M O P O L I TA N

S U P E R F A N S After months of dramatic headlines and reports of family rifts, some might think our love affair with the monarchy would be more strained than ever. But certainly not for these die-hard enthusiasts. Jennifer Savin digs deeper into the royal family ’s appeal (and discovers what happens when it turns toxic)…

read

C O S M O P O L I TA N

‘I still can’t believe she’s gone,’ a pained voice says. I turn to see a heavily tattooed teenager in head-totoe black, her blonde hair streaked pink and blue, pulled into Harley Quinn bunches. Her friend, also in black, with kohl-lined eyes, murmurs in agreement. ‘It’s awful,’ she says. ‘She was so special.’ Behind us, a crowd gathers. They whisper

R o y a l S p i c e, t h e l e s s e r- k n o w n band member

respects as the rain drizzles. But this isn’t that fateful day of 31 August 1997 – it is the summer of 2021, almost 25 years since Princess Diana tragically passed away. I’m peering through a protective hedge surrounding the new memorial statue in the Kensington Palace grounds, on the ﬁrst day it’s open to the public. Those who are here today queued, in the damp, because their passion for the royals is deep-rooted and very present. It’s a mix of senior citizens, families and women like ‘Harley Quinn’ and her friend. Each generation with a different reason why they loved Princess Diana, ranging from those who remember her well, to those on whom she made a mark, despite them being born years after her death. So in a TikTok world, where our desire for ‘newness’ reigns supreme,

why is there still such appeal for a steeped-in-tradition monarchy? And for those whose passion grows daily, how does it manifest and what does the adoration say about us as a society?

t seems we’ve hit peak royal obsession. Back in March, Meghan and Harry’s tell-all Oprah interview, broadcast in more than 60 countries, pulled in 61 million viewers during its ﬁrst airing (with 11.3 million from the UK). Last year, Netﬂix revealed that 73 million households worldwide have devoured the semi-factual (and highly dramatised) series The Crown, and Finding Freedom an unauthorised book about the Sussexes exiting royal life, became an instant bestseller. Harry’s upcoming memoir will no doubt score similar sales, too.

But while the majority of us are only interested in the royal family and their happenings in a watercooler way (who doesn’t love a tiara and a shock departure?), there are others for whom the royal love runs deep. Really deep, actually. One popular royal-focused Reddit thread has grown by 155% over the past year and now has more than 13,000 people – daily – dissecting everything from which family member they think is most academically gifted, to the Queen’s handbags. There are also copious royal fan accounts (with bios like ‘Keep calm and Cambridge on’ in reference to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) thriving on Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram, with follower counts often reaching into six ﬁgures. And in recent months, some of those accounts have started to get in

read

contact with me. You see, in my role at Cosmopolitan, I often cover royal-related news… and superfans certainly aren’t afraid to let me know their thoughts. Once, when I detailed a 1960s ﬂy-on-the-wall documentary about the royals, which the family have since tried to distance themselves from, the story contained a minor typo and a fan tweeted saying I was a ‘sloppy’ disgrace to journalism and that I should be sacked. First I was stung. Then I laughed. Then, I was curious.

A ROYALLY GOOD TIME Bleary-eyed from jet lag, Olivia spent her ﬁrst day in London taking in royal hotspots – she had just moved from Sydney to work in a slick London PR ﬁrm. Since that day, the 30-year-old has been to Buckingham

Palace an estimated 50 times. ‘I love the tradition, it’s so different to my own life,’ she explains over Zoom. Olivia, who could easily be in my friendship group, tells me of her particular soft spot for the Queen (‘She reminds me of my grandma’) and Kate Middleton (‘personable and always immaculately put together’. ) Her persistent Buckingham Palace visits have paid off, too. ‘I once saw the Queen leaving with her corgis,’ she tells me excitedly. ‘My mum visited from Australia and I said, “Well, obviously we have to see the Palace on your ﬁrst day.” As we approached, the guards were stopping people outside the gates. When I realised it was because the Queen was leaving in her car, I actually burst out crying.’ Olivia has also been lucky enough to spot Kate Middleton in the wild (albeit unplanned), as she was leaving a train station. ‘She was sat in the back of a car wearing a green dress. I was jumping up and down, screaming and waving. It still gives me the giggles when I think about it.’ For Olivia, the royals are a happy source of fascination and a fun way to pass the time. For fellow superfan Nicola, 36, a charity comms manager from Devon (who asked for her surname to be omitted as she’s currently petitioning a certain royal to collaborate with her on a work project), the obsession began after attending the Queen Mother’s funeral as a teenager back in 2002. ‘A friend was in the King’s Troop. He rode one of the horses pulling the gun carriage with the coffin on the back,’ she explains. ‘On the day, I remember watching the procession and being in awe. Although it was sad, I loved the pomp and ceremony – only the British and our royal family can put on an event of that

scale. It makes you proud.’ Almost 20 years on, Nicola now has royal news Google Alerts set up, so she never misses a thing. ‘The Queen is the ultimate leader who’s always there for us,’ she adds, explaining she’ll read each story repeatedly, across different titles, to compare angles. ‘In my eyes, she invented girl power long before the Spice Girls. The thought of anything happening to her will be the saddest day.’ Like many other superfans, Nicola agrees that the royals’ preferred PR tactic of sharing minimal details about their personal lives, interspersed with being frequently visible as they carry out public duties, is part of what keeps the world hooked. It’s an intoxicating combination, leaving the public open to projecting their own ideas into the narrative. ‘We all grew up watching Cinderella, and I think William and Kate’s relationship is a big part of what keeps so many people onside and interested today,’ she observes. ‘We’ve been taken on the journey with them, from seeing their engagement photos to the wedding, to their babies. They tread that ﬁne line of maintaining privacy but letting the public in just enough.’ Psychologist Jan P De Jonge, founder of People Business Psychology, says our brains can even get a happy buzz from engaging with royal ‘content’. ‘When people get locked into following, admiring and researching their favourite celebrities or royals, an addictive dynamic is at play,’ he explains. ‘Thousands of years ago, we would’ve observed and learned from more experienced fellow hunters in the ﬁght for our survival. That long-ingrained habit of watching others [who command] respect and admiration, mixed with prestige and status, is still within us.’

“The Queen invented girl power before the Spice Girls”

C O S M O P O L I TA N

We worship those with whom we associate these feelings, he says – feelings that can trigger dopamine (a hormone that provides us with a sensation of need and desire). ‘In this instance, the desire is for status, luxury, respect and admiration.’ I can see how easy it is to get drawn into the soap opera-like nature of it all. But the more I scratch at the surface of online royal fandoms, the clearer it becomes that their passion can easily spill over into something darker than corgi-spotting. It’s apparent that we also sadistically relish seeing our heroes, or those in privileged positions, fail and fall from their pedestals. Nicola describes the Oprah interview – which lifted the veil and divided opinions – as a ‘posh version of The Jeremy Kyle Show’. If that’s the case, and we say we’ve learned our lesson when it comes to the impact reality TV has on its stars and their mental health, where do the new swathe of young royals and their families ﬁt into that?

THE (ONLINE) WAR OF ROSES ‘She can go swivel,’ reads the tweet, along with a middle finger emoji. It was posted by semi-anonymous blogger ‘Murky Meg’ – I say semianonymous, as although her real name isn’t shared, she uses a photograph of (presumably) her real face online. Murky’s flipping-the-bird tweet was in response to a tabloid story (‘Meghan was “hoping for an apology” after Oprah interview, royal expert claims’) – and is one of many. There are more than 29,000 tweets, to be exact. She’s also just one of many with an account of that nature. Murky’s frequent updates about the Sussexes, none of them especially flattering, have a captive audience of around 117,000 across various social media platforms. She exists, it seems, to find flaws in everything they say and do, and after getting stuck into

her content, it’s hard not to absorb some of her rage – and points. I ﬁnd myself on a spiral online, researching to seeing if what she’s saying could actually be true. Equally, many of Murky’s other posts seem far-fetched, or are based solely on anonymous tip-offs or ‘experts’ (something anyone can easily claim to be online). She’s questioned whether or not Meghan faked her pregnancies with a strap-on bump, citing ‘an experienced gynaecologist’, and if she and Harry used IVF, implying that the alleged private medical matter ought to be public knowledge. Murky’s Instagram bio reads ‘If you’re a fan of Harry and Meghan this might not be the place for you. Come ﬁnd me on YouTube!’ She did not respond to my request for an interview.

And this view – that the Sussexes are hell-bent on destroying the monarchy and that the ‘truth’ about them, or Meghan in particular, must out – is at the heart of the division among the more extreme parts of the royal superfan community. On the one hand, there are a staggering amount of ‘Team Cambridge’ accounts out there, loudly devoted to defending William and Kate (and other working royals) from any unﬂattering stories or accusations, and reminding the world that they’re patrons of important causes. They praise the Duke and Duchess’s Royal Foundation, which does everything from encouraging discussions on mental health through sport, to supporting frontline workers. They say Meghan and Harry have turned their back on the royal

read

family, slate them for publicly airing private grievances and criticise them for stating they want a quieter life, while continuing with regular public appearances. Then, on the ﬂipside, you have the ‘Sussex Squad’, for whom Meghan and Harry have understandably become viewed as brave whistleblowers of a broken system, who powerfully represent the causes they care about, like the Black Lives Matter movement, feminism and antibullying online. They are acutely aware of the racist undertones to many Meghan critiques, and are not afraid to call it out. The mere idea of baby Lilibet, a child whom (at the time of writing) nobody has ever seen a picture of, is enough to make The Squad swoon, and to mark Meghan’s 40th birthday, some of them raised nearly £40,000 for charity. To learn more about this virtual war, I decided to speak to somebody who has remained neutral. I call Kristie, a 27-year-old living in south-west Germany. She proudly tells me she’s one of Prince Charles and Camilla’s biggest supporters – with a fan account to prove it. She even got together with her girlfriend, Tanja (known as ‘Camilla’s Girl’ online), after bonding over their shared love of the couple. Kristie and Tanja met their favourite pair during a tour of Germany in 2019, too – after being singled out of the crowd. ‘Camilla waved to Charles and said “Come here! I want you to meet my husband’,”’ Kristie recalls. ‘I thought I was going to die, but they really put us at ease.’ Kristie and Tanja are completely committed to defending the couple from online haters, while refusing to be drawn into insulting others. ‘I want to show them that there

are nice people out there, especially after The Crown aired and they had to mute the comments on their page,’ Kristie explains, adding that she most admires Camilla’s work with women who’ve been sexually assaulted, after a good friend sadly had a similar experience. ‘What makes me most uncomfortable about all the online abuse they receive is that many responsible for it are teenagers, who didn’t live through the Diana era and know nothing about Charles and Camilla,’ she adds. ‘I can’t understand why people feel the need to attack and insult others. If you don’t like them, why not just carry on scrolling?’ And, like Charles and Camilla, Kristie has been plagued by online trolls too. Three years ago, she spent endless hours posting images of the couple on an Instagram account that amassed more than 20,000 followers. However, this year, the day after Princess Diana’s birthday, as I was standing by the statue, Kristie attempted to log on as usual – and found her account had been closed. ‘Diana trolls,’ she says plainly, when I ask why. ‘They mass-reported it.’ Kristie describes the loss of her account as ‘a tough time’ and said that she’d worked incredibly hard to carve out a ‘lovely, hate-free’ community online. Luckily, many have supported her newest venture (@from.birkhall.with.love, named after Charles and Camilla’s Scottish residence) and this year, Kristie and Tanja happily hosted a virtual – and drama-free – birthday celebration in honour of Camilla.

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

‘The passion can easily spill over into something darker than corgi-spotting’

fter only dipping a toe into royal fandoms, I quickly found myself getting worked up, too. I sat glued to my

phone until 2am, desperate to know if Meghan really is the ‘evil genius narcissist’ some paint her as in these online forums. If The Queen is really a lizard. If, if, if… In our age of misinformation, virtue signalling and echo chambers (a deadly combination), it’s easy to want to pick a side – Sussexes or royals – that could act as shorthand for your own values (or evidence of you being able to ‘see the truth’), then defend it to the death. Which is wild, because none of us will ever know what goes on behind closed palace doors. We may hear one side from Harry in his upcoming memoir, but the truth is nuanced, or as the saying goes, is comprised of three parts: yours, theirs and what actually happened. Yet, it’s fascinating that so many dedicate time and energy trying to decipher what, in reality, doesn’t seem to make a difference to their own lives. However, that need to weigh in on the royals, and analyse their every move, clearly does impact their lives – and mental health. Regardless of your views on the monarchy, or whatever ‘team’ you may be on, surely everyone deserves to be treated like a human being, rather than a caricature or stereotype? And who knows, as much as we say we’d like to live the ‘fairy tale’ that surrounds a royal life of riches, perhaps they’d rather be anonymous tourists, standing by a statue on a rainy afternoon instead?

BEHIND THE SCENES

Jennifer Savin ‘I spoke to many superfans for this piece but sadly couldn’t include them all. One die-hard royalist who didn’t make the ﬁnal cut told me that when she tested positive with COVID, her ﬁrst thought wasn’t about her health but rather, “Great, I can stay in bed and rewatch every season of The Crown.” If that ain’t dedication…’

C O S M O P O L I TA N

Xxxxxx

read

As the world grieves, spiritualism is thriving. But can we really connect with those we have lost?

Or is the industry sharking on our vulnerability? Seven years on from losing her dad, Jessica Davis finds out…

C O S M O P O L I TA N

not until I approach the house that I wonder what the hell I’m doing. The street is suburban calm, the leafy green trees dancing in the breeze. Inside, my stomach twists and turns. I take a breath and open the iron gate, before ringing the doorbell. ‘Come in,’ he says, leading me to his front room. We’ve never met before, but he feels strangely comforting, with a soft buttery voice and a stillness that makes me forget about what could happen next. I study his face for a reason to recognise him, but I can’t ﬁnd one. ‘You look so much like your father,’ he says, knowing how much those words will mean to me. But he has never met my father. Not really. And there are no photographs of Dad, in this white-washed room, with creaky wooden ﬂoorboards. This man knows nothing of my family, or my past. Yet he also seems to know absolutely everything. How?

96 ·

C O S M O P O L I TA N

Turning to a medium for answers, as I have, is becoming increasingly common. Spiritualism, the religion that is based on the belief that the spirits of the dead exist and want to communicate with us, is booming right now. There are more than 300 spiritualist churches in the UK, and the Spiritualists’ National Union has seen a surge of interest since the pandemic began – in the ﬁrst month of lockdown, applications for membership increased by 325%. Over on TikTok, there’s @kendallthemedium who does ‘collective readings’ for her 690k followers, while @chrisrileypsychic posts tarot readings on his Insta page, and counts various Love Islanders and reality TV stars as his clients. I’ve long been interested in spiritualism as a practice and have found it – in the past – to be incredibly helpful in guiding me through tough times. I lost my dad when I was 18 and not a day goes by when I don’t think of him, and all the parts of my life he’s missing. Spiritualism tells me he’s still here, in a way, and thinking of that has helped me through my toughest moments. So I really do understand why spiritualism is appealing to so many right now – at the time of writing, four million people around the world have died from COVID-19. With so many of us mourning the loss of loved ones, it’s understandable that people are turning to spiritualism and its ability to provide a sense of comfort and control, during one of the most uncontrollable times in history. But, from the outset, spiritualism has had both sceptics and frauds who – some say – take advantage of those grieving when they’re at their weakest. And, even if we can have

access to our lost loved ones, is it healthy to keep visiting them through a medium? Or does it stop us from moving on with the grieving process? A GLIMMER OF HOPE

Just before I rang medium Anthony Kesner’s doorbell, I was on the verge of a panic attack. The reality of what I was doing hit me and nervous energy ﬁlled my body, with intrusive thoughts swirling around my head. I’d been dreaming of my dad almost nightly, something that happened over and over just after he died. I wanted some sort of conﬁrmation that he was okay. I’d chosen Anthony after reading almost every single Google review of

read

med Can

ium s of fe

spa

ce to talk abou t d e a t h?

him. He describes himself ‘On my way home, I felt as a psychic, medium and clairvoyant and he charges different. For the first time £50 for half an hour – during which he tries to reconnect in months, I felt calm’ you with someone you thought you’d lost forever. and there was a risk all that work This is fairly reasonable – celebrity could unravel if this went wrong. medium Thomas John, who advises I wasn’t sure I could take any more the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Jenna heartbreak over Dad. I felt vulnerable, Dewan and Sam Smith, costs around like my fears were written all over £580 per hour and has a waiting list my face – something that could easily of several years, with emergency be taken advantage of in the wrong sessions costing £920 per hour. hands. Heartbroken people are But it’s more than just money at paying for a glimmer of hope. stake. Grieving is a long, painful I sat expectantly on the opposite process. I’ve come a long way in end of the room, Anthony began by understanding my personal journey,

shutting his eyes, putting his palms on his knees and breathing deeply. After a few seconds, which seemed to stretch out for an eternity, he said, ‘You’re here for your father, aren’t you?’ He then proceeded to tell me I looked like him, describe vivid memories of my childhood spent outdoors and detail what my life is like now and the people in it. He even knew the nickname Dad had for me – there’s no way he could know that level of detail. He knew about family holidays and childhood hobbies. There was no way he could have researched this information as I’d given false details and, during my session, I gave nothing away – no reactions to go off. It was obvious this was not a cold reading – where mediums and psychics give general information that anyone could relate to, hoping to reel someone in. Speaking as my dad, he told me how proud he was of me and how excited he was that I’d come to speak to him. ‘It’s a joy to have him here with me, he’s so illuminating. He says he could sit here and watch you all day,’ Anthony said. ‘He loves you so much.’ It was at that point that happy tears rolled down my cheeks, my face hurting from my unstoppable grin. The half-hour session felt like being snuggled up in a blanket on a cold day. ‘You can’t ask more from a person than living life like he did,’ Anthony told me, smiling. ‘He embraced it and that’s what he wants you to do.’ On my way home, I felt different. For the ﬁrst time in months, I felt calm and reassured that things are going to be ﬁne. Dad might not be

read

physically here for a beer in the pub or a hug when times get hard, but just knowing he’s with me wherever I am is enough. It’s an addictive feeling, the kind you want to bottle up. I wanted to book another session immediately, feeling as if I’d found a huge secret that no one else knows. It’s clear how this could become an addictive high to keep chasing and that could, eventually, do more harm than good. ‘Most people go to see mediums and psychics not because they’re freshly bereaved, but because time has passed, and they don’t want to let go. It’s an attempt to keep that connection with the dead,’ Felicity Carter tells me on the phone from Germany. As an ex-astrologer, she spent a lot of time in the spiritual world and with people who claim to see the dead. Four years ago, Linda Nash lost her husband and son in the space of just five months. After seeing an advert, she first went to see a medium a couple of months following her son’s death. Today, she sees her sometimes twice a week, and did so during lockdown via Zoom. It’s these sessions and the reminder that there is an afterlife that helps keep her feeling positive in the wake of such tragedy. ‘The first time my son came through, she said she’d never seen such a big angel,’ Linda laughs and explains that he was 6ft 7in. Her medium knew nothing about her story previously or who she was. ‘It’s so specific what she says, the only person that would know it is you or the person that has died. She once asked me,

98 ·

C O S M O P O L I TA N

HOW TO HELP A FRIEND

grieving. I don’t want to be hoodwinked just because I want to talk to my nan.’ Some, she says, got Psychotherapist and bereavement expert all the details wrong, leaving her Samantha Carbon offers these points… frustrated. But she did manage to Know that it’s complex find one who knew her grandma’s A loss cannot be repaired but it name was Margaret, with the can be fully acknowledged. Avoid saying anything that attempts nickname Peggy. ‘I remember when to fix the unfixable. she was dying, she asked me how she could get in touch. I told her Grief belongs to the griever It’s a very personal experience. she’d find a way and she did. I came Support by just being with them, out of there feeling content and rather than giving advice. believing she was there.’ Let them talk ‘I’ve been to so many now trying It’s okay to listen without an to find that comfort,’ she says, answer. Only they can decide wanting to try different people to what it means to move forward. see if they match up with others. ‘Once at a group session, I wanted to “Mum, has your new ring arrived scream because it felt like such a yet?” I’d ordered a “mum” ring sham. They kept picking on this shy woman until she agreed with what shortly after my son Wes had died. they were saying to find a tedious I hadn’t told anyone I’d ordered it. link to prove they were right.’ It’s those little details that make it It’s these kinds of experiences impossible for her to know unless it that give the industry a bad name, of preying on people’s ‘Try booking under a fake vulnerability for their own monetary gain. So, what name and give nothing makes a good medium? It’s all about the smaller details. away during the session’ Try booking under a fake name and give nothing away during your session – it’s surprising was him telling her,’ she explains to how much someone can piece me. ‘I cope because I believe. I now together after a quick Google know they’re just fine where they are and that they’re in a better place.’ search. If they are the real deal, they’ll give you specifics and tiny details only you and that person LOOKING FOR would know. But it’s not just about THE REAL DEAL It’s a confirmation that Dennie Smith the medium, it’s about where you are at in your journey and the wants to find. She has visited around impact the process might have on 15 different psychic mediums and you – positive or negative. various group sessions to try to When my dad died, I noticed contact her grandmother, who died something: it was really hard to 10 years ago. ‘I visited a lot of mediums when I was really down,’ she speak about my grief and the reality of losing him. After the says. ‘You go for two reasons: either funeral, it felt like I was expected to when you’re feeling vulnerable or

IN IT TOGETHER

For more advice, visit Cosmopolitan.com /UK/Bereavement Advice

Throughout history, people have turned to mediums after times of crisis. After the Great War and Spanish inﬂuenza, there were around 2,000 registered spiritualist societies and an estimated 250,000 adherents in the UK. And, as we emerge from a year of great loss, more and more people are likely to seek out comfort from spiritualists and their world. I feel more centred than ever after my experience. It’s comforting to know my dad is still present in my life. Seeing the medium smile and laugh at my dad’s presence reminded me of the person he was. His energy lit up a

room and other people were drawn to that, like moths dancing around a streetlight. ‘[Mediums] are talking about [death] all the time, which makes them one of the few people in the world who are comfortable with death in the western world,’ adds Felicity. But I could see how easy it would be to get sucked into visiting Anthony Kesner consistently, just for that slice of time with my dad, and how that perhaps might not be the healthiest thing. It’s important to ensure that visiting mediums is something to complement your healing process, rather than encompass it. Always seek professional help if you’re worried about yourself, how you’re coping or about someone else. Grieving is a lonely place, but the thought of them staying around makes it a bit more bearable. And, even hardcore sceptics can’t deny the comfort visiting a good medium can bring. That said, the sad reality is that conversations about death and grief are still seen as taboo for so many cultures. But if we start talking more often and openly with those around us, perhaps fewer people would have to visit a medium and pay for that privilege.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Jessica Davis ‘I didn’t expect to get so much closure when writing this piece and was surprised how much comfort and reassurance I still feel from it now. Truthfully, I feel closer to him than ever.’

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

snap back and be ‘normal’. The messages of support started to disappear, and I was left alone with the aching loss. It took me a long time to realise that I would have to carry my grief with me for the rest of my life, and that was okay – others were going through the same thing. It’s something I’ve learned from being part of The Grief Network – a supportive platform to talk about the harsh reality of being young and grieving. Which is why I found myself nodding in agreement when Felicity spoke of another reason those grieving ﬁnd comfort in spiritualism. ‘They offer one thing that the modern world doesn’t: a place where you can actually talk about death. It’s probably the last place where people can sit down and just remember them,’ she says. ‘Grief in our society has become very corporatised. If you’re not coping, you’re told to see a professional, offered antidepressants and people avoid talking to you until you’re over it because it’s too uncomfortable for them. Spirituals and mediums offer understanding.’

un sh

gic Psycholo

h lt

ril

a ut m b l e r…

w c

read

making You

ay ooler The breakout star of

Netflix’s cult series chats

break-ups, being starstruck and what we can

expect from Season 3

Wo r d s H A N N A H C H A M B E R S

ight before she got her very ﬁrst acting gig – a role in Netﬂix’s instant hit The Haunting Of Hill House – Victoria Pedretti had just burned through the last of her post-college cash. After graduation, she’d decided to give the whole acting thing a try. But months later, there was no Jennifer Aniston-in-Friends big break, and she was ready to accept the fact that she needed a regular ol’ day job.

Keep this extremely relatable anecdote in mind while you watch her reprise the role of insanely rich LA girl Love Quinn in You’s third season. (Reminder: the character’s name really is Love, and Love’s brother’s name was Forty. It’s a tennis reference, if the ‘insanely rich’ thing was unclear.) Season 2 ended with the show’s weirdly appealing stalker protagonist, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), and Love expecting their ﬁrst child. To prepare for the part, Victoria moved up to Silver Lake, a trendy Hollywood-adjacent neighbourhood. She studied infamous socialites (she won’t name names, but they might rhyme with Harris Pilton) and did very LA things, like dabbling in astrology and using the word ‘yacht’. i C O S M O P O L I TA N

101

‘I tried to think about what it would be like to grow up with a lot of money, with all the resources that a lot of these people have,’ Victoria tells me over dinner in New York City. The 26-year-old from Philadelphia, currently wearing cut-off jeans, a bum bag and a T-shirt she thrifted in school, won’t have to imagine the boujee life much longer. Girl is booked and busy: she casually appeared as a cult member in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, and shone in the Hill House follow-up, The Haunting Of Bly Manor. But bragworthy trajectory aside, Victoria’s not your standard thirsty up-and-comer. Her rarely used Instagram account is free of sponcon and red-carpet pics. Her handle is @TheN0t0ri0usVIP, which we’re pretty jealous of. And despite having been in a ﬁlm with Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, she still gets embarrassingly starstruck. In yet another relatable anecdote, the last time she was at the restaurant we’re sitting in, she literally walked into a wall when she noticed Jon Hamm was there too. With regular people (like, um, me), though, Victoria’s all real talk. The chatter about whether serial killers can be hot – spurred by Penn’s You role and also Zac Efron’s portrayal of

102 ·

C O S M O P O L I TA N

The calm before Storm Serial K i l l e r…

read

‘Honestly, if you and I were just hanging out, I’d tell you any f*cking thing’

Ted Bundy – is straight-up nonsense, she says. ‘I mean, I think the idea that women want to fuck an actual serial killer is a joke.’ Noted. As we talk, I get a glimpse of what she’d be like if she hadn’t gotten that ﬁrst real acting role; if she were working a day job; if she were in my group chat. For example, she once got over a break-up by eating mac and cheese. She explains that her PiscesAries cusp means she is not really a party-goer but sometimes gets a random impulse to spend the night drinking and dancing. Maybe I got a little too comfortable, throwing in a jokey dating question the way I would with my friends. That’s when the mood shifts. She looks me right in the eyes: ‘Honestly, if you and I were just hanging out, I’d tell you any fucking thing.’ She takes an exaggerated, faux-shady sip of coffee, and I remember: Right, this is an interview. And she’s now a celebrity pro.

Joe and Love have moved to the suburbs with a baby on the way and Love’s mother Dottie in tow. Unable to shake off his old ways, Joe begins to obsess over Natalie (Michaela McManus), his wealthy, successful and married neighbour. Now that we know Love is essentially as dangerous as Joe (she murdered Candace and Delilah, remember?), there’s only one way this is going to go.

Also joining for season 3 is Kiki (Shannon Chan-Kent), the local gossip and mean girl, Dr Chandra (Ayelet Zurer), an inquisitive couples therapist, and Marienne (Tati Gabrielle), a no-nonsense librarian, among a handful of other new faces. Their chances of survival? Debatable.

You season 3 is on Netﬂix in October

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: DUSTY BAXTER-WRIGHT. PHOTOGRAPHER: SAMI DRASIN. STILL LIFES: GETTY IMAGES, NETFLIX AND MOVIESTILLS DB. STYLING: AYA KANAI. HAIR: MARTY HARPER AT THE WALL GROUP USING ORIBE. MAKE-UP: NINA PARK AT FORWARD ARTISTS USING KIEHL’S. MANICURE: YUKO WADA USING CHANEL LE VERNIS. VICTORIA WEARS: BLAZER, SHIRT AND TROUSERS, VICTORIA BECKHAM; SHOES, THOM BROWNE. DRESS, RIXO; EARRINGS, ACCHITTO.

‘A n y o n e f r o m Gossip Girl we can take o u t n e x t? ’

THIS IS WHAT

Words L A U R E N B A L S A M O

P hot og r ap hy R A N D Y T R A N

FEEL-GOOD MAKE-UP LOOKS LIKE Mak e -up M A R L A V A Z Q U E Z

Fas h ion C A S S I E A N D E R S O N

Singer-songwriter and all-round joyful human HAYLEY KIYOKO has seven ideas for you that are pure happiness

N E X T- L E V E L PA S T E L S

So there are cutesy pastels (meh) and then there are these pastels: 0% subtle and 100% happy. Use a pink blush that works with your skin tone on your cheekbones, then add bright shadow shades all around your eyes, says make-up artist Marla Vazquez, who created all the looks in this story and is one of Hayley’s best friends. ‘Try not to overthink the shadow placement – it’s OK if the sides aren’t identical,’ she adds. Jacket and shirt, Fendi. Earrings, Maria Tash. Ring, Grace Lee

Bladow (noun): the only way to describe this gorgeous blush-shadow hybrid situation

105

AND HERE’S YOUR GETTING-READY PLAYLIST

Because obviously, this kind of make-up requires its own soundtrack – and Hayley Kiyoko, whose addictive pop songs were streamed on Spotify more than 122 million times last year alone, has that on lock. Her fans-slash-followers are so obsessed that they’ve dubbed her the Lesbian Jesus, and her most recent singles, ‘Found My Friends’ and ‘Chance’, are the only proof you need that that’s pretty much spot-on.

ALL THE SHAPES Maybe in The Olden Days you would have thought a heart doodled on your face was bold, but we’re in *2021* right now, so why hold back? Some tricks: trace hearts with a neutral pencil to get the shape and placement right ﬁrst, says Vazquez, then go over them with a bright-red pencil like MAC’s Chromographic Pencil in Basic Red, £16. As for your lips, sandwiching star decals or glitter between two layers of clear gloss will help them stay in place. Dress, Y/Project. Gold ring, Dior. Red ring, State Property

S PA R K LY RAINBOW EYES Pretty sure that if this ombré gemstone liner look could talk, it would be screaming ‘WEAR ME TO ALL YOUR FUN THINGS, PLEASE!’ To start, use a sharp eyeliner pencil point to carefully tap cosmetic glue (there are a ton of options on Amazon) in tiny dots along your upper lash lines. Gently press rhinestones (you can get these on Amazon, too) right on top, explains Vazquez. ‘To make sure the glue doesn’t dry before you have a chance to add the gems, do no more than three glue dots at a time,’ she advises. Earrings, Annika Inez. Rings, Grace Lee

POST-PANDEMIC MAKE-UP IS JUST THE CUTEST, ISN’T SHE? Cute on FaceTime or in real life

107

CLASSIC 2.0 Hello to the new version of the black-cat-eye-and-redlip combo we’ve all been wearing for years. Use a liquid liner to draw a thin ﬂick along your upper lash line and two small dots on the outer third of your lower lash line. Then blot a cherry-red matte lipstick on both lips and use a darker red shade to outline your entire lip line. Instead of smacking your lips together, blend the shades with a make-up brush. Finally, press an orange-red matte lipstick on the center of your lips using clean ﬁngers. Jacket, earrings and bracelet, all Gucci. Ring, Grace Lee

Good day to this Gucci jacket, and this Gucci jacket only

EXTRA-BRIGHT LASHES

YOUR NEUTRALS ARE OFFICIALLY ON HIATUS

Not only are these lashes a visual delight, but they’re also surprisingly easy to DIY. Prep your lashes with a curler and white primer (it’ll ensure the pigment really pops), and then go in with purple mascara (try Kiko’s Smart Colour Mascara in Metallic Purple, £5.99). For extra oomph, Vazquez says to coat individual falsies with the purple mascara and add them to the ends of your natural lashes, too. Shirt, Christopher John Rogers. Earrings, Maria Tash. Ring, Grace Lee

C O S M O P O L I TA N

109

GLAMMED-UP GLITTER

I’m sorry, but is there anything more fun/joyful/celebratory than sparkles? No, which is why we should live in this metallic look all season long. First, use a silver lip pencil to add some sparkle to your Cupid’s bow and the centre of your bottom lip, says Vazquez. Next, pack glitter into your inner eye corners and down past your tear ducts. To ensure the glitter really sticks, layer it over a glitter primer (like NYX’s Glitter Primer, £8) or a shimmery cream shadow, and then lock it all in with a setting spray. Dress, Thebe Magugu. Earrings (bottom), Grace Lee. Earring (top), Maria Tash. Ring, Maya Brenner

Hair Joseph Chase. Nails Yoko Sakakura at A-Frame Agency. Production Zach Crawford/Crawford & Co Productions

YET MORE REASONS TO END THAT ZERO-MAKE-UP PHASE

M A T C H YM ATC H Y MAKE-UP Doing the whole monochromatic thing is the perfect combo of easy and cool, especially if you’re doubling up on bright pink à la Hayley. Use your ﬁngers to blend a full-coverage cream lipstick (like Fenty Beauty Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick in Candy Venom, £16) across your eyelids just past the creases, then swipe the same shade on your lips. ‘You can play with the texture by layering on a clear gloss or tapping on translucent powder with a brush to create a soft matte ﬁnish,’ says Vazquez. 110

Now nominating glitter for colour of the year

Bundle all the way up à la singer-songwriter Allison Ponthier in autumn/winter 21’s chicest cold-weather trends Photography

Fashion

Words

SA R AI

C A SS IE

R AC H E L

M A R I

ANDE R SON

TORGE R SON

SO SWADDLED

Make like an actual baby and bask in the safety and security of being enveloped by the softest, cosiest, prettiest-hued chunky scarf.

C o a t a n d s c a r f, Christian Wijnants. H a t, ‘47 B r a n d . Earrings, Jennifer Fisher

113

EXTRA BOLD

A super-pro tip for you, is that wearing a statement coat over a casual pair of joggers automatically dresses them up. And yes, my mum needs to hear this and really take it in this time. They’re not pyjamas!

C o a t a n d T- s h i r t, R13 . S w e a t s h i r t, Cotton Citizen. Joggers, Les Tien. Socks, Jungmaven. Tr a i n e r s , S t e l l a M c C a r t n e y. Earrings, Lagos

114

M ATCHY-M ATCHY

…is back, friends. Don’t shy away from obvious pairings that’ll make you stand out in a crowd. Helps to also have a cool scooter to own the overall aesthetic. Fashion is an extreme sport, after all.

C o a t, s h i r t, l e g g i n g s a n d socks, Isabel M arant É t o i l e . Tr a i n e r s , h a t a n d b e l t, I s a b e l M a r a n t. P u l l o v e r, S o l i d & S t r i p e d . E a r r i n g s , J e n n i f e r F i s h e r. R i n g, I V I

TUNES FOR YOU Hi, your (physical or mental) commute needs Allison Ponthier’s tracks to get you extremely up in your countrymeets-city feels. The model turned musician’s debut EP, Faking My Own Death, is out now, and moody bop Cowboy is worthy of playing on repeat.

HANDS! FREE!

Some common problems: you wanna wear the marshmallow trend but you also want to have a waist. And you need to have a bag but your tiny shoulderstrap just isn’t cute when it bunches up your bulky jacket. May I present the perfect solution? (Aka the sporty belt bag below.)

P u f f e r, D a i l y P a p e r. B e l t b a g, P r a d a . Earrings, Joanna Laura Constantine

HERE, KITTY

Kat Slater chic

Yes, leopard has had its fair share of the spotlight over the years (RIP, silk midi skirts), but it’s clear from how damned good this looks that we should still wear it from top to bottom. So, in my best 1990s magazine voice: Walk on the wild side, etc, etc.

C o a t, s w e a t e r, T- s h i r t a n d j e a n s R13 . S h o e s , J i m m y C h o o. R i n g, N a d i n e Aysoy

117

NICE ’N’ TOASTY

If warmth is what you’re looking for in your outerwear this year (sure, why not?), don’t sleep on shearling, which goes with everything but still draws eyes with its high contrast. C o a t, t o p, t r o u s e r s , c l o g s a n d b a g, S i m o n M i l l e r. E a r r i n g s , Jennifer Fisher

MIX IT UP

Add interest to a traditional houndstooth by layering it over an equally eye-catching pattern. Thigh-high boots are optional but encouraged.

F O R S H O P P I N G I N F O R M AT I O N , G O TO C O S M O P O L I TA N .C O M .

C o a t, j a c k e t, s h i r t, and boots, Stella McCar tney

Hair: Shin Arima at Home Agency Make-up: Tracy Alfajora at Bri Winters Manicure: Kylie Kwok at Tracey Mattingly Agency Fashion assistant: Danielle Flum

119

love

WORDS: PAISLEY GILMOUR. PHOTOGRAPHY: AARON DURALL. *FROM ‘DESIRE, FAMILIARITY, AND ENGAGEMENT IN POLYAMORY: RESULTS FROM A NATIONAL SAMPLE OF SINGLE ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES’, PUBLISHED IN FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY, 2021

SINGLE? SETTLED? WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED

The truth about polyamorous relationships Thought polyamory was an ‘alternative’ relationship structure? It’s actually more common than you’d think. Researchers at US universities* found one in nine people had been in a poly relationship, while one in six had some desire to, and one in 15 knew someone who had. Of those who’d tried it, 30% would do it again, and for those who wouldn’t, it was the emotional intensity (33%) and feeling possessive (21%) that put them off. The most likely groups to engage with it were men, younger people, and people who are lesbian, gay or bisexual. The more the merrier, eh?

C O S M O P O L I TA N

121

The

anti-racist guide to dating Whether it’s romance or a onetime thing, Parris Walters explains how to be an ally

know what some of you are thinking. Dating is supposed to be fun, and trying to decipher whether you may have said something ‘a bit racist’ between the starter and the main course is not sexy. But it has to be acknowledged, as the truth is, just like in many other areas of our lives, racism exists in the very fabric of dating. Sometimes it’s the awkward probing about where you’re really from. Sometimes it’s family events where you’re forced to endure your date’s weird uncle’s ‘jokes’ about immigrants and deprecating racial stereotypes. Often, it’s the overwhelming number of times someone has fetishised you, reducing you to a skin colour, and acting as if you should feel grateful to be given attention in the ﬁrst place. So if you want to ensure you aren’t being racist in your dating life, here’s where to start...

I t ’s a l l a b o u t communication

love

How to date in an anti-racist way Breaking down racism within dating is a complex task, but there are some key behaviours to avoid and look out for in others D O N ' T P U T P E O P L E I N ‘ A B O X ’

Î Avoid probing people about their race and identity, especially on the ﬁrst date. This includes asking your mixed-race date which of their races they identify more with, and making them ‘pick a side’.

couple has to be available to hear each other without feeling guilty or ashamed’. She adds: ‘The more you communicate with your partner, the more the “blind spots” appear, and this is likely to be the starting point of change. Your preconceived ideas plus an awareness of your “blind spots” equals a great place to unlearn ignorance and learn new behaviours.’

A S K P O L I T E L Y B U T D O N ’ T A S S U M E

Î Getting to know someone is one of the exciting parts about dating, and this includes learning about their culture. But don’t make assumptions. Instead of assuming your Arab date comes from a strict culture because of what you’ve seen on the news, ask them whether they’ve visited their country of origin before and what their favourite thing to do there is.

HAVE REGULAR AND MEANINGFUL DISCUSSIONS

Î Make allyship and anti-racism a part of your relationship. This involves discussions about issues surrounding race, raising awareness to others, and being proud in your allyship.

DON’T EXPECT YOUR DATE TO EDUCATE YOU DON’T SHY AWAY FROM THE TOPIC

Î Especially if you’re in a committed relationship. Nicola Birago, a BACP-accredited counsellor, says that when having difficult conversations, ‘the

Î ’Being respectful of another culture should not be the burden of your potential match or ﬂing,’ says Chris Pleines, a relationships expert at Dating Scout. ‘This responsibility is yours.’

What does it mean to be anti-racist?

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

Before addressing the issue of racism in dating, we have to understand what it means to be anti-racist – and why racism is sometimes hard to recognise within our budding and existing relationships. In his book How To Be an Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi deﬁnes an anti-racist as ‘one who is supporting an anti-racist policy through their actions or expressing an anti-racist idea’. He goes on to explain that ‘racism is a marriage of racist policies and racist ideas that produces and normalises racial inequities’. It begins with understanding that the process of being an anti-racist involves unlearning some of your behaviours. It also means you need to listen to those who

have been and continue to be affected. You need to listen to understand, not just to respond. But the ﬁrst step is acknowledging that it exists and it’s happening every day. The early signs of racism in dating? Imagine you’ve got a date and the person has a different ethnicity to you. Start by looking at what attracts you to this person and examine what is attracting them to you. Is the attraction strongly related to their appearance, particularly their skin colour or their race? There is nothing wrong with appreciating someone’s physical appearance, but to fetishise a person based on their race is a serious problem. Pleines says there is positive and negative discrimination. ‘Some people have preferences for “exotic” cultures and appearances.

Yet, this is just as superﬁcial as negative discrimination, since both reduce individuals to their physical appearance and cultural heritage.’ Racist behaviours in dating can also include making romantic or sexual assumptions about someone of a particular ethnicity – like assuming a Black person is dominant, aggressive, promiscuous or sexually experienced, or having a preference for people of Latinx descent because you think they are all ‘exotic’ or ‘ﬁery’, and will call you pet names in Spanish. These assumptions are rooted in racist stereotypes. They’re a result of the demonisation and over-sexualisation of an entire race of people. It’s reductive, it makes people uncomfortable and it’s most certainly racist.

HOW TO HAVE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE WITH YOUR DATE Struggling with those trickier discussions? Nicola suggests using the following structure

Set boundaries Agree what the topic of discussion should be, especially if it is difficult to hear or talk about. Decide how long you want to spend on the topic, and agree on what ‘buzzwords’ can be said if one of you is feeling sensitive and wants to take a step back from the conversation.

Communicate Ask questions and talk openly about the topic, highlighting some of these ‘blind spots’.

Challenge Prepare to have your views challenged – this will help you gain a broader perspective and ﬁnd alternative viewpoints.

Come together Reﬂect on the conversation as a couple, how you felt as individuals and any new learnings from the discussion (then go and do something nice together).

C O S M O P O L I TA N

123

o t e b i r c s b u S

COSMOPOLITAN DIGITAL EDITION

AVAILABLE ON THESE DEVICES:

HEARSTMAGAZINES.CO.UK OR VISIT ANY OF THESE STORES

love

best sex ever

was...

k s e d s ’ s s o b y on m

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES. *NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED

Two break-ups led to one hot work hook-up for Grace* I first met Mitchell* when we were hired as resident assistants for the same university housing community. We quickly developed a flirty friendship, but since he had a girlfriend and I was getting over a break-up, our relationship was strictly platonic. That is, until the night he became single. We were scheduled to work our usual graveyard shift together, which meant manning the desolate front desk through the night and into the early morning. When Mitchell arrived over an hour late, his face was pale and his breath smelled like whisky. After a bit of convincing, he admitted his girlfriend just broke up with him. We passed his hip flask back and forth,

consoling each other over our mutual heartache. Maybe it was the alcohol or our shared sadness but, without thinking, I leaned forward and kissed him, right there at the front desk of our block of flats. Since it was well past midnight, the place was deserted, but the sheer fact that anyone could have interrupted us turned me on almost as much as his fingers in my hair and his tongue on my collarbone. Then, Mitchell grabbed my hand and motioned for me to follow, pulling me along the dark, familiar corridor towards our boss Mary’s* office, my hand sweaty in his confident grasp. I tried to stifle my nervous laughter as he swung the door open, scanning the dark to ensure we were alone. His brown eyes bore into mine,

seeming to ask if I really wanted to do this. With a quick nod I agreed, and he pulled me inside the sparse room. Although she was surprisingly laidback, I had a feeling Mary wouldn’t be too relaxed if she found us going at it on her desk. But as Mitchell backed me up against the wall, it felt like all of the potential consequences didn’t matter

‘I saw a framed family picture smiling over at us’ and I realised I didn’t care if we got caught. Glancing back at the open office door, my legs quivered in anticipation. His hands felt so good as they snaked under my waistband and down between my legs and – the whole time – his lips never left mine. Then,

he whipped me around and in one quick, fluid motion pulled my trousers and underwear down to my ankles. His fingers grazed the wetness between my thighs as he stood behind me. I bent over, my elbows resting on Mary’s desk, and heard the crinkle of a condom wrapper behind me. The sex was explosive. We both came hard and fast after just a few thrusts, collapsing on top of our boss’s desk calendar. It was then that I looked up and saw a framed family picture smiling over at us from across the table. The months of flirty banter, the unexpected hook-up and the risk of getting caught all combined to make our encounter incredibly hot. Mitchell and I dated casually for nearly a year, but eventually parted ways when he moved away after graduation. Still, to this day, few things make my heart rate speed up quite like an office after dark – and the faint scent of cheap whisky. C O S M O P O L I TA N

125

explore BECAUSE LIFE’S ALL ABOUT THE 5-9

WORDS MEGAN SUTTON. PHOTOGRAPHS GETTY IMAGES

Dog-friendly holidays got an upgrade Ever missed your dog so much on holiday that you’ve just wanted to go home? Yeah, us too – and thankfully, holiday companies have recognised that we don’t want a break from our four-legged friends. The Devonshire Arms Hotel on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales (Devonshirehotels.co.uk) offers four-poster dog beds, and allows your furry friends to join you in the lounge areas. Meanwhile, at the Hare and Hounds Hotel in the Cotswolds (Cotswold-inns-hotels.co.uk), there’s a dedicated bar menu for dog snacks. Just don’t forget to pack the squeaky toys.

C O S M O P O L I TA N

127

Whether you’ve got a day or a week to ds AM A N DA

TH AM

delivered to your holiday destination in hours. No flight necessary

Wo r

spare, hop on a Eurostar and you’re

VE GO ’ U

.. T.

explore

D AY

IN LILLE W H Y I T ’ S G R E AT France’s vibrant northern city has cobbled streets, ornate architecture and a large student population that helps keep all of the various restaurants, cafes and quirky little boutiques busy. JOURNEY TIME: 01:20 HRS FROM LONDON

W H E N YO U ’ R E T H E R E … Wander the narrow streets of Old Town taking in the red-brick Flemish Renaissance buildings, including La Vieille Bourse, a converted stock exchange with a quadrangle where you’ll discover second-hand bookstalls and a selection of musicians playing beneath the arches. Hit vintage stores Tilt Vintage and Nostalgie for quality one-off shirts, dresses and accessories, or, for designer French labels like Louis Vuitton and Hermès, head to Rue de la Grande Chaussée. In the afternoon, take a tram to La Piscine in

Running not advised in the pool area

Roubaix, an art deco swimming pool complex converted into an art space, where former cubicles are ﬁlled with stunning work from the likes of Picasso and Rodin. Affordable collections from up-and-coming young designers are sold in the on-site shop, too. E AT & D R I N K Le Bloempot is a scene: brick-walled courtyard, wooden tables and a massive open kitchen serving intriguing dishes you’ll want to endlessly snap in portrait mode, like nettle sorbet with strawberry chips. Those in the know book ‘Les yeux fermés’ (the eyes closed!) surprise menu

Pick up a per fect platter

made with local produce. For something less formal, nibble on platters of cheese, ham and even octopus, all washed down with a local beer at JaJa. And before you hop back on the train, duck into Méert, a classy patisserie cafe selling the best waffles, eclairs and merveilleux (a meringue and cream Lille speciality) in town. They’ll box them up for you to take away, though the likelihood of them not being eaten on the journey home is zero. Le Cheval Blanc in Wazemmes, an old industrial neighbourhood, is an experience if you’re willing to venture out of the centre of town. Run by Madame Monique, there’s live music and things can get spirited. There’s a very real chance you’ll end up dancing shoulder to shoulder with strangers on a Sunday afternoon, but that’s what travel’s all about, right? Wazemmes also has a great market on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday mornings, which is well worth a visit as it’s a true melting pot of cultures, with cuisine from around the world and a very Soho vibe. ›

C O S M O P O L I TA N

129

.. T.

VE GO ’ U

H O U R S

I N PA R I S W H Y I T ’ S G R E AT ‘Paris is always a good idea,’ Audrey Hepburn once said and we couldn’t agree more. The capital of France is home to some of the best hotels, restaurants, bars and shops in the world. JOURNEY TIME: 02:15 HRS FROM LONDON

W H E N YO U ’ R E T H E R E … Get ready for an elegant trip. Kick off with Atelier des Lumières, a digital exhibition

VE GO ’ U

.. T.

No filter necessar y

D AY S

I N A M S T E R DA M W H Y I T ’ S G R E AT Amsterdam is Holland’s good-time city and one of the most creative hubs in the world. JOURNEY TIME: 04:07 HRS FROM LONDON

so cool it would be criminal to miss (you might recognise it from a scene in Netﬂix’s Emily In Paris). Isabel Marant, APC, Maje, Sandro, Ganni: all of the cool-girl labels are stocked at Galeries Lafayette, so it makes sense to check out the legendary department store while you’re in town. At dusk, walk to the middle of Pont Neuf, Paris’ oldest bridge, and capture the Seine and Eiffel Tower in one glorious shot, then ascend Montparnasse Tower to the observation deck and see the entire city lit up before your eyes. Paris has well and truly earned its nickname of la Ville Lumière, the City of Light.

institution on the Boulevard SaintGermain, where artists and writers like Picasso and Simone de Beauvoir used to gather in the 1940s. It still attracts a strong people-watching crowd today, so order some wine and soak up the atmos.

E AT & D R I N K La Maison Rose, a pink-walled, greenshuttered corner restaurant in Montmartre, is Paris’ prettiest restaurant, no contest. Bag a table on the pavement, order the salmon in garlic saffron aioli, followed by cheesecake with seasonal fruits and bask in the glory of living your best Instagram life. Also visit Café de Flore, an art deco

W H E R E TO S TAY Vice Versa (from £90 per night; Viceversahotel.com) has bedrooms based on the seven deadly sins, including wrath (black walls, spray paint-tagged artwork), greed (bank-note wallpaper) and, our favourite, gluttony, which has a round bed, macaroon cushions, a cupcake chair and pink walls. For something less in your face, book in at the white- and perspexﬁlled Kube Hotel (from £85 per night; Kubehotel-paris.com), which has its own ice bar, Ice Kube, running at a cool -10˚C.

W H E N YO U ’ R E T H E R E … Hire a bike – it’s the quickest, safest way to get around all week and you’ll instantly feel immersed in city life. The shopping scene is so good, particularly Nine Streets, a photogenic grid of roads full of independent shops like Bij Ons Vintage and Muze The Store. Amsterdam’s famous for its museums and, even if you’re not usually drawn to them on holiday, it’s deﬁnitely worth visiting the Van Gogh Museum to see some of the artist’s greatest work up close. Amsterdam was designed to be seen from the water, so book a boat trip with the brilliantly named Those Dam Boat Guys

(Thosedamboatguys.com), who let you take booze on board. You’ve got ﬁve days, so when the city gets too much, bike along the Amstel River to Ouderkerk, a quaint town with a windmill, swimming lake and plenty of restaurants with sunny terraces to chill on. Another fun day excursion is Amsterdamse Bos, a forest and park with lakes where

VE GO ’ U

.. T.

explore

W E E K E N D

PHOTOGRAPHS GETTY IMAGES, FACEBOOK/@JAJALILLE, INSTAGRAM/@LAMAISONROSEOFFICIAL, INSTAGRAM/@CHEZALBERT, INSTAGRAM/@RESTAURANTDEKA, INSTAGRAM/@CHLORE_SWIMWEAR

IN BRUGES WEEKEND! W H Y I T ’ S G R E AT Bruges, Belgium’s medieval fairy-tale wonderland. If you’ve never been, you’re in for a treat – this is one cute city, famous for chocolate, waffles, fries, beer and (slightly less delicious) canals. JOURNEY TIME: 03:30 HRS FROM LONDON

W H E N YO U ’ R E T H E R E … Start on foot in The Markt, a square in the heart of the Unesco-protected Old Town, where you’ll ﬁnd plenty of cafes and the Belfry of Bruges, a soaring tower with 366 steps, which are worth the slog to the top as the views are stupendous. In the afternoon, switch to sightseeing from the water on a canal boat ride. Tourist boats tend to start their 30-minute tours at Rozenhoedkaai (Quay of the Rosary), the most over-photographed spot in the city for good reason – it’s gorgeous. The next day, check out Choco-Story Brugge, the

locals go swimming and picnic in the wildﬂower meadows. E AT & D R I N K The food and surroundings at vegetarian restaurant De Kas, a converted 1920s greenhouse, are so uplifting, and most of the pretty vegetable, herb and edible-ﬂower dishes are grown on site, so it’s super sustainable. For an afternoonto-night holiday-drinking vibe, visit Pllek bar and restaurant, which is made from shipping containers and reachable in 15 minutes via a free ferry from Centraal Station. A large terrace with picnic tables spills out on to a beach; order a cocktail,

city’s chocolate museum, where you can even book a workshop if the urge to create as well as eat the sweet stuff takes hold. Spend a chilled afternoon at Minnewater Lake, known as the Lake of Love, in downtown Bruges. It’s super tranquil, but be careful if you’re with a new love interest – legend has it that any couple to cross the bridge at the lake will be together for eternity. Gulp. Tip: Watch In Bruges before you go – it covers all the most popular landmarks.

sweet-toothed. Hunt out The Chocolate Line for a serving counter shaped like a giant chocolate bar, chocolate lipstick, massage cream and unforgettable praline.

E AT & D R I N K It’s all about the waffles. Chez Albert W H E R E TO S TAY serves some of the best, but what will you Monsieur Ernest Bar & Hotel (from £60 put on them: Nutella, whipped cream per night; Monsieurernest.com) lies in a or fresh fruit? It’s also all about the fries, converted brewery in the hip Ezelstraat or rather frites, best served traditional with moules in cream and white Quarter, an 800-year-old Travel wine and a light Belgian beer area that’s now home to restrictions must have a You apply. at Breydel De Coninc. For a Scandi design shops and negative COVID test and fill in more contemporary take on artisan biscuit-makers. mandatory forms before travelling. At the time of going to the food scene, we love print, France, Belgium and Bistro L.E.S.S (it stands for Holland are amber, meaning Love, Eat, Share, Smile) you have to quarantine at home on your return. dishes like ceviche and wagyu beef. Bruges’ nightlife isn’t exactly legendary, but cocktails at Groot Vlaenderen are a thing; Marvel Comics and Chris Pratt fans order the ‘I Am Groot’, a mix of rum, elderﬂower liqueur, pineapple and lime juice. With more than 50 chocolate shops, Bruges is the weekend break of dreams for the

sit on the sand and listen to DJs spin tracks in the sunshine (or drop in for a yoga class on Sunday morning). People queue to get their hands on warm Dutch apple pie from Winkel 43 in the Jordaan,

A pop of ar t with your stay

best eaten with a dollop of whipped cream. And a visit to Van Stapele, a tiny bakery that whips up batches of warm, gooey dark chocolate cookies with a white chocolate centre, is a hangover cure like no other after a big night out at Paradiso, a converted church where the visitors now worship at the altars of hip-hop, dance and live music. W H E R E TO S TAY Hotel Not Hotel (from £42 per night; Hotelnothotel.com) is an experience. The living room-like lobby is ﬁlled with artwork and there are ‘cottages’ you can stay in designed by up-and-coming young artists. C O S M O P O L I TA N

131

advertisement feature

ST Y L E EDI T Collect the best

LOUNGEFLY FROM FUNKO Loungefly, Funko’s sensational premium fashion accessories brand for fans of pop culture, film and entertainment has landed at its official European home – FunkoEurope.com. The collectible and social media phenomenon which spawned thousands of eagled-eyed collectors are now available to purchase from the UK and European home of Funko – one of the world’s most famous brands for collectible products, most well known for their Pop! vinyl figures. Loungefly is one of pop culture’s most reactive brands, with new fashion accessories being dropped every month to reflect either an upcoming movie or classic release. This means every single Loungefly handbag, backpack, purse, wallet and headband are collectible for the fandoms they are associated with. With only the highest quality materials used and intricate detailing, it’s no wonder that Loungefly fans are addicted to collecting as many accessories as they can. With licenses including Disney, DC Comics, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Sanrio and much, much more, it is harder to find an item that doesn’t resonate with a fan. If there’s one trend that will never go away, it’s fans and their fandoms. FunkoEurope.com and follow on Facebook.com: /funkoeurope, Twitter: @FunkoEurope and Instagram @loungeflyeurope

advertisement feature

S TY L E EDIT Look your best

GOUTARAE Founded and driven with a passion to create slow made sustainable luxury pieces for the everyday bold woman. The Goutarae Autumn Winter 2021 collection is created for the wants and needs of women today. Discover perfectionism, quality and precise tailoring in a plethora of essential blazers, trench coats and Autumn Winter accessories. This collection Includes sophisticated women’s footwear so women can make their everyday fashion statement from the very ground up. With a foundation of opulent elegant luxury, women all over the world are able to dress themselves in an authentic way which represents responsibility, excellence and integrity. With love and devotion for detailed craftsmanship formed in a classic feminine aesthetic, this collection is about the celebration of dressing up and celebrating the conﬁdence and beauty of womanhood. With an optimistic, but realistic attitude into creating easy-to-wear silhouettes whilst still making a classic and original fashion statement, this collection is founded to the very core of responsibility and authenticity. goutarae.com

advertisement feature

ST Y L E E DI T Look your best

BOTANICAL BEACH BABES Botanical Beach Babes Presents the Supermodel Swimwear collection exclusively at The SLS Hotel in South Beach for 2021 Miami Swim Week. All eyes were on superstar runway stunners Australian Top Model Jelena Markovic, along with Miami based Top Fashion Models Priscilla Ricart, Rafaelly Xavier, Filizia Preniqi, and many others. Soon after their Supermodel Swimwear runway show Botanical Beach Babes showcased on the red carpet for an exclusive VIP after party with sounds by MILUHSKA that featured a behind the scenes photoshoot hosted at Hyde Beach pool by Jelena Markovic. Shop Botanical Beach Babes Supermodel Swimwear Miami Swim Week Show and after-party collection of sustainable designs. Shop: www.BotanicalBeachBabes.com Follow: @BotanicalBeachBabes

advertisement feature

B E AU TY EDI T Look good, feel great

ELLEADA HAIR SERUM EFFORTLESS, EFFICIENT, AND ECONOMICAL! This should be the way of having fashion nails! Artify Nails designer polish wraps offer perfect nail solution for your busy life. Achieve salon-like manicures at home or even on the go in under 10 mins with super easy steps: stick, ﬁle, topcoat, done! Professional ﬁnish and last up to 10+ days! No smudges, no wait, and guaranteed to look fabulous! Pick yours today at www.ArtifyNails.com, IG @Artify.Nails

Elleada's blend of herbs, essential oils and plant botanicals is an all natural, oil-free one step hair growth serum that invigorates and strengthens your hair follicles while providing the perfect environment for hair growth and scalp health. Elleada is womanowned, vegan, cruelty free, gluten free, soy free, ethically sourced, and zero waste! With Elleada, your hair will feel and look healthier, creating the balanced conditions for thriving hair health. IG: @elleada elleada.com

MULTI-AWARD WINNING COLLAGEN SUPPLEMENT Kollo is a tropical ﬂavoured daily liquid collagen supplement developed to contribute towards healthier skin, hair and nails, whilst maintaining the function of healthy joints, bones and cartilage. Each sachet of Kollo contains 10,000mg of high-grade, clinically researched Type 1 marine collagen peptides with Vitamin C, B1, B5, B6, B12 and L-lysine. KolloHealth.com

LOOK YOUNGER LONGER REGENTIV SPECIALIST SERUM (WITH RETINOL) This delicate and oh so effective serum for lines, wrinkles, crepey eyes and neck, vertical lip lines, sun damage and much more. Unique formulation of retinol palmitate, aloe vera, vitamin E, SPF, moisturiser – perfect to use twice daily. 35ml £29.95, 50ml £44.95, 105ml £79.95, 200ml £149. To receive exclusive 15% reader discount apply code COSMO15 when ordering. www.regentiv.com or call 01923 212555 for advice or to order. Please see website for full range and special offers.

advertisement feature

E SS EN TIAL S E DIT This month’s top tips WEAR IT KIND FOUR PAWS wants to stop the killing of wild animals for their skin. Used for handbags and watch straps, this must end, and we can all play a role. By adopting animal friendly textiles, we can prevent more animals suffering in the name of fashion. Wear it Kind and show more compassion in fashion.

Scan the code to learn more about how you can get involved. www.four-paws.org.uk

THE ALEXANDRITE Are you a person of discerning taste that admires one-of-a-kind, exquisitely detailed, handcrafted designs? Would you appreciate such a design to be adorned with the most unique gems? If so, you will relish the creations by The Alexandrite. These stunning heirlooms are ﬁt for a Queen. The Alexandrite is a brand known for exceptional design and superb craftsmanship. Each piece is one of a kind, elegant and exquisite, made with painstaking attention to detail. Alexandrite is a magniﬁcent gem: named after Tzar Alexander, the only stone associated with royalty, it was the most prized gem amongst aristocracy in Europe. The brand inspired by this legendary gem creates masterpieces of the jewellery art poetry worthy of a Queen. www.thealexandrite.com

NUDIENT At Nudient, we believe in the power of accessories that deﬁne us. It all comes to life through our history of developing welldesigned phone cases and our constant interest in fashion and trends. Collaborating with award-winning designers to develop accessories based on contemporary style. To help people express themselves in their own stylistic way. Our purpose is what drives us every day. Making accessories the ultimate expression of you. Accessorise you www.nudient.com IG: @nudient

advertisement feature

ES S E NTIA LS EDIT This month’s top tips CBDFX NOW AT BOOTS, SUPERDRUG & AMAZON UK! Enjoying high-quality CBD has never been easier. Just add your favourite CBDfx products to your next Amazon order, throw it in your basket when you’re shopping at your local Boots or Superdrug, or enjoy the wide selection available on our website. From tasty, vegan CBD gummies in seven effective formulas to healthboosting drops and soothing spa-like skincare, enjoy all the beneﬁts of CBD no matter how you like to shop! New to CBD? See for yourself what all the buzz is about. Get 25% off your ﬁrst purchase at www.CBDfx.co.uk when you use coupon code COSMO25 at checkout. Valid until 31.10.21.

SOCKS THAT ROCK Stereo Socks is inspired by the beauty and emotion of some of the best album covers in the history of music, reinterpreting guitar riffs, drum solos, and bass drops to transform iconic album covers into beautifully knitted socks. Designed and produced in Portugal, we use seamless knitting and the ﬁnest combed cotton to create durable and comfortable socks. Discover the whole collection at stereosocks.com and enjoy 10% off with the code COSMO10 at checkout. Visit: stereo-socks.com and follow on IG: @thestereosocks

SOCKS INSPIRED BY MASTERPIECES Curator Socks is inspired by the greatest masterpieces ever created, reinterpreting strokes, colour, and styles to transform iconic artworks into a beautifully knitted canvas. Designed and produced in Portugal, we use seamless knitting and the ﬁnest combed cotton to create durable and comfortable socks, inside and out. Discover the whole collection at curatorsocks.com and enjoy 10% off using the code COSMO10 at checkout. Visit: curatorsocks.com and follow on IG: @curatorsocks

the last page

IN MY OG vocal queen Brandy on late-night snacks and unusual sounds to sleep to

Fun fact: these earrings also function as pillows

Wo r d s M A D E L E I N E F R A N K R E E V E S

My overall nightstand vibe An organised mess. What’s on top Pens, my journal, hand sanitiser and a Thermos ﬂask for my ginger and honey crystal tea. Always inside My TV remote. My snack situation A bag of Cool Original Doritos. What I steal from my partner’s side I’m single and not interested in a mingle. What I wouldn’t want my mum to ﬁnd Nothing surprising or unusual. My nightstand life is pretty PG.

138 ·

C O S M O P O L I TA N

When it comes to alarms, I... I will beat the alarm waking me up if I know what time I have to be up. But to make it feel like I have extra time to sleep, I will sometimes set my alarm an hour earlier. What I fall asleep to Meditation music or tennis.

BRANDY IS FINALLY BACK ON OUR SCREENS IN ABC’S QUEENS. PHOTOGRAPH INSTAGRAM/@BLAIRCALDWELL/INSTAGRAM/@EARLYMORNINGRIOT

My night-time reading must-have My journal and my iPad that’s loaded with all of my favourite books.