Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photo: Jaxon Photo Group If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hair spray and the electric toothbrush . We asked Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter, whose book The Art of Ruth E. Carter is out now, about the diffuser she uses to set a mood for actors’ fittings, art classes she takes between jobs, and the gingerbread-spice latte blend she can’t live without. Tweezerman Brow Shaping Kit $27 I feel like when I’m drawing a character, a face, the eyebrows are so important to the expression — and that makes me very careful about how I shape mine. I can’t walk out the door without my brows being filled in. I start my day with my Tweezerman. There’s a whole kit in there — a brush, the pencil, the tweezer . I don’t use a template — I like a natural feel to go with my natural hair , my natural look . … [Read more...] about What Ruth E. Carter Can’t Live Without
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Past Into Present: 4 Journeys That Changed Us
An African-American resort town in Michigan, circa 1970; a raucous family road trip from Kansas City, Mo., to New York state; a bittersweet return to Hyderabad, India; and a college student’s self-discovery in Australia: Four New York Times Travel contributors share their memories of trips that still impart a sense of wonder and hope. Lost in Time on the Shores of Lake Idlewild By Ron Stodghill At some point, even as I began racking up frequent-flier miles, I came to accept a simple truth: I’d find no sleep as peaceful as I found on Lake Idlewild. My slumbers in Michigan’s densely wooded, all-black resort started as a kid. Belly full of fried catfish, Jones Homemade Ice Cream and ZotZ penny candy from Lee-John’s Novelty and Soda Bar, I would curl up on a lounge chair by the lake and snooze for hours to the sound of waves gurgling along the shore, the purring of fishing boats motoring by, the crackling of the Detroit Tigers radio broadcast wafting … [Read more...] about Past Into Present: 4 Journeys That Changed Us
The Culture Caught Up With Spike Lee — Now What?
B efore he had even made his first movie, Spike Lee used to fantasize about three things: season tickets at the Garden, a brownstone in Fort Greene like the one that he was raised in and a house in the historically black Oak Bluffs section of Martha’s Vineyard. In 1986, after writing, producing, directing and acting in his infectious debut, “She’s Gotta Have It,” a stylish, edgy rom-com about a libidinous young woman juggling three lovers, those Knicks seats came first. The two homes swiftly followed, and within a decade, Lee’s status and celebrity had catapulted him, practically against his will, from Da Republic of Brooklyn, as he likes to call it in emails, into a 8,200-square-foot Upper East Side townhouse that was previously home to Jasper Johns. But the getaway in Massachusetts, situated next to the 18th hole at the Farm Neck Golf Club, has never required upgrading. As I was preparing to visit him there this summer, Lee warned me that the second week of August is when … [Read more...] about The Culture Caught Up With Spike Lee — Now What?
New Yorkers Are Crazy About Roller-Skating (Again)
Earlier this spring, a party raged on the third floor of Showfields , an experiential retail store in Manhattan. To get there guests rode in an elevator lined with gold tinsel and a mirror. On the third floor were about 20 masked people, dressed in neon shirts and sparkly pants, grooving on roller skates , some of which lit up as they moved. Under a disco ball, a D.J. played hip-hop while skaters spun in circles and got lost in the music. “Oh, my gosh, it was great,” said Lionel Laurent, 45, a skating instructor who before the pandemic made money by performing in Times Square. “Clubs are not open, so we are doing this.” Roller-skating is in vogue these days, but longtime New Yorkers have seen it all before; during the second half of the 20th century, skaters would dance all day in city parks and party all night in New York’s multitude of indoor rinks. “The Roxy, it was fabulous, especially in the ’80s,” said Bob Nichols, 74, of Manhattan, a retired film editor, … [Read more...] about New Yorkers Are Crazy About Roller-Skating (Again)
After Weight-Loss Surgery, a Year of Joys and Disappointments
It was Oct. 11, 2015, and a middle-aged man and a young woman, both severely obese, were struggling with the same lump-in-the-throat feeling. The next day they were going to have an irreversible operation. Were they on the threshold of a new beginning or a terrible mistake? They were strangers, scheduled for back-to-back bariatric surgery at the University of Michigan with the same doctor. He would cut away most of their stomachs and reroute their small intestines. They were almost certain to lose much of their excess weight. But despite the drastic surgery, their doctor told them it was unlikely that they would ever be thin. Nearly 200,000 Americans have bariatric surgery each year. Yet far more — an estimated 24 million — are heavy enough to qualify for the operation, and many of them are struggling with whether to have such a radical treatment, the only one that leads to profound and lasting weight loss for virtually everyone who has it. Most people believe that the … [Read more...] about After Weight-Loss Surgery, a Year of Joys and Disappointments
Latest Pets Up For Adoption At Glen Ellyn Area Shelters
0 Pets If you're in search of a fuzzy new family member, these pets are waiting for their forever home in Glen Ellyn area shelters. Pet News , Patch Staff Posted Reply If you’re hoping to add a fluffy ball of love and affection to your family, look no further than these Glen Ellyn area animal shelters for a pet to adopt. Millions of pets are surrendered to adoption agencies each year nationwide, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Of those, approximately 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats. Shelters often look after other animals in search of a permanent home as well, including pigs, birds and even horses. However, only half of all shelter animals — about 3.2 million — are adopted each year, ASPCA data shows. This means millions of animals — some right here in the Glen Ellyn area — are still waiting for their forever homes. With help from our friends at Petfinder, … [Read more...] about Latest Pets Up For Adoption At Glen Ellyn Area Shelters