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Raquel Willis Meditates With Her Plants Every Morning

Holly B. Martin

Welcome to My Beauty Ritual, a series where editors, experts, and pros reveal the ways in which they use beauty — especially skin care — as a method of self-care. In this week’s installment, Raquel Willis talks about her beauty routine, activism, and why taking a break is necessary.

It can feel near-impossible to find time for yourself while doing multiple types of work — work in the traditional, capitalist sense; in the activist sense; and in the emotional sense. To prevent burning out, Raquel Willis, an award-winning writer, activist, and director of communications at the Ms. Foundation, finds self-care to be crucial.

However, she also finds the topic to be a tricky one to navigate. “I think a lot of times with the self-care conversation, there is a way that it is weaponized to make us feel shameful for not necessarily checking off all the boxes

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Lady Gaga Is the Face of Valentino Beauty’s New Perfume

Holly B. Martin
Photo credit: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE
Photo credit: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE

From ELLE

Between launching her own beauty line and releasing an album, Lady Gaga has found another project: Starring in Valentino Beauty’s latest fragrance campaign. The Italian fashion house announced Gaga as the new face of Voce Viva, a perfume dreamt up by Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli.

“Imagined as a voice to spread a message around the world, Valentino Voce Viva invites everyone to touch hearts, inspire others and live their dreams,” the brand said in a press release. “Expressing the Maison’s values of inclusivity and individuality, Voce Viva celebrates one of the women’s most intimate sense.”

To spread this messaging, Valentino selected Gaga for her Italian roots, inclusivity, and individuality. “Lady Gaga means freedom, self-consciousness, pure heart,” Piccioli said in a statement. “Her participation in this campaign elevates the symbolic power of the project to the highest level. She is the icon of

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How Should Fashion Entrants to China Approach COVID-19 Rebound?

Holly B. Martin

Click here to read the full article.

LONDON — Everybody wants a slice of China’s booming luxury and fashion market, especially after the coronavirus put a stop to many businesses around the world.

It’s indeed fascinating to hear stories about how loyal Chinese consumers would queue outside Chanel and Hermès stores moments after the pandemic was contained and spend a record-breaking sum of money on high-price items, and how Burberry’s 100 limited-edition Pocket Bags in collaboration with Mr. Bags sold out within seconds on his WeChat mini-program.

McKinsey predicts Chinese consumers will account for 40 percent of the world’s luxury spending by 2025, but the growing demand is likely to be trapped in the country until 2021 due to pandemic disruptions. Because of this, China’s retail market is expected to overtake the U.S. and become the world’s largest as early as this year.

But the reality is far

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How to Buy a Perfume For Your Home

Holly B. Martin
Photo credit: Tim Walker Studio
Photo credit: Tim Walker Studio

From Town & Country

Who would deny the allure of a beautifully scented home? Fragrance fanatic Louis XIV commissioned a perfumer to fill his chambers with a different scent every day. Estée Lauder reportedly dabbed Youth-Dew onto lightbulbs with cotton balls. Diana Vreeland injected perfume into pillows with a hypodermic needle. During domestic quarantine this year, we discovered anew ambient aroma’s transformative magic—to soothe anxiety, to transport us to longed-for places, to conjure people we love, to give shape to shapeless days.

We have come a long way from the special occasion candle, sparked only to dress our living rooms, as we would ourselves, for guests (or to conceal eau de dog). Sophisticated environment-­enhancing fragrances are created with the same artistry as the fine parfums we spritz on our wrists. Now they’re desirable decor items as well, with brands improving on, or departing from, the

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