your skin is fine + kamala isn’t actually brat

maybe we’re all getting too carried away

Good day to all you lovely people! 🌟

Off the back of a buzzing bank holiday weekend in London, there’s quite a lot to cover in today’s newsletter. Hope you’re all feeling well and ready to tuck into a more varied edition, covering a range of topics from music and beauty to AI and it’s impacts on our planet.

🎶 Music + pop culture

It’s really happening: Oasis reunites for a world tour in 2025 – rolling stone

Though a portion of Gen Z might be asking ‘who the f**k is Oasis?’, news that the band is reuniting for a world tour next year has sparked much excitement amongst fans everywhere. After the band split, the brothers constantly threw shade at each other in the press while releasing their own music, leading listeners to believe they’d never reunite. Tickets will be released on Saturday, which is great news for the guy who always bring out the guitar at the campfire for a rendition of Wonderwall. Seriously, isn’t there always one?

‘Kamala Harris IS Brat’ wasn’t meant as political endorsement – billboard

Well, that’s awkward. Charli xcx had to backpedal a bit in a recent interview, thanks to the entire world taking her cheeky tweet from a few weeks ago a little too seriously. The British star, who’s not able to vote in the US election, stated that ‘kamala IS brat’ wasn’t meant to be a political endorsement. She reiterated that her art is not political and won’t ever be because she’s ‘not Bob Dylan,’ but that she does want to be ‘on the right side of democracy, the right side of women’s rights,’ which is like, a vibe, obviously. I think Harris’ PR team is a little more to blame here, since they saw the tweet and rebranded Harris’ campaign to a Brat aesthetic within seconds. But good on Charli for clearing things up.

🫧 Beauty corner

Skin dysmorphia: Why your skin is probably better than you think – dazed

Pores, spots, dark circles, and wrinkles are all normal to find on our faces, so why do we all feel like they aren’t? The answer is, of course, because we spend too much time looking at filtered pictures and videos on social media. This has left us all to think our skin is worse than it is, leading to copious spending on skincare products and dermatologist appointments that we – for the most part – don’t really need. This article is a friendly reminder to look at the people around you and remember: no one has unblemished skin 100 percent of the time.

Rice is perfumery’s new favourite comfort food – high snobiety

We might be used to gourmand perfumes comprising the of sweet scents of vanilla, caramel, cotton candy, and chocolate – but there’s a new kid on the block. It’s rice. Steamed white rice has a comforting, warm smell that perfumeries and customers are developing a nose for as of late. Asian perfumeries are leading the charge on this new trend, with well-known brands like Diptyque joining in with their launch of L’Eau Papier last year. Look, I love rice, so I get it.

🧘🏽‍♀️ Wellness

The office therapist will see you now – wsj

Gen Z has driven awareness about mental health in the workplace, and higher-ups are taking notice. In Connecticut, young employees at Synchrony Financial have convinced their CEOs to hire an on-site psychologist. This means they’ll benefit from free therapy appointments which will be available to all employees on Tuesday and Wednesdays. It’s not the first employer to do so in recent years, as top law firms and banks in the US have also brought psychologists and counsellors in-house to help employees deal with stressors coming from inside and outside of work.

The 4-2-1 method is blowing up on TikTok – gq

Consistency is key when it comes to a fitness routine, but avoiding burnout is also essential. For once, TikTok is recommending a healthy (and sustainable) lifestyle habit, promoting the 4-2-1 method which basically means 4 days of strength training, 2 days of cardio, and 1 day of mobility or active rest. This workout plan has been hailed by professional trainers for years, but isn’t recommended if you’re just starting your health journey. In a world that’s never felt more busy, remember to take it easy. Even one day of movement a week is better than none at all!

🌎 Our planet

Is Wizz Air’s ‘all you can fly’ membership a disaster for the planet? – thred.

The Hungarian budget airline Wizz Air has just launched an ‘All You Can Fly’ pass for €599 per year. Customers can fly as much as they want throughout the year, with a flat fee of €9.99 per flight (on top of the cost of the pass). The catch? You can only book flights three days ahead of the departure, with seats subject to availability. Not to mention, unlimited flying for one flat fee could lead to an increase in unnecessary flights. For a world already grappling with climate change, the timing of the launch feels particularly tone-deaf.

Tech companies clam up about AI’s climate costs – la times

The team at thred has been banging on about Artificial Intelligence’s high environmental impact for what feels like years now, but tech companies are keeping tight-lipped about it. ChatGPT is estimated to use around 16 ounces of water for as little as 10 queries, while AI-generated answers from Google use up to 8.9 watt-hours of electricity per request. But when pressed for details, both companies wouldn’t crack. Google did admit that it’s AI program could delay reaching its net-zero targets, however.

🧠 Recommendations