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Good morning.
My son celebrated his first Halloween over the weekend, and while he likely won’t remember any of it, at least we got some good photos of him in his pumpkin costume. I’m not the only one capturing these fleeting moments: See Kate Middleton’s rare Halloween photo of Prince Louis. With October in the rearview mirror, I’m gearing up for the holiday travel season and saving this guide on what to strike from the November packing list (I’m guilty of the extra shoes and just-in-case kit). Chicago is one of the places we plan to visit — and in great news for my wallet, it’s also one of the 10 cheapest locations to travel to this season, according to Kayak. Now, as I catch up on this year’s hilarious NYC marathon signs, here’s the latest on the midterms…
FEATURED EXPERT:
Maria Corpus
There isn’t a day when Maria hasn’t started her morning with the news. Ever since she was a tween, she enjoyed nothing more than watching Good Morning America — shoutout to Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, and George Stephanopoulos, you’re the OGs — and World News with Charles Gibson. (Can you tell she grew up in an ABC News family?)
Television news inspired her career in journalism. She got her start as one of the anchors for her high school’s weekly televised morning announcements (is it too late to add this to the resume?) and went on to major in Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies at UW-Milwaukee.
Her career has taken her to local newsrooms, where she created newscasts from start to finish and worked closely with reporters to bring stories to life. She’s written for several outlets, including The Santiago Times in Santiago de Chile, where she covered everything from the massive student education protests to the World Cup and Cumbia music.
After a brief hiatus from news to teach English in southern France and travel (she basically lived out her own version of Eat, Pray, Love), Maria moved to NYC to join theSkimm. She’s worn many hats over the years: as staff writer for the Daily Skimm, senior writer for theSkimm.com and Weekend Daily Skimm, producer for theSkimm's app, and most recently as the editor for the Well Played newsletter, which she helped relaunch.
Maria is currently the editor for the Daily Skimm, working late into the night to make sure nothing falls through even the tiniest crack. She now lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and son. When she’s not reading the news, she likes to take long walks with her family, catch up on the latest must-watch show, and debate her next running race.
Midterm Mayhem
Nearing the (Stay in Line) Finish Line
Skimm'd by: Stephanie Gallman and Samantha Darby
What's going on: Tomorrow is Election Day, if the dozens of text messages haven’t reminded you. With House and Senate majorities on the line, there’s a lot happening. All eyes will be on Michigan (which could elect the first Muslim US senator), Alaska (where the Dan controversy still looms large), Ohio (both Senate and gubernatorial races), and Georgia (which could elect Atlanta’s former mayor as the US’s first-ever Black female governor). Other races in South Carolina (with Darline Graham trying to hold onto her late brother’s seat) and Texas (where the GOP could lose its footing) are uncharacteristically close. Experts labeled several traditionally red states as “toss-ups.”
What else are we voting on?: In addition to the candidates, there are several ballot measures that could change state laws and constitutions. Abortion will be on four states’ ballots, with three of them voting for abortion protections and one voting for an anti-abortion measure. Voters in multiple states will decide on whether to ban transgender girls and women from female sports teams. And in what feels a bit meta, voting rights — including redistricting and voter ID — are also at stake.
Know before you go: If you’re not one of the tens of millions of people who voted early this midterm (no shade, we operate best with a deadline, too), there’s still time. You can check your registration status (and register to vote if you haven't), your precinct locations, and what you need to bring via Vote411. The Justice Department plans to send a record number of election observers out to the polls to ensure compliance.
When will we know who won?: It depends. We may go to sleep (or stay up all night watching John King and his Magic Wall) not knowing who wins. Each state handles vote counts differently, and with razor-thin margins in several races, it could be a few days or even longer until we know for sure. At least the text messages will stop. (We hope.)
Related: A Judge Tossed the Justice Department’s Lawsuit Over Alaska’s Election Certification (The Associated Press)
Gifts for Your Most Stylish Recipients
Caroline, Senior Commerce Editor, here. I have some discerning loved ones in my life, and little makes me prouder than finding stylish pieces that pass their highly specific vibe checks. Here are a few fashion gifts on my list this year:
For my mom: a standout signet ring that looks chic as a pinky ring
For my sister: a collar necklace that can be customized with initials and crystals
For my boyfriend: a new pair of Vans for the former skate kid
For everyone else: accessories that consistently draw compliments
PS: Want more options? Check out our gift guides here.
Which iconic ’90s band will perform at halftime when the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs battle on Thanksgiving Day?
Still catching up from the weekend? Jumpstart your brain with Flipart. Feel the rush.
Midterm Mayhem
Nearing the (Stay in Line) Finish Line
Skimm'd by: Stephanie Gallman and Samantha Darby
What's going on: Tomorrow is Election Day, if the dozens of text messages haven’t reminded you. With House and Senate majorities on the line, there’s a lot happening. All eyes will be on Michigan (which could elect the first Muslim US senator), Alaska (where the Dan controversy still looms large), Ohio (both Senate and gubernatorial races), and Georgia (which could elect Atlanta’s former mayor as the US’s first-ever Black female governor). Other races in South Carolina (with Darline Graham trying to hold onto her late brother’s seat) and Texas (where the GOP could lose its footing) are uncharacteristically close. Experts labeled several traditionally red states as “toss-ups.”
What else are we voting on?: In addition to the candidates, there are several ballot measures that could change state laws and constitutions. Abortion will be on four states’ ballots, with three of them voting for abortion protections and one voting for an anti-abortion measure. Voters in multiple states will decide on whether to ban transgender girls and women from female sports teams. And in what feels a bit meta, voting rights — including redistricting and voter ID — are also at stake.
Know before you go: If you’re not one of the tens of millions of people who voted early this midterm (no shade, we operate best with a deadline, too), there’s still time. You can check your registration status (and register to vote if you haven't), your precinct locations, and what you need to bring via Vote411. The Justice Department plans to send a record number of election observers out to the polls to ensure compliance.
When will we know who won?: It depends. We may go to sleep (or stay up all night watching John King and his Magic Wall) not knowing who wins. Each state handles vote counts differently, and with razor-thin margins in several races, it could be a few days or even longer until we know for sure. At least the text messages will stop. (We hope.)
Related: A Judge Tossed the Justice Department’s Lawsuit Over Alaska’s Election Certification (The Associated Press)
Gifts for Your Most Stylish Recipients
Caroline, Senior Commerce Editor, here. I have some discerning loved ones in my life, and little makes me prouder than finding stylish pieces that pass their highly specific vibe checks. Here are a few fashion gifts on my list this year:
For my mom: a standout signet ring that looks chic as a pinky ring
For my sister: a collar necklace that can be customized with initials and crystals
For my boyfriend: a new pair of Vans for the former skate kid
For everyone else: accessories that consistently draw compliments
PS: Want more options? Check out our gift guides here.
Which iconic ’90s band will perform at halftime when the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs battle on Thanksgiving Day?
Stay in the know with the Daily Skimm
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👢 We’ve officially entered the two-ish weeks a year when you can go outside in a dress and knee-high boots — tights be damned. Make it count with these no-shopping-required outfit formulas.
💎 Round diamond studs, you’ll always be a classic. But Hollywood has moved on to another cut, and it somehow works as well with a white tee as with a red-carpet gown.
🛍️ The skirt everyone’s wearing this season? A length that’s notoriously tricky to pull off. Luckily, these styling ideas make it look more Cool Girl than corporate — so, yes, leave the intern lanyard in 2010.
👀 See ya, suede. A new shoe pattern has slithered into every Fashion Person’s closet. Bold? Yes. Secretly also a neutral? Also yes.
💅 We’re going to hold your hand when we say this: Burgundy nails are the mani equivalent of a PSL. Reliable, if a little predictable. No wonder people are reaching for this underrated color instead.
If there’s one thing we know about Jennifer Lawrence, it’s that she doesn’t do safe. Who else would carry an Hermès bag the color of Nickelodeon slime, single-handedly resurrect the most hideous ’00s belt, or provoke the wrath of Team Conrad? But none of that compares to her latest move: launching a haircare brand named Mes°, which, against all odds, logic, and that perplexing degree symbol, is pronounced like the thing Marie Kondo apparently loves. The obvious question: Why? Why is the woman with her own production company and the courage to seemingly troll Leonardo DiCaprio to his face peddling a repair mask, styling serum, and volumizing mist that “approach haircare differently” (cue eye roll)? Because, allegedly, the victor of the 74th Hunger Games has always been a “hair girl” — news to precisely 99% of the internet, which immediately raised a collective eyebrow and saw what was formerly known as The Greatest Instagram Debut in a new light.
Now, even if we pretend to buy the “hair girl” thing, there’s a bigger question: Is she not aware that the beauty section of the “Graveyard of Failed Celebrity Brands” is nearly out of space? For every Rhode or Fenty Beauty, there’s a Cosmoss, GXVE, The Outset, Item Beauty, or Af94. Never heard of them? That’s exactly our point. And yet the oversaturated celebrity-to-beauty-brand pipeline continues to lose the plot. Exhibit A: Scroll back up. Exhibit B: Male comedians are moonlighting as skinfluencers (Bowen, you can stay). While we’re not mad about a world where we get to see Seth Rogen in a red-light therapy mask, we can’t help but offer some very unqualified, very unsolicited business advice: Famous people, stick to your strengths. Chic compression socks from Dua Lipa, Inventor of Vacation? Sold. A Zara Larsson x Lisa Frank collab of glittery school supplies? Take our money. And if JLaw ever wants to drop a collection of Cool Mom Soft Pants, consider that preorder button smashed.
To quote a little indie movie, “In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” In Heidi Klum’s world, it’s the one holiday a year to dress like a horrifyingly lifelike ET, a cadaver straight out of anatomy class, or a truly unsettling monkey (those nipples still haunt us). And then there’s this year: a giant severed hand (you’ve got to… hand it to her), which Klum’s Patron Saint of Special Effects called “one of the most elaborate costumes ever made.” So, in honor of the woman whose biggest competition is always herself, here’s our ranking of her best Heidiween transformations.
5️⃣ A peacock. Arguably, the most extra group costume in history, thanks to the 10 Cirque du Soleil performers Klum enlisted to quite literally be her feathers. Oh, and a participation trophy to Mr. Heidi Klum, who dressed up as a giant egg.
4️⃣ Herself… times six. Pro tip: Next time you procrastinate a bit too hard on your Halloween costume, just convince five of your friends to go as your clones, courtesy of some Oscar-worthy prosthetics and hair extensions. Problem solved.
3️⃣ Herself… but old. Varicose veins? Wrinkly knees? Spirit Halloween’s “little old lady” costume could never. We’ll check back in 2066 to see how accurate it was.
2️⃣ Princess Fiona. The key to pulling off her make-ogre? Presumably, more green face paint than they keep backstage at Wicked. Plus an onion-shaped carriage, a stroller full of baby ogres, and a future Mr. Heidi Klum matching her freak as Shrek. If he wanted to, he would.
1️⃣ A worm. Four years later, we still can’t decide whether we’re delighted or disgusted. Regardless, it proved one thing: We’d still love Heidi if she was a worm.
Think your first week on the job was rough? Something tells us it doesn’t compare to this hairstylist’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad second day. Two words: sound on.
Do new leggings count? We think so, especially when they’re Vuori’s FormRefined™ Leggings. They’re designed with no front seam for a flattering fit and feature a high waistband that delivers sculpting support from warm-up to cooldown. Plus, they’re made with Vuori’s super-soft BlissBlend Form™ fabric that will take you from the studio to wherever you’re headed next. They also come in three lengths, so everyone can find their perfect fit. Time to sweat it out.*
If you’ve ever quoted Chandler Bing (so, everyone), you’ll want to make time for The One About Matthew Perry. The three-part Netflix docuseries — released on the eve of the third anniversary of the actor’s death — is an intimate portrait of Perry’s life, from his early days as a childhood class clown to his success on Friends to his decades-long struggle with addiction. Plus, interviews with his sister, ex-girlfriends, and lifelong friends (no, not those Friends) offer stories that are equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking: NBC exec Warren Littlefield’s realization “less than 30 seconds” into Perry’s audition that he’d found Chandler; the bet that landed Bruce Willis on Friends; and the Train song Perry listened to every morning in recovery. Could we be any more ready for our 15th Friends rewatch?
Stay in the know with the Daily Skimm