30 Treats From Queer-Owned Businesses
A delicate bead ring if you want to add some texture to an existing ring stack or wear it on its own to accessorize without feeling too flashy.
A jar of shower steamers that'll hug your nose with the zingy scents of peppermint, eucalyptus, and menthol. They'll put a pep in your step on weekday mornings that cruel 6 a.m. alarm says it's time to start the day.
A raspberry-flavored Taste of Space Lip Milk so you can treat your pout to a hydrating, nourishing formula that truly feels outta this world. Wear it solo or use it as the first step in your lip care routine to create a smooth base for the rest of your products!
A snack fries variety pack because snacking may technically be a year-round occasion, but summertime snacking is in a league of its own. Hello, is there anything better than a good munch sesh on the beach after you spent an hour jumping waves in the ocean? Or lying in a pool float while you get your crunch on? I think NOT!
A bold nameplate necklace with your name— I mean, yourrrr... *sighs* Sorry, but we both know you are, in fact, unhinged. This necklace has a gorge curb link chain and happens to be nickel-free and hypoallergenic, too.
A ridiculously cool handmade ceramic ramen bowl by Mud Witch to brighten up your kitchen (and your eating experience) in the best way. They're both dishwasher- and microwave safe (love!) and are available in tons of stunning colors that you get to choose yourself.
A pair of TomboyX boy shorts from their Progress Pride Stripes Collection — these wedgie-free undies have a stay-put waistband that's silky soft, so you won't have to worry about 'em riding up or pinching unexpectedly. The smooth cotton-blend fabric has just enough stretch to keep you comfy all day long, so don't be surprised if you buy these in multiples.
A vision board book filled with gorgeous pictures and quotes that'll allow you to manifest your dreams and goals for the future in the form of a fun and relaxing craft. Goodbye doom scrolling, I have European sights to imagine seeing and delicious treats to envision myself eating.
A medium-hold soft clay pomade designed with short hair in mind. Formulated with natural waxes and plant proteins, this pomade will help you style your hair perfectly without making it crunchy, sticky, or stiff!
A tomato leaf and moss–scented candle to make you feel like you're in a sun-drenched garden. Ahhhh! And with its 50-hour burn time, you can look forward to many hours of its relaxing leafy-green scent.
A Boy Smells candle in the scent "Les" that smells like a fruity floral daydream floating through NYC's Lower East Side. Think black currant, peach blossom, and vanilla all mingling together in one cozy vibe. Its bold zest will quickly show you why this is a bestselling candle. Plus, it comes in Boy Smells' iconic black glass jar that looks *chef's kiss* on any shelf.
A pearl highlighter to deliver an iridescent glow that catches the light jussst right, giving your cheekbones, collarbones, and anywhere else you apply it a dazzling shimmer. The texture is blendable and buildable — meaning you can go from a subtle sparkle to a blinding beam of light depending on your vibe.
An antioxidant cleanser that's like a feast for your skin. It's packed with nourishing and soothing ingredients like green tea water and fruit extracts, which help brighten and improve your complexion. Plus, its silky lather is so good, it'll have you counting down the minutes till the next time you wash your face.
A "The Future Is Queer" patch for anyone who lives for tarot and would love to add a lil' accent to their denim jacket or backpack. Be prepared for all the "Oooh, where did you get that?" inquiries.
Martyr!, a NYT bestseller about a queer young man named Cyrus Shams, an orphan and son of Iranian immigrants, who discovers a family secret that takes him to New York City to visit a terminally ill artist.
A bottle of delicious wine you'll buy with the intention of sharing with your friends at your next game night, but ultimately open before anyone even gets there. Whether you're a Riesling or Rosé girlie, Zē Wines has got you covered.
A zodiac constellation cross stitch so you can decorate your space with a special handmade piece while repping your star sign. (Where are my fellow "it's almost our birthday szn" Cancers at?!)
A Telfar Puff Shopper Bag I have no doubt you've been ogling over since its debut. The quality of these designer bags is so great; it's something that could be passed down for generations! And while the style options for their iconic shopper bags are endless, this puffer version really just takes things to a new level. TL; DR: get yours asap! 👏🏾
A delicious trio of jams you will likely kick yourself for not buying sooner the second you taste them. I mean, how did you make it this far in life without topping your morning toast with raspberry redcurrant geranium? How could you have possibly enjoyed yogurt bowls without cherry rosehip hibiscus? And a bowl of vanilla ice cream without lavender blackberry rhubarb?! Well, that's just criminal.
A rainbow "Love Thy Neighbor" sticker from Gay Pride Apparel that says what we're all thinking. With a vinyl finish tough enough for water bottles, laptops, or even your bumper, this little reminder packs a big inclusive punch. It's weather proof, bubble free, and honestly... just good vibes in sticker form. So just stick it, mean it, and live it. 🏳️🌈
Beekman 1802's Bloom Face Cream, a lightweight, non-greasy moisturizer that's like a probiotic smoothie for your face. Packed with goat milk and niacinamide, it helps boost hydration and strengthen the skin barrier — and reviewers say it leaves their skin looking brighter and feeling way softer. Bonus: the unique pump ~blooms~ open like a little skincare flower, and yes, it's as satisfying as it sounds.
A seeds of liberation print to serve as a beautiful reminder that (*cue High School Musical*) we are, in fact, all in this together. The art style is simply stunning and will certainly breathe life into any room — even the closet Merlin and Arthur from BBC's Merlin refuse to come out of.
A Shark Tank-featured Poplight, the ultimate renter-friendly light upgrade that's super easy to install with its adhesive stickers and *built-in* leveler. AND they're completely wireless, as they come with a rechargeable battery that lasts up to nine hours. The best part? You can control the sleek, modern light from an app on your phone!
A sweet, Gemini-inspired (!) herbal tea made with hibiscus, elderberries, lavender, milk thistle, and rose petals. In addition to providing you with a little bit of vitamin C, these ingredients can also help improve digestion, boost your immune system, support sleep, and so much more! Plus, it's aromatic as heck, so you'll love smelling it as much as drinking it.
The TikTok and Instagram-viral One/Size waterproof setting spray to seal your look like Rose on that door in Titanic — totally unwavering. Whether your go-to is a one-step concealer or full glam, this amazing transfer-proof and sweatproof spray (seriously, look at that gif below, I'm in awe) provides the perfect mattifying finish. MUAs love it!
A pair of adorable cherry earrings because they'll make you smile every time you look in the mirror...and all the compliments you'll get when you step out of the house won't hurt either. So really, there are no bad days when you've got these on. These cuties are handmade with Japanese glass beads, and reviewers say they're comfy and lightweight, too!
A ~cheeky~ embroidered cap featuring the juiciest of peaches! If dad jokes are your cup of tea, then this punny hat is a warm mug of Earl Grey.
A gorgeous marbled glass coaster set that'll elevate your coffee table's ~aesthetic~ while preventing those pesky water ringlets from ruining the surface. Each one is carefully hand-cut, fused, and sanded so they're truly one of a kind! They also come with silicone bumpers on the bottom so they won't scratch your table.
An Alder New York face mask trio aka your skincare mood ring in pouch form. Each single-use mask tackles a different concern — one brightens, one clarifies, and one smooths — so you can treat your face based on how it's feeling that day. They work in just 3–5 minutes, come in travel-friendly packets, and are perfect for your next lazy Sunday self-care lineup.
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Hypebeast
3 hours ago
- Hypebeast
Jean Dawson: An Interlude
Jean Dawson is typically in the studio every day from 7 p.m. through 7 a.m., so an 8 a.m. call time fell right in the middle of his REM sleep. 'Waking up today kicked my ass, but it was great. I need that sometimes,' says Dawson, who finds humility in the mundane. Waking up early isn't a foreign concept for a now 29-year-old Dawson, who grew up as David Sanders. He split his time between San Diego and Mexico, having to wake up before sunrise to walk to the bus to the U.S. border, where he and his younger brother Jerome would then wait in line for hours to cross into the States, where they went to school. This was the protocol for four years up until Dawson was in middle school; he's always valued sleeping in after that. He tells me it's a marker of success. It's similar to why the musician values hot showers so much. He didn't always have a water heater in Mexico, so he and his brother would heat water on the stove to bathe. The son of a U.S. Army father, local to Long Beach, and a Mexican mother who divided her days between multiple jobs, Dawson was raised by his mom — who relocated the family to Spring Valley, California, when Jean was 12 — alongside Jerome and his 'chosen brother' and now manager, Nico Hernandez. 'I still remember sitting in the hood on his doorstep smoking Newports in the middle of winter, telling him, 'One day we're gonna see the world,'' Dawson recalls, now just a wall away from Hernandez, who is seated at the front of the studio with their French Bulldog, Mala. The day prior, Hernandez and Dawson saw Swan Lake together, chuckling at the audience members who side-eyed the all-black-wearing, face-tattooed 6'2' guys sitting in orchestra seats at the ballet. Hidden by the facade is Dawson's deep admiration and knowledge of classical music, but he still invites everyone to form their own opinions. Because ultimately, he could not care any less about them. 'Judge me. Perceive me, because that opinion lives and dies with you.' Other people's perceptions have never really plagued Dawson. He knows his discography is so diverse that it's almost confusing. He knows his voice sometimes sounds like he's screaming. He knows other times it sounds like he has a woman's voice — if the multi-instrumentalist could trade one of his talents, it would be to swap out his singing voice for that of a woman's. He has no desire to fit in any box, except that of his own skin. He prefers the in-between. 'When someone asks me what kind of music I make, I just say, 'You tell me.' Whatever you decide is what I am.' It's Dawson's own opinion that keeps him up at night. He reflected heavily on this sentiment the last time we caught up with him, back in October of 2023, fresh off the release of his 'NO SZNS' collaboration with SZA and the end of his European tour with Lil Yachty. His own worst enemy and loudest critic, Dawson is still working on speaking more kindly to himself. Admittedly, it's a work in progress, but he feels like, lately, he's been learning more about himself 'in passing as a result of it.' After putting his sonic fluidity center stage on his debut studio album Bad Sports in 2019, Dawson landed early collaborations with A$AP Rocky on 2020's Pixel Bath and Earl Sweatshirt on 2022's CHAOS NOW* , and a coveted co-sign from Rick Rubin. Dawson, the duality-drenched, highly self-aware polymath he is, never let the big-name endorsements or credits get to his head, continuing to instead continue to exist in his own enigma. He's also been in the cut with Hypebeast and Hypetrak for a while now, first taking us along for a raw and unfiltered first look into his creative process in an introspective installation of Hypebeast: Diaries in early 2023. Donning a vintage RAF Simons 'Altered Reality' work jacket, Dawson took the team to an observation deck in Lincoln Heights, where he did a lot of his early writing, drawing, and lots and lots of thinking — not all of it productive. Today, Dawson is prioritizing the productive thoughts, the positive ones, the needle-pushing ones, and posing to the negative ones: 'Who do you think you're talking to?' He's also donning the same RAF Simons work jacket — but this time, it's not styled quite the same way. How are you? I'm good. I'm in an interesting place. I'm learning a lot about myself in passing. Things I didn't know about myself are now becoming very clear. The things I want to convey have changed, and the way I want to convey those things has changed. How are you approaching making music these days? I feel a sense of wonderment that I haven't felt in a long time, like a kid, where everything is still interesting and making me wide-eyed. The work we do can make you jaded, and I've kind of just stopped caring — in a helpful way. The act of caring for me is very specific; I'm very intentional with what I spend my time caring about. What are you spending your time on now? A lot of different things that I'm passionate about. I'm always making more music, but there are new things that are making me feel a different sense of excitement. I'm writing some film scripts, which has been fun. The other night, when I was falling asleep, I remembered this quote that's been informing everything I create. I forget if someone said it to me or if I made it up, but it goes: 'I feel like I'm everything because I already was by the time they said I couldn't be,' and that has been ringing true to not only my music and my outlook, but the fluidity of me as a person. By the time someone tells me I can't be something, I've already done it. What are your current thoughts on genre and people trying to box in your sound? If I had to give my music a genre, I'd call it ghetto pop. But I've never belonged to any 'genre' in music. I've never belonged to the punks. I've never belonged to the rock kids. I've never belonged to the hip-hop kids. I've never belonged to the jazz kids. I've never been in a clique of things. Because I can migrate from thing to thing, by the time someone tries to box me in like, 'You make rock music,' I'm already onto the next thing like, 'Oh really? Cool!' Whenever someone asks me what genre of music I make, I say, 'You tell me,' because whatever they decide it is, is what it is. One day I want to do Janis Joplin, then the next I want to do The Temptations, and then the next I want to do Jodeci. My music changes because I change. I respect artists who find a sound and can keep pounding at that. I think that's noble and strong. I'm not strong in that way. I get bored. I can't just color with orange. I need black in there. Is it weird having to tap back into past sounds when you're so far past that point in life? Imagine waking up and the only clothes you have in your closet are from high school… It's like that. So I just do my best to put on those clothes that not only don't fit the same, but also just look funny now. A lot of people found me on an album I dropped in 2019, and I had to get comfortable with the fact that that was a time I'll never be able to replace for them. How do you not let the outside noise affect you? It's not that it doesn't affect me. I feel like the only thing I can provide is a smile and a hug, and being a decent human being to those around me before anything else. I heard something special not too long ago: 'Stop acting like the person next to you isn't your brother or sister.' That's how I'm trying to look at the world and myself. I still can be pretty mean to myself, but I've started to defend myself from myself. It keeps me in check. My favorite thing to say is, 'Who do you think you're talking to?' Or I'll think about the child version of myself. 'You wouldn't talk to seven-year-old you like that. So shut up.' One of my favorite sentiments of yours that we discussed in our last chat was 'Your opinion of me lives and dies in your head.' Is that still your mentality? It's that with more care. It's less punky of an idea and more of an acceptance of self. I know who I am, and whether or not someone sees me the same way is up to them. In the grand scheme of things, I think I'm insignificant — and not in a negative way at all. Insignificant in the scheme of everything good and bad in the world, and that principle allows me to explore my creative freedom. What are some things that hold significance to you today? The sky. The ocean. Babies. This is our first time here (that we know of), and I want to treat it as such. I want to stumble. I want to fall. I want to experience things for the first time. This naive, childlike perspective of 'Oh yeah, I can try this' has given me so much room to gallop. Your sound has changed with every project, yet they all still feel connected. Walk me through getting from your first studio album, Bad Sports , to your most recent, Glimmer of God? From Bad Sports to Pixel Bath , that was me going from crawling to walking. From Pixel Bath to CHAOS NOW* was a jog. CHAOS NOW* was the first album I wrote for myself. Every one before that was for my dad. The stars in the track names are fireworks; I didn't want to end my sentences with periods because everything on that album is meant to be continued. It's supposed to feel like a bunch of run-on sentences written in crayon. Then we get to Glimmer of God , which is me speeding up to where I am now. With that album, I wanted to do something I hadn't done. I wanted to start singing for real. So I locked myself in the house and practiced singing. Before that album, I was just shouting. That album is my ode to truth. And my truth was realizing that I'd been mean to myself for a long time, and that project is me letting that go and starting to be kind and sweet to myself. The deluxe version, Rockabye Baby: Glimmer of God , is the end of the story. It's different, but it's informed by everything I've done. What is it that ties all of your projects together? They're all connected by the same throughline. Little secret: pretty much every song on each album connects to a song on the next album. Every album is a more mature version of its predecessor. On Pixel Bath , I had 'Pegasus' and on CHAOS NOW*, I had 'SICK OF IT*'. Those are the same song; one is just better. What was the guiding principle behind Glimmer of God ? The album is about me embracing my duality. I want to embody beauty and grace in music. It's something I think Prince has done best. It's subversive and it's sweet, but it's also strong and masculine. The things I'm learning about myself have been very informed by my ability to bend like that. There's this anime you should watch called Berserk . One of the male protagonists is named Griffith, and he's gorgeous. His hair is always flowing, and he speaks very calmly. Conversely, the other main character is named Guts, and he's the total opposite. He's a warrior. But both characters are essentially the same person, just two sides of the same coin. That's what I wanted the album cover to feel like: glamorous but don't fuck around. Don't play with me. Where does your innate adaptability come from? It all comes from my mom. She let me be everything I was supposed to be. I was very fortunate to have that. One of my biggest life goals is to open an institution where kids can learn instruments. If they attend enough classes, they can keep their instrument and return whenever they want to refresh their skills. Once they graduate from the program, they can come back and volunteer to teach the kids. You don't know where the next Freddie Mercury might come from. He, she, or they might come from Milwaukee. Or East LA. But when they don't have the opportunity to explore their talents, they'll never know. What are some things you feel privileged to experience today? My favorite thing that I get to do is wake up when I'm not tired. That's my marker of success. Also, being able to travel the world with my brother, Nico. I still remember sitting in the hood on his doorstep smoking Newports in the middle of winter, telling him, 'One day we're gonna see the world.' Now, we're sitting in front of the Eiffel Tower. Yesterday we saw Swan Lake . We're just two colored boys with face tattoos from the hood going to see Swan Lake . People were looking at us like, 'What are they doing here?' Don't get it fucked up. I know more about classical music than you do. Judge me. Perceive me. That thought lives and dies with you. But we can watch Swan Lake together. You designed some of the pieces you're wearing today, like the bedazzled hats and the studded Rick Owens Ramones. Has fashion always been something you've tapped into? I've been making clothes since I was a kid. My mom would take me shopping at the thrift store for clothes. I'd always find skinny jeans in crazy colors, but they wouldn't fit, so we'd bring them down to my aunt in Mexico to tailor them. For every pair I gave her, she charged me a dollar, just to keep me responsible. She'd always try and take me to Foot Locker, and I knew we couldn't afford it and would be like, 'Mom, we can go to Walmart.' I'd get these Starter sneakers and would ask her for colored shoelaces. Then we'd go to Joann Fabrics to get gemstones and glue, and I would spend hours designing my shoes. To this day, I'll buy some Balenciaga and fuck it up. Those hand-studded Ramones took me so long to do. Making music doesn't always calm me down, but fashion is something that calms me down. What does making music feel like today? Making music feels like a long kiss. There's something romantic about being lost in it, and there's something romantic about stepping back and observing it.
Eater
4 hours ago
- Eater
The Tomato Sandwich That Launched a Small NY Restaurant Empire
Husband-and-wife duo behind fish-and-chips sensation Dame, Eater Best New Restaurant winner Lord's, and European seafood spot Crevette, Patricia Howard and Ed Szymanski talk about what inspired them to open their West Village restaurants as they make the iconic Dame tomato sandwich and Barbuto kale salad. As Szymanski marinates large tomato steaks in spicy olive oil, herbs, and vinegar, Howard reminisces about eating at least one tomato sandwich every day when they were the only two employees at Dame. Szymanski created the juicy sandwich because they needed a vegetarian option and was inspired by Howard's obsession with simple tomatoes on toast. They whisk together an aioli with both slow-cooked and raw garlic, as Howard jokes that her husband is known for serving 'a bucket of aioli' at every dinner party they throw. After the tomatoes have marinated for hours, they add aioli, tomatoes, lettuce, basil, chives, and crispy shallots onto a toasted sesame seed bun. The couple discusses trying to eat dinner at home more as they manage newly opened Crevette and their two other restaurants, prioritizing spending time with their one-year-old daughter and expanding her palate with new foods like oysters. Howard says she knew when they first met in 2017 that they would 'get married one day and we're gonna open restaurants together.' The Barbuto kale salad, first popularized at the namesake restaurant by Jonathan Waxman, is a favorite of Howard's and was the first dish they made in the Dame restaurant space before they had a full kitchen. For that dish, breadcrumbs are toasted with olive oil, drained, and seasoned. Szymanski whips up a basil, garlic, parmesan, and anchovy dressing as he talks about working as a line cook before operating his own restaurants. Howard talks about how she can't wait to introduce her daughter to the original salad at Barbuto before Szymanski thinly slices the kale and massages it into the umami-rich dressing. They talk about how the kale salad at Waxman's decades-old institution has stayed the same throughout the years, with Szymanski calling it 'the gold standard,' as they split the tomato sandwich and dig into the nostalgic greens. Watch the this episode of Meals That Made Us on Eater at Home to see Howard and Szymanski debate who was interested in who first and make tdishes that fed the couple when they began their small restaurant empire together.
Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Boston Globe
At 90, pianist Ran Blake has countless mentees - and an immeasurable legacy
To celebrate Blake's 10th decade, a few of his favorite mentees, including Dominique Eade and Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Ran gave me the freedom to find myself in jazz standards,' said Portuguese singer Sara Serpa, who studied with Blake at NEC and made an album, 'Camera Obscura,' with him in 2009. As a European, she said, she was leery of approaching 'this sacred American art form. Ran really gave me permission to find myself in the songs, to create my own stories.' Advertisement Before coming to NEC, where he ran the Department of Third Stream (named for Schuller's idea of a 'third stream' of music between jazz and classical), Blake befriended and studied with Oscar Peterson, Mal Waldron, Charles Mingus, and other jazz greats. On a video call from his Brookline apartment, Blake laughed as he mentioned all of the musicians who didn't 'get' his idiosyncratic style: 'JJ Johnson wasn't impressed. Ray Brown was very nice to me, but not impressed. Bob Brookmeyer hated me.' Advertisement But his reliance on his own instincts – eventually laid out in his philosophy, 'the primacy of the ear' – also won him countless admirers. 'Everyone I've met has a profound admiration for his sound,' said Serpa, who has a tradition of bringing her family to visit him each Thanksgiving, cooking for him. (She will perform with pianist Matt Mitchell at NEC on October 2.) 'He's just so original,' Serpa said. 'And it's hard to be original, to be different. And build a career mostly on solo records. That can get quite lonely, I think.' Blake's longtime NEC colleague Hankus Netsky, who chairs the department Blake once led (now called the Department of Contemporary Improvisation), explained the idea behind his friend's philosophy in an email: 'Take in a diverse diet of great music, learn it through detailed listening to the fine points of each artist's interpretation, and then use it as a springboard for your own creative musical imagination.' Through a faculty professional development program, Netsky said, Blake recently recorded a solo piano album called 'Voices,' honoring some of his favorite singers, among them Aretha Franklin, Edith Piaf, Mahalia Jackson, and Al Green. That's expected to come out in early 2026. Archivists also continue to release material from Blake's earliest collaboration, with the singer Jeanne Lee, whom he met while both were students at Bard College in the late 1950s. Their joint debut, 'The Newest Sound Around' (1961), remains one of his most notable releases. Advertisement Before taking over the new Third Stream department at NEC, Blake served for a few years as the school's community services director. They brought music programming to the public — to institutions including a retirement community and the prison then known as MCI-Walpole. They also ran night classes in ear training, studying artists from Messiaen and Mingus, to one of Blake's favorite jazz singers, Chris Connor. 'The whole semester cost $20,' Blake recalled. Those programs were especially meaningful to him, he said: 'It was very important to send music to where the people are and encourage them to play.' And not just for the students' own sake. The educators, Blake said, learned plenty from the students. It was an early lesson in a belief he still holds – that making music is really about a heightened ability to listen. RAN BLAKE'S 90TH CELEBRATION At the Square Root, 2 Corinth St., Boston, Sunday, Aug. 24, 4 p.m. Tickets available at the door. James Sullivan can be reached at jamesgsullivan@
