Latest news with #AdrienneSo
WIRED
02-05-2025
- WIRED
How to Pack Your Beauty Routine for Travel
Don't let self-care fall by the wayside when you're on the road. We talked to experts to find out how best to keep your routine on a roll, from the plane to the hotel. All products featured on Wired are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. 'I can't get over people bringing so much stuff in their toiletry bags. What is all this?' remarked my colleague Adrienne So one afternoon, dismayed, as she looked over my guide to the Best Toiletry Bags, with its photos of tackle-box-sized bags and Dopp kits overflowing with makeup. 'I think this is more stuff than I have in my house.' Photograph: Boutayna-Chokrane One could argue all day about what constitutes an appropriate amount of beauty products for travel. Some are able to get by for a week with some deodorant, a bottle of 3-in-1, and a ziploc bag. Others in this era of extensive skin-care routines and everything showers … not so much. In any case, it's no fun dealing with an overweight suitcase, spilled or broken products in a carry-on, or, worse, arriving at your destination and realizing you've forgotten everything you need to take a shower (perhaps after an airport theory experiment gone wrong). I talked to some travel influencers who travel for a living—as well as some frequently traveling coworkers—to get the lowdown on the best ways to keep your beauty routine intact and efficient while on the plane, on the road, and at your destination. Power up with unlimited access to WIRED . Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today . In Plane Sight If you've noticed an influx of people wearing face masks (even the LED kind) and performing multi-step skin-care routines on airplanes, it's not just you. It's a thing. Though some say it's nothing more than a thinly veiled selfie opportunity, others swear by arriving at your destination refreshed, relaxed, and moisturized—both inside and out. 'When flying, hydration is everything,' says Christina Haisfield, a luxury-travel influencer who runs the lifestyle website Jetset Christina. 'Airplane air is notoriously drying, so I always mist my face with a hydrating spray, apply a sheet mask mid-flight if it's an overnight flight (yes, I'm that girl), and lock in moisture with face cream, too. I also swear by eye patches and electrolytes to stay hydrated in the air—trust me, they make a difference after a long-haul flight!' Speaking of hydration, I couldn't help but notice something from my window seat on a recent flight from Portland, Oregon, to New Orleans. The afternoon sun seemed to be beaming quite strongly into the plane, and the slight wrinkles on the armrest upholstery had me wondering—is this what the sun is doing to my arms right now? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. In fact, a 2015 study found that airplane pilots and crew have a significantly higher incidence of melanoma than the general population—something La Carmina, a travel and fashion blogger and journalist known for her Goth style, was aware of long before I noticed it. 'Not everyone realizes that UV radiation levels are higher when we're in the air,' she says. 'UVA rays (which cause skin aging) pass through the airplane windows, so be sure to have SPF on. I also shield my face on the plane with a hat or scarf.' So, you've got the plane routine down. (Or not: My colleague Nena Farrell says, 'I get on the plane ugly, get off the plane ugly, and do my makeup routine in the airport bathroom'—a practice shared by many of our colleagues, including myself.) But what about outside the airport? Keep It Light According to all the travel writers I spoke to, simplifying your product lineup is key. To save space, Haisfield advocates for makeup items that serve multiple purposes, such as face or eyeshadow sticks that can do triple-duty as blush, lip, and cheek color. 'I always pack a tinted moisturizer with SPF, a lip gloss, and mascara, and that's pretty much all I wear while I'm on vacation,' she says. Another timeless option is to procure miniature versions of your favorite products. Many brands offer travel sets of their popular full-sized items, or you can decant into smaller containers like Cadence Capsules ($42) (which I personally love), contact lens containers ($4), or even miniature soy sauce bottles ($7) in fun shapes like fish or pigs. You can also, as La Carmina does, hoard samples. 'I collect skin-care samples and take them on my trips, as they're easy to use and discard," she says. "When I travel, I minimize my routine to the bare essentials—I don't take all my serums, peptides, red-light mask, and whatnot. I stick to an oil and cream cleanser for double cleansing, moisturizer, vitamin C, tretinoin (some people prefer to use the weaker retinol version), and growth factors.' If you don't already have a source for starting a sample collection, Ipsy's Glam Bag (click here for a coupon to get $5 off) is a good option, as you'll receive five samples each month. Ipsy's chief makeup artist, Ash K. Holm, confirmed that many of these samples are indeed products that can do double duty. 'Think face tints with SPF and multipurpose cream blushes,' she says. Julie Falconer, the travel blogger also known as A Lady in London, ensures she has a full stock of mini versions of her favorite beauty products from home. (Image Skincare has a great basic kit for just $16, but I'm also a fan of the full skin-care travel set from Uncommon Beauty, $78, which includes micellar water and a retinol alternative in addition to a vitamin-C serum, cleanser, and moisturizer.) Falconer packs her liquids in a clear plastic bag—'everything from small shampoo and conditioner bottles to travel-size sunscreen, makeup, lip gloss, and perfume,' she says—and another lightweight bag with nonliquid items. 'It's not only helpful for packing with just a carry-on,' she says, 'but also for those small hotel sinks and showers that can't hold larger items.' Hair Dilemma Skin care and makeup, however, are nothing compared to dealing with hair on the road. Between varying humidity levels, lack of time for washing, and limited space and weight for heat tools, bad hair days are all but guaranteed if you don't have a plan. I personally make sure to wash, dry, and style my hair as close to leaving for a trip as possible, and I touch up as I go with dry shampoo and a Chi Ministyler flat iron ($110), which is small enough to fit in a toiletry bag. If you don't want to deal with heat tools at all, some people like to use the belt from a hotel bathrobe to make bathrobe curls. However, La Carmina advises against this, as it can be drying for your hair. She still swears by heatless hair wraps, just not if they're made of terry cloth. 'There's no need to purchase a pricey premade wrap," she says. 'You can just use a long strand of thick cotton like I do. I wash my hair, and when it's mostly dry, I split my hair in two and twist it around the rope. I wear the wraps overnight or on the plane. When I arrive at the destination, I take everything out for bouncy curls!' For even more good-hair-day insurance, Haisfield recommends packing your own silk pillowcase. (Our favorite is from Quince.) 'This not only keeps me comfy and feeling at home wherever I am in the world,' she says, 'but also helps prevent breakouts, hair frizz, and skin creases when sleeping in hotels or Airbnbs. It also feels so much more luxurious than a hotel pillow." While it feels good to look good, it's still important not to lose sight of the fact you're supposed to be having fun while traveling, not worrying too much about what you look like doing it. As my colleague Brenda Stolyar notes, 'If I'm getting on a plane once or twice a month, I think my body and skin will be OK!'
WIRED
01-05-2025
- General
- WIRED
The Best Day Hiking Backpacks for Every Adventure
The premise of Nemo's Endless Promise line is that it's designed to be kept out of the landfill forever—100 percent recycled, infinitely adjustable, repairable, and once it's reached the end of its life, it can be sent back to Nemo for total recycling. The Cero fabric is solution dyed to reduce water waste, as is the cushioning. At first glance, that makes the pack awfully fiddly. It's a little annoying and fussy to adjust the fit and the storage options with the Resolve's strange system of bungees and pull-tabs, instead of straps or webbing. Over the long term, however, those bungees will be easier to repair, recycle, or replace, and once I got used to it, it was pretty fast and easy to adjust. This pack is weirdly comfortable. It's technically frameless, but it does feel like it has some structure. It sits nice and high on your back—I do not like carrying weight around my hips—and at 1 lb. 15 oz., it's pretty light, considering all the hardware that it has on it. The cushioning is made in a funny tube-shaped pattern that looks like the hot dog rollers at 7-Eleven, but it also allows for plenty of airflow next to the skin on your back and shoulders. I have been using it for biking around town, but this will also be a nice day pack for summer hiking adventures, for as long as you need to have it around. —Adrienne So Specs Capacity 16L Weight 1 lb 15 oz Pockets 11 Sternum strap Yes Waist Strap Yes Osprey has been making Talon packs since 2007. Head to any popular trail, and I guarantee you'll see someone hauling one. Their popularity is well earned, and the latest top loading 33L iteration is impressively well specced and weighs just 2 lbs., 12.5 oz. No, it's not a gossamer thin, ultralight pack, but the 100D high-tenacity nylon is tough and made from 100 percent bluesign-approved recycled materials, with a non-PFAS DWR. Annoyingly, there's no rain cover, but that omission aside, it's a superb daypack. The clever back panel used here can be adjusted between 17-22 inches to fit a good range of torsos, and the injection-molded design combines well with the wide hip belt to offer a great level of support. That said, the hip belt has day hike, rather than multi-day, levels of cushioning, but that's fine as the 33L capacity limits how much you can take anyway. It is a versatile pack with a large top lid, two zippered pockets and a large front stretch pocket that I stash jackets, bike locks and all sorts in. There's a couple of stretch side pockets too, zipped snack pockets where you need them, and everything can be cinched down tight to minimize bouncing. You can safely carry two ice axes too, and the clever hiking pole storage means you can access and stow them without taking the pack off. —Chris Haslam Specs Capacity 33L Weight 2 lb 12 oz Pockets 8 Sternum strap Yes Waist Strap Yes
WIRED
21-04-2025
- WIRED
The Urevo CyberPad Lets You Hike Uphill While You Work
I'm well-versed in walking pads (odd, I know, but I review fitness equipment for a living). After testing a ton of them, I really thought I had seen all the category had to offer. That was before I heard about the Urevo CyberPad, which allows users to walk at a 14 percent incline—the highest I've seen on the market. It has plenty of other cool features (I'll get to those later), but the thing that really makes it stand out is that incline. If you're looking for a walking pad that can give you a more challenging workout, but you don't really want to run, this is the one for you. Photograph: Adrienne So Up and At 'Em The CyberPad setup required exactly zero brainpower (exactly how I like it). I had it out of the box and up and running in minutes. I've tested another Urevo machine and found that one easy to unpack and set up as well; the company seems to do a great job of making products that are ready to use right out of the box. At 70.6 pounds, this machine is on the heavier side, which I expected with the incline mechanism. But it was easy to wheel around and get into place under my standing desk. The incline tops out at level 9, which, depending on how you have the machine's back feet positioned, is a 9 percent or 14 percent grade. I suspected I might feel a little wobbly trying to type with the incline all the way up, but the machine itself felt incredibly stable. Photograph: Adrienne So From a cardio perspective, the 14 percent incline is tough to maintain for long. It really feels like you're hiking. But it's not so challenging that you can't do it while you work. For me, that's a big deal. I like getting my steps in on a walking pad, but sometimes I want to boost my fitness in a more significant way. Sadly, I haven't figured out how to run while I work—even walking at high speeds can make it hard for me to type—but steep hill walking is a great proxy that doesn't make reading or writing any harder. This machine allows you to do it without having to shell out the money or space for a heavy-duty running treadmill.
WIRED
19-04-2025
- WIRED
Garmin Still Makes the Best Entry-Level Fitness Tracker
Garmin, the maker of our favorite fitness trackers, has several series of entry-level hybrid trackers. Sorting through them can be confusing. The Venu series is the most expensive, the premium tracker with more smartwatch features (full-screen AMOLED, microphone, etc.). The Vivomove series has a hidden display and no onboard GPS. Right in the middle sits the Vivoactive series. The latest Vivoactive 6 has an AMOLED display, about a week of battery life, and of course, access to Garmin's top-of-the-line fitness software. I wrote previously that the $100 Amazfit Active 2 (6/10, WIRED Recommends) made me rethink what a fitness tracker's value proposition should be, and $300 now seems very expensive for an entry-level tracker. However, unlike Amazfit's, Garmin's trackers and software actually work. In an unsurprising turn of events, I tried Garmin's new AI-powered Active Intelligence, and it's the first AI-powered fitness service that provided me with useful insights. So far, Garmin's supremacy remains unvanquished. Photograph: Adrienne So Old Faithful Like all of Garmin's lifestyle lines, the Vivoactive 6 is easy to wear, with a silicone strap, an aluminum bezel, and a light, 42-mm polymer case. It's not actually lighter than my Apple Watch Series 10, but it feels lighter, because it's plastic. The display is a touchscreen AMOLED that I found readable in daylight and responsive to my touch, although it was easy to print the screen with my sunscreen-y fingers. There are two buttons on the side of the case, an activity button and a back button. You can also scroll up and down and tap to get stats and notifications. Garmin touts 11 days of battery life, but with multiple tracked activities per day I got about a week. It uses the Garmin proprietary plug charger, which is more annoying than it should be, given that Garmin introduced wireless charging years ago with the Vivomove Trend (although the company is far from the only one that still relies on its own proprietary chargers instead of wireless charging or USB-C). Screenshots Source: Adrienne So It has onboard satellite connectivity (GPS, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS, and Beidou) to make it incredibly accurate when tracking your outdoor activities, and the usual suite of onboard sensors—heart rate monitor, blood oxygen monitoring (an important consideration if you want to switch from an Apple Watch)—a compass, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a thermometer, and an ambient light sensor. It's also rated for water resistance at 5 ATM, you can track swimming.
WIRED
19-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- WIRED
The Best Sports Bras for When You're Working Out, or Just Thinking About It
Athleta Solace Sports Bra The Solace Sports Bra, crafted from Powervita fabric (75 percent nylon, 25 percent lycra) is soft, supportive, and airy. The bonded chest band remains flat and secure, even during deep stretches and inversions. This is a great bra for low-impact activities (yoga, barre, and pilates), but I especially reach for this during heated workouts, because it wicks moisture away and dries fast. Not to be overlooked, the crossover straps are so cute. I do wish they were adjustable, though. Materials: 75 percent nylon, 25 percent lycra. Size Range: XXS through XL. Branwyn Essential Racerback Sports Bra Merino wool has many fantastic qualities, but being stretchy and compressive is not necessarily one of them. That's why this racerback sports bra is a remarkable feat—I have many merino wool bras, but none of them retain their shape and offer as much support as this one, although I should note here that I'm a 34A, so in my case, the claims of good support are not being tested as thoroughly as they might with other people. Branwyn's sports bra is made from a blend of 76 percent merino, 14 percent nylon, and 10 percent elastane. The fabric itself is knit in a seamless, compressive, 4-way knit structure, so there are no seams to rub or chafe. I wear it mostly rock climbing, without a shirt, and it's long enough on my short torso for it to not be totally obvious that I'm only wearing a bra (I think). Moreover, it's BPA-, PFAS- and forever-chemical-free, which I prefer for garments that I wear close to my skin. There are sleeves for removable bra pads, but they're not included, and it's dark and thick enough that I don't worry about anything showing anyway. My only caveat is that since it's heavier than almost any other sports bra I own, it also takes longer to dry, both on the line and on my body. —Adrienne So Materials: 76 percent extra fine merino wool, 14 percent nylon, and 10 percent elastane Size Range: XS through XXL
