The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale kicks off July 12, so it’s time to inspect all the incredible deals you can expect, from beauty editor must-haves and designer perfumes to new season fashion styles and chic home decor. After checking out R29 readers’ anonymous top purchases from our sale coverage, along with hot tips from Nordstrom on what’s selling, we pulled together a hit list of bestsellers, early-bird deals you can already shop, and ones to watch.

This year’s favorites range from summer heatwave essentials (lightweight linen pants and reusable water bottles) to early fall prepping (cozy slippers and gift-worthy candles). Plus, get ready to spot bargains from cult favorite brands like Olaplex, Sam Edelman, Supergoop!, Monica Vinader, NuFACE, and more.

Click through to peep more of the latest and greatest Anniversary Sale deals that readers and Nordstrom superfans are carting.

For more great deals, shop the entire Nordstrom Anniversary Sale here.

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Super Sale Alert: Products in this story may be marked down for Prime Day. Shop our full coverage of the event here.

As your online shopping besties, we’ve been hawkishly monitoring all the early Prime deals and compiling the best finds — from beauty go-to’s to travel must-haves. And now that Prime Day (July 8 – July 11) is officially here, it’s go time.

With years of Prime Day sales under our belts, we consider ourselves seasoned experts in distinguishing Amazon’s most cart-worthy discounts from the duds. So if you’d prefer to avoid the turbulent mosh pit of the thousands of deals, rely on our guide to the best markdowns we’re actually buying into this year.

Ahead, find everything from iPhone chargers and Crest Whitestrips to Great Jones dutch ovens and Oura rings that our own team of savvy online shoppers will be adding to cart while the discounts last.

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Super Sale Alert: Products in this story may be marked down for Prime Day. Shop our full coverage of the event here — or, dive directly into the deals here.

Amazon’s Prime Day starts today, and ICYMI: The deals are already shaping up to be bigger and better than ever. Prime Day is one of the biggest shopping events of the calendar year, and this year, the sale is lasting for an unprecedented four-day stretch from July 8-11. As always, it’s a smart time to buy things like TVs, household items, clothing, and accessories, but Prime Day also offers a unique opportunity to save on everyday essentials — including products in your beauty routine.

What makes Prime Day’s beauty deals different from other beauty sales is the broad — bordering on encyclopedic — range of brands, including everything from drugstore staples to luxury labels. (Some names to get excited for: Sol de Janeiro, Nécessaire, Vacation, and Ouai, among many others.) To save you both time and money, we’ve done the legwork for you, corralling all the best Prime Day beauty deals to shop across makeup, hair, skincare, and more. Ahead, shop 52 beauty deals worth adding to your haul.

At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. All product details reflect the price and availability at the time of publication. If you buy or click on something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.

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Super Sale Alert: Products in this story may be marked down for Amazon Prime Day. Shop our full coverage of the event here — or, dive directly into the deals here.

There’s always a seemingly endless number of deals to shop during Amazon Prime Day, which runs between July 8 to 11 this year. But in this roundup, we’re unveiling something that’s a little closer to our own carts: Refinery29 readers’ most wanted Amazon products that are, of course, on super sale.

After digging into an entire year’s worth of anonymous shopping data from our most popular stories, we were able to whittle down a product list that includes only the top Amazon favorites R29 readers have eagerly scooped up. Peep all the noteworthy and unexpected deals that just may have been carted by you or your closest friends and family, from beauty hidden gems to vacation-ready travel best sellers. Read ahead for a piping-hot selection of Amazon deals.

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The Full Buck Moon in Capricorn is coming in like a Billie Eilish song — smooth, soft, soulful, and inspirational. July 10th’s Full Moon urges us to connect with ourselves profoundly and delicately by taking a stance that empowers us to break out of dusty patterns and relationships that aren’t fulfilling us. This could be a temporary split for the summer, so don’t cry just yet. We need a moment away from drama to focus on ourselves. Even though we care for everyone, we love ourselves more and should give ourselves the pep and energy we deserve.

A Full Moon occurs when the sun and the moon oppose each other, with the Earth between them. The sun’s reflection bouncing off the Earth and onto the moon illuminates the sky. The celestial phenomenon allows us to see matters clearly and unlock secrets. This phase ends the monthly lunar cycle, which changes from New to Full in approximately four weeks. The Full Moon urges us to contemplate and unwind as we reflect on recent events.

Spiritually, Full Moons push us to embrace our emotions, let go of patterns, connect with others, and transcend our energy. Performing rituals and manifesting encourages us to release old aspirations and revive them with freshness. It’s a moment when we can connect deeply to the universe, so asking the cosmos for help and cultivating our dreams is powerful. If we believe in the intention, we can make it happen IRL.

The Buck Moon is so-called because it occurs at the time of year when male deer (bucks) shed and regrow their antlers. This lunation is also known as the Thundermoon (from the many thunderstorms in July), Hay Moon (this is its peak harvest month), and Wyrt Moon (from an old Celtic word for herbs, as this is an ideal time to gather plants for drying).

Now let’s get down to the deets of the Buck Moon. The Sun in Cancer is endless and boundless, while the Capricorn Moon brings restrictions and limits. When the two “sister” signs oppose each other in the sky, we have no other option than to try to find the middle ground of the juxtaposing energies. Seems easier than it is. The reason is that finding a safe emotional space for ourselves can be challenging when there are many uncertain things around us in the world. The Full Moon in Capricorn wants to parent us and tell us that everything will be okay. Grounding our energy by immersing ourselves in nature (head out to parks, forests, and hiking trails for the ultimate glow-up, or chill on your balcony and backyard) can be extremely helpful because it allows us to be in a calm environment that adds positive energy to our aura.

Finding a support system will be easier than ever (as long as we aren’t too hard on others or demanding of their time), due to Mars in Virgo and the Nodes of Destiny aspecting the Full Moon. It’ll encourage us to find our tribe and let go of those not aligned with our path. Like I mentioned before, releasing people and matters can be complex and challenging, but it’ll lead us to where we need to be, in the company of those who genuinely have our best interests at heart. The most crucial part is finding meaning and value in the lesson. We can thank the universe for the tutorial if we acknowledge that we are in these positions for a reason. The overall story of the Full Moon in Capricorn is to connect with the self and invite our most trusted companions in. We may find that our core group of besties is small, but they’re quality peeps that will never let us down. Even in our loneliest moments, they’ll send TLC. They will always support our decisions and choices because they believe in us. In return, we shall do the same, not because we have to, but because we will want to. Through the good, bad, and the ugly, we have a crew with our backs and we can lean on. That’s what friends are for.

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Cancer Season 2025 Is Here

Your July 2025 Horoscope Is Here

In our series Salary Stories, women with long-term career experience open up about the most intimate details of their jobs: compensation. It’s an honest look at how real people navigate the complicated world of negotiating, raises, promotions and job loss, with the hope it will give young people more insight into how to advocate for themselves — and maybe take a few risks along the way.

Been in the workforce for at least five years and interested in contributing your salary story? Submit your information here. You’ll be paid $150 if selected.

Age: 29
Location: Orange County, CA
Current industry and job title: Recruiter, healthcare IT
Current salary: $105,000
Number of years employed since school or university: Seven
Starting salary: $40,000
Biggest salary drop: n/a
Biggest salary jump: $62,400 to $86,000 in 2022.

Biggest negotiation regret: I should have done more proactive research when applying for positions to understand the market rates.

Best salary advice: Talk to your friends and coworkers (that you trust) about your salary. I’m always the first person to offer up my salary and how much I make because we will never know what to ask for and expect if we don’t know what’s out there. Money is such a “taboo” topic but that’s what keeps women in the dark and asking for less than they deserve.

First Job: Organizing Associate

Salary: $40,000
Year: 2018

I did a ton of political organizing in college and initially wanted to go the international relations route but the universe wasn’t having it! Thankfully I landed at a large well-known progressive think tank with a spunky youth arm where I became the Organizing Associate specializing in reproductive rights, gun violence prevention, and democracy. I was there for a little over two years. Moving to a big city on $40,000 didn’t feel amazing but I was just excited to have a job in my field a week before graduation. Based on market research, I was estimating around $35,000-$50,000 for my first job in the nonprofit sector so I felt okay about it. The only negotiating I did was ask about a relocation bonus which was met with a “we don’t do that here.” Once I started, I learned that this think tank, while flashy and well known, gives below market salaries because of its prestige. I had friends at other progressive think tanks with minimum salaries of $50,000 (without union support). I had one pay rise in my time here because of union negotiations.

Promotion: Senior Organizing Associate

Salary: $50,000
Year: 2020

I had organized a multi-media campaign and had several policy research papers published so I used that as leverage to get promoted to a senior role. I gave myself “exceeds expectations” in several categories of my performance review with data metrics on the size of the projects, the media reach, the amount of views per paper, etc. My superiors ended up giving me several “needs improvement” which knocked my score down to an overall “meets expectations.” At the end of the conversation while discussing “my next chapter” I started using phrasing like “I’m happy to create more processes and workflows to better support the person who comes in after me.” The Executive Director then asked me, “Are you thinking about leaving?” I mentioned I was upset about meeting expectations and the fact I would not be promoted and was questioning my growth at the organization. Less than 12 hours later I was called back into the office and they had edited my final performance review and promoted me to senior organizing associate.

Job Change: Senior Policy Coordinator

Salary: $50,000
Year: 2020

I wasn’t enjoying things anymore and wanted to focus more on policy and government relations, so I joined another nonprofit which specializes in young bipartisan federal and state legislators. I focused on criminal justice reform bipartisan policy and loved working with state legislators. I was originally offered $48,000 with a $2,000 signing bonus. I asked for $50,000 flat with no signing bonus as I wanted to stay at my current salary range. This turned out to be a slight pay cut because my benefits cost more here. I really wanted out of the old job so I didn’t negotiate too hard for the role.

Job Change: Implementation Manager

Salary: $62,400
Year: 2021

The salary in the job description was actually $50,000 but because I moved to Southern California they had to give me $62,400 by law. California has minimum exempt salary requirements for employees living in the state (even if the company is not) as a type of protection for Californians. These bands change every year to account for inflation, in 2025 the minimum salary if the company has more than 20 employees is $68,640. I had left Washington DC and wanted to try out a non-political nonprofit and switch to project management. I enjoyed the scrappy, sexy nature of political organizing but I struggled with the lack of metrics, structure, and measurement of success.

Project management felt industry agnostic and was a way to pivot out of the small nonprofit space, into larger, more corporate settings. I managed leadership development programming for close to 13 clients including some major global companies. It was the most corporate nonprofit I’d run into… and I was miserable. I found project management was not for me. I did not enjoy babysitting and chasing grown adults for deliverables for so many clients. The size of the company, 2,000+ employees globally, also made it difficult to get anything done quickly. I only lasted about six months before I went to my manager to resign but she asked me to stay on as a contractor to wrap up a project for one of my clients. For the next three months, I wrapped up with the client and took on several other ad-hoc projects for the social impact arm around event planning and DEI initiatives, I was working about 30 hours a week for three months at $40 an hour. The director of the project (a good friend of mine) advocated to pay me $40/hour for my contract work! After myself and several PMs left, the organization did a mass hiring to alleviate the number of clients PMs had to own. I was happy to be the sacrificial lamb that pushed for this change.

Job Change: Recruiter

Salary: $86,000
Year: 2022

While doing contract work I started applying to non-profit and for-profit companies. I was open to anything and everything. My partner is a recruiter and encouraged me to try more formalized recruiting. Frankly I fell into the company having known nothing about healthcare, IT, or traditional staffing agencies. I was originally offered 80,000 (this is the bottom of the band) and I negotiated to $86,000. I was told to pick a non-round number which is how I landed at $86,000. I am the lowest paid in my position but I am also one the youngest by at least five years. The recruiting team is very close with each other so several of us were transparent about our salaries. Some days being the lowest paid felt gross, but I recognized my level of experience compared to the others was valid. I never brought up my salary standing with my managers or leadership because I felt I didn’t have enough ammunition for a compelling case.

Raise: Recruiter

Salary: $105,000
Year: 2025

As well as an increase, I got a bonus (after taxes) of $6,000. I’d had a small increase the year before, but this was a huge increase. I exceeded expectations on my performance review for 2024. This was a pleasant surprise and I was no longer the lowest paid recruiter on the team. I was so proud of hitting $100,000 before turning 30 and the hard work for over two years had finally paid off. I advocated for exceeding expectations during my performance review with my win rate metrics, the satisfaction scores from my placed consultants, and the praise from team members. Usually exceeding expectations is a merit increase of  4+% but since I was so low on the salary band I believe they needed to speed up my promotion to be more in line with my peers. From my knowledge my salary band is $89,000-$120,000 and most of my peers are at the “midway point” according to leadership.

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Salary Story: I Approach Negotiating As A Game

I don’t think Erykah Badu can be anything but unequivocally and unapologetically herself. If there has ever been a moment of pretense throughout her over 30-year career, I haven’t seen it. And I, like so many other millennial Black girls, have been paying attention. For over 30 years, Badu has been a constant source of authenticity in an industry that tries to diminish Black women who dare to be themselves. This weekend at the 2025 Essence Festival Of Culture, Badu’s individualism and particular brand of candor-you-can’t-teach was on full display.

“Is nothing sacred?” Badu asked, after hilariously calling in a fan who she saw “put her purse on the stage and start looking for her keys.” That was just one instance when Badu paused her flawless soulful vocals to interact with the crowd. In a moment now going viral, Badu gave love to the festival’s American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, Cheyenne Atkins, who was positioned just to the side of the safe with her image projected on screens to the crowd. Now that Black American Sign Language (BASL) is in the news because Sinners will be the first film to stream in the language, it felt like a fitting and timely exchange. A few songs into her set, Badu glanced up at the screens, gestured to Atkins and pointed out how she was interpreting her band’s uptempo, bass‑heavy musical interludes. And let me tell you, nobody could have interpreted Badu’s band in this way but a Black woman doing BASL.

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Philadelphia native Atkins has been an ASL interpreter at Essence Fest the past two years, according to NOLA.com. “But, she said after her remote collaboration with Badu, ‘I’ve never had to break it down before,’” Keith Spera for NOLA.com reports. Badu and Atkins’ interaction was a welcome moment of recognition between two Black women owning their respective performances.

As Badu warmly acknowledged Atkins’ unexpected, fluid, and expressive movements, it was a small gesture, but it resonated deeply. I love watching competent Black women kill it at their jobs! It felt like Badu and Atkins were speaking not just through sound, but through intention and energy (ignoring the interruption from Essence Fest host and actor, Anthony Anderson).

There were other candid moments when Badu spoke directly to the audience, like when she jokingly admonished the crowd for sitting down during the beginning of her set. “Right now Imma do one of my favourite songs, [but]  it’s not going to be ‘Tyrone’ because y’all were sitting down at the beginning and I’m vindictive so I’m punishing you for sitting down,” she said to laughs. Badu, of course, is referring to her 1997 classic (and my go-to karaoke song) “Tyrone (Live)”. Badu relented after cheers from the crowd and turned to her band and said, “If we do do it, let’d do it fast as fuck” before launching into a sped-up rendition of her fan-favorite hit. As someone who has heard the song about a million times and knows every run, every adlib and every “shhhiiit”, it was refreshing to hear a new version of one of my favorite jams.

Badu brought her familiar electric yet soft spoken energy on stage and she took those vibes backstage when she hit the press room after her set. Dressed in “what I wore to the airport,” the artist revealed that she doesn’t have a stylist. “I enjoy doing my own hair and makeup, clothing, my stage setup, writing the songs, playing the instruments. I enjoy that very, very much. It’s all about of the art of who I am.” she told the room of onlooking press.

Erykah Badu’s multifaceted art has sustained a career that most artists can only dream of. And there’s more coming. Badu recently released “Next to You,” her first new single in over a decade. Produced by acclaimed hip‑hop maestro The Alchemist, the track blends her warm, introspective neo‑soul vocals with a soulful, bass‑heavy, Mobb Deep‑sampling beat—opening a lush portal into what promises to be her first full-length studio album since New  Amerykah Part Two.

“I came up with the concept because I hadn’t produced an album in awhile … It’s just fun and a chance to evolve and keep expressing who I am in my talent.”Badu also mentioned her mysterious upcoming record Abi & Alan, slated for this summer, which continues the sonic partnership with The Alchemist and will be showcased on her joint “Luv Iz” / “Abi & Alan Tour” across Japan and North America, according to Pitchfork.

We’re halfway through the year and so when I asked Badu what she was leaving behind in the first half of 2025, she delivered a word I think we can all take into the next 6 months. “[I’m leaving behind] a little more doubt,” she said after a long pause. “A little more doubt… in every area. I’ll tell you what, I’m not going to let fame let me miss my train.”

At the end of the press room, as Badu was wrapping to go watch her friend Jill Scott perform, she thanked every journalist (mostly a room of Black folks) for our questions and took off the towering hat she was wearing to reveal her natural hair pulled up in small a high braid. It was another dose of realness you rarely see from artists in her position.

I left the night feeling at once electrified and centered. That’s the Erykah Badu effect. She wasn’t just performing at Essence Fest, she was guiding us through a neo‑soul revival, building a generational bridge. In one transcendent night, she honored her past, embraced her present, and invited us all into her future.

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This year’s highly anticipated Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is about to kick off, running from July 12 through August 3 (with Nordy Club members getting early access on July 8). The annual event is the perfect opportunity to score limited-time deals across fashion, beauty, and home to level up your look and lifestyle. This is a sale you don’t want to miss, given the sheer spectrum of amazing deals available — and the fact that fresh new arrivals are landing every day.

After dutifully covering the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale for many years, we’ve gotten pretty good at spotting the most impressive markdowns (aka, the coveted stuff that sells out the fastest). We’ve been digging through the sale pages to fish out the worthiest ones to add to your digital carts. If you’re overwhelmed by the volume of deals and don’t want to miss out on any of the good goods, consult our editor-approved sale haul ahead. (Spoiler: Status-y cookware, fan-favorite beauty products, and timeless footwear all made the cut.)

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It can feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to dissect every single morsel coming out of the Villa on season seven of Love Island USA, airing on Peacock right now. (I personally dedicate more than I’d like to admit to this.) There’s also not much that the growing (and growingly divided) audience universally agrees on — except the fact that Ariana Madix looks amazing, whether it’s in a molten bronze maxi with a Rapunzel-worthy braid, in a hot pink LaQuan Smith cut-out dress, or in a red latex mini as her newly-discovered brunette alter ego.

The reality TV star and Love Island superfan has leveled up her fashion for her sophomore season as host. Her secret weapon? Content creator and stylist Emily Men, whom Madix has been working with since season 10 of Vanderpump Rules. (Fun fact: They connected through fellow Bravo star Lindsay Hubbard.) Having already collaborated on Love Island looks last summer, they didn’t feel the pressure to one-up themselves fashion-wise, even with all the attention the show’s gotten since season six. “That being said,” Madix says, “I definitely feel like we’ve still somehow managed to [bring] it.”

Men describes herself as “very go-with-the-flow,” and she wasn’t particularly concerned with people’s expectations. “Working from last season to this season, I didn’t change anything because my philosophy is: Whether it’s Love Island, a press thing, whatever, just pull what’s best out there,” she says. “Whenever I’m looking and sourcing, it’s always what looks the best. I’m not super strategic with it.”

The main difference between seasons six and seven, Men adds, is that she and Madix started sending each other ideas during the off-season, compiling a folder of inspiration that served as a starting point for the wardrobe. “We want to have an element of surprise, which I think we do execute, but it’s still Love Island,” she notes. “It’s still tropical, so the obvious things come to mind.”

“I was saving a lot of crochet, a lot of very mermaid looks,” Madix says, “some muted dusty pinks and blues.”

As a Love Island connoisseur, Madix is quite familiar with the sartorial language of the show, which influences how she dresses as the host. “It doesn’t have to always be bright colors, but it’s got to be something,” she says. “It can’t just be a nice dress. It always has an element — if it’s a pink dress, it’s a pink dress with my whole stomach cut out and my whole back out; if it’s going to be a darker color, it’s going to look like I just came from outer space…. Everything is a look.”

If she were to sum up her Love Island wardrobe, it would come down to: “Strong looks, bright colors, and sexy. Always sexy. I come to Fiji with pounds of boob inserts.”

While the two are very in tune on the types of looks they want, the show’s production schedule presents logistical challenges. For one, the clothes need to be in Fiji for the duration of filming, from the beginning of June through mid-July. “It can be a bit of a struggle to narrow down what’s available [for that long] and what [we can] get our hands on,” Madix says. “You think, ‘Oh yeah, host of Love Island, all these cool outfits, everyone’s just giving things’ — it’s not as easy. So many of those fashion houses are like, ‘Oh, it’s a reality show? No.’”

Two months is a long time to cede a sample, but this is a production that has continuously broken viewership records, with Peacock reporting that 39% of those tuning in are new to the show — especially after season six, which was so successful and beloved, its cast members are getting a spin-off. You can’t log onto any social media platform “every day but hump day” without seeing posts about what the current Islanders are up to (and the audience’s assessment of the drama unfolding onscreen).

Madix’s wardrobe ends up being a mix of pieces Men borrows from showrooms, is gifted, thrifts, or finds online. “The colorful rainbow disc one — that one was from a small business that I found on Etsy,” she says.

They’ll have a fitting about a week or two before Madix heads out to Fiji. Men will then tailor everything to Madix’s measurements and do a second fitting to make sure everything’s good. “Once we decide that these are the looks, I’ll start to accessorize — shoes, jewelry,” Men continues. “Then I send off a PDF of all the looks. Some things change, because sometimes I’m not able to try on rings and that kind of stuff, but I [map it out] as best as I can. It’ll even show ‘right hand, left hand, helix piercing, whatever side faces the camera more.’” She’s not in Fiji with Madix, so those in-real-time adjustments are at the hands of Emily Abbey and Karissa Loveday, the on-set wardrobe team that gets her ready for filming; though they’re all on a WhatsApp group together, where they’ll send pictures, chime in on changes, and communicate what’s happening in real time.

For her part, Madix will keep all her options on a rack, so she can remain flexible and make game-time decisions. “Let’s say there are 10 more times I’m going to be going in — ‘Okay, well, we don’t want two gold [looks] next to each other.’ We try to stagger everything,” she says. “Sometimes we think, ‘This might be good for [Love Island:] Aftersun. Oh, but we wanted to have a moment. Is this now going to be a game [look]? Is it a daytime thing?’ We’re changing in real time sometimes.”

She also thinks about why she’s going inside the Villa. “Night one, we go sparkly — something that feels sexy but also fun and celebratory,” Madix explains. “When I came in this season for America’s Vote, when Charlie got dumped, I was very much leaning into, ‘I know someone’s going home tonight, I’m coming in delivering America’s Vote, and it’s going to be intense.’ Then Casa Amor Recoupling, it was sexy, but also I wanted to feel kind of dangerous, because it’s one of those nights that can go many different directions, but usually is pretty intense. When I came in to introduce Casa Amor, it’s like, ‘This is a daytime look. I want it to be bright. I want it to be fun. I’m having fun with them. No one’s going home.’”

Another very real consideration for Madix: “Sometimes I’m in my luteal phase, so I don’t want to wear a certain outfit — I’m here long enough to be on two periods. That type of stuff affects [outfit decisions] as well.”

This season, Madix and Men have been able to call upon friends, like L.A.-based designer and seamstress Taylor Cox, who made her custom beaded crystal mesh gown for night one. They’ve also had a lot of fun experimenting with new looks, like Madix’s “Leather and Lace” party ensemble. “I had two options for that night, one of which was a black lace bodysuit with a black leather corset, harnesses, and bunny ears. But then we tried on the red dress and the coat, and Emily found some amazing accessories online,” Madix says. “I thought, ‘Wow, to casually wear a ball gag as a necklace — chef’s kiss.’”

“I was just ordering random stuff,” Men admits. “It was funny because a lot of people didn’t catch it, but then a lot of people did. It was just something subtle.”

The duo also gives props to the hair and makeup team, Carl Cambridge and Krystal Dawn, the former being responsible for Madix’s brunette locks for the “Leather and Lace” party. “You need all the components,” Men says. “You need all the elements for it all to go together. So it’s amazing that we’re able to form this great team.”

Madix and Men still have a few tricks up their sleeves for what remains of the season. “There are a couple of things that are pretty epic that I hope we have a moment for,” Madix teases, adding that there’s a hard-shell top moment she’s excited to wear.

“Love Island is fun because there are so many looks in one show,” Men notes. “[There are] so many different moods and so many different types of styles. We love to mix and match. Some people take fashion too seriously, but, at the end of the day, it’s fun, and you should be able to wear all the things you want to wear.”

“Now,” Madix says, “we got to think about, ‘Well, where do we go from here?’”

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In the words of The Fresh Prince [Will Smith] and DJ Jazzy Jeff, it’s officially “summer, summer, summertime.” And for award-winning actress Regina Hall, this season is all about the cookout — firing up the grill, making memories and taking in all the good vibes with family and friends.

The D.C. native has a career spanning more than two decades, delivering unforgettable performances in Black cultural staples from hilarious comedies like Girls Trip to heartfelt dramas including The Best Man and Love & Basketball.

Beyond the screen, she has built a legacy as a creative force and a champion for stories that feel real and relatable. But for all the standout moments throughout her career, it’s the memories tied to food, family and friendship that she holds closest.

That’s why she partnered with Bounty to build her ultimate cookout — from the ribs to the clean-up crew — and let us in on how everyone has an important role at the function. However, for Regina, it’s not just about the food. It’s also about protecting your peace, finding joy in the little things and feeding your spirit as much as your plate.

So we had to ask: What’s going on her plate and what’s really feeding her soul these days, and in true Regina fashion, she didn’t hold back.

Unbothered: What’s a dish you have to have at a cookout, no matter what?

Regina Hall: There are probably three, I would say. And that’s for me. You’ve got to have barbecue, and you have to have burgers, but also you’ve got to have ribs and wings. I know that’s three things, but it’s really one thing. I have to have baked beans, and if you can keep it hot, I really love mac and cheese. I also like potato salad, depending on who makes it and how it’s prepared.

What’s your unspoken role at the cookout?

RH: Taste tester. I like to eat all the food. I can’t stand messiness, and I hate to be at a cookout and you have to clean everything at the end of the night. I am probably someone who helps everybody. If I were throwing the cookout or if my friend were throwing the cookout, I would be the one helping with the cleanup and making sure people aren’t being wasteful. I can’t stand when people waste water, drink this much and then go get another one. I really can’t stand wasted paper towels either, where I’m like, “You barely used it. Fold it up and use it again.” I don’t like waste, so I would be the one cleaning up. That’s my role.

Beyond food, what’s something that’s been feeding your soul lately?

RH: I always love reading books that teach me really practical things. There’s a book I read recently called The Let Them [Theory] that I liked, allowing people to do… without it affecting you and getting upset. Like, “Let them.” And I love summertime, because it’s a good time to be outdoors. I enjoy being in nature; I like to walk, and I love the sunshine. I think waking up to sunshine is wonderful. I enjoy being outside, and I actually love cookouts because they’re a chance to spend time with friends and family. It’s the social aspect of healing that is, and the sense of community. So those things are really, really healing for me. Or soul feeding, I should say.

That’s a good point and brings me to my next question. What did the cookouts of your childhood teach you about family, belonging or joy?

RH: I think it’s more than what they taught me. I mean, they just were. They gave me aspects of joy and aspects of family, and what I think I gained from that was an understanding of how important those things are to my life and how much I value them. I’ve lost family members, I’ve lost my mom, so the importance of memories and the importance of making time, making it special. Food, celebration, friendship, all the things that you remember more than anything. Right? More than money.

I have incredible memories. The truth is, my mom was like me. My mom was a Virgo, so my mom was incredibly neat. That’s why she’s like, “You don’t clean up when you finish, you clean up as you go.” So I think it’s just the importance of family and the importance of memories, dancing and laughter. Everything that you grow up and realize are the truest treasures of life.

Absolutely. I lost my mom too, but when I do certain things, I hear her voice. Or to your point, you incorporate her teachings into your daily life.

RH: Yes, and what about things that you didn’t do? Do you remember when your mom would say things like, “Turn off all those lights. Why do you have all the lights burning?” Or my mom would be like, “Stop using so many paper towels.” But you weren’t paying bills then, so you didn’t really know. All those things that you heard, that you didn’t necessarily realize that you were digesting into your being, you hear it now, and you kind of do it, even something as simple as making your bed. It’s a really interesting thing to watch yourself hear and become from your mom or your loved one.

Yes, I definitely understand that. And has there ever been a season where you realized you were giving too much and you needed to refill your own plate first?

RH: I think there are periods of life like that. Maybe if you feel like, “Oh, I’m working a lot.” Not that the work is too much, but you’re like, “Oh, I need to relax so that I can enjoy the work.” Or you say, “Gosh, I haven’t spent enough time with friends,” or “Maybe I need to do something where I need to nurture my body a little bit more,” whether it’s with a diet. Not a diet, as in not eating, but rather a focus on healthy things and exercise.

I think life means that you’re always searching for balance. And at one point, this could be an imbalance, and you might say, “Oh, I haven’t done this and I haven’t done that.” So there are always times, and I think your heart and your spirit remind you. If I’m going too hard and I’m not listening, my body will just catch a cold or something. Life will slow me down in some way, and so I’ve learned to listen to that.

It’s all interconnected. Like you said, once you start listening to your body, it gives you that warning to slow down.

RH: And after a couple of times of not listening, you’re like, “All right, I get it. I’m going to listen from now on.”

Exactly. And what are the little joys you protect no matter what?

RH: I always make sure I take some time for solitude. That’s really important for me. I love quiet, because that’s when I think, or don’t think, and hear. I love my friends and I love food. My joys are really simple. It’s probably a lot less complicated than most, or maybe I assume that.

Also, I protect my food at all costs, I’ll tell you that much. (laughs) My hairstylist is an amazing cook, and I begged her to cook for me, so she cooked, and the food was so good. If someone had said, “Can I have one?” “No. No!” I will say no, because it’s easy for me to share a lot of things, but not food. But I’m always begging for someone else’s food, so I’m hypocritical in that way.

I feel you on that! (laughs) My last question. What would younger Regina be surprised to know about your life today?

RH: Oh my gosh. She’d be surprised about it all. You know, young Regina probably thought, Oh, this was going to happen at this age. “Oh, by 26 I’m going to do that, and then by 29 I’ll be married, and then by 30 I’ll have 1.1 kids. I’ll have my second one at 32. I’ll be a mogul at 33.” I mean, I don’t know. But she would be happy to know that I was happy.

In many ways, my life is beyond my wildest dreams, and in some ways it’s not what I imagined at all. But the biggest thing would be that I have good friends. I have great people in my life. Professionally and personally, I have amazing people in my life. Young Regina would be very happy to know that she made some good choices because she spent a lot of time in the clubs. She could have made some bad ones.

I try to tell my nieces and nephews that every decision always comes with a consequence, so be careful and mindful of the decisions you make.

RH: Every decision.

Your life can go right or left depending on your choices.

RH: Yes. Yes, yes! That goes from grade school to high school to college. I’ve always had really good friends.

Your support system means a lot.

RH: And you know what? My mama always knew. They always know who’s good for you and who’s not. I don’t know how moms know. I’d wonder, “How’d you know?” It’s amazing how they know. But yeah, that’s been really good.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

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