AhbarjietMalta

Director Wong Kar-wai's First TV Series Stokes Nostalgia for 90s Shanghai

—

Today's Amazon Deals - https://amzn.to/3FeoGyg 

—

Director Wong Kar-wai's First TV Series Stokes Nostalgia for 90s Shanghai

‘Blossoms Shanghai’ evokes memories of a more open and optimistic period in China.

A craze for Shanghai is sweeping China thanks to a television drama set in the city in the 1990s that has tapped into growing nostalgia for a past era, at a time of deep economic malaise in the country.

Blossoms Shanghai, which aired the last of its 30 episodes on Jan. 9, tells the story of Ah Bao, a young opportunist trying to strike riches through the city’s then nascent stock market and export industry, while romancing three women. The show, originally a novel, was adapted by Wong Kar-wai, the first foray into TV for the Hong Kong director whose distinctive cinematography is present in the sultry aesthetics of Blossoms. Wong, who was born in Shanghai, is best known internationally for his movies including In the Mood for Love and Chungking Express.

BloombergCityLab

Inside the Architecture of Children’s Books

How UK Architecture Firms Manage Succession Strategies

Paris May Ban Key Boxes in Battle Against Short-Term Stays

South African City Built on Coal Confronts an Uncertain Future

The show, which evokes memories of a more open and optimistic time, comes as China’s citizens struggle with an economic slowdown and tightening state control over all areas of business and private life. In Shanghai, that feeling of longing for the past is compounded by the lingering trauma of the Covid lockdown, where residents were forced to stay in their apartments for months. That anger culminated in rare street protests at the end of 2022.

To Ease Housing Crunch, Theme Parks Are Becoming Homebuilders

—

Today's Amazon Deals - https://amzn.to/3FeoGyg 

—

To Ease Housing Crunch, Theme Parks Are Becoming Homebuilders

Orlando, Florida, is on the front line of an industry trend as major employers like Universal and Disney look to close the area’s workforce housing gap. 

By Patrick Sisson

For visitors, Universal Studios Florida offers a chance to visit a fantastical land full of wizards, Minions and various characters from NBC Universal’s many film and television properties. But for the roughly 28,000 men and women who work at the 840-acre theme park and resort complex in Orlando, the troubles of the real world — like the rising cost of housing — are not far away.

Central Florida has seen some of the nation’s fastest pandemic-era rent increases, thanks to a confluence of job growth, migration and housing underproduction that has put a strain on residents. The average tenant in the region saw their monthly rent jump by $600 between early 2020 and early 2023. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro area has one of the worst affordable housing shortages in the US, with only 15 available units for every 100 extremely low-income renter households.

The dire need for workforce housing is behind the entertainment conglomerate’s latest project in Central Florida: a 1,000-unit mixed-use development, set to open in 2026, that promises to give tenants who work in the service industry a short commute to the constellation of tourist attractions and hotels nearby. To launch the project, Universal donated 20 acres of land adjacent to the Orange County convention center. Called Catchlight Crossings and built in partnership with local developer Wendover Housing Partners, the project broke ground in November.

8 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Bolster Pillows to Breath Mints

—

Today's Amazon Deals - https://amzn.to/3FeoGyg 

—

8 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Bolster Pillows to Breath Mints

We write about hundreds of products every week. Here, in our version of the Sunday circular, we’ve plucked some of our recent favorites: expert-recommended essentials, life-changing stuff you didn’t know you needed, newly launched gizmos, and very good deals we uncovered while trawling the vast online-shopping universe — including the kissable lip balm Jessica Chastain can’t live without, an indoor mat that looks nice (and will fit under your door), and the boots that can withstand -45-degree weather.

Michelle Visage’s go-to for “beautiful minty breath”

St. Claire's Organic Wintermints

St. Claire’s Organic Wintermints - 3

$15

“I don’t leave the house without them,” says Michelle Visage of these organic, not artificially sweetened breath mints. “I have them in every vehicle, I have them in every bag, I have them between takes.” Although the RuPaul’s Drag Race judge notes the natural ingredients these mints are made from — tapioca, essential oil, and molasses sweetener — might sound “vile,” she promises the wintermint flavor is especially delicious and does the job. “I don’t ever want somebody to be like, ‘Oh, Michelle smells funky,’” Visage says.

$15 AT AMAZON

$9 AT ST. CLAIRE'S

Foolproof falsies that’ll last you three days

FlutterHabit Sweetheart Curly Lashes

FlutterHabit Sweetheart Curly Lashes

$30

The Vogue team’s guide to the best facials in Sydney

—

Today's Amazon Deals - https://amzn.to/3FeoGyg 

—

The Vogue team’s guide to the best facials in Sydney

The tried and true best places in Sydney for your skin, according to Vogue.

Image credit: Instagram.com/rationale

In the realm of wellness and skincare, there is one timeless treatment that will never cease to be the most beloved, luxurious and life-changing—the perennial facial. And everyone who has ever had one usually has an opinion about where to go, what to do and who to consult when it comes to their individual skin health concerns.

In an era where genuine, considered skincare comes well before anything else in the beauty space, the traditional “everything” day spa has been taken over by a slew of skin clinics that specialise in niche skin consultations and precise, unique facials that will leave your skin far better off than before you walked in.

But where to start? There are a range of facials that include things like anti-aging treatments and natural masks, laser beauty, skin needling, LED sessions, hydrafacials, chemical peels, IPL photo rejuvenation, facial massage, and other treatments to fight melasma, hyperpigmentation and acne-prone skin—to name but a few ways to go. It can make the process of choosing a facialist, and finding the treatment that best suits our skin, overwhelming and even daunting. 

Enter our Vogue staffers to calm your pre-facial nerves and set you on the right path. Below, we’ve curated our tried-and-tested favourite facial treatments and facialists in Sydney, to help you help yourself in nailing your skincare approach. You’re welcome.

Shut up and thrive? Why seeking out silence could improve your health

—

Today's Amazon Deals - https://amzn.to/3FeoGyg 

—

Shut up and thrive? Why seeking out silence could improve your health

If too much noise is too much, yet we struggle to sit with too little, where is the sweet spot?

If you’re the type to scoff at the notion of a silent retreat, it might be time for a rethink. According to research by the World Health Organisation, the levels and amount of noise we are bombarded with on a daily basis are harming our health. It’s a warning backed up by a 2020 report which found that one in five people are exposed to noise levels considered detrimental to their health. Experts now believe adequate periods of silence are key to optimal health. In his book Silence: In the Age of Noise, Norwegian explorer Erling Kagge even dubs silence the “new luxury”.

While excessive noise can place a burden on our mental health, the impacts can also be physical, manifesting in issues such as increased heart rate, poorer heart health, cognition issues and blood pressure. One long-term study in Canada found that continuous traffic noise accounted for an increased risk of diabetes and high blood pressure in participants. While we know that noise pollution can increase the risk of behavioural issues in children and adolescents, it’s now suggested that constant noise for adults can activate the body’s stress response, causing a cascade of stress hormones like cortisol to flood the body. If you’re already under pressure and feeling stressed, this only exacerbates the problem and creates a vicious cycle. One study carried out on people living in multi-storey housing in Denmark highlighted the physical stress-response that can be triggered as a result of environmental noise exposure, while another study outlined a link between living with constant noise from aircraft and railway tracks and depression.

8 anti-ageing products promising to turn back the clock

—

Today's Amazon Deals - https://amzn.to/3FeoGyg 

—

8 anti-ageing products promising to turn back the clock

Vogue Australia may receive advertising or affiliate commission if you buy through our links. Read more here.

Wrinkles, fine lines, age spots, pigmentation, uneven texture; the visible markers on our skin of the inevitable passage of time. But, it doesn’t have to be a slow march towards looking beyond the age we feel inside (and also sometimes claim to be—no judgement, age is just a number after all). Ageing gracefully is an easy feat when you equip yourself with a simple, yet effective, skin care regimen that is based on potent active ingredients.. And while you can’t literally turn back the clock, there are plenty of products which can keep your skin looking nourished, smooth and healthy as time moves on. 

“As we get older, our skin changes in a number of ways and is entirely unique to each individual,” explains Stephen de Heinrich de Omorovicza, the founder of leading luxury Hungarian skincare brand Omorovicza. “The natural ageing process involves a decline in collagen production, causing the skin to lose elasticity and leading to the formation of fine lines and wrinkles. Signs of pigmentation such as age spots may start to appear [and] hyaluronic acid content starts to decrease alongside cell turnover which causes dryness of the skin.” 

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 30ml

—

Today's Amazon Deals - https://amzn.to/3FeoGyg 

—

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 30ml

Is this for you?

Reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin tone and refine skin texture with this powerful facial treatment.  

Cruelty Free

Artificial Fragrance Free

Vegan

Alcohol Free

Paraben Free

Cosmeceuticals

A medium strength retinal for those who have used retinol before, or a starting point for those without sensitive skin.

If you’re looking to fight all signs of aging, then the Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 is your answer.

Reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin tone and refine skin texture with this powerful facial treatment. Thanks to its technologically advanced formula, Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 resurfaces skin, helping to boost collagen to help reveal a radiant, youthful complexion. By using this advanced Vitamin A treatment, skin is left soft and smooth, while fine lines and wrinkles are dramatically reduced, and your overall skin tone is improved. The Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 is starting point for normal skin in the Medik8 Crystal Retinal line, or the next step up from users of Crystal Retinal .

Omorovicza

Blue Diamond Supercream 50m

—

Today's Amazon Deals - https://amzn.to/3FeoGyg 

—

Omorovicza

Blue Diamond Supercream 50m

What you need to know

BENEFITS

Vegan

•Hydrating

•Exfoliating

•Firming

•Plumping

•Smoothing

•Sulphate-free

THE MECCA VIEW

Dubbed a 'supercream' for good reason, this luxurious face cream uses a trio of innovative ingredients - diamond peptides, arabinogalactans and a compound of essential amino-acids and copper - to protect the healthy life and DNA of skin cells for greater elasticity and firmness. Deeply hydrating, skin feels dramatically firmer and more youthful in appearance with each use. This efficacious cream is infused with Omorovicza's Healing Concentrate™ to leave skin firmer, more supple and younger-looking.

KEY INGREDIENTS

Diamond peptides: help to prolong the healthy life of skin cells and to protect their DNA.

Arabinogalactans: accelerate the oxygenation of the skin and protect against hypoxic stress

SkinCeuticals Resveratrol B E 30ml

—

Today's Amazon Deals - https://amzn.to/3FeoGyg 

—

SkinCeuticals Resveratrol B E 30ml

SkinCeuticals has launched their latest antioxidant night cocktail, Resveratrol BE. This skin resilience booster will give skin improved radiance, elasticity and better density. Resveratrol BE reduces the visible effects of collagen breakdown for age-resilient, taut skin.

How does SkinCeuticals Resveratrol B E - Antioxidant Night Concentrate work?

SkinCeuticals Resveratrol BE is a powerful antioxidant night concentrate that helps skin?s internal antioxidant defense system to repair and prevent accumulated damage.

SkinCeuticals' patent pending antioxidant cocktail neutralises intrinsic free radicals to protect and strengthen skin's natural defences for sustained healthy longevity.

What are the key ingredients in SkinCeuticals Resveratrol B E - Antioxidant Night Concentrate

Combining 1% pure Resveratrol, 0.5% Baicalin and 1% Alpha Tocopherol this potent nightime treatment contains a maximised concentration of pure, stable resveratrol synergistically enhanced with baicalin and vitamin E. These in combination work to effectively boost skin's endogenous antioxidant defense against oxidative stress.  

How do I use SkinCeuticals Resveratrol B E - Antioxidant Night Concentrate?

Once in the evening after cleansing, apply 1-2 pumps to a dry face.

SEPHORA EXCLUSIVE

BIOSSANCE

Squalane + Omega Repair Cream

—

Today's Amazon Deals - https://amzn.to/3FeoGyg 

—

SEPHORA EXCLUSIVE

BIOSSANCE

Squalane + Omega Repair Cream

DESCRIPTION

Skin Type: Combination, Dry, Normal, Oily

Skin Concerns: Dryness, Fine Lines & Wrinkles, Firmness & Elasticity, Dullness

Formulation: Cream

Skincare By Age: 20s , 30s, 40s, 50+

What it is:A deeply hydrating moisturiser that fortifies the moisture barrier with lipids and minimises the appearance of fine lines for plump, replenished skin.What it does:This ultra-rich, fragrance-free formula packed with lipids reinforces the natural moisture barrier for your healthiest-looking skin, without leaving a greasy feel. Nourishing squalane, restorative omega fatty acids, moisturising ceramides and replenishing plant sterols deliver exceptionally soft, radiant skin.What it includes:

To recycle, remove and dispose of the cap and dropper. Empty and rinse the remaining product from the bottle. Place in your recycling bin.

Ceramides & Fatty Acids: Strengthen and repair the moisture barrier

Hyaluronic Acid: Visibly plumps skin

Sugarcane-Derived Squalane: Deeply nourishes dry, flaky skin.