Real Simple -julkaisun June 2024 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

IS IT JUST ME, or is America getting… shoppier? Lately everywhere I look, someone’s trying to sell me something. They’re pitching me on Instagram, or I’m being upsold by that “Frequently Bought Together” list on Amazon, or the company I gave my number to for a discount is texting me about a new “can’t-miss” sale. Thanks to all these semi-bespoke bots matching me algorithmically with products, temptation abounds to acquire, well, more. I actually love shopping, but the idea of filling my home with junk does not appeal. What I’m looking for, and maybe you are too, is the good stuff. The things I really want or truly need. This issue is all about that good stuff because—here’s my unabashed flex—REAL SIMPLE is aces at product recommendations. Our gift guides…

Brighten & Depuff If your dark circles persist despite healthy eating and sleeping habits, you might want to upgrade your eye cream. Some are better than others, says Ryan Turner, MD, a dermatologist in New York City and cofounder of the skin-care line TRNR Skin. He suggests getting one with niacinamide or vitamin C, which can lighten the area over time. Also, puffiness tends to cast shadows. To depuff, use a cream with a metal applicator “to move fluid away from the undereye area,” he says. Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream ($65; ysebeauty.com) checks all the boxes. Correct, Conceal & Carry On Instead of piling on concealer, go for a less-is-more approach, says celebrity makeup artist Jamie Greenberg. “Apply a dot of a yellow color corrector to counteract purple…

Play Time Kong Wubba Classic This is the Swiss Army knife of dog toys, says Karen London, an animal behaviorist and dog trainer in Flagstaff, Arizona. “It’s fun for dogs who like to tug, dogs who like to fetch, dogs who like squeaky toys, and dogs who like to thrash their toys around.” From $8; chewy.com Egg-cersizer Cat Toy Puzzle feeders can help keep your cat from getting bored—and turning destructive! Rachel Geller, EdD, a cat behaviorist in Newton, Massachusetts, likes that this one lets you close or open the treat-dispensing holes to make the game more or less challenging. $10; petsafe.com Training Time Rapid Rewards Treat Pouch This bag has a roomy main compartment, a magnetic closure, and a spot for poop bags. “I’ve had one for 20 years,”…

THE BUSY ACTOR DOING HER BEST In her New York Times bestselling memoir, This Will Only Hurt a Little, Busy Philipps proudly asserts one of her more singular qualities. “I’m sparkly,” she says, explaining how she got into college. (She delivered her application by hand.) We agree there’s something fizzy and lovely and dazzling about her. The multihyphenate landed her first major role on the cult-classic comedy-drama TV series Freaks and Geeks and joined the cast of Dawson’s Creek during its fifth season. You may have seen her on Cougar Town, in movies like White Chicks and I Feel Pretty, and memorably as the “cool mom” in this year’s movie-musical reboot of Mean Girls. She deftly embodies Summer, one quarter of an aggressively clueless quartet in the sitcom Girls5eva. Except…

1 Never Block a Window Occasionally you have to! For example, in a bedroom that can’t otherwise fit your bed. Designer Orlando Soria (@mrorlandosoria) has a smart trick: “I tend to like a spindle headboard so light can still travel through.” He framed these windows with velvet shades that feel like an extension of the bed. 2 Everything Should Be Symmetrical Holy trapezoid! “We chose to vault the ceiling, and that created a dramatic angle,” says interior designer Shannon Eddings (@shannoneddingsinteriors) of this sitting room. To emphasize the unusual shape, she went with a wallpaper that’s more like a mural. The mismatched chairs, end tables, and lamps add to the asymmetrical look and somehow bring cohesion. 3 Trim Should Be White We call balderdash. Painting your baseboards and molding a surprising color is…

1 GOOD ANGLES It’s three vases in one! Newlyweds can swap their blooms around the architectural acrylic chambers to create a bunch of looks with just a few stems. Flowers not included. Mondri Vase, $100; store.moma.org 2 POT LUCK For the couple that cooks together: This nesting set has a Dutch oven, a grill pan, a braiser, and a lid that fits all three. Staub Enameled Cast Iron Stackable Cookware Set, from $500; williams-sonoma.com 3 DIRTY WORK Yes, this vacuum is sleek and cordless, but the coolest thing about it is that it empties itself every time it’s docked. Note: It might start fights over who gets to use it. CordZero All in One Cordless Stick Vacuum, $599; lg.com 4 SOMETHING SPARKLING Help keep the spark alive! This countertop carbonator can add bubbles to…

Silver While it tends to tarnish over time due to sulfates in the air, the silver lining (heh!) is that it’s easy to untarnish. For pieces with mild discoloration, grab a cotton jewelry cloth (see right for our rec) and gently massage them. Dingier items may require a silver cleaner (see right). Pour some of the cleaner onto a microfiber cloth and scrub, or try a soak, following the directions on the package. If you’re looking for a DIY solution: Fill a bowl with lukewarm water and stir in a few drops of mild liquid dish soap. Drop in your jewelry and let it soak for five minutes. For extra oomph, you can add a few drops of ammonia to the bowl too (wear gloves). After the “bath,” use a…

JUNETEENTH WAS AROUND long before it was named a federal holiday in 2021. For more than a century, Black Americans have celebrated this day with families, friends, neighbors, and religious groups to commemorate the abolishment of slavery, acknowledge its tragedies, and honor the pursuit of freedom for all. Now more and more people from other cultural backgrounds are participating, and the celebrations are getting bigger. If you’re looking to join the festivities, here are five cities that helped bring the holiday the attention it deserves. Galveston, Texas Head to the birthplace of Juneteenth, which marks the date (June 19, 1865) when the Union Army general Gordon Granger and his troops read General Order No. 3 throughout the city, informing the people enslaved in Texas that they were free. (The Emancipation…

LAVENDER HAS LONG been a beloved flowering plant, not only for its looks and aroma but also because of its distinct floral flavor in dishes and its well-documented antibacterial and calming properties. Believed to be first farmed and distilled for its oils in Arabia some 2,500 years ago, lavender is now a multimillion-dollar industry. Let’s take a look at the favorite herb through the ages. IT’S NAMED AFTER BATHS Lavender is native to the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, where it still grows wild. The ancient Romans took advantage of it and, in one of the earliest examples of people embracing its fragrance in their daily routines, added lavender blossoms to their bathwater. In fact, the word “lavender” comes from the Latin lavare, meaning “to wash.” IT WAS USED…

RECIPES FOR REAL LIFE It takes a bit of effort to shell these little guys, but it’s worth it for their sweet, delicate flavor. SHOP They’re most commonly found at farmers markets (or in your own garden!). Look for plump, firm pods with no browning. STORE Keep them for just a day or two in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The sooner you cook them, the sweeter they’ll be. EAT Shell the peas (compost the pods) and blanch them in lightly salted water. Toss with chopped mint and extra-virgin olive oil for a side, or smash them and pile onto toast. They’re also irresistible lightly sautéed in butter or eaten straight out of the shell. Tap here to shop some great kitchen gear!…

ACTIVE TIME 40 MINUTES TOTAL TIME 1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES MAKES ABOUT 3¼ CUPS 1 large egg white¼ cup tahini2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil1 tsp. kosher salt1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats⅓ cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)⅓ cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds⅓ cup sesame seeds1 Tbsp. fennel seeds, crushed1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, crushed¼ tsp. crushed red pepper PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Whisk egg white, tahini, oil, and salt in a large bowl until combined. Stir in oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and crushed red pepper until well coated and mixture begins to form small clumps. SPREAD in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring halfway through, until toasted and crisp, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheet, about 30…

Our granddaughter! She’s 6 and smart as a whip. She lights up our home with her imagination and colors our lives with her creative artwork. No decorating I could ever do can compete with that. DENISE JAWOR FRANKFORT, ILLINOIS The quilt on my bed. It’s actually a duvet cover made out of saris. It’s just the right weight, and it’s so bright and colorful. It makes me smile every day! KELLIE WILSON LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA The chartreuse cushions on my vintage-inspired dining chairs. THETAROT PROFESSOR The walls in my living room, staircase, and hallway. They’re sunshine yellow, and I love them year-round, but especially when it’s cold and gray outside! JEANNE DICKEY FORT COLLINS, COLORADO My tiny turquoise bathroom. I painted it to match my favorite picture from a trip to…

1 GREAT AWAKENER Makeup artist Bobbi Brown created nine pinky-peach hues to brighten dark circles. It’s a pencil, yes. It’s also super creamy, so it doesn’t tug! Dab it under eyes, in corners, and on spots for an even complexion without much makeup. The Neutralizer Pencil, $25; jonesroadbeauty.com 2 SPOT STOPPER Are brown spots stressing you out? Saaame. Swipe this handy stick on your face before your (strong) SPF. Arbutin helps fade existing marks while ferulic acid helps ward off future ones. I use it on my hands too. Superbright 15% Vitamin C Serum Stick, $38; livetinted.com 3 WONDER WASH Getting ready for bed has never felt so fun! Place a square in your palm, run it under water for two seconds, and massage the lather into skin for the ideal dose of…

When cooking outside, nothing is off-limits for Gaby Dalkin. In her aptly titled new cookbook, What’s Gaby Cooking: Grilling All the Things ($35; abramsbooks.com), she throws nachos, frittatas, and many varieties of fruit on the grates. One of her go-tos? A chocolate-stuffed banana. “Slice an unpeeled banana in half lengthwise, and press in some thin chocolate pieces. Char it up on the grill with the lid closed. Once the fruit is caramelized, scoop it and the chocolate out and eat it over ice cream.” While grilled fruit can be an amazing dessert (flames bring out fruit’s natural sweetness), Dalkin also shares some savory ideas below that are, well, fire. Regardless of what you’re making, she says, well-oiled grates are key, as is grilling over indirect heat. Her biggest tip is…

MANY OF US, especially women, are taught not to talk about money. We’re told it’s rude, or crass, some kind of top-secret matter. But experts agree that discussing finances helps normalize the topic, gives us ideas, motivates us to save, and makes complex situations less confusing. Always down to discuss all things cheddar, we teamed up with our friends at Investopedia and built the Her Money Mindset Survey. We posed questions to more than 2,000 women about how they think about money, what they do with it, what they’d like to learn to do with it, and more. Then we analyzed their answers. Here’s what we found, plus some advice for our survey takers—and you! ON CONFIDENCE 38% said they’re confident or very confident about their financial knowledge saving &…

#1 / Red Pesto Fettuccine ACTIVE TIME 25 MINUTES TOTAL TIME 25 MINUTES SERVES 4 ✓ Quick Cooking ✓ Make Ahead ✓ Vegetarian 1 lb. fettuccine½ cup raw walnuts3 medium cloves garlic, smashed3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil½ cup drained julienned sun-dried tomatoes in oil plus 2 Tbsp. oil from jar (from a 5-oz. jar)2 Tbsp. tomato paste2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about ¾ cup), plus more for topping1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)¼ to ½ tsp. crushed red pepper½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more for cooking pasta COOK pasta in boiling salted water in a large pot according to package directions for al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return it to pot. WHILE pasta is boiling, cook walnuts, garlic, olive oil, and tomato oil…

Readers Say… Of Course It Does! “Oral storytelling is a tradition far older than written storytelling. It all counts!” JEN_MONNIER “If the purpose of a book is to stimulate the imagination, broaden perspectives, and improve vocabulary, who cares if we use our eyes or our ears for it?” LALALUNCHBOX “The opposition to audiobooks is so often grounded in snobbery or ableism.” LAURAADETRE Nope, Not the Same! “Yes, you’re consuming the same content by listening to an audiobook, but you’re not reading—you’re being read to.” JULIESHENKMAN “You wouldn’t say your infant ‘reads’ a book when you read it to them.” OPTIMISTICPHOENIX “I don’t think it counts as reading, which has a clear definition. Maybe we should come up with a new word.” VANIVONNE The Experts Say… Hear here! Use the code…