Year Archives - fashion

The holidays may be a little subdued this year because of the Coronavirus pandemic, with social gatherings and interactions with our loved ones kept to a minimum. Our little ones are still looking forward to something though: toys. And, with everything that has happened in 2020, we think that giving kids a tiny bit of happiness through gift-giving is a joy unto itself.

So what’s hot in 2020? Surprise toys are still in demand and so is Baby Yoda. (Who wouldn’t want to play with the cutest Force-sensitive baby this side of the galaxy?) Nintendo is making headlines with record Switch sales and their influence is even spilling over to the brick-building genre with the LEGO Super Mario set. Here are some of the most anticipated toys of the year and where to find them:

Barbie Dreamplane playset. Photo: BestBuy

To many, Barbie is synonymous with fun and whimsy. It’s the ultimate brand when it comes to dolls and with the Barbie Dreamplane Playset, you can let your young storyteller’s imagination take flight. The two-seater cabin opens up to reveal over 15 in-flight elements, including luggage space, a dining cart and other passenger amenities. This Barbie Dreamplane playset includes a puppy figure for those who just can’t live without their precious pooch. With travel restricted this year, it would be nice to get your kids looking forward to traveling to other parts of the world again soon.

Order the Barbie Dreamplane Playset from Best Buy.

Myla The Magic Unicorn. Photo: BestBuy

VTech has long been known as a maker of popular kid’s toys and they’ve certainly not disappointed this year. Its most popular character, Myla The Magical Unicorn, is one of the hottest toys of the year with it being sold out in many store shelves. The magical butterfly wand on Myla’s wings, horn and eyes come in a variety of colors, and she talks, sings and gives children positive reinforcement. Your kid can sing hours of duets with Myla by holding the microphone near her mouth. It certainly won’t hurt for your child to get a daily dose of encouragement after such a tough year.

Order Myla The Magical Unicorn from Best Buy.

Baby Yoda a.k.a. The Child. Photo: BestBuy

Disney’s hit show The Mandalorian is seen by many fans as a return to form for the franchise. It follows a lone warrior dubbed “Mando” in his exciting adventures across the galaxy. Along the way, he gains a cute sidekick in the form of an infant who is the same species as Jedi Grand Master Yoda. Referred to as The Child, but affectionately called Baby Yoda by the show’s fans, he has become one of the recognizable characters in the whole Star Wars universe. This plush figure has a sculpted vinyl head and a soft bean-filled body that measures 11 inches.

Order Star Wars: The Child plus toy from Best Buy.

LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Starter Course. Photo: BestBuy

This LEGO Mario Kart starter course let’s you build

gift

This year, give a holiday gift that evokes your favorite city or state

December 3, 2020 [email protected]_84 City, Evokes, Favorite, Gift, Give, Holiday, State, Year

In July of 2018, I walked through downtown Juneau, Alaska, with Midgi Moore, who founded and runs Juneau Food Tours. She took me and a handful of other tourists to a smattering of small restaurants, trendy breweries and outdoor waterside vendors selling everything from freshly shucked oysters to provisions like locally pickled kelp. I bought a few items to bring home, which I stockpiled for gifts. All joyfully received in subsequent months, I’m happy to say, by giftees who reported a newfound interest in visiting the 49th state.

a plate of food on a table: The Nashville Hot Chicken Gift Batch.

© Rob Williams/Batch
The Nashville Hot Chicken Gift Batch.

This past April, with the pandemic in its nascent stage and Americans blissfully unaware of the devastation ahead, I received an email from Midgi notifying me that she launched a new enterprise: Taste Alaska! The subscription box service operated on the philosophy, “If you can’t come to us, we’ll come to you.” The boxes, also available as one-offs, contain a changing inventory of Alaskan food items, like reindeer sausage and smoked salmon. In every mix are visitor guides from different parts of the state and a Native Alaskan Ulu knife.

Taste Alaska! is one of the newer examples of a growing number of companies that act simultaneously as curators, agents and advocates for small artisanal businesses, affording everyone the opportunity to shop like a local, even when they aren’t. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on small businesses. In New York, a report by the Partnership for New York City projected a third of the 230,000 small businesses could close. If ever there was a time to shop independent, this is it.

And beyond the opportunity to help, there is the payoff. Buying from small makers — be it in your own city or another — is sure to yield more original, memorable items than something off the shelf in the nearest big-box store. Moreover, in addition to providing a sense of discovering something new, the way travel would, gifts from far-off places offer the giftee a pleasant reminder of traveling. When the pandemic started, I wrote a story for these pages about the joys of collecting souvenirs. I spoke to Sam Gosling, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and author of “Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You.” He explained that joy we get from travel — or any special occasion — comes on both sides of the actual experience, both in anticipation and memory. Part of the joy of these offerings is the thought of traveling again.

[The Washington Post 2020 Holiday Gift Guide]

In early 2013, Michigan native Cory Wright moved back to his hometown, outside Detroit, after several years managing a restaurant in Manhattan. He had gotten used to geeking out, he says, with the chefs about local farms. But back in Michigan, the locavore movement hadn’t quite caught on yet. So he launched Mitten Crate to spotlight the region’s native agriculture and creative producers.

text, letter: The Taste Alaska Box from Juneau Food Tours.

© Juneau Food Tours
The Taste Alaska Box from

women

Zooms and texts with mentors helped GOP women win this year

December 3, 2020 [email protected]_84 GOP, helped, mentors, texts, win, women, Year, Zooms

The coronavirus pandemic sent candidates scrambling in the spring, trying to figure out how to campaign amid a global health crisis. For Republican women, that meant calling Julie Conway.

“I was having the same conversation 30 times a day,” Conway, the executive director of VIEW PAC, which supports GOP women running for office, said in a recent interview. “It occurred to me: Why don’t I just get them together once a day?”

Then came the Zoom calls — roughly two dozen female Republicans running for Congress, with no staff or consultants, having candid discussions with experts, current and former lawmakers and each other about how to adjust their campaigns. In the spring, those calls occurred every day and eventually became less frequent. But Conway plans to hold similar virtual events in future election cycles.

This kind of virtual gathering was new, but the behind-the-scenes mentoring wasn’t. Though often unseen, mentors have long helped female candidates navigate obstacles their male counterparts may not face. Lawmakers and campaign strategists say this mentorship is vital, and the record number of women in the House is thanks in part to this support.

Republicans, left with just 13 women in the House after the 2018 elections, were especially focused on supporting female candidates this cycle. The next Congress will see at least 28 House GOP women, a new record.

Source Article …

gift

Carrie Underwood’s ‘Gift’ to Fans: Creating ‘Light in a Dark Year’ With New Christmas Album & Special

December 3, 2020 [email protected]_84 Album, Carrie, Christmas, Creating, dark, fans, Gift, Light, Special, Underwoods, Year

Fans can see her perform “Hallelujah” with Legend, as well as other holiday treats on her HBO Max special My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood, premiering Thursday. She’ll also reveal behind-the-scenes moments during the recording process of “Little Drummer Boy” with her 5-year-old son Isaiah to spread much-needed holiday cheer from her family to others.

“I really hope people watch it and just feel at peace. It’s the kind of thing that you can watch with your family. Hopefully, people sing along with me on their couches and just get a sense of hope and peace and love and joy and all of the good things that are about Christmas,” Underwood tells Billboard via a phone interview.

“Silent Night” and “Hallelujah” from your album are among the top five most-streamed holiday songs this year. Why do you think your fans have particularly gravitated to those songs from your Christmas album?

You never know how people are going to react when you record something or write something or whatever it is. You just kind of throw it all out there and just see. But I think with “Hallelujah,” it’s just a beautiful song. It covers a lot of ground in Christmas song land. It’s got some spiritual aspects to it, it’s got kind of this love story thing to it, it’s got all of the tactile [elements] … winter’s chill, candles. It paints the scene really well, so it kind of puts you into that time of year. And I’m glad to see people are digging what we’re doing.

Your HBO Max special is officially being unwrapped this week. What’s the most heartfelt moment you’re looking forward to fans seeing as you perform your original and traditional Christmas carols?

We went about this whole special just wanting it to be beautiful and timeless. And the way it’s shot, the scenes that are created around me, are just that. I got the chance to watch it back in a theater and sit there — it was just four or five of us watching everything. And I was singing — not literally, but with my body, like tensing up singing every note with myself, and just the way it’s shot is just beautiful. I really hope people watch it and just feel at peace.

How did it feel recording “Little Drummer Boy” with your 5-year-old son Isaiah, who made his Billboard chart debut with the track?

It was so great. He came in, I asked him if he might want to do it. I definitely wanted it to be his choice and didn’t want to force him into it or make it feel like work or anything like that. And he, at 5 years old, I feel like has just such a heart for the Lord. He is so compassionate and so sweet and so giving and so loving. He is what I think of when I think of the “Little Drummer Boy.” So I asked him if he wanted to

gift

Creating ‘Light in a Dark Year’ With New Christmas Album & Special

December 2, 2020 [email protected]_84 Album, Christmas, Creating, dark, Light, Special, Year

Carrie Underwood

The Christmas tiding of “peace on earth” can’t ring loudly enough in 2020. From the deadly COVID-19 pandemic to Black Lives Matter protests calling for racial justice, peace has been in short supply. Carrie Underwood is hoping to “create light in a dark year” through her holiday album and TV special.

Not even the acclaimed Queen of Christmas Mariah Carey lets her Lambs sing her No. 1 holiday staple “All I Want for Christmas Is You” until Nov. 1. But on Sept. 25, Underwood delivered a special early present: her first full-length Christmas album, My Gift, which contained 11 traditional and original jingles. My Giftdebuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (dated Oct. 1), bestowing the country singer her eighth consecutive No. 1 album on the tally.

Not only did My Gift kickstart Christmas early, but it spawned two of the top five new streaming holiday songs of the year, through Nov. 26, according to MRC Data/Nielsen Music, with “Silent Night” at No. 3 (6.3 million on-demand streams) and “Hallelujah,” featuring John Legend, at No. 5 (4.1 million). “Favorite Time of Year,” which is streaming exclusively on Amazon and appears as an extra on the album, comes in at No. 4 (5.9 million).

Your HBO Max specialis officially being unwrapped this week. What’s the most heartfelt moment you’re looking forward to fans seeing as you perform

gift

Give the ultimate holiday gift this year: a hopeful future

December 2, 2020 [email protected]_84 future, Gift, Give, Holiday, hopeful, Ultimate, Year

Holidays are about spending time with the people most precious to us. Unfortunately, in the middle of a pandemic, one of the most important ways to show that we care is by staying apart.

Perhaps nobody is feeling this loss more acutely than older Americans.

Seniors – especially seniors of color – are at highest risk of severe illness or death due to COVID-19. About 8 out of 10 deaths in the United States have been people over age 65.

Long-term care facilities have been hit especially hard. Out of nearly 270,000 deaths in the United States, around 100,000 of those lost have been long-term care residents or staff members.

Many facilities have closed their doors to visitors and ended group activities to prevent coronavirus from spreading. These lockdowns help protect people’s physical health, but they can take a mental toll. One in four older adults has reported that they’ve suffered from anxiety or depression during the pandemic.

My own mom is 94, and she lives in a senior living community in Michigan. During last spring’s lockdown, she asked me if this was what the rest of her life would look like. I didn’t know how to respond.

As we’re heading into a new year and new Congress, it’s important to keep the specific needs of older Americans in mind.

The most important thing we can do for seniors – and everyone else – is to finally get this pandemic under control. The incoming Biden administration is bringing together a team of public health experts to do just that. It will ramp up testing and contact tracing, use the Defense Production Act to ensure that health care providers and frontline workers have enough personal protective equipment, provide clear and consistent guidance to families and communities, and ensure that vaccines are safe, effective and equitably distributed as soon as possible.

In the meantime, far too many Americans have lost their jobs – and with it their employer-provided health care. This includes many people over age 50, who often struggle to find affordable health insurance options that meet their needs.

We can help make sure this population has health coverage by passing my Medicare at 50 Act. It would give people the option to buy into Medicare early. This would lower their costs, fortify the existing Medicare program and strengthen the health insurance marketplace by including a younger and healthier population.

As ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I’m also laser-focused on food security. Our neighbors are going hungry – we’ve all seen the photos of cars lining up for hours at food banks, which are struggling to meet demand.

One of the most important steps we can take right now is to boost food assistance. Increasing SNAP benefits by at least 15% would provide an additional $25 per month per person as our country faces a true hunger crisis.

In addition to feeding hungry seniors and

clothing

3rd restaurant opens in Mount Pleasant center this year; Charleston clothing shop to open | Business

December 2, 2020 [email protected]_84 3rd, Business, center, Charleston, clothing, Mount, open, opens, pleasant, Restaurant, Shop, Year

A Florida-based restaurant chain now offers two locations in the Charleston area and is the third new dining venue to set up shop in a Mount Pleasant shopping center this year.

Maple Street Biscuit Co. opened Tuesday at 996 Queensborough Blvd. in the Publix-anchored Queensborough Shopping Center near U.S. Highway 17 and Anna Knapp Boulevard. It follows Paisano’s Pizza Grill, which opened earlier this year, and Groucho’s Deli, which opened in the fall.

Maple Street’s specialties include freshly made biscuits, never-frozen chicken and newly ground beans every day for fresh coffee. Full-plate offerings are on the menu as well.

Owned by Sandy Powers, it’s open 7 a.m.-2 p.m. each day. Richard Starling will oversee the new location.

Record holiday spending projected from more disposable income due to pandemic

Maple Street previously opened is at 1739 Maybank Highway in the Harris Teeter-anchored James Island Center.

Jacksonville-based Maple Street has 41 restaurants in seven Southern states, including two Upstate locations in Simpsonville and Greenville.

Portal on St. Philip St. — Tina Heath-Schuttenberg will open a new vintage clothing shop called Portal at 189 St. Philip St. on the Charleston peninsula on Dec. 10. Warren L. Wise/Staff

Vintage threads

A new vintage women’s apparel shop is opening in downtown Charleston.

Portal will offer pre-owned threads in a 1,023-square-foot shop at 189 St. Philip St. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. It’s scheduled to open Dec. 10.

Tina Heath-Schuttenberg, co-owner of James Island restaurants Kwei Fei and Micho, said she has been walking past the site for the past five years and dreaming of opening her own clothing store.

“I come from a retail background with my history spent as a buyer and merchandiser for a quirky mix of high/low brands (such as) Buffalo Exchange, Zac Posen, The Plaza Hotel and Dean & Deluca,” she said.

Eyewear shops, handbag vendor, rebranded grocer offer new retail venues in Charleston area

During the past few years, she and her husband and business partner David Schuttenberg worked to create the two restaurants at Charleston Pour House on Maybank Highway, which she said kept her busy.

“The stars finally aligned, and I’m making the move back to my first love of retail,” Heath-Schuttenberg said.

Portal, she said, will be a buy-sell-trade-rental concept for vintage threads. She also plans to include contemporary brands. With an all-inclusive size range, she says clothing styles from edgy to demure will come in “an odd mix” that will be offered at an “affordable luxury price point.”

The shop also plans to offer curbside pick-up service and appointments for those who might need a safer shopping experience during the pandemic. All selling and trading will be done by appointment.

SAS Shoes recently reopened on Sam Rittenberg Blvd. in West Ashley. It closed earlier this year when the former owners retired. Warren L. Wise/Staff

Stepping back in

A shoe store that closed earlier this year in West Ashley is now open again.

SAS Shoes can be found at 1755 Sam Rittenberg Blvd., at the same address it occupied previously.

accesories

South America Pet Care (Food, Grooming, Accessories & Healthcare) Market Outlook, 2020-2025 with 2019 as the Base Year – ResearchAndMarkets.com – Press Release

December 2, 2020 [email protected]_84 accessories, America, Base, Care, Food, Grooming, Healthcare, Market, Outlook, Pet, press, Release, ResearchAndMarketscom, South, Year

DUBLIN–(Business Wire)–The “South America Pet Care (Food, Grooming, Accessories & Healthcare) Market Outlook, 2025” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.

The report gives an all-round analysis of the South American pet care market, which is increasing day by day. In this, the millennial plays a considerable role in pet adoption as they consider the pet as humans and are willing to take care of them.

As urbanization continues and disposable income rises, more consumers are turning towards pet companionship. As South American people shifted from pet ownership to pet parenthood, opportunities in every pet care segment have increased for any company that wants to capitalize on it.

The rise of e-commerce and other technologies have pushed the market on the path of growth. As the ownership of pets is increasing, the segments associated with the pet care market like pet accessories, pet grooming, pet healthcare, are also rising, with people are becoming aware of pet health, well-being, and comfort.

Globally, the South American pet care market stands at fourth position, which has generated a revenue of above USD 9 Billion. The pet care market is still at a growing stage but has posted the fastest growth when compared to the top three regions globally. In certain countries, the grooming and accessories market is not explored to its maximum & thus providing opportunities to the companies.

The pet food market has the largest share in the South American pet care market, as the people are becoming more aware and responsible for what they are feeding to their pets. This growing awareness will let the market grow with an expected CAGR of above 6% in the forecasted period till the year 2025.

The pet food market is followed by pet services, which include accessories, healthcare, and grooming. The overall market trend related to pet grooming products has been observed with both the economical and premium quality being in demand.

In countries like Brazil and Argentina, people are spending more on the health and well-being of the pet, which has given a significant growth in the grooming service segment. Pet grooming products have observed the fastest growth at a rate of 6% CAGR historically. Brazil has established itself among the top five pet care markets globally in terms of the retail value of sales over the past few years, achieving tremendous growth even during the economic recession the country has faced since 2014.

Major players in the market

Nestle SA
Mars Incorporated
Colgate-Palmolive
J M Smucker
Blue-Buffalo
Champion Pet Foods
NicoluzziRacoes
United Pet Group Inc

Considered for the report:

Base year: 2019
Estimated year: 2020
Forecasted year: 2025

Key Topics Covered:

1 Executive Summary

2 Methodology

3 Regional Analysis

4 Global Pet Population Analysis

4.1 By Country (Dog/ Cat/ Bird/ Fish)

5 Global Pet Care Market Outlook

5.1 Market Size By ValueBy Segment

5.2 Market Share

5.3 Global Pet Food Market Outlook

5.4 Global Pet Healthcare Market Outlook

5.5 Global Pet Accessories Market Outlook

5.6 Global Pet Grooming Market Outlook

6 South

gift

10 Skincare Holiday Gift Sets Under $75 Featuring The Best Skincare Products Of The Year

December 1, 2020 [email protected]_84 Featuring, Gift, Holiday, products, Sets, skincare, Year

This year’s quarantine has meant a loooooot of time spent looking at myself in the mirror, coupled with a loooooot of time rejiggering and perfecting my skincare routine to nourish and protect what I’m looking at. Odds are, if that resonates with you, it probably does with tons of your loved ones, too. As the holiday rush grows and grows, along with your stress over what the heck to buy the people in your life who seem to have it all, let these skincare holiday gift sets under $75, each featuring some of the best skincare products of the year, take the stress and guesswork out of the equation.

Skincare is arguably one of the best, easiest avenues to explore when it comes to gifting any year, but particularly in 2020. More time at home has led people to spend a greater deal of time developing a solid skincare routine, trying and cycling through products at a rate they never would have otherwise. Chalk it up to a greater need for self-care or straight up boredom, but either way, skincare holiday gifts sets are a relatively low-lift, accessible way to make your friends and loved ones extra happy this season. And that goes for the skincare aficionado and the complete serum newbie in your life.

Below, you’ll find the best skincare holiday gift sets at a range of prices, some targeting specific skincare concerns like dullness and uneven texture, and others giving your giftee a complete routine to take for a test run. Just be careful — these are so good, you might end up keeping one, two, or even three for yourself.

We only include products that have been independently selected by Elite Daily’s editorial team. However, we may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

Of course, no one is, well, traveling much these days, but that doesn’t tamper the intention behind Indie Lee’s travel-sized Discovery Kit. The beauty brand has quickly gained popularity among the skincare-obsessed for its clean ingredients and science-focused formulations. The Discovery Kit contains three of Indie Lee’s hero products and acts as an easy introduction to the brand for skincare newbies.

Looking for a glow that won’t quit? This set from clean beauty brand Honest Beauty combines the best of the best radiance-boosting essentials for dewy results in a flash. It includes the Prime + Perfect Mask (which founder Jessica Alba swears makes her pores look smaller), the skin-brightening Vitamin C Radiance Serum, and the lightweight Everyday Radiance Moisturizer. Not to mention, you’ll even get Alba’s favorite cat ears spa headband for the cutest skin-care routine ever.

In quarantine, #MaskMonday is now #MaskEveryDay. Patchology’s Nude and Improved Skin Perfecting Kit comes with a different mask for Monday through Friday. You get two variations of the FlashMasque Sheet Mask, two variations of the FlashPatch Eye Gels, and a Hydrating Lip Gel. Not to mention, the brand’s thrown in a pack of cleansing wipes for you

wedding

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas Celebrate Their 2 Year Wedding Anniversary: ‘Always By My Side’

December 1, 2020 [email protected]_84 Anniversary, celebrate, Chopra, Jonas, Nick, Priyanka, Side, wedding, Year

Priyanka, Nick Jonas posing for the camera: Frazer Harrison/Getty

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas are celebrating two years of wedded bliss.

On Tuesday, the 38-year-old actress and her musician beau, 28, marked their second wedding anniversary with a pair of touching tributes to each other on social media.

Posting to Instagram, the We Can Be Heroes star shared a sweet snapshot of herself and Jonas taking a casual stroll in London, where she shared a sweet message alongside the photo. “Happy 2 year anniversary to the love of my life,” Chopra Jonas wrote beside the pic. “Always by my side. My strength. My weakness. My all. I love you @nickjonas.”

Priyanka, Nick Jonas posing for the camera: The pair tied the knot in Priyanka Chopra Jonas' home country of India on Dec. 1, 2018

© Frazer Harrison/Getty
The pair tied the knot in Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ home country of India on Dec. 1, 2018

Then, on his respective Instagram account, the “Jealous” crooner shared two throwback shots from his 2018 wedding to Chopra Jonas, alongside his own special message for his wife of two years. “Two years married to the most wonderful, inspiring and beautiful woman. Happy anniversary @priyankachopra I love you. ❤️,” he wrote.

RELATED: Nick Jonas Jokes He and Priyanka Would Be ‘Proud’ If Their 3 Dogs Became ‘More Famous Than Us’

The pair tied the knot during a Western wedding in Chopra Jonas’ home country of India on Dec. 1, 2018. The nuptials, held at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, came just four months after the couple was engaged in July 2018.

The groom’s father officiated the Christian ceremony, where the couple exchanged wedding bands by famed jeweler Chopard.

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Then, the duo wed in a traditional Hindu ceremony the next day, and subsequently held several wedding receptions.

“It is super important to Priyanka to have an Indian ceremony that honors her heritage and culture, just as it’s important to also have a Western ceremony that honors Nick’s Christian upbringing,” a source previously told PEOPLE of their festivities.

RELATED VIDEO: Priyanka Chopra Jonas Says Marriage Used to Seem ‘Alien’ But Now She’s ‘So Comfortable In It’

Last month, Jonas spoke to Entertainment Tonight about how he’s managed to “find the silver lining” of 2020 by having extra time to be at home with Chopra Jonas, describing it as “the biggest upside of all.”

“That has been an upside, just for a little while, kind of planting our roots,” he told ET. “I think both of us also spend a lot of our time bouncing our ideas off each other. Having that support kind of built-in at home is such an amazing thing.”

Earlier in October, Chopra Jonas shared similar sentiments about having extra time with her husband, joking during a Today interview that she “still likes him after spending so much time with him.”

“He’s great and we would have never had as much time with each

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Vintage threads

Stepping back in

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