It’s Smurf Season.

✈️ Japanese Town Faces Overtourism: The residents of Otaru, a snowy town in Hokkaido, air their grievances with tourists trespassing and obstructing traffic. 

🍿 Why Do We Love Korean Subscription Boxes? From SnackFever to Seoulbox, Korean snack subscription boxes are going viral again.

👴🏿 Life After 100: Nigerian photographer Paul Ukonu's latest visual project captures seven Nigerian centenarians, reflecting cultural heritage, community, and the gift of ageing. 

💖 Pink Taxi Drivers in Kenya: Boda Girls is a female driver program in Kenya that empowers women including giving rides to pregnant women.

👩🏾‍🍳 Afro-Latina Chefs You Should Know: From Rahanna Martinez to Paola Velez, these Afro-Latina chefs are bringing their unique heritage to every table.

💵 Latina Wage Gap in US: A new report shows that Latinas in California have the worst wage gap in the US, earning just 44 cents for every dollar by white men, thanks to systemically low wages and layoffs.  

India’s First Melanin Lab: In honour of CHOSEN’s fifth anniversary of creating skincare for skin of colour, dermatologist Dr. Renita Rajan has unveiled India’s first center for research on skin of colour. 

Latest Melanin-Rich Skincare Brand: Nonkululeku Williams founded Luminous Era to serve people with melanin-rich skin, starting with an SPF 30 sunscreen.   

Products Black Skin Experts Use: From Black Girl Sunscreen to a dark spot serum by Hyper, these 18 products are wholly recommended by Black skin experts.

💦 Hand Creams from Nuebiome: Nuebiome's Biotic Relief Deep Hand Treatment contains probiotics that keep your hands hydrated, esp if you work in healthcare.

Glow Recipe's Dewy Flush Blush: Merging skincare and makeup, Glow Recipe's Watermelon Tinted Cheek Serum gives you the prettiest flush.  

JOJO BAE Body Oil: Indian bath care brand Bubble Me has released a luminous body oil made with jojoba and sweet almond.

J-Beauty or K-Beauty for Indian Skin: The debate is over as dermatologist Dr Shareefa Chause says its ultimately a matter of choice and preferences. 

Natural Korean Skincare from Yepoda: This K-Beauty brand creates skincare from natural ingredients, and their Depuff Eyespresso Patches have caught our eyes.

Doechii’s Iconic Grammy Hair: Hairstylist Malcolm Marquez’s lineup of beautiful  African-inspired braided bangs and caps on Doechii has us in awe. 

🪮 Cécred Hair Tools: Finally, Beyoncé's Cécred has released the white hair combs and brushes that have held our attention since the brand launched.

🧂 Salt Substitutes: A new study has shown that salt substitutes, also known as low-sodium salt, can reduce stroke recurrence. 

🇨🇦 Wellness Space for Black Women: Kim Knight and Shanelle McKenzie founded The Villij, a wellness studio in Toronto that offers a safe space for healing for Black women. 

🇸🇬 Pilates in Singapore: From boutique studios like Core Atelier to fitness centres like Lab Studios, here are the best Pilates studios in Singapore. 

🇯🇵 Japan’s Wellness Tour: The Yanbaru Miracle Forest Tour is a 4-day wellness tour in Okinawa where participants reconnect with nature and eat more plant-based meals. 

Handcrafted Bags from Sofia Al Asfoor: This Bahraini fashion brand creates the finest quality bags, like this geometric Shield Handbag.

Kawaiiphile Bags: Kawaiiphile is derived from Kawaii, the Japanese word for ''cute'', and we're channeling this through bags from The Kawaii Shoppu. 

🌺 Bloom Earrings from Flawa: This new Nigerian brand creates stunning handmade floral earrings, claw clips and footwear. 

High Jewelry from Pavit Gujral: Pavit Gujral merges nature, whimsy, and the finest jewels to make pieces like the Al Maha Brooch. 

Dresses from Farm Rio: Look like happiness in Farm Rio's eclectic dresses, like this Black Ravenala Maxi Dress with short sleeves. 

Wedding in a Winery: Candice and DeVaughn's wedding took place in the Monserate Winery in California, where they had cocktail hour and a reception. 

Indian & Arab Weddings: Culture writer Tejashee Kashyap writes on what the two cultures could learn from each other, including creating intimate atmospheres and prioritizing seating arrangements.  

Rani Pinks Plans Maximalist Weddings: If you'd like whimsical, maximalist decor for your wedding, Anika Dhawan's planning company, Rani Pink, just might be for you.

🇮🇳 Cheesecake at Brevé: Basque by Brevé is the latest cafe in Mumbai offering several cheesecake flavours with customizable toppings.  

🇮🇳 Beers at The Big Little Brew Pub: Try craft beers made with locally sourced grains at Big Little Brew Pub in Pune, India.  

🇦🇪 Jazz at Nola Social House: This New Orleans-inspired eatery and social house in Dubai offers Southern American cuisine and live jazz music. 

🇸🇬 Tiramisu at Somma: Try Chef Mirko’s famous tiramisu in Somma Restaurant, Singapore. It has been ranked one of the best Tiramisu in the country. 

🇳🇬 Pulled Pork Tacos at Locale: Locale, the latest Lagos restaurant,, offers intercontinental and local dishes at a surprisingly affordable price point. 

🇵🇭 Pizza in Hokkaido: Baby Crosta is a Philippine pizzeria offering premium Roman-style slices made with locally sourced produce in Niseko Village, Hokkaido.

☔ Dr. Candice's Good Sex: In her latest book, the psychologist and sex researcher guides Black women to more intentional and enjoyable intimacy. 

Pico Iyer’s Aflame: In this stunning biography, Iyer writes on the power of silence and how it can help while going through constant change.

Poppy Kuroki's Gate to Kagoshima: In this action-packed adventure, Isla Mackenzie gets sent back in time to the Satsuma Rebellion and meets a lover who she must save. 

Life of Usher: Usher shares his journey in The Last Showman, the latest instalment of Audible's Words + Music series.

📺 Smurfs Movie: The trailer for the highly-anticipated Smurfs movie is out, and our very own bad gal RiRi is the cutest Smurfette. 

📺 Carte Blanche: This investigative series follows the fight for citizenship and legislation in South Africa, and you can stream it on DSTV Premium Channel 101. 

📺 Summer Rain: This Nigerian rom-com follows lovers who reconnect 10 after a teenage relationship but find their foundations being tested. 

📺 Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story: This documentary explores the life of Jamaican dancehall singer Ophlin Russell, who made one of the most sampled reggae songs. 

📺 Thandel: This action-packed story follows an Indian fisherman who accidentally drifts into Pakistan waters and is imprisoned. Available in theatres across India.

📺 Kiss of The Spider Woman: The 2025 adaptation of the 1976 novel stars Jennifer Lopez as Ingrid Luna. 

📺 Clean Slate: In this American sitcom, the son of a car wash owner returns home after 23 years, now a proud trans woman named Desiree.

🎧 Toot It Up: Cardi B and Pardison Fontaine have dropped their anticipated collab.

🎧 Born Again: LISA, Doja Cat and RAYE team up in this dance-inspiring song.

🎧 ASTROPICAL: Bomba Estereo and Rawayana team up in ASTROPICAL, a pack with three singles. 

🎤 Season 7, I Said What I Said: Jola and FK are back in their millennial bag with a new season of ISWIS, and the first episode already has us cracking up.

🎤 The Unusual Suspects: Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell team up in their Audible Original podcast, The Unusual Suspects, which explores society and unlikely connections.