Good Morning, it’s Wednesday, 29 January. Chinese New Year officially starts today, Black beauty founders are talking about the impact of the new US policies, green tea seed hair oil can refresh your scalp and an Indian wedding in Mexico went all out 🏝️🍹⛱️🌞 🌊 Also, sugary drinks have now been linked to Type 2 diabetes so pick up that matcha or green juice instead 🌿
🇻🇳 Higher Fines Make Better Drivers: Vietnam recently set fines that cost more than the average salary for bad driving, and drivers are suddenly more compliant 👀
🚀 Sputnik Moment: Despite the US starting first with AI domination, China’s DeepSeek has dethroned ChatGPT, a game changer in the AI race.
Bruno Mars Makes Spotify History: The singer is now the first artist to reach 150 million monthly listeners on the streaming platform.
🧧 Year of the Snake: More than a billion people around the world are celebrating the Lunar New Year which starts today.
🥤Sugary Drinks and Type 2 Diabetes: According to a new study, sugary drinks are linked to diabetes and heart disease, with a large number of cases in Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa.
💅🏾 Korean Manicures: From syrup nails to 3D Korean manicures, these nail trends are all over Korea.
Laser Stacking for Clearer Skin: This K-Beauty trend works by using different lasers at the same time to target various skin concerns. Dermatologists spill on the pros and cons.
🍵 Green Tea Seed Hair Oil: Japanese beauty brand Kiiks’ latest hair oil is made from green tea seed oil and promises to strengthen your hair and refresh your scalp.
💗 Sensitive Skin Update: Bepanthen’s SensiControl Skincare range is the fragrance-free, dermatologist-approved range you need for itchy and irritation-prone skin.
Buzzy Skincare Ingredients: Antioxidant-rich ingredients are always in the same convo as skin of colour & edelweiss and ginseng are in the news.
☀️ Does The SPF in Your Makeup Actually Work?: Dermatologist Dr. Reshmi Kapoor says it's not enough to do so.
With retailers like Target rolling back DEI initiatives and tariffs looming, Black beauty founders are concerned about their proneness to leaving shelves and barriers to getting funding.
While some customers have opted for retailer boycotts, Black beauty founders like Melissa Butler of The Lip Bar and Tabitha Brown of Donna’s Recipe warn that doing so might be counterproductive to Black-owned businesses.
Must-Visit Places for The Solo Traveller: From Seoul and Kyoto to Kathmandu and Osaka, these are the best solo traveller-friendly spots to visit.
Tahiti on a Budget: With these tips, you do not have to break the bank to see and experience Moana’s home.
Accessible Travel: For people living with disabilities, travelling can be an uphill task. But people like Cara Yar Khan of GDI Hub and Daniel Gatura of Ace Mobility are changing that for the better.
Beef Noodle Soup in Taipei: Follow Chefs Lucas Sin and Eric Sze’s recommendation and try beef noodle soup in a street food shop in Taipei City late at night.
Tea at Pouyuenji Hills: Situated in Taiwan’s Miaoli County, Pouyuenji Hills offers the finest teas and a selection of over 100,000 Puer tea cakes.
No-Menu Policy at Hunan: Hunan is a Chinese restaurant in London that runs a leave-it-to-us 18-dish menu depending on what you like and your spice tolerance.
Varun Bahl’s Cafe Fleur: Cafe Fleur is the new flower-filled cafe in New Delhi that’s perfect for coffee, socializing and shopping.
Jolene by the Sea in Goa: Amrita Ladak’s latest restaurant in Goa is named after a Dolly Parton song and is the warmest spot for meeting with your girlfriends.
Paint Your Cake: In this Kolkata-based patisserie, you get to paint and decorate your own vanilla sponge cakes.
Maximalist Indian Wedding in Mexico: With camels, salsa dancers, and a Great Gatsby-themed reception, Navya and Mohit’s wedding went all out.
Modernized Bridalwear by Vivienne Tam: The fall-winter 2024 collection merges neo-modern Chinese craftsmanship with modernity.
Minimalist Bridal Makeup: Skip the full glam and get makeup artist Aneesha’s skin-like finish with her tips, including the art of swapping black eyeliner for brown.
Emirates Literature Festival: The 17th edition of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature will be held from today to February 3 with open mic nights and book fairs.
Shereen Malherbe’s Yassini Girls: This multi-generational novel explores trauma and tradition, which the British-Palestinian author Shereen will be discussing at the Emirates Literature Festival.
Zoulfa Katouh’s As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow: Syrian author Zoulfa Katouh will be discussing her best-selling 2002 novel at the Emirates LitFest.
Jaipur Literature Festival: The 18th edition of the JLF will be held from January 30 to February 3, and will feature talks from Nobel Laureates and Booker Prize winners.
Kolkata International Book Fair: The Kolkata Book Fair is Asia’s largest literary event and will continue till February 9.
Olumide Popoola’s Like Water Like Sea: In this explorative fiction, Olumide Popoola explores grief, queerness, motherhood and new relationships through Nia.
Imani Perry’s Black in Blue: In her latest book, Imani Perry explores the history of the colour blue and its unique relationship with Black people, from music to spirituality.
The Artist Who Uses Sawdust: Where others see waste, Ghanaian artist Alfred Addo sees a medium for incredible 3D art, and he’s sharing all about his use of sawdust.
Reaching Her Ancestors through Her Art: Nizhonniya Austin is a painter whose Native heritage heavily influenced her new first solo exhibition, The Year of the Vampire.
The MACAAL Finally Reopens: After 2023’s devastating earthquake and significant renovations, the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden opens with a permanent exhibition on February 2.
Lagos Space Programme: Adire material makes a splash in Thompson Adeju’s latest collection for the LSP. We especially love the Adire Long Johns.
Tanishq’s Festival of Diamonds: The fine jewellery brand just launched its ‘Unbound’ line, a collection of one to three-carat diamonds set in 18-carat gold.
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🎧 Colorful Generation: Rwandan singer Bruce Melodie has released his 21-track debut album with ‘Beauty on Fire’ featuring Joeboy.
🎧 Pray: Ikka sings of romance in this single featuring King and Hiten.
🎧 Show Me: Kooldrink’s latest single features vocals from Nina Nevra.
📺 Perfect Woman: Miracle Blaise’s short film ‘Perfect Woman’ is sensitizing people to the dangers of cervical cancer in Nigeria.
