Good Morning, it's Wednesday, February 5. An alien report was made in UP, Jordan Chiles shared her beauty routine and everyone is talking about brown lip liners. Also, now that so many of the New Year celebrations in different cultures are over, it’s time to get locked into hitting your 2025 goals with manifestation. Keep scrolling to the end because we’re bringing you an expert guide on how to supercharge your manifestation work with astrology💫🎯🎋

  • 🏫 TikTok University: Black professors are sharing their knowledge in a fun way with college courses on #HillmanTok, TikTok’s first Historically Black College.  

  • 🎾 Deaf Tennis Player Breaks Record: Prithvii Sekhar is now the first Indian tennis player to defend a Grand Slam singles title in the Australian Open Deaf Championship.

  • ⛅ Plan your Happiness: Dr. Laurie Santos says that planning your vacation gives you a happiness bump. 

  • 🛸 Alien Mishap: Two French tourists heading for Nepal were misled by Google Maps to UP’s Bareilly and they were reported to local police as aliens (not the illegal ones but the E.T. type). 

  • Beauty Brand for Arthritis: Tilt Beauty is the first brand to meet the Arthritis Foundation’s Ease of Use criteria.

  • Best Brown Lip Liners: Brown lip liners tend to be staples in melanin-rich makeup bags. From Ami Cole’s Soft Shape in Midnight to MAC’s Lip Pencil in Chestnut, these brown lip liners are the ones to know.

  • Dior’s pH-activated Lip Balms: Dior Beauty’s latest hydrating pH-activated lip balm now comes in dark-skin-friendly shades, including Mahogany and Blackberry.

  • Marshmallow Dreams: Ellis Brooklyn’s latest hair and body fragrance mist includes notes of lush vanilla orchid and the sweetness of caramel and marshmallows. 

  • Whole Body Deodorant: Deodorants do not just belong in your pits anymore, with Dove’s Whole Body Deodorant for all-day freshness. 

  • Iron Toxicity in East Asians: Taking your iron supplements is great, but a new study shows East Asians may have elevated iron levels, increasing risk of heart disease.

  • 🍷 Non-Alcoholic Sauvignon Blanc: Propio is a Black women-owned non-alcoholic beverage brand that makes real wine to help you reach your sober goals. 

  • Trauma and Your Pelvic Floor: From birth trauma to emotional stress, your pelvic floor can be the stage for its manifestations. Pelvic floor therapy may help. 

  • Stroke Recovery: The road to recovery after a stroke can be long, but a new study suggests that high-intensity walking may improve outcomes drastically. 

  • Best Wellness Destinations: From an Ayurveda Resort in Mandira to the Six Senses Vana, here are some of the best spas and wellness destinations you should visit. 

  • Pants from Cladini Studio: Cladini’s latest release features pants in the most gorgeous, geometric overlaying colourways. Shop Eden and Vivora.

  • Athleisure from Roam Loud: The activewear brand by Toyin Omisore celebrates Black women as they work and play. We ❤️ the Mawu Active Dress. 

  • NFL x Jerin Beasley: Jerin Beasley is collaborating with the NFL for the fourth installment of their collection, Origins. Available online from February 7.

  • Rano Usman’s Latest Collection: Kayee Chand is the Pakistani designer’s latest collection featuring fourteen handmade embellished lenghas and kalidaars.

  • Mexico City Art Week 2025: The city’s art week is now in full swing, with the Zona Maco International Art Fair closing today and older artists making their artistic debut.  

  • AIUla Arts Festival Continues: The 4th edition of the Saudi Arabian art and culture festival will run from now till February 22. 

As Valentine’s Day draws closer, people are looking for new ways to connect. In the news is solo polyamory, a not-so-new dating system - multiple intimate relationships with people but remaining ‘independent’ by not living together or sharing finances. 

Btw, if you’re looking for IRL events, tickets to these events are already available:

  • 🇮🇳 Cosmo Connect’s Speed Dating Event: Have intense conversations and connect with complete strangers from February 7 to 9 in Mumbai. Tickets here. 

  • 🇱🇰 Land of Love in Sri Lanka: Watch electrifying performances under the night’s sky in Colombo on the 14th. Tickets here. 

  • 🇳🇬 South’s Valentine Special: Spend Valentine’s Day partying in Lagos with dress codes – red for partnered up, green for single, and black if you prefer not to say. Tickets here. 

  • 🇳🇬 Insert Nights’ Amour: Attend a night of great music and networking with Insert Nights’ Valentine-themed party, Amour. 

  • Karissa Chen’s Homeseeking: In this endearing tale spanning over sixty years, lovers Haiwen and Suchi reconnect after wars, famine and opportunities pull them apart.

  • Kylie Lee Baker’s Bat Eater: In this pandemic-based gory thriller, Cora realises that her recent crime scene cleanups are all marked by bat carcasses and are the bodies of East Asian women.

  • Girls and The Silhouette of Form: In Star Zahra’s latest poetry collection, she explores the unassumingness of a child at play and the language of self-grown metaphors. 

  • Maggie Su’s Blob: in this deeply moving yet hilarious debut, Vi Liu transforms a sentient blob into her perfect boyfriend. 

  • Malvika Singh’s Saris of Memory: In her latest book, Malvika uses the sari to write about her journey with textiles, crafts, and the history of India’s textile industry.

Manifestation is a powerful practice and vision boards, journals and meditation are all part of the process to getting the life you want. If you're looking to level up your manifestation practice, the next step could be astrology. 

To help you understand how to supercharge your manifestation using astrology, we spoke to Linda Cui, a modern astrologer, mentor for Debra Silverman Astrology and a nationally accredited Chinese astrologer (Cert. IV) for her trusted tips and guidance.

What is the relationship between your zodiac sign and manifestation?

No one is locked into just one way of manifesting, but your chart placements can affect how you approach manifestation. 

For example, if you have strong Earth placements (Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo), you might need to get clear on the specific details of what you want to manifest. For Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), it’s all about your energy. Air signs (Aquarius, Gemini, Libra) need mental clarity and speaking it through affirmations. Finally, Water placements (Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio) are all about emotion. The more you practice, the more you’ll be able to find the unique way that works for you.

How can you manifest with your astrological cycle? 

There are quite a few ways to work with astrological cycles. 

The first is to do so with the seasons, as the Sun acts like a cosmic spotlight. As it moves into each sign, you can set intentions that are aligned with the energy of that sign (e.g. you might like to build a habit of going to the gym during Aries season i.e. the season from March 21 to April 19). 

The second way is through the new and full moons, as new moons represent a time to set intentions while full moons represent a time to release blocks. You can look at what signs the new or full moons are in to start with, as well as any planetary configurations they’re making. 

On a final note though, timing does matter but don’t get paralysed by it! The best time to manifest is when you actually believe what you’re calling in.

What is the connection between your feminine energy and manifestation?

A huge part of manifesting is actually feeling and embodying what you desire. Feminine energy is magnetic, creative, and intuitive, and is all about embodying that receptive energy. 

I like to use the analogy of “be the flower, not the butterfly” - when you’re in a state of receiving, you’re not changing or hustling from place to place but you trust that what’s meant to be yours will come. 

Practical Tips for Manifesting with Astrology

When setting intentions during a new moon, I advise you to set your intentions a day or two after the new moon has happened, as the void of the new moon is full of potential and possibilities. My favourite way of setting intentions as someone who loves things to be easy is setting it as my phone background. 

Also, don’t ignore or bypass what might be holding you back. This is more specific to each person, but understanding your Chiron and Saturn placements can show you what core wounds or beliefs you might have that are blocking you from embodying your desires, or even feeling worthy of your desires. 

Astrology vs Mindset

I always say that astrology should support your life, not dictate it. 

Manifestation isn’t just purely based on astrology - it’s about energy, mindset, and embodiment. 

You can have the most “lucky” chart ever, but if you don’t believe in yourself and take action, it won’t matter.

Your Digital Astrology Kit

Here are the best sources online for astrology geeks. 

  • Best Resource for Pulling Charts: Find everything from your daily horoscope to your charts with Astrodienst. 

  • Best for Understanding Your Placements: If you find placements and charts confusing, Cafe Astrology has all the articles and guides you need. 

  • Best for Your Career: Astrology can be applied everywhere, even in the office, and Soulshine Astrology shows you how.

  • The Cowboy Carter Tour: After her groundbreaking Grammy win for Album of The Year, Beyonce has released the first nine cities for her Rodeo Chitlin Circuit Tour. 

  • 🎧 Petite Abebi: French pop singer Theodora gives a stunning feature in Petite Abebi with Booska-P. 

  • 🎧 Inkanyezi (Live): Sjava’s new EP is heavy on his South African roots. 

  • 📺 Asura: The new Netflix series follows four sisters in 1970s Tokyo as they uncover dark family secrets from their father’s decade-long extramarital affair.