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I cannot believe that the late Steve Irwin’s daughter, Bindi, is 25-years-old with a 2-year-old daughter. It makes me feel so old! Bindi grew up to be an absolutely lovely human being. She’s still working with her family to promote conservation. Lately, Bindi also been very open about her longtime struggle with endometriosis. After 10 years of excruciating symptoms, Bindi finally had surgery to take out 37 “very deep and difficult to remove” lesions. In March 2021, Bindi gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Grace Warrior. Because of the struggles she faced to conceive Grace, Bindi is very vocal about how people treat women who are in their prime years of fertility.

She’s so grateful for motherhood: “I am so glad that our daughter chose us to be her parents, and I think that every single day,” says Irwin. “It is such a gift to be a parent, because you are the one who is helping this wonderful little person find what they want to do with their lives. [You get] to try to do your best every day, to love them and support them and just be there — unconditionally, no matter what — to help them on the journey.”

She hopes other women talk about their struggles: Irwin’s dedication to embracing the present and practicing gratitude is no surprise given her longtime battle with endometriosis, which, as she’s previously shared, caused her to suffer from an “insurmountable fatigue, pain and nausea.” Her experience, which she opened up about on an Instagram Live this past spring, has also empowered her to encourage other women to talk about their own struggles.

Stop hiding your pain:; “It’s high time that we all talk about this and say, ‘Hey, if you are having excruciating periods, that’s not normal, and you need help, you should be allowed to receive medical treatments,’” says Irwin. “Women [should] stop having to feel like they have to hide their pain. I did it for 10 years. I tried my absolute best to hide the fact that every day I was in excruciating pain. And why? Why do we feel that we need to do that? You’re made to feel like it’s all in your head, and it’s a nonexistent problem or a woman’s problem. And that’s wrong. You should never be made to feel like you have to hide how you’re feeling, ever.”

Stop asking women about their reproductive plans: After everything Irwin has been through with endometriosis, the TV star is also passionately speaking out against prying or judgment when it comes to family planning. “Society just puts so much pressure on women and families, asking [questions like] ‘When are you going to have children?’ and if you have one child, ‘When is the next child?’” she points out. “These questions can be hurtful, because you don’t know what’s happening behind closed doors. You don’t know the heartbreak that someone has gone through. We have to be very careful and very kind when we’re talking about people’s decisions with their family. No one should ever make you feel bad about how you live your life with your family and the decisions that you have made or have had to make with family planning.”

She accepts her journey: As for Irwin’s path, she notes that her family of three may be complete — “and that’s OK.” “Chances are we’ll probably have one child, and that’s our journey,” says the proud mom. “That’s what life had planned for us. We feel very, very lucky to have our daughter. She feels like a little miracle every day. Our sun rises and sets with her. She is everything and more than we could ever want. We are so grateful.”

[From Yahoo]

Bindi comes across as being so wise beyond her years, particularly when acknowledging that her medical situation may only allow her to have one child and she’s at peace with that. I am in my late 30s and over the past 15 years, I’ve witnessed so many friends struggle with their fertility for various reasons. In a country that has a very vocal minority screaming louder than anyone else about the sanctity of life that begins at conception, it’s wild that those people do not place more value in helping women who want to become pregnant and successfully carry to term.

I’m so impressed by Bindi, though. She’s absolutely correct. Even without factoring in a couple’s reproductive circumstances, it’s no one’s business anyway. It’s always felt icky to me when someone wants to know someone else’s business that isn’t theirs. You know those sayings about how you never know what someone else is going through, so be kind? Yeah, Bindi just gave a masterclass reason on why that’s so important to adhere to. I hope she breaks through to a bigger audience with this message.

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I keep up with all vaccinations recommended by my doctor. I didn’t think we’d be in a place where your status needed confirmation, but here we are. I get regularly vaccinated because I believe in science. You know, that thing that all of reality operates in? So the epidemic of anti-vaxx nonsense that’s gotten louder in the Covid era has really accelerated my levels of Fran Lebowitz caliber anger. Now a new study out of Boston University is not helping my heart rate: researchers have found that about a third of pet owners are extending the anti-vaxx ethos to their dogs. Some, heaven help us, even think vaccines are causing autism in pups.

The impact of anti-vaccine activists is spreading beyond humans. A recent study found many dog owners are skeptical of vaccinating their pets — even though that leaves animals and humans at risk.

The study, led by a researcher from Boston University’s School of Public Health and published in the journal Vaccine, found a sizable minority of dog owners have some hesitancy toward canine vaccines. Over one-third (37%) said they believed the shots were unsafe; 22% thought they were ineffective; and 30% thought they were unnecessary. Overall, 53% of dog owners endorsed at least one of these three misconceptions.

“My co-authors and I were stunned by how prevalent this phenomenon is,” lead author Dr. Matt Motta told CBS News.

Motta says an unvaccinated pet is a danger not just to other animals but also to the humans around them.

“If there are more unvaccinated dogs out there, the risk of disease transmission grows,” Motta said.

While almost all states require rabies vaccinations, there are several other shots that veterinarians recommend for dogs.

“Obviously, if you get rabies, if you don’t get treated right away … you die,” says Dr. Todd Calsyn, a veterinarian at Laurel Pet Hospital in California. “Parvo [canine parvovirus] and distemper, for sure, can be fatal.”

According to the American Pet Product Association, about 65 million households in the U.S. have at least one dog.

For California resident Sinjin Chun, vaccines keep him confident that his dog Koby will stay safe while playing with other pets at the beach.

“I think it’s pretty necessary,” he said of vaccinating pets. “Dogs are just a lot dirtier than we are and they can pick up a lot of different things and if they’re spreading those things around it’s not good.”

The study also found that some common vaccine misinformation has been projected onto pets.

“Nearly two-fifths of dog owners believe that routine vaccines administered to dogs can cause them to develop autism, which is a fundamentally human diagnosis, not something that we observe in canine populations,” Motta says.

There is no evidence vaccines cause autism in humans or animals.

[From CBS News]

Again: there is no evidence vaccines cause autism in humans or animals. Vaccines don’t give Spot autism, they protect him from canine influenza. I guess I’m lucky with my Girl in that she wouldn’t miss a vaccine for the world — she’s notorious at our vet for being just as affectionate when they stick her with a needle as when they’re scritching her ear. “I love you too! More shots please!” The mere suggestion, though, of a dog having autism reminded me of Allie Brosh’s blog/book Hyperbole and a Half. She has hilarious commentary on her own depression and depressing situations (no really, she wants you to laugh!) that she writes up like comic strips, accompanied by computer drawings so awful they’re fabulous. One of her more memorable episodes was a series of tests she conducted to gauge her (beloved) dog’s mental acuity. It didn’t go well. The fault is not vaccines, but sometimes it is genetics.

photos credit: Caleb Fisher and Robert Larsson on Unsplash, Binyamin Mellish, Mikhail Nilov and Ivan Babydov on Pexels

I saw Oppenheimer three times this summer, twice in IMAX. I’m not a Christopher Nolan stan–in fact I don’t think I’ve seen any of his other films. I just liked the movie that much. Because it came out the same weekend as Barbie, initial projections for the movie were in the modest-but-good range. Both Barbie and Oppenheimer ended up blowing way past their expected box office results, thanks in part to the delightfully weird Barbenheimer internet phenomenon. Now Oppenheimer has earned $926 million over ten weeks of release. That’s quite a feat for a three hour movie that is mostly physicists talking to each other about nuclear fission. It’s now the third-highest grossing movie of the year. I don’t think anyone expected that.

Does Christopher Nolan‘s “Oppenheimer” have enough heat to hit $1 billion globally? At one point, this milestone may have sounded entirely improbable for a three-hour historical drama that mostly depicts scientists talking about theoretical physics.

But sure enough, the biopic starring Cillian Murphy as the so-called father of the atomic bomb has become a full-fledged blockbuster with a fighting chance at joining the billion-dollar club. After 10 weeks of release, “Oppenheimer” has earned a staggering $926 million at the worldwide box office. It’s the third-highest grossing movie of the year, far surpassing big-budget tentpoles like Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” ($845 million), the 10th “Fast and Furious” movie ($704 million) and “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” ($576 million).

To reach $1 billion, “Oppenheimer” needs to generate another $74 million worldwide. Though not impossible (it has repeatedly put theatrical expectations to shame, so why stop now?), this would require people to keep showing up for “Oppenheimer” over several more weeks. Global ticket sales have been declining by roughly 20% in recent weeks, better than most films at similar points in their theatrical cycles. The challenge is that “Oppenheimer” has mostly run out of steam in North America — as expected, after two enthusiastic months on the big screen — so international audiences will be key in carrying the movie to ultimate box office glory. Overseas, it’s still reliably selling tickets in China, Italy and Germany.

For box office experts, “Oppenheimer” is a film without many useful comparisons. It’s the second-highest grossing R-rated film in history, behind 2019’s “Joker” ($1.07 billion), and has played less like a grim historical biopic and more like an all-audience superhero epic. That’s thanks to Nolan’s status as a name brand, as well as his power to encourage fans to seek out the film in Imax, where it has earned $181 million.

[From Variety]

I think this movie has done so well for all the reasons Variety lists: Christopher Nolan’s name, superhero fatigue, and the higher ticket price of IMAX. But the movie is just very good–the script has a momentum that never flags, Cillian Murphy is amazing, the cast is stacked, the cinematography is beautiful. I think word of mouth has counted for a lot of its success. I don’t know if it will break a billion dollars, but even if it hasn’t, Oppenheimer is a resounding success.

I bet the execs at Warner Brothers regret alienating Nolan now. Back during the dark days of 2020 Nolan was mad that WB was just dumping content onto streaming services instead of holding out for cinematic releases when theaters couldn’t reopen safely. Some of what Nolan said was out of touch, but some of it was legitimate. When Warner Bros put everything on streaming, creatives like actors and writers lost out on back-end revenue and residuals, and WB apparently didn’t notify them of these decisions. WB could have been profiting from both Barbie and Oppenheimer this summer! Instead Nolan is now at Universal. I understand why the studios decided not to hold out for theatrical releases during the pandemic and I think it was overall the right choice. But it also reminds me of the tensions between management and creative personnel that boiled over this summer with the strikes.

PS: I highly recommend the biography the movie is based on, American Prometheus, which is an incredible work of nonfiction that took the authors 25 years to research and write.

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Years ago, I was shocked when Colin Firth and Livia Giuggioli’s marriage began to fall apart – they seemed so classy and dignified, but Livia had an affair and the whole thing blew up when her lover turned into a stalker and the guy went public. I’m bringing up Colin Firth because his image, like Hugh Bonneville’s image, benefited from being in a long-term marriage. Hugh has never been on the prowl or gotten caught up in some sleazy scandal. Granted, Bonneville was never a heartthrob like Firth, but still – both are British guys who seemed to adore their wives and both are regulars in costume dramas. So, sad news, Hugh’s marriage fell apart. He and his wife of 25 years have separated. This year, man. Everyone’s getting a divorce.

Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville has split from his wife of 25 years, The Sun on Sunday can reveal. Lucinda “Lulu” Williams, 55, had been by the actor’s side on film sets throughout his career. Hugh, 59, found global fame playing the Earl of Grantham in the popular ITV period drama.

Yesterday, a spokesperson for the actor said: “I can confirm that Hugh Bonneville and Lulu Williams have separated.”

Hugh was seen smiling at a star-studded marriage ceremony eight days ago — without his wedding ring. Hugh was a guest at the wedding of Downton Abbey co-star Michelle Dockery, 41, and Jasper Waller-Bridge — brother of Fleabag creator Phoebe — last Saturday. But unlike other cast members, Hugh did not bring his partner.

A source said: “It is clear that Lulu feels as if 20-odd years of marriage counts for nothing.”

Yesterday a spokesperson for Hugh confirmed the couple — who have been married for 25 years and share a family home in West Sussex — have separated.

A source said: “It’s a shame as locally they were known to be a very sociable couple. Hugh has been away from home filming a lot this year. He has lost a bit of weight this summer, he was looking trim, tanned and relaxed.”

Just five years ago, the couple marked their 20th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows in Las Vegas’s Graceland chapel.

[From The Sun]

Oof, vow renewals are always tricky. How many couples have broken up after doing some big vow renewal? Because it feels like it happens every time. Anyway, Hugh always seemed happily married and settled, but I definitely clocked the fact that he’s lost weight and he seemed to be gearing up to reenter the dating market. While these sources seem to be putting the onus on Lulu, my guess is that they’ve been falling apart for more than a year, really. I wonder if there’s some bigger scandal lurking with this split.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Earlier this year, former Baltimore Raven Michael Oher learned that everything he had been told about and by his adoptive family was a lie. A version of Oher’s life story was told in The Blind Side, an Oscar-winning film which grossed hundreds of millions of dollars. People loved the story of an affluent, white Memphis family “adopting” a Black kid from the wrong side of the tracks and finding a way to make him a football star. As it turns out, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy lied, lied and lied some more – they never adopted Oher, they put him into a janky conservatorship and then cheated Oher out of millions of dollars for his life rights from The Blind Side. For years, Oher believed the Tuohys adopted him and he was part of their family. It was all a lie, and the Tuohys’ explanation for the conservatorship made absolutely no sense either. It also appears as if no one in Tennessee was monitoring the conservatorship, that’s how corrupt and half-assed the whole thing was. Well, Oher has gotten the conservatorship removed:

A Tennessee judge said Friday she is ending a conservatorship agreement between former NFL player Michael Oher and a Memphis couple who took him in when he was in high school, but the highly-publicized dispute over financial issues will continue.

Shelby County Probate Court Judge Kathleen Gomes said she is terminating the agreement reached in 2004 that allowed Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy to control Oher’s finances. Oher signed the agreement when he was 18 and living with the couple as he was being recruited by colleges as a star high school football player. Their story is the subject of the film “The Blind Side, which earned Sandra Bullock an Oscar.

Gomes said she was not dismissing the case. Oher has asked that the Tuohys provide a financial accounting of money that may have come to them as part of the agreement, claiming that they used his name, image and likeness to enrich themselves and lied to him that the agreement meant the Tuohys were adopting him.

In Tennessee, a conservatorship removes power from a person to make decisions for themselves, and it is often used in the case of a medical condition or disability. But Oher’s conservatorship was approved “despite the fact that he was over 18 years old and had no diagnosed physical or psychological disabilities,” his petition said.

Gomes said she was disturbed that such an agreement was ever reached. She said she had never seen in her 43-year career a conservatorship agreement reached with someone who was not disabled. “I cannot believe it got done,” she said.

Oher and Tuohys listened in by video conference call but did not speak. Lawyers for both parties had agreed that the agreement should end, but the case will continue to address Oher’s claims. Gomes said it should have ended long ago.

[From The Associated Press]

To recap, the Tuohys’ argument was that they put Oher in a conservatorship to get around NCAA booster rules when he was applying to colleges. Oher graduated from Ole Miss in 2009. If the conservatorship was merely a workaround, why was it not removed in 2009? Is it because that was the same year The Blind Side movie was released and the movie made a big f–king deal about how the Tuohys “adopted” Michael? Is it because the Tuohys wanted to control what money they gave to Oher for his life rights? And as Oher’s legal team has pointed out, why were the Tuohys not filing any paperwork with the court following the appointment of the conservatorship? This whole thing is just a catastrophe, and I’m glad the judge noted as much on the record, that none of this should have happened.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Oher’s IG.

GQ did a lengthy profile of Martin Scorsese, partly as he promotes Killers of the Flower Moon. But really, these Scorsese interviews feel like an American icon trying, with all of his might, to stop something that has already happened. The superhero killed the art of filmmaking, and Marty is trying to call attention to how much the industry changed, how the business model has changed for the worse, and how real filmmakers are finding it difficult to make art. This is not new information from Scorsese, he’s been talking about this a lot in recent years, but I think it’s nice that GQ gave him this space to reflect back on his 50-year-plus career and talk about what he’s learned, what he hates, how he never felt like part of his filmmaking community. Some highlights:

His wife, Helen Morris, has lived with Parkinson’s disease for many years. “There’s a lot invested in my personal life at home. And there are only a few people who understand that and are gracious enough to be part of it. And so where we used to have dinner parties and things, that’s all becoming much, much less. And so I’m pretty much alone. And invariably if I’m meeting with people, it’s business.”

He doesn’t want to leave NYC anymore: “I don’t really want to go anywhere,” he said. “So if you want me to come to where you are, well…” His wife was primarily raised in Paris: Maybe they’d like to get back there. “I’d like to go to London,” he said. “But, you know, I’ve been there a lot.” Los Angeles? “Most of my friends are gone,” he said. “They’re all new people. I don’t know them anymore. It’s a new town. It’s a new industry. And it’s nice. It’s just like, I can’t hang out there. Except when I’m with Leo.”

His relationship with the Academy: “I always liked being nominated at the Academy, even though knowing, especially the fact that they didn’t nominate us for Taxi Driver… and Raging Bull, when I didn’t get the Oscar, I understood that that wasn’t my lot in life. But I always said this: Just be quiet and make the movies. You can’t make a movie for an award. Sure, I would’ve liked it, but like, so what? I mean, I had to go on and make pictures.” To this day, Scorsese said, he feels distant from, or not particularly understood by, the Academy. “I don’t live—you have to live in a community that is really an industry. You have to be part of the industry in such a way…. I don’t know if I think like them. I just mind my own business here.”

The old industry is over: “Well, the industry is over. In other words, the industry that I was part of, we’re talking almost, what, 50 years ago? It’s like saying to somebody in 1970 who made silent films, what do you think’s happened?” But, of course, Scorsese has theories. Studios, he said, are not “interested any longer in supporting individual voices that express their personal feelings or their personal thoughts and personal ideas and feelings on a big budget. And what’s happened now is that they’ve pigeonholed it to what they call indies.”

The danger in comic-book movies: But he does see trouble in the glut of franchise and comic book entertainment that currently makes up much of what you can see in a theater. “The danger there is what it’s doing to our culture. Because there are going to be generations now that think movies are only those—that’s what movies are. They already think that. Which means that we have to then fight back stronger. And it’s got to come from the grassroots level. It’s gotta come from the filmmakers themselves. And you’ll have, you know, the Safdie brothers, and you’ll have Chris Nolan, you know what I mean? And hit ’em from all sides. Hit ’em from all sides, and don’t give up. Let’s see what you got. Go out there and do it. Go reinvent. Don’t complain about it. But it’s true, because we’ve got to save cinema…. I do think that the manufactured content isn’t really cinema… what I mean is that, it’s manufactured content. It’s almost like AI making a film. And that doesn’t mean that you don’t have incredible directors and special effects people doing beautiful artwork. But what does it mean? What do these films, what will it give you? Aside from a kind of consummation of something and then eliminating it from your mind, your whole body, you know? So what is it giving you?”

[From GQ]

“Because there are going to be generations now that think movies are only those—that’s what movies are. They already think that.” It’s true. There are at least two generations of film-goers who think the height of emotion is a character dying in a Marvel film, or the sexiest scene is a superhero looking chastely at a ghost or whatever. Again, it’s not about being “against” comic-book movies entirely, but if that’s all that’s on offer, that becomes the language of a generation. And Marty’s right, it’s a real anger to our collective culture and the cultural language of film.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

In 2017, Melania Trump flatly refused to move to Washington DC after her husband “won” the election. She didn’t want to move into the White House, and she used the excuse of not wanting to remove Barron from his school in New York. We learned, later on, that Melania was actually holding off on the move until she successfully renegotiated her prenup/postnup. Once her husband signed off on more money for her and Barron, she finally agreed to move into the White House. Now, years later, Melania has once again used her leverage to renegotiate the postnup. That leverage? Her unhinged husband will likely be in prison within a year.

Sources tell Page Six that Melania Trump has “quietly” renegotiated her prenuptial agreement with Donald Trump in advance of his potentially serving a second term in the White House. An insider told us of the agreement between the couple who married in 2005, “Over the last year, Melania and her team have been quietly negotiating a new ‘postnup’ agreement between herself and Donald Trump.”

The source further said, “This is at least the third time Melania has renegotiated the terms of her martial agreement,” but the source added that it’s not because the former first lady is going anywhere. “Melania is most concerned about maintaining and increasing a substantial trust for their son, Barron,” 17, the same source familiar with Melania, 53, told Page Six. The new agreement also provides for Melania, and spans money and property, according to the source.

A different source told us of the new agreement, “I know that she wanted it to provide her with more money, and also — from what I understand — there’s a specific amount at minimum that Barron is supposed to obtain.”

The first source said that the timing of the updated agreement wasn’t only because Trump, 77, could potentially serve another term, but because of his recent legal battles as well. Said the insider, “This agreement was necessary because of the current legal battles… [Donald] has suffered” — including potential payouts in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ sprawling, $250 million civil case against Trump and his real estate business, as well as his order to pay $5 million to E. Jean Carroll for defaming her. Said our source, “Trump remains very rich, but with mounting legal bills and judgements,” the renegotiated prenup would “provide a more solid future” for Melania and their son should the couple split.

“It’s not that she threatened to leave him,” the source cautioned. “It’s definitely the underlying idea.”

[From Page Six]

Personally, I don’t think Melania will leave at this point, especially not when she’s so close to becoming his widow. While Page Six doesn’t say this, I would also assume that some of these postnup clauses involve changes to his will to ensure that she and Barron get a huge chunk of everything. It also wouldn’t surprise me if Melania ends up with a huge amount of control if her husband goes to prison or he dies soon. Think about how Ivanka is in the wind, how Eric is basically too stupid to do anything and Don Jr has what looks like a raging drug problem. And Tiffany WHO? Who else is gonna be in charge? That’s the argument Melania’s lawyers are making.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Heidi Klum wore Tony Ward Couture to the Albie Awards. It’s not my taste, but it suits Heidi and the optical illusion is kind of cool. [RCFA]
This Vanity Fair Italia cover is intense. [OMG Blog]
I haven’t read Julia Fox’s New Yorker profile yet but I might need to. [LaineyGossip]
More talk about who will host The Daily Show. [Pajiba]
Are we into Saint Laurent’s sexy safari gear? [Go Fug Yourself]
Kim Kardashian wore vintage Chanel. [Just Jared]
The pitcher for the Texas Rangers is married to a doctor! [Jezebel]
Mr. T reminds everyone to get their flu shot & Covid booster. [Seriously OMG]
Some of Kylie Jenner’s PFW looks. [Egotastic]
A vintage clip of Kim Kardashian being a hater. [Buzzfeed]
The curious case of the missing $60K ring on RHOSLC. [Starcasm]
You’re going to protest that issue at a Pink concert?!?! [Socialite Life]

Heidi Klum wore Tony Ward Couture to the Albie Awards. It’s not my taste, but it suits Heidi and the optical illusion is kind of cool. [RCFA]
This Vanity Fair Italia cover is intense. [OMG Blog]
I haven’t read Julia Fox’s New Yorker profile yet but I might need to. [LaineyGossip]
More talk about who will host The Daily Show. [Pajiba]
Are we into Saint Laurent’s sexy safari gear? [Go Fug Yourself]
Kim Kardashian wore vintage Chanel. [Just Jared]
The pitcher for the Texas Rangers is married to a doctor! [Jezebel]
Mr. T reminds everyone to get their flu shot & Covid booster. [Seriously OMG]
Some of Kylie Jenner’s PFW looks. [Egotastic]
A vintage clip of Kim Kardashian being a hater. [Buzzfeed]
The curious case of the missing $60K ring on RHOSLC. [Starcasm]
You’re going to protest that issue at a Pink concert?!?! [Socialite Life]

Pre-strike, Charlize Theron gave several interviews to promote her Dior contract. I don’t actually think it would have been in violation of strike promotional guidelines if she gave the interviews during the strike, but whatever, I just thought I’d mention that this InStyle piece was done months ago. Charlize has been the face of Dior’s J’adore perfume for nearly two decades, and now she’s the face of Dior’s latest fragrance, L’Or de J’adore. Charlize chatted with InStyle about sense memory, how she applies perfume and the ‘90s trend she hated the most. Some highlights:

The “cloud mist” strategy for applying perfume: Her spritzing method allows her to enjoy all the facets of a scent without overwhelming her nose and — most importantly — her skin. “I find direct [contact] on the skin becomes, for me, a little aggressive, and then I miss the subtle tones to it. Whereas when I do the cloud mist, I feel like I get more of the depth of field. I get a better sense of the other dimensions of the scent, especially since it’s constantly changing as your day goes by.”

Sense memory from her childhood in South Africa. “There was always something about rain hitting dust — it creates this smell that’s just so unique. I get very excited when I see rain because then I look for some dust, some dirt, and I try to recreate it. I’ve never been able to. But that is a very nostalgic smell for me. When I go back and we have our rains in South Africa, it’s everywhere. You can smell it everywhere. Man, it just fills my soul. I’m like, ‘This is home.’”

Fragrance mastermind Francis Kurkdjian created L’Or: He’s infused classic J’adore notes of rose, jasmine, and ylang-ylang with orange blossom, lily of the valley, and violet for a rich floral scent that’s warm and rounded — perfect for a sweet fall scent. “It’s beautiful,” says Theron. “The floral tones are just so layered.”

She doesn’t incorporate scent into character-building: “I sometimes go as far as just eliminating even scent in my soap. Because I am very sensitive to smell, any kind of smell can just really take me out of it. So it’s become more about elimination than about adding.”

Her beauty regret: “Hands down, the thin eyebrows in the ’90s. I’m still recovering from that.”

[From InStyle]

Unpopular opinion, but I think the bushy-eyebrow trend will come back to haunt people years from now, moreso than the thin eyebrows from the ‘90s. While overplucking never looks good, neither does the big, dark, caterpillar-brow trend. As for applying perfume… I find it depends on the perfume. If I’m wearing something cheap (like a body spray) or I just want a light scent, I do the cloud mist thing too, and I walk into the perfume cloud. If I actually want to smell the perfume on my skin, I spray it directly on my throat and wrists.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.