Category: Fun

Dairy Queen’s Blizzards—those ice cream-and-mix-in-filled cups so hearty you can flip them upside-down and the treat won’t spill out—have their own cult following. And now, that cult is about to get a whole new kind of merch: candles. Yes, candles. What started out as a publicity stunt last year turned out to be wildly popular, as DQ released a line of candles inspired by its fall Blizzard flavors…and the company’s entire stock sold out in 30 minutes flat. Given the fervor surrounding the launch, Dairy Queen is back at it again, releasing yet another series of fall Blizzard-inspired scents.

The Blizzard candles will be sold in a set of six (one of each “flavor”) for $25, with all of the proceeds benefitting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. You can buy one at dqcandlecollection.com starting on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 3 p.m. EST, and until then, here’s your first look at the line.

@candacebd

Getting ready for #fall with…#dairyqueen candles?! They’re real & sales benefit the Children’s Miracle Network. (Not an ad, just a freebie) #fyp

♬ Ice Cream – BLACKPINK & Selena Gomez

1. Brownie Dough Blizzard Candle

You know when you open a box brownie mix and breathe in that batter dust (aka flour, cocoa powder, sugar and whatnot)? This is exactly what that smells like.

2. Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Blizzard Candle

This is a much more subtle candle: vanilla, with a light whiff of cinnamon.

3. Pumpkin Pie Blizzard Candle

In a blind scent test, it was described as “gingerbread and maybe cookie dough,” which underscores how strong the cinnamon and nutmeg-y notes are. There’s a little vanilla scent too, reminiscent of the pumpkin and pie crust pieces in the actual Blizzard.

4. Choco Dipped Strawberry Blizzard Candle

One whiff, and you’ll immediately think of Lip Smackers and Strawberry Shortcake dolls.

5. Caramel Apple Pie Blizzard Candle

I thought it’d be cloyingly sweet; I was wrong. The Caramel Apple Pie Blizzard Candle has more of the crisp, refreshing scent of freshly picked apples than notes of pie or caramel, making it a nice contrast to the strong, chocolate-y scents in this mix.

6. Oreo Mocha Fudge Blizzard Candle

Described as containing the “essence of a cozy cafe meets your favorite cookie meets your nose,” I can’t totally disagree. There are the mocha-coffee ground notes that hit you first, before the rich cocoa scent of the chocolate cookies. You’ll immediately think of an Oreo.

Who knows if this year’s collection will sell out as quickly as last year’s, but one thing’s for sure: These candles are pretty darn cute. Especially with their Blizzard-swirled lids. And if you miss out on ordering a set, you can always console yourself with the real-deal version of these scents, which are all available at Dairy Queen now.

(Yes, that last part sounds like a total ad, though this isn’t a sponsored post. The brand did send us a free set of the candles to sample ahead of the launch. And if DQ wants to sponsor us at some point, well…DQ, email us!)

I’ll admit it: I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole with Selena + Chef. Every Thursday that HBOMax drops new episodes, I find myself binging them all (so far, they’ve shared three each week) in a single sitting, while Googling random questions as they come to mind: Where are those chef’s knives from? (Amazon, apparently.) How do I make Candice Kumai’s matcha chocolate chip cookies exactly? (Here’s how.) Inevitably, I got curious about filming during quarantine.

Yes, every episode shows Gomez putting on her own mic, turning on remote cameras everywhere and clapping to sync her audio with the video. But every once in a while, you see producers. And after a few years producing videos at PureWow, Delish and House Beautiful, I knew how much work goes into creating those episodes. And how many variables you try to control for, given that Murphy’s Law is in full effect on any shoot. Truly.

It turns out that Gomez, her roommates and her grandparents weren’t totally alone: Crew members operated the cameras remotely, from the singer’s backyard, Deadline reports. And the team took every precaution to prevent any COVID outbreaks: The crew wore face coverings at all times, received temperature checks upon arrival and were regularly tested for the virus. And they didn’t come in contact with Gomez, her grandparents or roomies. With several camera angles set up, including a floating cam that one of Gomez’s roommates would occasionally use for close-up shots, they had plenty of different shots to cut away to as they edited, which is crucial for an unscripted series. Still, that probably didn’t make the process any less bizarre.

“That’s so crazy it comes out so well,” Gomez told Deadline. “It comes out like a normal cooking show but also very odd because everyone is outside everywhere.”

With only four episodes left to air, I’m already crossing my fingers for a second season. My quarantine queue is getting mighty low.

I’m well-versed in face masks and sheet masks, but it wasn’t until recently that I’d even heard of hand masks. And I never thought I’d want one—until my hands started feeling achy from being so cracked and dry. Lotion and body oil weren’t cutting it. I tried increasing my water intake (maybe dehydration was partially to blame?), but nothing was making much of a difference. I’d been given a Dr. Jart+ Dermask Hydrating Hand Mask, so I decided to give it a shot.

The First Impression

Initially, it felt like I was dressing up for Halloween. As a low-budget, DIY robot. I opened the package to reveal what looked like oversized gloves made out of silver Mylar balloons, with little stickers on the wrists so I could seal them tightly, preventing air from getting into the gloves.

Once on, I felt a lot like David Duchovny in Zoolander, aka the world’s greatest hand model, who encased his hand in a homemade hyperbaric chamber to prevent it from aging. I hoped it’d have similar effects.

The Process

The mask is designed to soften and hydrate your hands, and in order for it to work its magic, you put on both gloves, seal them tightly at the wrists and wear them for 15 to 20 minutes. Once off, you don’t wash your hands—though I really wanted to, since the moisturizer felt thick and sticky, even if it was translucent. You simply pat it in.

There’s a slight warming sensation, which is nice while you’re wearing the gloves (particularly on a chilly day, I’d imagine). But it seemed to linger and almost burn in one part of my hand after the gloves were off. I wound up washing my hands 20 minutes afterward, just because it was bothering me. The sensation immediately subsided.

The End Result

As soothing as face masks are, I rarely notice much of a difference in my skin after half an hour. This was wildly different. The veins in my hands were no longer popping out; my hands felt softer than ever. My skin glowed. I practically was David Duchovny in Zoolander! (Cue the line: “I’m a hand model, mama!”)

A full week later—even amid all of the pandemic-induced hand washing—my skin still feels great. It’s not nearly as dewy, but it’s not pruny, cracked or dry, and for that, I’m grateful. At $14 a mask, my hands would need to be in rough shape to keep up this routine, but I could see myself doing it once a quarter, at least in the fall and winter, to keep my hands looking and feeling great.

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Remember when you used to watch The Jetsons or Smart House and think the future would be all about video chatting? Then the coronavirus pandemic hit and that became our reality. And it got old, fast. It’s a great way to stay connected, sure, but Zoom fatigue is real. So is the awkwardness of staring at a screen, desperately wanting to connect, but feeling like you have nothing new to say because, well, what day even is it anymore? Relax. These Zoom games—which you can play on Facebook Messenger/Rooms, Microsoft Teams, Meet, Skype, whatever service you use—will make you actually look forward to hopping on a call.

Bring on the Zoom Games!

1. A Zoom Scavenger Hunt — One person acts as the leader, calling out clues and everyone else has a minute or less to find the item in question, like an analog clock or something that reminds you of summertime. Here are 20 ideas to get you started.
2. The Newlywed Game, Zoom Edition — Take turns coming up with questions (Favorite movie! First kiss! Go-to Karaoke Song!) and writing down what your answer is, and what you think the other person’s answer would be. Count to three to reveal your answers, earning a point for each time you and the other person provide the same answer. (And no, you don’t have to be newlyweds or even a couple to play this—it’s just a way to see how well you and your friend/fling/soulmate/relative finish each other’s…sandwiches.)
3. You (Auto)Complete Me — One person acts as the “host,” pulling up a screen in incognito mode and starts searching for different words or phrases. Everyone tries to be the first to guess how Google autocompletes the host’s search term, and whoever guesses right first gets a point. The first person to 10 points wins. (For ex: The host starts searching “Britney Spears.” If you blurted out “Britney Spears songs,” you get a point, Glen Coco! You go, Glen Coco!)
4. Charades — It’s literally the same game, even if you’re not playing face-to-face.
5. Zoom Pictionary — OK, it’s not endorsed by the official game, but as long as everyone can find paper and something to draw with (ideally a marker, which will make your art easier to see on the screen), you’re in business. Or you could use the whiteboard feature in Zoom.
   Divide into teams and use a Random Word Generator to create drawing prompts. A representative from each team will start drawing out the word—with a minute or less to complete it—and you’ll see who can figure it out the fastest. Whoever has the most points after three full rounds wins.
6. Jeopardy Labs — What’s a game based on a classic trivia-based TV show that you can play online? Oh wait, I already answered myself. Check it out here.
7. Two Truths and a Lie — That college icebreaker is even more fun to play today, especially when you realize the person you’ve known for years is FULL of surprises.
8. Online Uno — Just because you’re not close enough to play cards together doesn’t mean you can’t. Hit up Unofreak to get your game on.
9. Never Have I Ever — Each person holds up five fingers, and as you go around the chat screen, you each take turns saying something you’ve never done. If you’ve done it, you put one of your fingers down. The first person to close their fist (ahem, admit to doing five things others haven’t) gets to take a shot—alcoholic or otherwise, if drinking isn’t your thing—and explain the stories behind them.
10. A Scattergories-esque Online Game — The fast-paced game to see how many topics you can answer with words that all start with the same letter is available online (for free). This version’s called Categories Game, and it’s every bit as addictive.
11. Codenames — Go to a site called Horsepaste.com (I know, this is getting weird already, but stay with me). Enter a code to identify your gaming session as yours—so no one can accidentally enter it—and hit “go.” It will create a screensharing link to send to your friends. Using that link, you can play Codenames. The game looks like a giant grid of random words, and it requires someone to be the “Spymaster,” who offers a clue and a number (like “beach five”). Everyone else is divided into a blue team and a red team, and little do they know, but every word on the board is secretly “coded” blue or red. Only the Spymaster knows which words belong to each team. On each team’s turn, the Spymaster’s clue lets the team know how many words on the board fit that theme and apply to their color. If your team accidentally guesses a word that’s coded to the opposing team, your turn ends. Whoever guesses all of the words first wins. (Confused? Here’s a video that explains it all in 3 minutes flat.)
12. Cards Against Online — It may remind you of Mad Libs, or more aptly, Cards Against Humanity. In the game, you’ll randomly be given a prompt to fill in the blanks. You’ll have your own hand of cards that others can’t see, each with a word or phrase you can use to complete the sentence. Everyone submits their card, and a judge—which changes with each turn, so everyone gets a shot—chooses which one he/she/they like best. Play it here.
13. Truth or Dare — A middle school classic that requires nothing other than a mischievous nature.
14. Battleship — Yes, there’s a site for that. Just remember that if you lose, flipping the laptop is far more disastrous than the board game you toppled when you were seven.
15. Heads Up — This requires a little extra tech, but as long as you set up your laptops for the video chat and use your phones to play the Heads Up app, you’re good to go.

Lead Photo: Candace Braun Davison

At this point, you’ve probably hiked every park near you (several times), avoided crowds at the beach, finally read all of those hardcovers on your bookshelf and blazed through your Netflix queue. Coming up with new socially distant ways to explore the world around you might be getting a bit harder, which is why it’s time to try out a drive-by—or walk-through—art gallery.

If you’re in New York or London, the Geo Street App is worth a download. It’ll help you find murals near you, so you can create your own walking tour, checking out these works at your own pace. Similarly, PixelStix maps out Tampa Bay, featuring more than 80 murals in the St. Petersburg area alone. This app takes things a step further: When you arrive at a mural, scan the PixelStix logo using the app—or click on the PixelStix “P” on the map in the app—to learn the story behind the art. (Users can add art to the map too.) There’s also a Drive-In Mural Theater feature, which pairs murals that are close together with a docent’s narration of the stories behind the pieces, so you can cruise and learn.

Don’t live in any of those areas? That’s where Street Art Cities comes in. Use the site to search for your city, and it will pop up a map showing any logged street art near you.

Grab takeout coffee (or a smoothie), map out your route and liven up an otherwise-ordinary weeknight with a free outdoor art show.

There’s something about having a surprise box of goodies on your doorstep that makes it feel like your birthday came early. Or has multiplied your birthday. I guess it’s fitting, then, that my husband gifted me a full year’s worth of Causeboxes last year. My final box arrived last week, and it didn’t disappoint.

While there is some variation between boxes, here’s a glimpse of what was inside mine—and whether the products are worth buying on their own.

The Summer 2020 Causebox Contains…

• Pepper & Vetiver Stacking Bowls (three)
• Silicone Stretch Lids (six pack)
• Feya Candles Diffuser
• Savhera Essential Oil Roll-Ons
• Stella & Grace Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum
• PMD Clean Smart Facial Cleansing Device
• The Juice Cleanse bath salts

All of the Causebox Contents, Ranked from Best to Meh

1. Stella & Grace Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum

This serum doesn’t have a noticeable fragrance (or odor, as some do), and it’s lightweight, with a clean, non-sticky finish. Some serums have left my skin feeling taut and shiny; this is more of a gentle dewiness. While the package touts that it can reduce the appearance of fine lines, I haven’t really noticed results (though, to be fair, it’s only been two weeks).

2. Pepper & Vetiver Stacking Bowls & Silicone Stretch Lids

Do I need them? Not really. Are they beautiful? Yes. I love the summery, watercolor stripes on these ceramic serving bowls, and how neatly they nest within each other, so they don’t take up a ton of pantry real estate.

What makes them particularly useful, though, are the silicone stretch lids that come with it—though they can be used to cover any bowl, they’re an easy way to clean up leftovers without dirtying a set of Tupperware.

3. Savhera Essential Oil Roll-Ons

When you need a little pick-me-up, this is it. The roll-ons feature a diluted blend of essential oils (so you don’t have to worry about them irritating your skin), and are an easy way to freshen up before you head out the door. The Summer 2020 Causebox comes with two roll-ons—one calming, one mood-boosting—though both tend to have a citrusy scent.

4. Feya Candles White Tea & Ginger Diffuser

Like most reed diffusers, the scent is very subtle here. When you do get a whiff, it’s light, crisp and refreshing.

Also, I like the fact that the company contributes a portion of its proceeds to provide clean drinking water to those in need, though it was hard to tell how much was contributed.

5. The Juice Cleanse Bath Salts

This is very subjective, because I’m not a bath person. People who love a good soak—or have achy muscles because they’re doing more than sitting on their couch all day (unlike me)—would probably really enjoy this addition to the box. It has a sweet, citrusy scent that’s borderline Froot Loop-y, and the blend of oils and Epsom salts are designed to soften and moisturize your skin.

6. PMD Clean Smart Facial Cleansing Device

It seems like every other lifestyle subscription box features some sort of facial massager, all promising to deeply clean your skin courtesy of its vibrating, silicone bristles. This one’s no different. Maybe I don’t wear enough makeup or get my face dirty enough to feel like these gadgets make a difference. All in all, I find them kind of lackluster, and I hope we’ll get a little break from them in future boxes.

If you’re interested in trying Causebox for yourself, you can sign up via this link. It’s a fun way to try new things and liven up our socially distant days, that’s for sure.

People are coming up with all kinds of ways to entertain themselves right now—digital happy hours, Zoom raves, YouTube workouts—and as we search for new ways to feel connected without leaving our homes, I couldn’t help but remember the phase in my life when I naturally stayed inside, well, all the time: Y2K. Not because of the threat of the world’s collapse (as some worried), but because I was in middle school, my family had just bought a computer, and a whole new world opened up.

After joking with coworkers about the old video games they’ve suddenly started playing again—or the old games and toys they’ve found tucked in the back of their closets—I started thinking about my obsessions at the time. And it turns out three sites in particular still exist (or, in one case, were resurrected). Now, the only thing hanging between you and social-distancing-approved nostalgia: Do you remember your old login?

1. Neopets

Yes, the game where you care for mythical creatures and earn money to transform your own digital world still exists! And the website looks just as it did in, uh, 2001? It’s like The Sims meets Tamagochi, and it’s amazing how many hours you can lose while clicking around. You’ve been warned.

Check it out.

2. LiveJournal

The place where you originally overshared your feelings, mood and what was on the menu for dinner is still thriving. Why not fire it back up as you process (and chronicle) this wild time we’re living in? Decades from now, your family members will want to ask you all about it anyway. (And if sharing your life with total strangers isn’t your thing, you can always make your posts private.

Check it out.

3. AIM

AOL Instant Messenger may be retired, but 1997.chat aims to bring the experience back to you, with profiles, away messages and instant chats with your friends. Yes, you could use GChat, Facebook Messenger or even text to share this kind of info, but when you’re craving a throwback to simpler times, this service delivers.

Check it out.

Lead Photo by Daniel Korpai on Unsplash

After seeing endless Instagram ads and influencers touting the latest swag they scored in their subscription boxes, admit it: You’re kind of curious whether they’re worth the cash each month (or quarter). But with all of the options out there, it’s hard to know which one’s worthy of scoring your credit card number. That’s why I’m taking one for the team—you’re welcome, world!—and comparing the two lifestyle boxes currently flooding my feed: Causebox vs. FabFitFun. Which one’s worth the money? Take a look at our breakdown of the two and decide for yourself.

How Causebox & FabFitFun Are Similar:

Both boxes are sent quarterly, featuring a mix of lifestyle products—namely, fashion, beauty and the occasional candle, letter board, or ring holder to spruce up your home. Both promise treasures inside that are worth way more than the price you pay per box (often 3 to 4 times the value, based on the retail price of all items), and both let annual subscribers customize some of the products in their boxes.

What Makes Them Different:

Causebox typically packages its products with a more distinct theme (summer 2019, for example, featured all essentials for a day out in the sun), and its products are all sourced from socially conscious companies that give back. FabFitFun is more of a range of items from all sorts of companies, and you have more customization options with each box.

What’s The Cost of Each?

You can typically find a first-timer’s coupon code to save you money on each. Causebox costs $55 per quarter (or $50 per box with an annual subscription), though with a promo code, you can snag it for 20% off. FabFitFun will set you back $50 per quarter, and you can often get $10 off.

What Do You Actually Get?

Expect to get about 6-8 items from each brand’s box per quarter. To give you a better sense of what’s inside, I’ll compare the Spring 2020 boxes.

What’s Inside FabFitFun’s Spring 2020 Box:

• FabFitFun will send you three out of the following: Thisworks Deep Sleep Moisturizer, Spongelle Black Orchid body wash-infused buffer, Purlisse Watermelon Energizing 2-Minute Polishing Peel, Winky Lux Rainbow tinted lip balm, Chic & Tonic silicone straws (4-pack), Whish Beauty Blue Matcha Restoring Mask, Wander Beauty Mile-High Club Volume and Length Mascara, and/or Avene Thermal Spring Water

• Customization #1: Aria Beauty Luxe Detangling Electroplated Brush, Jabonería Marianella Imperial Jade body oil, Stone Cold Fox tea towels or AVEDA damage remedy daily hair repair
• Customization #2: AG Hair Fast Food leave-in conditioner, Skindinavia The Makeup finishing spray, Lovescript body wash, Speaqua Cruiser Bluetooth wireless speaker, Ciaté London Fierce Flicks Precision Tip liquid liner, Eparé dual salt and pepper mill
• Customization #3: reVive Light Therapy® Glo wrinkle and anti-aging device, DONNI. ribbed sweater coat, Caravan woven rug, Summer & Rose navy diamond tote, West Elm indigo tie-dye bowls, Elemis Peptide4 Night Recovery Cream-Oil 
• Customization #4: Murad® Rapid Collagen Infusion gel, Shoshanna umbrella, Tarte™ Rainforest of the Sea™ H2O hydrating boost, Tarte™ glow highlight & contour palette, 111SKIN Rose Gold Radiance Booster
• Customization #5: Amber Sceats™ Double coin necklace, Gravity Weighted Sleep Mask, WEI Two-in-One Purify and Glow mask collection, Cosmedix Pure C, Green Goo Hibiscus plant-based body scrub

What’s In Causebox’s Spring 2020 Box:

• Bentgo stackable bento box set
• Pixie Mood “Zoe” crossbody bag
• Artisan Direct reusable grocery bag set (5-pack)
• Customization #1: Simple Self Self-Care planner or Jenni Earle Wild + Free Bandana
• Customization #2: Dime volumizing eyelash serum and mascara set or Fosterie layered necklace
• TBD additional products? Causebox’s site suggests there may be more items in this season’s box, but the brand hasn’t released any additional spoilers yet. We’ll update this post as soon as we know more.

Which Subscription Box Is the Better Pick?

I waffle every quarter, because it really depends on your interests and what you’ll actually use. In the summer, I was really down on Causebox, simply because I already owned everything in that season’s shipment. Not those exact products, but they were so generic that I didn’t feel like I needed another sunscreen, tote bag, swimsuit cover-up, or hair ties. They had great stories behind them, sure, but the items themselves weren’t memorable.

This past fall and winter, however, I loved Causebox way more than FabFitFun. Everything seemed more carefully curated and special, and even if I already owned something (like a statement necklace or face oil, for example) the design or features touted made them stand out enough that I couldn’t wait to try them. Right now, spring 2020 is shaping up the same way, though Causebox’s full spring box has yet to be revealed.

In the end, it all comes down to personal preference. If you’re really into trying new beauty products and serums with a side of lifestyle, try FabFitFun. If you’re more into natural/sustainable wares and products with a story, Causebox might be better for you.

Two eight-foot-tall Care Bears waddle past me, steps away from a remote-controlled parrot flying through hoops (and, admittedly, into walls) and what looks like a museum featuring artifacts—a bear’s windmill! A bunny cottage!—from the Calico Critters’ 35-year history. There’s a center stage spotlighting dozens of bug-eyed Beanie Boo’s, the latest iteration of the Ty Beanie Baby empire, and not far from there, security guards flank the high-walled compound where Mattel shows off its latest wares, but only to buyers and press with previously scheduled appointments. This is the 2020 New York Toy Fair, and no, you’re not prepared for the experience.

To get buyers’ attention, toymakers design over-the-top, often interactive booths. Hence the gigantic Care Bears, flying parrot racetracks and Beanie Boos stage.

It’s a strange yet delightful experience, wandering the rows and rows of booths. I visited this year in search of potential PureWow stories, though with so many big deals on the line, vendors are less interested in dealing with the press, and as a member of the general public, forget it—you’re not even allowed inside, unless you can prove you’re an influencer (particularly on YouTube). Kids also aren’t allowed, which makes it feel all the stranger to be shoulder to shoulder with so many people in full suits as you wander down what appears to be the world’s most over-the-top Toys ‘R’ Us.

Some toy companies will only allow you to enter their booths if you have a previously arranged appointment and you’ve been vetted by the brand, to prove you’re not wasting their time. Some open their spaces to everyone, with costumed characters or greeters employed to draw you in, getting you to play a game you might not have heard of before.

The whole fair provides a sneak peek at what’s going to hit store shelves (and kids’ wish lists everywhere) over the next year. I only got to spend a few hours there, but based on what I saw, you can expect plenty of tricked-out scooters, sequin-shifting, gigantic-eyed plushies, and augmented reality games. Check it out.

The Coolest Finds at the 2020 New York Toy Fair:

Let’s get weird. I’m always down to try something new, so when I heard LA’s House of Intuition was offering free aura readings as part of the launch of its New York pop-up store this past holiday season, I said yes. I had no idea what that even meant, but I headed down to the Freehand Hotel, ready to figure out whether I was a summer, or a winter, or a fiery red or a technicolor dream coat.

Turns out, I was none of those things (shocking, right?). Shortly after walking into the pop-up, past a table full of so many different kinds of crystals it’d put any ’90s mall nature store to shame, I was led to what looked like a photo booth. An employee asked me to sit down, placing my hand on a box in front of the camera that was reminiscent of a coin-operated Love Test. Once my hand was placed on the box, I was told to relax and, within seconds, my picture was taken, Polaroid-style. A photo popped out and slowly developed, going from black and white to deep shades of red and orange.

I’d seen aura photos before, and they were usually light rainbows enveloping someone’s face, like viewing a person through a prism. I, on the other hand, was shrouded in red. So much red. Turns out, that’s actually normal—and it doesn’t mean I’m full of botted rage or desperately need an exorcism (two things that admittedly came to mind). The photo was taken to an aura reader, who dissected the image, explaining what she saw to me.

Wait, What Even Is an Aura Photo?

Let me back up. The concept, first developed in 1939 by Russian scientist Semyon Kirlian, is that when you place something (like your hand) on a photographic plate that’s connected to voltage, you’ll see that image surrounded by a “mysterious energy,” Wired reported. So, in capturing your aura, the photo’s theoretically capturing the electromagnetic field surrounding you, and certain meanings have been ascribed to the colors that appear. (Skeptics say the camera’s capturing how particles on your skin and in the air interact with electricity and nothing more; Wired suggests there may be a middle ground, though admits the science is “bad” behind these cameras.)

So, What Did The Aura Reader See in My Photo?

All that red signified a powerful spirit—someone who’s always go, go, go, who has a tendency to put my head down and push through whatever needs to be done. Ambitious, and stressed.

The orange near my throat suggested a way with words, that I was a storyteller at my core who also knew how to spin a situation.

The almost black, inky indigo surrounding me was the isolation I’d been feeling lately. That I often feel alone in a crowded room; like people don’t see who I truly am, and that I’m better in one-on-one situations.

Those things were all pretty accurate, especially at that moment. My grandmother had passed away that morning and I went to work anyway: head down, power through, get through the day and focus on the pain later, when you have time. It was Friday, after all; the weekend was almost here, and then I could deal with unpacking my emotions. The aura reader didn’t know any of this until after the reading, though one might suggest that, like a horoscope, telling someone they’re hardworking and somewhat stressed could apply to any adult, anywhere. Feeling isolated? Yeah, that was me. A cold reading may have suggested that, as I sat by myself, waiting for my turn for my photo to be read, trying to hide the fact that I didn’t feel as cheery and chatty as I thought I should be at the event.

Is It Worth It?

Many places charge anywhere from $20-$25 for an aura photo and reading. If you’re looking for an unconventional way to spend an evening, and you want a cool photo to enjoy later, go for it. Should you base a major life decision—or your sense of self or your worth—on what a reading says? No way. But then again, should you do that with any half-hour meeting with a stranger?

If nothing else, the analysis gets you to reflect on those statements, deciding for yourself what’s true, what isn’t and probing deeper where you see fit. In my case, I stepped back and analyzed how I needed to allow myself space to grieve, rather than compartmentalize. I appreciate my work ethic, but I thought deeper about how I should be seeking balance. Whether an aura photograph is tapping into my spirit or not, it was a surprisingly insightful exercise.

There’s a certain high you get when someone says something truly, genuinely kind about you. Sure, classic compliments (“You look so great in that sweater!”) always bring a smile, but they’re so tried-and-true that they don’t have quite the impact as something that delves a little deeper, that’s a little more specific and insightful—or that’s just so unexpectedly quirky it catches you off-guard. Here are 15 unconventional-yet-awesome compliments we’ve heard lately that we want to borrow sometime (with the occasional commentary to explain the backstory).

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