T LOunge for April 25th 2025

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Le Saint-Martin Restaurant and Terrace – Vence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France

We made it, darlings! It’s FRIDAY once again. Point at a patch of sky and declare it yours for the day. Unforch for us, the construction next door has gotten pretty bad again, which means we’ll have to move the podcast to the weekend, when these guys get to enjoy the fruits of their union’s labor. Sorry about the delay! Couldn’t be helped. The good news: we’ve got plenty of other things to show you today to keep you distracted from the horrors.

Hacks stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder on their ‘darker turn’ and taking risks on season 4
Plus, limited series Emmy nomination predictions, and more in EW’s “The Awardist” digital magazine.
After watching them betray and blackmail each other on season 3 of Hacks, it’s a joy to walk into a room occupied by Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder where there’s no tension — just cheerful hellos, hugs, and a cup of jelly beans.
Huddled together in a West Hollywood hotel for a day full of press ahead of the season 4 premiere of Hacks, the two have a lot to celebrate, coming off an Outstanding Comedy Series win at the 2024 Emmys — but they’re also a bit guarded, careful to not say too much about what’s to come on season 4, as Smart’s Deborah Vance gets to live out her dream of hosting her own late-night show…with Ava as her head writer whether she likes it or not.

Celebrities Who Have Never Attended the Met Gala, Even Though We’re Dying for Them to Go
We so wanna see how they’d interpret the themes!
Some stars are basically Met regulars. Top models like Coco Rocha and Karlie Kloss usually make an appearance, and fashion fans have come to expect head-turning looks from the likes of Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Madonna. As an iconically stylish New Yorker, Sarah Jessica Parker always makes a splash, and we have our first real Gen Z Met Icon in Zendaya. […]
However, it’s even more difficult to comprehend that certain A-listers have never attended fashion’s biggest night. While you’d probably assume Meryl Streep and Jennifer Aniston would have co-chaired the event at least once, neither has even so much as walked the famous steps.
Whether due to scheduling conflicts or something else, many of our favorite celebrities have never been seen at the Met Gala. Which is a small shame, since we’d love to see how they’d interpret the themes! Check out these surprising Met Gala no-shows.

Wunmi Mosaku Is the Beating Heart of Sinners
The star of the film everyone’s talking about chats with Glamour about how she prepared to play Annie, her colorful red-carpet fashion, and the scary (non-vampire) critters that made it to the Louisiana set.
If you haven’t seen Sinners yet, you’re becoming a rare breed.
The Ryan Coogler film, starring Michael B. Jordan as twins Smoke and Stack, Hailee Steinfeld, and Wunmi Mosaku, burst into the zeitgeist last week and quickly became the only thing in pop culture anyone was talking about.
The film blends an examination of Black culture and music with a historical look at Jim Crow Mississippi, and also, vampires. But while there are plenty of moments that will make you scream, the film also manages to be insightful and heartbreaking, especially thanks to Mosaku’s performance as Smoke’s longtime love, Annie.
For the 38-year-old Nigerian-British actor, the accolades for the film feel like a dream, because she and everyone else on set were personally so invested in the project.

I swapped my usual lip balms for the best bright lipsticks—and it was surprisingly joy-inducing
A dopamine boost for Monday through Sunday
There was a time in my life when stepping foot outside of the house without applying the very best red lipstick would have been like closing the door and realising I’d forgotten to put on my bra—unimaginable. Yes, throughout my mid to late-20s I was pretty much a lipstick loyalist. It didn’t matter whether I was heading to the office for a day of back-to-back meetings or meeting friends for dinner, nine times out of 10 I’d be wearing a bright, bold lippie. (Even if spaghetti bolognese was on the menu. That’s how dedicated to the look I was.) I’d often be asked how I could be bothered with the upkeep of wearing a red lip for day-to-day life but, truly, the maintenance never phased me—a few touch-ups throughout the day were worth it for the confidence that a bright lip afforded me.

16 short hairstyles that are perfect for women over 50, according to an expert
A pro hairstylist spills all his secrets
Even though we’re writing a piece about short hairstyles for older women, we’re the first to tell you that hairstyles — cut and colour — have zero age limitations. You wear exactly what you want when you want (we’re particularly loving bob hairstyles and blunt bob right now).
We do, however, understand that as some people get older, their hair changes and their desires shift, leaving them totally confused on how to accommodate that. But, that’s where we and hairstylist Lewis Pallett (the man responsible for some of the most fabulous hairstyles on the red carpet) come in.

I’ve searched high and low for the best lightweight SPFs—these hydrating, water-based ones are a total game-changer
No excuses
By now, we all know about the importance of wearing a facial sunscreen every day, so I’ll skip the lecture and get down to the important bit. You see, while we are all aware of SPF’s necessity in our beauty routine, a recent study by online beauty platform Face the Future revealed that in 2025, 45% of us here in the UK still aren’t applying SPF on a daily basis. The reason? We want our SPF formula to feel silky smooth, hydrating on the skin and offer fuss-free, easy application with no white cast or greasy residue—something that may have been lacking in traditional formulas if the stats are anything to go by.

This perfume has been an icon for over 20 years, and for good reason—it’s soft, elegant, and oh so feminine
But not *too* sweet
Some perfumes are just classics. They’re the ones that are best sellers globally and continually referenced, both in prose and conversation, by perfume enthusiasts. Some of them may have marked our entry into the fragrance world, and more often than not, they’re the ones we repeatedly purchase and turn to time and time again. Think Chanel No.5, Dior’s J’Adore or—the one we’ll be diving into today—Narciso Rodriguez For Her.
Like many of the best perfumes for women, this fragrance was born out of the eponymous fashion house and co-created by not one but two perfumers, Francis Kurkdjian and Christine Nagel. Debuting as an eau de toilette in 2003, closely followed by the eau de parfum the following year, the scent has now been around for well over two decades and reportedly sells one bottle every 15 seconds around the world. The EDP’s milky pink bottle and rectangular silhouette are now so recognisable.

I used to hate running – but this type of training helped me run three sub-90-minute half marathons
Keen to improve your speed?
Running is having a bit of a moment, isn’t it? In the spotlight as an affordable, accessible way to boost your fitness, Google Search around the topic has been steadily rising since 2020, with run clubs popping up left, right and centre around the globe.
Spoiler alert: while I now run most days, I used to really, really dislike cardio. I found running boring, difficult and unrewarding – that was, until one particular Runner’s World article about the many benefits of running caught my eye and I decided to sign up for my first 5km race.

13 bob hairstyles for thick hair that are effortlessly cool
How to maximise all that gorgeous volume.
From the boyfriend bob to the French bob, it’s safe to say bob hairstyles remain a key beauty trend. But when it comes to bob hairstyles for thick hair, how can we make sure we maximise all that gorgeous volume without ending up with a chop that’s heavy, triangular and swamps our features? […] As with all cuts, it’s important to take your hair texture into account, then tailor your chop accordingly to create a style that’s literally made for you, so if you’re lucky enough to have full, thick strands, here are some factors to consider (and ask your stylist for) when chopping in a bob.

53 flower nails for a perfect spring mani
They’re a classic for a reason.
Florals for spring-summer? Hmm. They may not be a groundbreaking mani choice, given flower nails get wheeled out every year around this time. But you’ve got to admit, there’s something refreshing, uplifting and totally joyful about pretty blooms just as the weather kicks into gear. True, they’re a familiar design, but florals are a classic for a reason and we’ve seen some truly stunning renditions that feel modern, wearable and covetable.
Thanks to TikTok and social media, there’s so much creativity and inspo to be had. And who’s to say that florals have to be cutesy? We’re very much here for pastel pinks and butter yellows, but we’ve also seen edgy interpretations in black and white that offer an alternative mood while still tapping up the status symbol. We’ve even seen a rise in maximalist 3D flower nails and hibiscus designs.

Waltzing Through Vienna: A Guide to the City of Coffee, Cakes, and Culture
Vienna has long played muse to Vogue. The city—ever elegant, ever enigmatic—set the stage for one of the magazine’s most iconic stories: The Last Waltz, Mario Testino’s sweeping September 2006 editorial starring Natalia Vodianova as a modern-day empress gliding through Schönbrunn and beyond. The fashion was Dior, but the soul was unmistakably Viennese: powdered and perfumed, a little decadent, and entirely unforgettable. That story, like so many moments in this city’s layered history, seemed to hum in 3/4 time.
And what a history. Vienna gave the world Schubert’s melancholy, Mahler’s grandeur, and the whirling drama of Strauss. It nurtured Klimt and Schiele, whose gilded visions and raw lines still echo through the city’s galleries and palaces. It’s the birthplace of the Secessionist movement, of silkscreened Wiener Werkstätte textiles, of Josef Hoffmann’s crisp geometries. Beauty, in Vienna, is not a luxury—it’s a civic inheritance.

As the Met’s Gorgeous New John Singer Sargent Exhibition Proves, There’s Much More to Madame X Than That Scandalous Strap
For John Singer Sargent enthusiasts, Gilded Age buffs, and fashion historians alike, the story of Madame X’s notorious debut at the Paris Salon of 1884 is a tale as old as time. When the prodigious 28-year-old painter immortalized the idiosyncratic beauty of Madame Pierre Gautreau, a fellow American in Paris, he rendered her precisely—from her auburn chignon and prominent nose to her lavender-tinged complexion and figure-hugging black dress, whose jeweled strap had slid off her right shoulder.
Yet scandal quickly followed, the latter detail doing little to dispel Gautreau’s already controversial reputation. Savaged by critics for the portrait, Sargent famously repainted the strap in the upright position—but the damage was done.

To Be Seen and Not Defined: Dandyism and the Black Intellectual Imagination
A sharply tailored blazer, oversized sunglasses, a cigarette lit like the period at the end of a sentence: James Baldwin was a writer and a thinker who also understood the power of presentation. And he was not alone. Across the 20th century, a constellation of Black intellectuals and artists approached fashion not merely as ornamentation but as ontology. They dressed with intention, their clothes layered with subtext.
The spring 2025 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” is full of allusions to such figures. Drawing on scholar Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, the show considers how Black people have used dress to shift the way they are seen, spotlighting the work of designers such as Virgil Abloh and Grace Wales Bonner but also the fashions apparent in living rooms and lecture halls and on nightclub stages. As Black intellectuals were reshaping the language of Black life and art, they were also crafting bold visual signatures—through hats, gloves, heels, tuxedos—that projected their thinking into the world.

Everything You Need to Know About Martha Stewart and José Andrés’ New Cooking Competition Show
Both tempers and stovetops might be flaring in the new series.
Ever since José Andrés and Martha Stewart announced their new cooking competition show, Yes, Chef!, we’ve been waiting with bated breath for its premiere on April 28.
Yes, the pairing of the acclaimed Spanish chef and entertaining icon at the helm is certain to provide ample entertainment on its own. They’re both food experts who will undoubtedly demand the most from their contestants, and each brings a distinct culinary point of view to the table.

Jon Hamm on ‘Your Friends & Neighbors,’ His Decade Since ‘Mad Men’ and the Childhood Tragedies That Shaped Him
The Emmy winner, 54, is back in awards contention for his first leading role in a TV drama series since he played Don Draper.
Now, a decade after Mad Men ended, Hamm, 54, is again anchoring another major drama series for which he could once again contend for that same award: Apple TV+’s Your Friends and Neighbors, which debuted on April 11, and on which he plays a wealthy New York hedge fund manager, husband and father whose life collapses around him, leading him to turn to robbing his wealthy — you guessed it — friends and neighbors. […]
He also talked about how he has approached his career over the years since Mad Men, during which he has appeared in a lot of comedies, from TV’s 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt to the film Bridesmaids; several Noah Hawley projects, including the film Lucy in the Sky and the TV series Legion and Fargo; other buzzy TV series, including The Morning Show and Landman; and the blockbuster film Top Gun: Maverick. And he revealed why Your Friends and Neighbors so appealed and appeals to him.
Andrew Burnap Takes Jeremy O. Harris Inside Broadway’s Record-Breaking Othello
When Andrew Burnap was first offered the role of Cassio in director Kenny Leon’s ballyhooed revival of Othello, now running at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre through June 8th, he wasn’t sure just how attractive a part it was. Sure, he’d be working with Denzel Washington (in the title role) and Jake Gyllenhaal (as Iago), but Cassio functions mainly as Othello’s loyal footsoldier, steadily and unwittingly moving the play’s tragic plot forward. But it wasn’t long before Burnap took a closer look at the source material, which he’d last read as a student at Yale. “In a way, Cassio is the crux of this plan and the play,” the 34-year-old actor told Jeremy O. Harris earlier this month, shortly after the show’s record-breaking opening week. “I realized that this is a guy who, in today’s world, I’m really fascinated by. He’s someone who’s obsessed with how people perceive him. And with the internet, Twitter, and Instagram, public perception is kind of everything.” Burnap learned that in his first few forays into Broadway, where he earned the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play for The Inheritance, an ambitious, two-part epic that polarized just as many theatergoers as it profoundly affected. “New Yorkers will tell you exactly how they feel about everything you do,” he confessed. “This time on Broadway, I feel a little more deserving, like I’m here and I’ve put the work in.” To drink in the moment, Burnap joined Harris over Zoom to talk about overcoming self-doubt, working with two titans of the entertainment industry, and why he was born to star in a Chet Baker biopic.

How Y2K pop culture shaped modern misogyny
Sophie Gilbert’s new book, Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves, scrutinises the way sexist 90s and 00s pop culture blunted feminism’s third wave
“The things we watch, listen to, read, wear, write, and share dictate in large part how we internalise and project what we’re worth,” writes Sophie Gilbert in Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves. Chronicling the transition from the 1990s to 2000s, which was psychologically violent and sexually exploitative for many women who were part of the pop culture machine, Gilbert calls for a “reappraisal”. She wonders what this moment reflexively did to us as spectators: “How did it condition us to see ourselves? And, maybe more crucially, what did it condition us to think about other women…?”

How to Clean a Deck the Right Way
After a long, snowy winter and rainy spring, it’s time to prepare your deck for summer entertaining.
It’s almost time for summer entertaining, which means you’re likely busy preparing your backyard for guests. And one area that typically needs extra attention after a season of snow and rainfall is your deck. The place where many people gather for meals spent outside and lounging in between dips in the pool, your deck should be in prime condition before it’s used more regularly. While it may seem like a time consuming project, cleaning this outdoor space is necessary in order to help prolong its lifespan and keep it looking its best year after year.

This Is the No. 1 Honeymoon Spot in the U.S.—and It’s Not in California or Hawaii
Lovebirds on the go should consider putting Miami Beach on their travel wishlists.
When most people think of Miami Beach, they may think of things like bustling nightlife, sizzling Cuban food, and white sand beaches. But according to a new study by Upgraded Points, a credit card and points travel news site, the South Florida city should be known for one more thing: romance.
According to its study, The Best Domestic Honeymoon Destinations, Miami Beach is the best honeymoon destination in the U.S. for 2025. For its analysis, Upgraded Points evaluated more than 75 vacation-focused American destinations across 15 ranking factors such as the availability of romantic lodging, affordability, and couple-friendly experiences. Miami beach beat out places like Lake Tahoe, California; Napa, California; Savannah, Georgia; and even Honolulu for the top spot.

[Photo Credit: oetkercollection.com]

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