T LOunge for April 4th 2025

Pin

Pin

Pin

Pin

PinLa Terrazza Restaurant & Bar – Elba Island, Italy

We are gathered here today to do not a damn thing. It’s FRIDAY and you’ve earned the respite. Settle in. We will now scramble to present you with distractions in order to keep you here. Please stand by.

Ann Dowd and ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Team Tease Upcoming Sequel Series ‘The Testaments’
“We tried not to make the same show — it’s got younger voices, it’s got a completely different feel and a completely different vibe,” creator Bruce Miller says of the new Gilead-set project.
The Handmaid’s Tale may be coming to an end, but Hulu is not saying goodbye to Gilead. Earlier this week, the streamer officially picked up sequel The Testaments to series.
The Gilead follow-up series will adapt Margaret Atwood’s 2019 novel of the same name and see Ann Dowd returning as Aunt Lydia, with Handmaid’s Tale star Elisabeth Moss executive producing. It will follow June’s (Moss) daughter Hannah, known in Gilead as Agnes, and the team behind the series revealed some more key details at the The Handmaid’s Tale‘s final season premiere on Wednesday.

Nathan Lane Has (Re-)Entered His Sitcom Era—and Thank Goodness for That
It’s so refreshing to watch a show with queer characters who aren’t all 20-somethings. Why do you think we don’t see more of that?
You know, you’d have to ask the studio heads and television executives. Max and David had this idea that they were working on for a couple of years, but I think it happened because of Ryan Murphy. He’s powerful enough to say, “Let’s make up this pilot.” I think it’s really a very smart, funny script, but I think the reason it happened is because of him. We made a very good pilot, and Hulu was excited by it, but it doesn’t hurt to have Ryan Murphy in your corner. The whole process happened very quickly, from pilot to series; everyone kept saying to me, “Oh, it’ll be a long time. They’ll take a long time to decide about this,” and it all happened very fast, which was exciting.

The experts have spoken, these are the 8 chicest pedicure shades to wear on your toes this spring
Sandals at the ready
Warm weather is finally on the horizon and with it comes the return of sandal season. With that in mind, you’ll undoubtedly be thinking about getting your feet prepped and ready for the biggest nail trends. (You should start using a great foot cream around now.)
If a pedicure is on your to-do list, you’ll most likely be looking for inspiration on the best pedicure colours to be sporting on your toes this spring. So, because we’ve always got your back, I thought I’d go straight to the experts to see just which shades they predict will be big news for Spring 2025.

It’s official—the best eye creams really do make a difference, and these 16 tackle dark circles, puffiness and fine lines
Not a step you want to skip
If there’s one question that we tend to be asked more than any other as beauty editors, it’s whether using an eye cream is worth it. We get it—when you’re already investing money in a decent cleanser, a serum tailored to your skin’s needs, and the best moisturiser for you, then an eye cream feels like just another step in a skincare routine. But, we hate to break it to you, the best eye creams really are necessary because your face serum and moisturisers aren’t formulated for the fragile thin skin that sits just below your lower lash line.

These beauty editors only wear perfumes that guarantee compliments—these are the 12 they’re wearing on rotation this spring
I don’t leave the house without a spritz
I find selecting the best perfume to wear on any given day a relatively easy task. When the days are hot and balmy, I naturally reach for milky, citrus scents that drench me in rays of sunshine with every spritz. For cold and grey days, I like to opt for cosy, long-lasting perfumes that fill me with comfort. For autumn, I like to reach for invigorating and fresh perfumes that clear the senses. When it comes to spring perfumes, however, I’m not quite so prescriptive with my choices.
Truth be told, for times like now, when the weather switches between warmly optimistic and bitterly drab, I like to be more fluid with my perfume choices. However, as a beauty editor whose job it is to test every perfume that comes my way, my collection is somewhat vast. With my collection inching closer towards three figures with every working day that passes (believe me, I know it’s grotesque), I’m spoiled for choice.

Kesha, the Barefoot Baddie From Tennessee
Kesha calls in fresh off a reinvigorating retreat to Big Sur, California, where she spent a weekend off-the-grid, “dancing and trying to move trauma through my body” — at last in a place of self-actualized autonomy and healing. This spiritual release reflects a physical one that has been publicly fought in court, but, perhaps most intensely of all, within the pop artist’s soul. “It rained all year, but it’s clearing up,” she sings on the new celebratory single “YIPPEE-KI-YAY.” with T-Pain. “I’m flying high, it’s a miracle/ I’m drinking spirits, I’m spiritual.”
Now, Kesha is making art on her own terms under the independent label, Kesha Records. With the July 4 release of her sixth studio album, PERIOD (stylized as the punctuation mark), Kesha will be putting out “the first record I’ve ever made where I have legal rights to my own voice,” as she explains. The freedom to speak for herself is entrenched throughout PERIOD, with a mix of genres authentic to the singer’s power-pop, propulsive sound that recalls the mid-aughts party anthems that defined her early career.

Gingham Season Has Arrived — Here’s How To Wear It Now And For The Rest Of The Summer
There’s a reason why gingham has become so popular.
Ever since primary school, wearing gingham has signified the start of summer as we swapped out shirts and ties for sweet dresses in our uniform’s pastel shade. But, why wait until the start of the summer term? There is a way to wear gingham now, even if the sunshine is fooling us into thinking the temperature is higher than the reality.

Chase Sui Wonders Finds ’90s Nostalgia in a Rare Spring ’97 Prada Dress
At ‘The Studio’ premiere, she channeled Gwyneth Paltrow’s style with an archival print once worn by the star.
Chase Sui Wonders may be best known for her burgeoning acting career, but she also wields a lesser-known gift: a discerning eye for vintage fashion. On her regular excursions through downtown Manhattan—where Lara Koleji is one of her favored destinations—she gravitates toward pieces characterized by vivid color palettes, figure-hugging cuts, and razor-sharp tailoring.
It was only fitting, then, that for a special screening of her Apple TV+ series The Studio, Wonders opted for a rare Prada gown pulled directly from the house’s Spring 1997 archives.

16 Documentaries Coming Out in 2025 That Should Be on Your Watchlist
From what’s surely your next Netflix obsession to a never-before-seen look at one of the most iconic bands in history.
From buzzy superhero stories to the return of Paddington, 2025 is filled with exciting new movie releases. But here’s some advice: Don’t count out real-life stories in the meantime. Documentaries can be just as gripping as fictional movies, and based on the current slate of upcoming nonfiction releases, the new year will be no exception.

Meet the Cast of ‘Pulse’
Netflix’s new medical drama follows a group of Miami-based ER doctors.
2025 has already been a big year for medical shows. Grey’s Anatomy just celebrated its 20th anniversary, and Max’s The Pitt and Netflix’s The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call have grown into word-of-mouth hits. On April 3, 2025, Netflix debuted Pulse, a new juicy hospital-set drama about residents juggling their relationships while also saving lives.
Created by Zoe Robyn and executive produced by Carlton Cuse, Pulse takes place at Maguire Medical Center in Miami, Florida, and follows the diverse staff of its acclaimed level one trauma center. As the series begins, storms are brewing both inside and outside the ER, as the surgery and emergency medicine residents face the fallout of a workplace relationship at the same time that a hurricane is heading for Miami. After the hurricane stops, neither the interpersonal drama nor the heart-wrenching emergency cases let up.

Everything We Know About ‘Elle,’ the ‘Legally Blonde’ Prequel Series
Get ready to meet a teenage Elle Woods!
Happy people don’t just kill their husbands—but they do celebrate when there’s news regarding Legally Blonde. The iconic 2001 comedy has been a staple feel-good movie and one of the best films from the 2000s for over two decades—inspiring millions of girls to approach their dreams with their full, authentic selves—and now it’s officially making a comeback. After fans have been clamoring for a return of the film series for years, and with Legally Blonde 3 still in limbo, it’s been confirmed that Elle Woods will get a television debut.

How to Apply Concealer the Right Way, According to Pros
Foundation first, concealer second.
If you’ve ever dealt with dark circles, blemishes, or anything else you want to cover up, you’ll know that learning how to apply concealer goes a long way in your makeup routine. Concealer can be your best friend in your makeup kit, instantly erasing pores, pimples, scars, and more. But how and where you apply it makes all the difference: If you’ve experienced flaky patches, exaggerated lines, or feeling like your concealer just won’t stay put, you know what we’re talking about.

Declutter Your Home: The 7-Day “Stuff” Cleanse That Will Change Your Life
Because clutter isn’t part of your seasonal reawakening.
It might not feel like spring quite yet, but we’re already having spring cleaning fantasies in which we fling open the windows and flit about with a feather duster, sweeping a winter’s worth of built-up particles off the baseboards. The problem is, along with dust, clutter also piles up during hibernation season, making it challenging to deep-clean or air out much of anything. Decluttering is the obvious answer, but the declutter-verse itself is now such a cluttered space—with so many methods and so much #CleanTok content, it can be hard to decide where to start.

15 Cherry Red Nail Ideas for a Sweet and Juicy Spring Manicure
Red nails are a classic for a reason. The bold hue is equal parts sexy and playful, seeming to signal someone who moves through life without hesitation. Whether a moody wine-colored red or something closer to salmon, red nails never go out of style. Last summer, OPI’s Cajun Shrimp, a bright, coral orange-red trended on TikTok and sold out across the web. But in recent times, it’s cherry red that’s taken over.

Teh Tarik, Malaysia’s Frothy Milk Tea, Is Part of the Country’s Rich Street Food Culture
For generations, both Malaysia and Singapore have embraced the strong sweet tea as an unofficial national drink.
Teh tarik, a frothy milk tea, is considered the unofficial national drink of Malaysia. The hot, black tea made with sweet condensed milk, is equally popular in neighboring countries like Singapore. Malaysians and Singaporeans will drink teh tarik any time of day.
“Malaysia is one of the few countries where you can get coffee and tea 24 hours a day,” says Ange Branca, chef and owner of Kampar, a Malaysian restaurant in Philadelphia.

A ‘Top Chef’ Wants You to Know There’s Something Much More Important Than the Pursuit of Perfection
For his whole working life, Kevin Gillespie has found his identity and purpose in being a chef. That may not be a healthy thing.
The perfect dish doesn’t exist. For that matter perfection doesn’t really exist — at least not to me, not in the way that I’ve always pretended that it does. Perfection itself is an illusion. It’s the figurative mountain ascent with a false peak, whereupon climbing you come to the realization that the top is still out of reach. It strikes me that the pursuit of perfection is an act of faith that’s impossible to achieve, and yet through rare glimpses we see its beauty, feel its pull, and continue to persevere in its image.

First Look at ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ Season 2 Sees Nicole Kidman in the Austrian Alps
The show will premiere May 21 on Hulu.
Nicole Kidman — and a new group of strangers — are heading to another wellness resort to find healing.
The second season of Nine Perfect Strangers has set its premiere date on Hulu, and some first-look images unveil the season’s backdrop: Zauberwald in the Austrian Alps.
The official logline reads: “Nine new strangers connected in ways they could never imagine are invited by mysterious guru Masha Dmitrichenko (Kidman) to join a transformational wellness retreat in the Austrian Alps. Over the course of a week, she takes them to the brink. Will they make it? Will she? Masha is willing to try anything in the interest of healing everyone involved, including herself.”

When your garden fails, the magic happens
Nothing will cure you of perfectionism faster than trying to grow living things.
I started digging into my new hobby (pardon the pun) about five years ago, at first tinkering with an indoor herb garden and calamansi tree in my New York City apartment. Two years ago, after my family moved to Providence, Rhode Island, we began tending to an outdoor garden and discovered how mentally and physically healing it could be. The ritualistic acts of weeding, mulching, pruning, and watering gave us not only a reprieve from the stresses of everyday life, but also a chance to connect with each other, nature, and our new community.
The good news? Anyone, at any budget, can garden. All you need is a few seeds, good quality soil, and a desire to grow, both literally and metaphorically.

An acting debut in The White Lotus, dinner at Buckingham Palace and a romance with billionaire boyfriend Frédéric Arnault: so, what’s next for Blackpink’s Lisa?
A fellow The White Lotus cast member has called her ‘more famous than Jesus and Elvis’, so just who is this K-pop superstar who’s infiltrated the world of high fashion?
Parker Posey’s Southern accent may be the breakout star of this season of The White Lotus, but the most famous member of the cast is not Posey, nor Aimee Lou Wood’s teeth, nor nepo baby Patrick Schwarzenegger. It is, in fact, the humble Mook: real-name Lisa, with a not-so-humble 105 million followers on Instagram.
She is, in the words of fellow cast member Jason Isaacs, ‘one of the most famous people in the entire world… more famous than Jesus and Elvis’. Director Mike White says that she is Thailand’s ‘Taylor Swift meets Princess Diana’. And yet Isaacs and White says that they, and many others in the cast, had no idea who she was. So just who is Lisa, outside of her White Lotus wellness-consultant role?

A Killing Eve prequel: New BBC drama Honey will revive Fiona Shaw’s character in the spy drama
The BBC Cold War drama will see the return of Carolyn from Killing Eve
Fiona Shaw’s Killing Eve character Carolyn Martens will be brought back to life in a new BBC Cold War drama inspired by Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s hit series, according to reports.
Described as a ‘flirty’ spy thriller, Honey follows ‘Marta’ who is an undercover agent for MI6 in 1982. With the threat of exposure looming over her head, she struggles to avoid the watchful eye of Friedrich Bauman, the new Head of Counter Espionage for Germany’s Stasi police. According to Deadline, the drama will act as a prequel to Killing Eve and depict the story of Carolyn Martens.

Queen Alexandra, the favourite monarch you forgot: ahead of a new exhibition at Buckingham Palace, Tatler looks back at one of the most endearing royals in history
Queen Alexandra, often compared to the Princess of Wales, was born on 1 December 1844. Her humble beginnings, energetic life as consort and affectionate mothering of George V are remembered as excellent qualities in a queen
One hundred years ago, Queen Alexandra died at Sandringham estate. Hers was a life which had bridged the Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian periods. As a new exhibition, The Edwardians: Age of Elegance, opens at Buckingham Palace exploring the lives of Queen Alexandra and King Edward VII, Tatler looks back at the life of a Queen who was vastly popular in her time, well known as a fashion icon, a devoted wife, Queen and philanthropist.

“I’m the World’s Donkey”: Jenny Slate and Jacqueline Novak on Tiny Gods and Tradwifery
For the first two decades of her career, author, actor and comedian Jenny Slate found herself battling the overwhelming expectations placed upon Hollywood starlets. “It doesn’t mean I don’t want to be attractive or sexual or a winner,” she explained. “But the mold one must pour themselves into to be the ingénue, at least for me, I could not do it.” But a few years ago, when the Obvious Child star turned 40, she found relief from the burdens of the entertainment industry, taking a break from stand-up comedy and trying her hand at a brief stint with tradwifery. “Instead of sitting at the writing desk, I’m going to tidy the house for as long as I want, choose what’s for dinner, then space out,” said Slate when she got on a call last month with Jacqueline Novak, the Emmy-nominated comedian and co-host of the hit podcast Poog, in which she and Kate Berlant sample, and sometimes skewer, a number of health and wellness trends. But Slate didn’t have to wait too long before the right role came calling. It was the part of Nikki in Hulu’s Dying for Sex, in which Slate stars opposite Michelle Williams, who plays a woman setting off on a course of sexual and romantic adventure after being diagnosed with breast cancer. As Slate put it: “This is a show about two women who are the age we are, dealing with death and sex.” Below, she and Novak discuss ingénue syndrome, performance anxieties, and finding pleasure in the little things.

How to Design a Durable Home That Will Stand the Test of Time, According to Experts
Longevity and safety are more important now than ever before.
Living in a durable home has always been a wishlist item and something that homeowners ask about before moving into a new abode. Now, in light of recent events, it’s become a non-negotiable. Catastrophic wildfires, floods, and hurricanes have thrown into sharp relief just how quickly homes can become irreparably damaged or even disappear.
Now, questions about how a home is built, what it’s made with, and how it will withstand the elements are more top-of-mind than ever. “A home is a living, breathing structure—one that evolves with its surroundings and endures for generations,” says Duan Tran, partner at KAA Design. “Future-proofing isn’t just about using strong materials—it’s about designing with purpose.”
Finding that purpose, and sticking with it, is imperative at every turn when building, buying, or renovating a home. Here’s everything the experts say you should know.

How to Eat a Kiwi, According to a Fruit Expert
There are three ways to enjoy this fuzzy fruit and lots of ways to use it in dishes.
A kiwi is a fuzzy fruit that can be enjoyed in many ways. If you’re wondering how to eat a kiwi, we’re here to help. Whether you have the more familiar green kiwi or the newer yellow SunGold kiwi, your approach should be the same. The kiwi may look a little daunting because of its hairy skin, but it’s an easy-to-enjoy fruit that’s also versatile in a variety of dishes. We spoke to one of our favorite food pros—who wrote the book on fruit cake—for ideas and expert tips.

This Lesser-known Louisiana Region Has Charming Small Towns, Delicious Seafood, and Boutique Hotels—and It’s Just 40 Minutes From New Orleans
Cajun food, Spanish moss-covered trees, and an easy-going vibe. Here’s what you need to know about the Northshore.
Between French Quarter revelry, Cajun and Creole eats, Mardi Gras celebrations, and everything in between, New Orleans is a classic Louisiana destination for visitors—but there’s so much more to the Bayou State than the Big Easy.
Just across from Lake Pontchartrain, you’ll find Louisiana’s Northshore. This oft-overlooked region is full of cute small towns, a strong local culture (there are plenty of Mardi Gras festivities), crawfish, and bayou fun.

Rick Steves Just Shared His Best Advice for Young Travelers—and the Adventure That Changed It All for Him
Plus, a glimpse inside his new book, “On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer.”
Don’t let Rick Steves’ gentle demeanor fool you. He’s one determined man—especially if something piques his curiosity, which is a great thing for all of us.
In the mid-’70s, while sitting in a classroom at the University of Washington, Steves listened intently to his professor lecture about his experience along the Hippie Trail, an overland route connecting Europe to Asia. Enthralled, Steves began asking question after question. The only problem was neither his professor nor the guidebooks at the time had any answers.

[Photo Credit: chgroup.eu]

• T LOunge