T LOunge for August 26th 2025

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PinBrunfels Bar and Restaurant – Mainz, Germany

The bad news is it’s TUESDAY. The good news is that we have some celebrity distractions to help you get through it. The even better news is that we all get to spend the day in a gorgeous German LOunge, forgetting everything of import. This concludes today’s news report.

Bringing down the house: As Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale wraps up her role as the Countess of Grantham, Tatler’s October cover star Elizabeth McGovern is enjoying a stellar next act
It’s Britain’s favourite period drama, and she’s the American star at the very heart of it. In Tatler’s October 2025 cover story, Elizabeth McGovern tells Julia Llewellyn Smith about life behind the scenes, from walking for Burberry to treading the boards as silver-screen siren Ava Gardner
One should know better than to confuse an actor with their roles, but the two faces Elizabeth McGovern is currently showing the world are disconcertingly different. On the one hand, there’s the demure, sweet-natured Countess of Grantham, who she has portrayed for the past 15 years in the worldwide phenomenon that is Downton Abbey. On the other, the unapologetically carnal Ava Gardner, one of the greatest stars of Hollywood’s golden age, whose reckless spirit, wisecracking potty mouth, penchant for grands amours and taste for hard liquor McGovern’s conjuring up in her self-written play, Ava: The Secret Conversations, currently playing at the New York City Center theatre, before transferring to Chicago’s Studebaker Theater.

How KPop Demon Hunters Harnessed Girl Power to Become One of Netflix’s Biggest Hits Ever
The film’s creator, Maggie Kang, tells Glamour how her tween self helped her develop her characters of the smash animated hit and how she intentionally leaned into the goofiness of girlhood.
When Maggie Kang first began developing what became the Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters, she found herself thinking a lot about her inner child.
Specifically, the 12-year-old girl she once was. That girl wasn’t a poised princess like so many of the popular Disney characters she’d see in popular media. She was goofy, could be messy and even a little gross, and wasn’t afraid to make herself seem silly for a laugh with her friends. The beauty of her girl gang wasn’t that they were perfect, it was that they were so far from it, and they didn’t care.
“If you’re going to be silly and make dumb faces, you need to do that with a crew who will embrace that part of you and laugh with you,” Kang, now a writer and director at Sony Pictures Animation, tells Glamour.

Netflix’s new feature Your Zodiac Watchlist promises to find your perfect TV pairing based on your star sign
What’s written in the stars for your next watchlist obsession?
Astrological predictions can help us with key decisions, from dating choices to our career paths. Now, Netflix has launched a feature that tells us what to watch – according to our star sign.
Aligning with the beginning of Virgo season on 23 August, the streamer has launched Your Zodiac Watchlist, which will recommend what to watch next according to key characteristic of your zodiac sign. For example, Virgos are described as “always hustling”, with The Queens Gambit (starring Anya Taylor-Joy), Beef, Now You See Me and Money Heist recommended.

Creators Have Just Given a Major Update About The Princess Diaries 3
The Princess Diaries universe is officially returning to our lives, with Disney confirming that The Princess Diaries 3 is officially in the works.
And with the highly-anticipated sequel coming 24 years after the original first hit our screens and 21 years after Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, the third instalment could take any direction.
“Miracles happen,” Anne Hathaway, now 42, posted to Instagram last year, confirming the news that she would be returning to her iconic role of Mia Thermopolis. “Back to Genovia… the fairy tale continues.”

The Step-by-Step Guide to Reversing Sun, Sea and Chlorine Damage for Your Healthiest Autumn Hair Yet
Stronger, shinier hair starts here
My hair has never been as damaged as it was after returning from Coachella a few years ago. Days spent battling sandstorms, relentless UV rays, chlorine-soaked pools, glitter, and non-stop heat styling left it frazzled, knotted, and crying out for serious TLC.
Fast forward to now, and many of us will be facing a similar scenario (perhaps without the glitter) as we return from our summer holidays. Because while a beach escape or tropical getaway can do wonders for the mind, body, and soul, our hair rarely emerges unscathed.

Are Beauty Dupes Democratising Makeup—or Diluting Innovation?
Cheap thrills may come at a price
“Duping is basically trying to sell people something that it doesn’t do—they’re duping the consumer,” Charlotte Tilbury recently said on the pop culture podcast, Shameless. I can see why she’s not a fan. If I had worked tirelessly for over a decade to build a trusted, globally-loved brand, and then a bunch of my bestsellers were being copied—shade for shade, packaging and all—I wouldn’t be a huge fan of dupe culture either.
When beauty dupes first appeared, they felt almost revolutionary. The idea was to provide beauty fanatics with products that were similar, not identical to their favourite brands—a blush with the same texture and finish, a lipstick in a comparable shade—but at a fraction of the price. It levelled the playing field a little, making beauty products once reserved for luxury counters accessible to a wider audience. There was also a thrill in the discovery and with sharing your finds with people who were equally as obsessed with beauty.

I’ve Never Nailed my Lunch Game – But After Eating High-Protein Meals for 7 Days, my Energy, Focus, and Satiety Have Soared
Trust me, your 3 pm self will thank you.
You probably don’t need me to tell you that protein is important. From TikTok’s viral high-protein recipes (which have racked up over 300 million views) to cottage cheese and bone broth becoming the latest “it-girl” ingredients, it seems that we’re collectively on a mission to up our intake, whether through lean meats, eggs, beans or tofu.
And in a lot of ways, rightly so. Long seen as the go-to nutrient for gym-goers and athletes, protein actually plays a highly important role in women’s health, with research demonstrating that the amino acids in protein-rich foods play a key part in hormone production and regulation, while also supporting our bones as we age.

What autumn 2025 has in store for your star sign, according to the tarot cards
Let the tarot reveal what your months ahead look like.
There’s something about September that always feels like a fresh start. And whether there’s something in the air or we’re all just indoctrinated by decades of ‘back to school’ programming, the start of autumn is the perfect time to hit reset on your year. Ready to switch things up? Make a change? Go out on a high? Let our autumn tarotscopes, created using The Starchild Tarot by Danielle Noel, guide you towards 2025’s season finale. Our resident mystic and monthly horoscope writer Emma Howarth has consulted the tarot to create autumn tarotscopes for every sign as the year draws to a close.

I hired an Etsy witch to save my wedding day. Here’s what happened
Hundreds of witchcraft practitioners are selling ‘perfect weather spells’ and ‘rituals for calm, love and harmony on your special day’.
If you thought it was a Tomato Girl Summer, or a Euro Summer, or even a Dua Lipa Summer, I’m afraid you’re wrong. This summer belongs to the Etsy witch.
While witches for hire have been selling their wares (mysterious tinctures, incantations, the odd curse or crystal) for a few years on Etsy, since May, there’s been a huge uptick in orders for one thing in particular: the promise of a perfect wedding day. Around the world, anxious brides-to-be are sliding into the DMs of ‘casters’ and ordering personalised spells, in the hopes that a power beyond our realm will help their weddings go off without a hitch.

How Dwayne Johnson Transformed Into The Smashing Machine: “I Found It So Scary”
The star took on the most intense, challenging role of his career in Benny Safdie’s new film. He speaks for the first time about how he pulled it off: “I realized that maybe these opportunities weren’t coming my way because I was too scared to explore this stuff.”
In the months, weeks, and days leading up to the start of production on The Smashing Machine, Dwayne Johnson contended with an unfamiliar feeling: He was nervous. “It was very real. I had not experienced that in a very, very, very long time, where I was really scared and thinking, I don’t know if I can do this. Can I do this?” he says. “I realized that maybe these opportunities weren’t coming my way because I was too scared to explore this stuff.”
The wrestling icon turned movie star has been a fixture of American pop culture for decades, top-lining everything from the billion-dollar-grossing Jumanji franchise to Netflix’s most watched film ever, Red Notice. But Johnson’s screen persona has tended to stay in a particular lane that leaves little room for truly vulnerable work, the kind that’s mined from an actor’s deepest, sometimes ugliest depths. “DJ has been pigeonholed into the image of the big hero who’s got all the answers and he’s going to fix everything and he’s invincible,” says Emily Blunt, Johnson’s Smashing Machine costar. “I think until this moment, maybe he thought that was the only lane that people wanted to see him in.”

The most beautiful boho blouses to wear with flared jeans this autumn
Boho blouses paired with flared jeans are a nod to timeless ’70s style.
A star garment not only for this season, but of the year in general, are flared jeans. They provide a retro, flattering touch that compliments the figure and adds movement to any outfit. However, for this garment to really shine, it needs a companion to match: the boho blouse. With flowy fabrics, embroidery, florals and details such as ruffles, lace or puffed sleeves, boho blouses are the perfect piece to create outfits with personality. This autumn 2025, this combo is not only a trend, it’s an infallible formula to achieve an effortlessly chic and feminine style.

Are You Ready for Your Orange Nails Era?
Fall’s hottest color trend is coming for your manicure.
There has been no shortage controversial nail color trends to debut in the 2020s and take over your local salon. Butter yellow, brat green, espresso brown—the “ugly” mani shades are having a true renaissance. Personally, I’m all for it. For as much as a love a tomato red or soft neutral manicure, I also embrace an unexpected color just as often because, well, why the hell not? Live a little and make your nails a statement piece à la Megan Fox or SZA.
The latest taboo color to join the ranks of can I actually pull that off? manicure choices is none other than Miss Taylor Swift’s newest obsession: orange. Teased in her Life of a Showgirl album cover and subsequent New Heights podcast appearance, Swift switched up her makeup look with an orange lipstick rather than her typical ruby red shade. Cue Internet meltdown. And while I adore an orange lip (it’s shockingly wearable if you just find the tone that works for your complexion) I predict that the majority of beauty fans will gravitate towards other ways to wear what I’m now dubbing “Showgirl orange” for fall. That means orange manicures are about to take over your FYP from now until winter.

6 Best Beauty Advent Calendars Already Available to Shop
Let the countdown begin.
We know it’s barely fall, but the best beauty Advent calendars are already dropping. Blockbuster entries from Charlotte Tilbury, Anthropologie, Origins and more are available online—and they’re sure to sell out fast. Whether you’re on the hunt for the perfect beauty gift to pamper a fellow makeup or skin care obsessive, or you want to treat yourself, beauty Advent calendars are considered top-tier because they can include anywhere from 12 to 32 picks in one (beautiful!) package. The best part? Some even come with full-size makeup and skin care products to replenish your stash.
To help you narrow down your options, we’ve curated a list of the very best ones as they drop, selecting only those that we think are most worthy of the spotlight. From affordable under-$30 picks to luxury Advent calendars, you’ll find something to please every budget and preference. (PS: They make excellent gifts for women and teens alike.)

It’s Okay to Drink Vodka Again — Here Are the Bottles Leading the Revival
Once dismissed as boring, vodka is making a serious comeback thanks to these standout bottles.
If you ordered vodka at a craft cocktail bar in the mid-2000s, the bartender might have begrudgingly reached for the one bottle they carried for such occasions, if they had one at all. The prevailing opinion around vodka in the cocktail world was that most were boring, even those produced by a then-new breed of boutique distilleries, if not nostril-searingly astringent.
To some, vodka wasn’t cool because it was intentionally neutral, over-distilled, designed to disappear in soda water or cranberry juice. Sometimes, it may have seemed better suited as a pricey glass cleaner.

I Tested 6 Ways to Cook Corn on the Cob — and the Winning Method Was Clear
From boiling to grilling, I put the most common methods to the test. One was the cream of the crop.
As with many vegetables, you technically can buy corn on the cob year-round. But the time when you really should buy it is during its peak season from May to September, when it’s at its sweetest, juiciest, cripsiest, and plumpest prime. Late summer is the sweet spot for just-picked corn on the cob, the ultimate expression of fresh corn goodness.
You’ll find lots of advice on how to best cook fresh ears of corn, ranging from the stovetop to the oven, grill, and beyond. To determine which methods make the most of fresh summer corn, I tested six different ways to cook it. Nothing I tested was bad, per se, but some methods enhanced the juicy, crisp texture and sweet flavor more than others.

Why Sophie Turner Says She’s “Never” Returning to the U.S.
The actress has two daughters with her ex-husband, Joe Jonas.
Moving back to the United States just isn’t in the cards for Sophie Turner. In an interview with Flaunt published on August 22, the Game of Thrones star explained why she’s settling down in her home country of England.
“I just feel so at home here,” said Turner. “I never want to move again.”
Following her split from Joe Jonas, Turner returned to England to raise her daughters, 5-year-old Willa and 3-year-old Delphine.
“Living in the States, I didn’t appreciate how much you need friends and family and how integral they are to your wellness until you’re away from them,” she shared. “I came back with an abundance of appreciation for them.”

24 Goth Hours With Jenna Ortega
It’s time to get ready for a busy day—Wednesday isn’t going to promote itself—and the 22-year-old bestows me with total control of the aux cord to “set the vibe.” This is a task I would never volunteer for under normal circumstances, let alone with people I don’t know, so the pressure is even higher. I want to appear tasteful and cool, but then Ortega delivers the kiss of death when it comes to my music tastes: no pop. Wracking my brain, I search the room for inspiration and land on my tote bag—a piece from the now shuttered Vampire’s Wife brand, founded by Brit-goth cool girl Susie Cave. Her husband, Nick, is a musician. Bingo. “Great choice,” she confirms as the first beats of “Into My Arms” start to flow through the speakers. “I saw him in concert earlier this year. Susie is a real-life Morticia.”

The Jeremy Allen White Effect Is in Full Swing at This Los Angeles Farmers Market
In addition to his acting talents, his penchant for shirtless workouts on hot asphalt, and his oft-discussed dating life, Jeremy Allen White has become known for something else: his obsession with fresh flowers. Since 2023, the actor has regularly been photographed at the Studio City Farmers Market, arms—and Bode tote—heaving with tulips, pincushions, sunflowers, and sea lavender.
In fact, White’s shopping habit is now so ingrained in his whole shtick that it’s become talk-show fodder. “I like them in the house,” the actor recently told Jimmy Fallon of his beloved fleurs while promoting Season 4 of The Bear. “I like giving them to people. You know, I arrange them with my daughters on Sunday. It’s a nice thing that we do.”

From Anne Hathaway to Drake, Hollywood’s Top Sports Team Owners
Celebrities and entertainment moguls love to call the shots, and nothing is more fun than owning equity in a sailing, paddleball, soccer or football team.
In late 2022, Los Angeles FC topped the Philadelphia Union in a shootout to win the franchise’s first Major League Soccer title. The title set off an epic on-field celebration that included Will Ferrell chugging beer from the MLS Cup. Ferrell was celebrating as more than a fan; he is also an LAFC owner.
Celebrities and entertainment moguls have long been associated with sports teams as fans or investors. Clubs owned by producers Steve Tisch (New York Giants) and Peter Guber (LAFC, Los Angeles Dodgers, Golden State Warriors) have won a combined 11 championships in the NFL, NBA, MLB and MLS. Jay-Z purchased a stake in the Brooklyn Nets two decades ago, which not only enhanced the NBA team’s cachet as it relocated from New Jersey but also bolstered the rapper’s reputation as a shrewd businessman.

From upstairs-downstairs romance to visits from the royal family: How historically accurate is Downton Abbey?
As Elizabeth McGovern waves goodbye to Cora Crawley on the October cover of Tatler, was the real-life Downton Abbey stranger than fiction?
It’s the show that’s brought a healthy dose of afternoon tea to water cooler television since 2010, but as society prepares to wave goodbye to Downton Abbey (and what better send-off than Elizabeth McGovern gracing the cover of Tatler’s October issue), there is one question on everyone’s lips. Did any of this actually happen? From the loves and losses of the Crawleys themselves to their family home itself, just how historically accurate is Downton Abbey?

As he says goodbye to Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes returns to the dazzling legacy left by the Dollar Princesses, and how they continue to power the grandest families in Britain today
The Countess of Grantham was just one of the wealthy American heiresses who married into the British aristocracy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this feature, first published in the July 2022 issue of Tatler, Julian Fellowes wrote about the enduring fascination with those known as the Dollar Princesses
From Lily James to Rose Leslie: all the stars who made their name in the halls of Downton Abbey
As Elizabeth McGovern stars on the October cover of Tatler, which Hollywood mainstays rose to fame after starring in Downton Abbey?
So many people turn to Downton Abbey for a dose of Edwardian escapism that it’s easy to forget what grizzly fates some of the characters face: Episode One, after all, begins with the death of Lord Grantham’s heir and his son aboard the Titanic. Fortunately, the actors who graced the hallowed halls of the ITV period drama have fared far better for themselves. Just ask Tatler’s cover star Elizabeth McGovern, whose turn as Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham, shot her to international acclaim – such was the show’s success that even an Academy Award nominee found Downton to be a career boon.

Upstairs, downstairs: Tatler provides a glimpse into the stunning stately locations that featured in Downton Abbey ahead of its final farewell
Though the glittering cast of Downton Abbey have spent almost 15 years in the hearts of the British public, its the historic houses, manors, and palaces where they filmed the smash-hit show that are the real stars on and off screen
After 15 years of upstairs-downstairs drama, aristocratic affairs, and some of the most beautiful country houses to grace the silver screen, the Downton Abbey finale is nigh. As the Crawleys return for one last goodbye in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale , fans have been making their pilgrimages to Newbury, to walk the same staircase Lady Mary did on her wedding day, sit at Jackdaws Castle where Lady Edith found herself often and take in the state dining room where the late Dame Maggie Smith delivered many of Dowager Countess’ iconic lines.
But Highclere Castle isn’t the only glorious location ITV used to help portray England’s roaring twenties, from Argyll to Buckinghamshire, Downton Abbey watches like a who’s who of the country’s finest stately homes. The show’s location manager, Mark Ellis, gave the BBC the inside scoop on many of the historic homes that formed the heart of Downton, saying, ‘Goodwood, Highclere, Alnwick… the first time we were in Alnwick [Castle] and saw that dining room, my word, it just looked beautiful! The rich colours, the costumes. I miss it.’

10 Herbs That Thrive in Pots and Containers, According to Gardening Experts
Expand your patio or indoor garden to include this beautiful—and delicious—assortment.
Is there anything more picturesque and charming than an old-fashioned herb garden? Fortunately, you don’t need a sprawling yard to grow an assortment of delicious herbs. Many can thrive in pots and containers, providing you with an ample supply of parsley, mint, and more.
Another perk? Growing herbs in containers means that you can easily bring cold-sensitive varieties indoors on chilly nights. Here, we spoke to horticulturists about the best species to grow in pots—and how to ensure that they thrive.

The One Everyday Item You Should Never Store in Your Junk Drawer
Hidden hazards may lurk in the catch-all space.
Some items have a way of taking over your junk drawer—batteries being one of them. New, used, half-used, in their original packaging, or scattered about, batteries tend to collect in number and dominate the common junk drawer. But, while easily accessible and easy to locate, the junk drawer could actually be a hazardous place to store these household essentials. “Keeping batteries in a cluttered junk drawer is more dangerous than most people realize,” shares storage organization expert Gerrit Jan Reinder.
[…] learn why batteries should never be stored in the junk drawer and where they should be stored instead. Plus, discover the other items that are unsuitable for storage in your home’s junk drawer.

[Photo Credit: hyatt.com, studiokin.se]

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