Why Functional Core Exercises Are Trending Right Now

Okay, we need to talk about your core — but not in the "get flat abs by summer" way. This is deeper (literally).

Here's the deal: as estrogen starts to fluctuate in perimenopause, connective tissue gets less elastic, muscle mass declines, and your deep core system (hi, transverse abdominis) becomes less efficient at doing its job. That's why so many women in their 40s and 50s suddenly notice back pain, a "disconnected" feeling, or a pelvic floor that isn't quite as reliable as it used to be. Your core isn't just abs — it's a whole pressure system (diaphragm, deep abs, pelvic floor) that estrogen actually helps hold together, so when hormones shift, the whole system feels it.

This is exactly why functional core work — think bird dogs, glute bridges, dead bugs, suitcase carries — is having a moment. These moves train stability and pressure management instead of just crunching forward, which matters way more for your pelvic floor and spine than a six-pack ever will.

One more hormone plot twist: if you're already running on high cortisol (hello, wired-but-tired perimenopause energy), skip the punishing HIIT circuits. Gentle, consistent core and strength training two to three times a week won't spike stress hormones the way high-intensity training can, and it still builds the strength and stability your body needs through this transition.

So next time someone tells you to "just do more crunches," feel free to smile and go do a bird dog instead. Your hormones will thank you.

Ask Clara:

"How do I improve my core strength?"

Caffeine Skincare Has Some Major Perks

Caffeine isn't just for your morning cup anymore; it's officially having a beauty moment. Caffeine now shows up in roughly 3% of all over-the-counter skincare products, and unlike many trendy ingredients, it actually has real clinical data to back it up. The science is genuinely cool: it constricts blood vessels, fights free radicals, strengthens your skin barrier, and may even help protect against UV-related damage. Translation? It's basically a multitasking powerhouse — anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and firming all in one.

Caffeine can also be a wake-up for the eye area, since caffeine eye creams reduce puffiness and dark circles by constricting blood vessels and calming inflammation, leaving you looking brighter and less tired. Experts also love pairing it with other actives — hyaluronic acid for hydration, peptides for collagen, vitamin C for brightness, and niacinamide for soothing redness.

Ready to caffeinate your routine? Try these fan favorites:

• The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG — a cult-favorite, budget-friendly serum

• rhode Caffeine Reset Sculpting Cream Mask- a delicate blend for boosting and lifting tired skin

• The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream — lightweight, fragrance-free, and gentle for sensitive skin

• Biossance Caffeine Toning Body Cream + Squalane- a lightweight formula to smooth and tone skin

• Good Molecules Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel — hydrating and refreshing with a plant-based caffeine boost

Ask Clara:

"How much caffeine should I consume in a day?"

Bone Health 101: The Best Exercises and Calcium-Rich Foods to Start Now

Let's talk bones for a sec.  I know, I know—not exactly a scroll-stopping topic. But here's the thing: your bone density actually peaks around age 30, and after that, it's a slow decline unless you're actively working to protect it. So the habits you build right now are basically a love letter to your future self.

Why does this matter so much? Because weaker bones later in life mean higher risk of fractures, osteoporosis, and just generally feeling less sturdy in your day-to-day life. Nobody wants that. The good news is you have way more control over this than you'd think.

First up: movement. Weight-bearing exercise—walking, dancing, strength training, even just carrying groceries with intention—signals to your bones that they need to stay strong. According to the Mayo Clinic, this kind of activity literally helps build and maintain bone density over time.

Then there's calcium, the real MVP here. Dairy is the obvious source, but don't sleep on leafy greens like kale and collards, almonds, tofu, and fortified foods like orange juice or plant milks. The Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation recommends most adults aim for 1,000–1,200mg of calcium daily, and pairing it with vitamin D helps your body actually absorb it (thanks, sunshine and fatty fish).

Your bones are working hard for you every single day, often silently. A little extra calcium and movement now is such a small ask for decades of feeling strong.

Ask Clara:

"How do I add more calcium to my diet?"

Why After-Sun Care Is Just As Important As SPF This Summer

If your summer skincare routine stops at SPF, you're only doing half the job. Sunscreen protects your skin before it gets hit with UV rays, but after-sun care is what helps it actually bounce back. Sun exposure zaps your skin's moisture barrier, and even with the best sunscreen, you're still dealing with some oxidative stress that leaves skin tight, dry, and cranky. That's where after-sun steps in.

Look for aloe vera — it's basically a cooling, soothing bestie for irritated skin, packed with compounds that calm redness and support healing by promoting cell repair and stimulating collagen production. Pair it with panthenol (provitamin B5), which keeps skin soft and hydrated while supporting repair, plus antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and niacinamide to counteract oxidative stress and help skin regain its glow. Bonus points for ceramides or hyaluronic acid to lock in hydration and rebuild that weakened barrier.

Your after-sun lineup:

• Vacation After Sun Gel — aloe + vitamin E for instant, rehydrating relief

• Blue Lizard After Sun Soothing Lotion— aloe, vitamin E, and cucumber extract for deeper moisture

• Hampton Sun Hydrating Aloe Mist— pure aloe for sensitive, sunburned skin

• Pacifica After Sun Soothing Body Gelato — aloe, turmeric, and calendula for a unique cooling formula

• Hawaiian Tropic Exotic Coconut After Sun Body Butter - a refreshing colada scent and thick body cream

Ask Clara:

"How do I practice sun safety?"

How To Keep Routines Easy This Summer

Can we talk about how good it feels to simplify your routine in the summer? Between the heat, the humidity, and honestly just wanting more time to enjoy your iced coffee on the porch, summer is the season to let your products work smarter, not harder. Enter: skincare-infused foundation, the ultimate multitasker. Brands are folding serums right into your base now, so you get real coverage and skin-loving benefits in one swipe — no separate steps required. It's part of what the industry's calling "category convergence," basically where skincare and makeup have merged into one, and it could not have come at a better time.

Here's how to keep things breezy this summer:

• Skip the multi-step base. Reach for a foundation with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide built in — instant hydration and tone-evening, no extra serum required.

• Look for lightweight formulas. Ingredients like fermented arnica calm redness without feeling heavy in the heat.

• Go for barrier support on the go. Formulas with peptides or ceramides help skin stay resilient through sun, sweat, and everything summer throws at it.

• Keep SPF in the mix. A tinted formula with built-in sun protection means one less product to pack for the beach bag.

The goal? Less time in front of the mirror, more time soaking up the sun.

Ask Clara:

"What are the benefits of peptides in my skincare?"

How to Work Out Safely in a Heat Wave

Heat waves are everywhere this summer, and hard workouts don't mix well, and pushing through anyway isn't the flex it feels like. Here's how to stay active without landing in urgent care.

Time it right. Early morning or after sunset is your friend. Skip the 11am–6pm window when possible — that's when the sun is at its most damaging.

Hydrate before you're thirsty. By the time you feel parched, you're already behind. Aim for two to four glasses of cool fluid every hour during heavy exercise, and skip the alcohol and sugary drinks — they actually dehydrate you more.

Dress like you mean it. Loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing lets your body actually cool itself.

Ease in. If you're not used to exercising in the heat, start slow and build up gradually — your body needs time to acclimate.

Listen to your body, no ego required. If your heart's pounding and you're gasping for air, stop. Dizzy, nauseous, confused, or getting a headache? That's your cue to get somewhere cool immediately.

Bring a buddy. Seriously — having someone around to notice if you're struggling can make all the difference.

When in doubt, take it indoors (hi, AC) or move your sweat session to a cooler hour. Your workout will still count.

Ask Clara:

"How do I stay hydrated in hot weather?"

Stop Reacting to Your Day — Start Blocking It On Your Calendar

I used to think calendar blocking was for uptight corporate robots. Then I tried it during a genuinely chaotic month, and now I'm that person defending it to anyone who'll listen.

Here's the thing — when everything lives in your head as a vague "I should do that today," your brain burns energy just holding it all. But when it has a slot? A time, a spot, a little rectangle of its own? Suddenly it's not a decision anymore; it's just...the next thing. Even stuff like "eat lunch" or "reply to texts" gets a block, because apparently my brain needs permission to stop doom-scrolling and actually chew food.

The magic isn't really about productivity (and what, really, is productivity in active postpartum/newborn life); it's about the relief of not having to negotiate with yourself sixty times a day. Try it for a week. You'll feel unreasonably smug.

Other habit-stacking ideas to survive a structured workday:

• Pair your coffee with your top 3 priorities — write them while it brews, not after

• Stretch during every call where your camera's off.

• Drink a full glass of water before checking Slack — hydration before chaos.

• Do a 2-minute tidy right before lunch — clear desk, clear head for round two.

• Queue tomorrow's outfit while you shut your laptop — one less morning decision.

• Take a walk during your first phone call of the day — movement + task, zero extra time.

• Journal one line of "what worked today" as your literal last calendar block.

Small stacks, big relief.

Ask Clara:

"How do I habit stack?"

Why PDRN is Everywhere And Our Top Picks For Glowing Skin

PDRN is kind of taking over the skincare aisles right now (in the best way), and having to do a few double-takes on the large letters - it’s a new powerhouse for anti-aging.

PDRN stands for polydeoxyribonucleotide (say that 10x fast), and it's basically a DNA-derived ingredient (often sourced from salmon, though vegan plant-based versions exist too) that works at a cellular level to help your skin repair and renew itself.

It stimulates collagen and elastin production, helping to visibly improve skin texture, tone, and firmness, while softening the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It's also known for calming redness and strengthening your skin barrier, which is why it's earned a permanent spot in K-beauty routines. The short version: PDRN is a skin-repairing ingredient that helps improve texture, tone, and overall skin health. Bonus: dermatologists have noted it can act as a cell-rejuvenation aid, helping repair damaged skin for a more elastic, voluminous look, and it may have anti-inflammatory benefits that ease redness and irritation.

So, where do you start? Here are a few fan-favorite picks to try:

• VT Cosmetics PDRN Capsule Cream 100 – A clinically developed, fragrance-free moisturizer with a high concentration of PDRN paired with skin-tightening adenosine.

• ANUA PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Moisturizing Cream – A budget-friendly, 100% vegan option for those who want the glow without the salmon.

• Medicube PDRN Collagen Gel Mask – Great for pairing with exosome technology for that glass-skin wake-up glow.

• Dr. Reju-All Advanced PDRN Rejuvenating Cream– Ideal if your skin leans sensitive and reactive.

• Dr. Althea PDRN Reju 5000 Cream- A powerful addition to any anti-aging skincare routine.

*As always, chat with your derm if you're pregnant or nursing since data there is still limited.

Ask Clara:

"What are the added benefits of collagen in my diet?"

The Joy of A Simple Salad

Can we talk about how summer just... solves dinner for us? No preheating the oven, no standing over a hot stove sweating into your food (we've all been there). Just a big bowl, whatever's crisp and colorful, a good dressing, and boom — you're eating in twenty minutes.

Here's my honest take: summer salads are basically permission to stop overthinking meals. Got half a box of pasta and a can of chickpeas? Salad. Garden tomatoes going soft and cucumbers multiplying like rabbits? Salad. Leftover rotisserie chicken and some greens wilting in the crisper? You guessed it. There's no wrong way to do it, and that's the whole point — it's forgiving, flexible, and endlessly customizable to whatever you're craving or whatever needs to be used up.

I especially love a good bean salad for this reason. It's got fiber, it's got staying power, and it tastes even better the next day, which means future-you already has lunch handled. Pasta salads are the same deal — make a big batch on Sunday and you're set through Wednesday. And greens straight from the garden? Nothing beats that first-bite freshness.

Summer salads take the pressure off. They meet you where you are, whether that's a five-ingredient toss-together or a farmers-market haul turned masterpiece. That's the joy of it. Simple, satisfying, and somehow always exactly what you wanted.

A few easy summer salads to try:

• Quick and Easy Pasta Salad — a 20-minute, no-mayo classic

• Easy Bean Pasta Salad (Taco Night Vibes) — black beans, corn, avocado, lime

• Summertime Pasta Salad with Jalapeño Pesto — bold, veggie-packed, vegan-friendly

• 21 Make-Ahead Pasta Salads — a whole roundup for when you want options

Ask Clara:

"How do I add more fiber to my diet?"

Why Bananas Are Taking Over Beauty and Fragrance Right Now

The fruit that's suddenly everywhere in beauty: bananas.

Here's the tea: searches for banana perfume jumped 100% in June alone, and #bananaperfume already has millions of views on TikTok. Global interest has been climbing for months, with worldwide searches for "banana perfume" up 37% in a single month. It's a whole moment.

So why banana, why now? Perfumers are hunting for the next vanilla, since vanilla's reinvention was such a massive success, and banana pairs well with both fruity and edible notes. It also helps that banana is trending as a flavor in food and drinks too, similar to matcha's rise in coffee shops, and that familiarity naturally carries over into beauty.

Industry analysts agree: bananas are showing up not just in fragrance but also across color cosmetics, hair care, and skin care, as brands use foodie ingredients to evoke texture and flavor. And the note itself is getting a glow-up — new banana fragrances are ditching the candied, artificial vibe for something more starchy, vegetal, and grown -up.

Ask Clara:

"How do I add more potassium to my diet?"