Not All Glutathione Supplements Are Created Equal. Here’s Why Formulation Matters

Glutathione is having a moment, but the real story is not just that another ingredient has entered the healthy aging conversation. It is that more people are starting to ask better questions about their supplements. What form is being used? Can the body actually absorb it? Why are certain ingredients paired together? And is the formula built with intention, or is it simply following the trend?

That matters with glutathione because the ingredient itself is already doing important work inside the body. It is one of the body’s most essential antioxidants, naturally produced in the liver and tissues, and it plays a central role in helping protect cells from oxidative stress.

But as more glutathione products enter the market, the labels can start to look similar. According to Dr. Terry Kitagawa, Senior Innovation and Education Sales Planning Manager at Youtheory, the difference often comes down to how thoughtfully a product is formulated.

“The most meaningful formulations are typically those where the science, dosage, and intended benefit are aligned,” he says.

Why Formulation Matters

A well formulated supplement should not just combine popular ingredients because they sound good together. It should have a clear purpose. In the case of glutathione, that means looking at the form of the ingredient, how it is delivered, the dosage being used, and whether the supporting ingredients make sense.

As Dr. Kitagawa explains, thoughtful formulations start with a clear understanding of the ingredient and the research behind it. The goal is not to make the biggest promise. The goal is to build something that makes sense from a scientific and practical standpoint.

That is especially important in a category where consumers are seeing glutathione tied to everything from skin glow to immunity to healthy aging. The most useful question is not just “does this contain glutathione?” It is “how was this formula built, and why?”

Why Delivery is Part of the Conversation

One reason glutathione supplements can vary so much is that delivery matters. Some compounds do not make it through digestion easily. Others may degrade before the body has a chance to absorb them efficiently.

In those cases, Dr. Kitagawa says, “simply increasing the dose doesn’t always solve the problem.”

That is where liposomal delivery comes in. Liposomes are tiny spheres made from phospholipids, the same type of molecules that make up our cell membranes. In a supplement, they can help encapsulate and protect certain ingredients as they move through the digestive tract.

For glutathione, this can be especially relevant because the molecule is relatively fragile. Liposomal delivery is used to help protect the ingredient and support its absorption and bioavailability.

It is also part of a larger shift in supplementation. The conversation is no longer only about discovering the next trending ingredient. It is also about finding better ways to deliver ingredients the body already knows how to use.

As Dr. Kitagawa puts it, “the future of supplementation isn’t just about discovering new ingredients, but also finding better ways to deliver them.”

What to Look for Beyond the Hero Ingredient

Another sign of a thoughtful formula is whether the supporting ingredients actually make sense. In the glutathione category, that means asking whether additional ingredients are there for a clear reason, or simply because they make the label look more impressive.

Dr. Kitagawa says Youtheory approached its Glutathione+ formula as “a system rather than a single ingredient product.” The reason, he explains, is that glutathione’s effectiveness depends in part on how well it can be delivered and utilized by the body.

In Youtheory’s formula, that starts with liposomal glutathione. It is then paired with taurine and resveratrol, two ingredients selected for their complementary roles in supporting healthy glutathione levels and the body’s natural defenses against oxidative stress.

Together, he says, these ingredients create “a more comprehensive and advanced approach than glutathione alone.”

The broader takeaway is not that every formula needs to include the same supporting ingredients. It is that the supporting ingredients should have a purpose. A longer ingredient list is not automatically better. A more intentional one usually is. SHOP Glutathione+ HERE 

How to Tell if a Formula is Thoughtful or just Trendy

As glutathione becomes more popular, it is worth looking past the front of the bottle. A smarter formula should be clear about the form of glutathione being used, the delivery system, the supporting ingredients, and the intended benefit.

It should also be realistic about what glutathione can and cannot do. Glutathione is not an overnight fix. For most people, it works behind the scenes, helping support antioxidant defense, cellular protection, and the body’s natural resilience over time.

That may not sound as flashy as some supplement claims, but it is probably the more honest version of the story.

A good formula should be able to answer a few simple questions: Why this form? Why this dose? Why these supporting ingredients? And what is the product actually designed to support?

If those answers are vague, that may be a sign the formula is more trend driven than science driven.

The post Not All Glutathione Supplements Are Created Equal. Here’s Why Formulation Matters appeared first on The Chalkboard Mag.

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We Found the Dreamiest Porcelain Vases That Look Like Draped Couture

For fifteen years, Sullivan Owen made her name in flowers. She was named Best Florist in Philadelphia just six months after opening her studio, designed luxury weddings and events, landed in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Martha Stewart, and earned a spot in Rizzoli's In Full Flower alongside a new generation of floral artists. Then 2020 emptied her calendar overnight and shut her studio for nineteen months.

She threw herself into a garden renovation at home, something she'd never attempted before, and then, once the summer heat made digging unbearable, into a beginner pottery class. It was meant to be a temporary distraction. It turned into four years of teaching herself clay chemistry, mold-making, 3D software, and how to build and maintain the printers she now works on, all in pursuit of something she already knew: how a flower actually behaves once it lands in a vase.

The vases came out of all that. She thinks about the stems first and the shape second, and those folds that look like draped fabric are really just clever hiding spots for a flower that won't cooperate. We sat down with her to talk about the leap from florist to vase-maker, the pieces she can't stop arranging in, and her case for why a supermarket bouquet has more potential than you'd think.

In Conversation with Sullivan Owen

For readers discovering your work for the first time, how would you describe the world of Sullivan Owen and the feeling you hope your pieces create?

My day to day looks like a lot of solo-preneurs': juggling a growing business while pushing new ideas forward. I made my vases because I knew the literal constraints of modern designer vases firsthand- pretty to look at on a shelf, not so great for actually arranging flowers.

Having spent fifteen years as a florist, I have a deep love for the people who grow my flowers and the many characters I buy wholesale from, and I saw my vases as a way to grow their businesses too. By making vases that people genuinely crave to fill, everyone gets to enjoy flowers more easily, any time, in their own homes.

You spent more than 15 years working as a floral designer before beginning to design vessels. How did that experience shape the way you see flowers, form, and proportion?

Fifteen years of arranging flowers for other people means you notice things most vase designers never do,  because most people who design and make vases, especially for wholesale, don't actually arrange flowers themselves. I see the stems inside the vase first: where they need to sit in the water to hold a visually pleasing composition above the rim. The folds and ridges that mimic fabric aren't just decorative,  they guide the stems into place, giving the arranger specific spots to tuck a rogue stem so it falls exactly where it should.

Your design process moves between hand-sculpting and digital tools. Could you take us from the first sketch or clay idea through 3D modeling, flower testing, mold-making, and the finished porcelain piece?

I sculpt in a variety of mediums,  wax sculpture clay, sometimes a gloopy combo of fabric and Mod Podge  then move to high-tech scans of those 3D sketches and sculpt digitally from there. I'm entirely self-taught in 3D modeling, but like most digital mediums, it allows for so much play and iteration.

Once I feel I'm heading in the right direction, I 3D print the piece in my home lab, which is built from printers. I also had to learn to build and service myself. I print in a plant-based filament that lets me make full-size, watertight vases I can actually put real flowers in. A lot of pieces don't make it past that first print, they stay on shelves, in boxes, for me to come back to later.

Every piece in the collection came together differently. Some were instant- Draped No. 1 barely changed from wax clay to 3D print to final porcelain form. Others took years: my new Pedestal No. 1, a fresh take on centerpieces, took close to three years of iterations and studying other forms.

A piece is really ready when I can't stop arranging in the 3D-printed version. At that point I make a scaled-up model, which goes to Oregon to have a pottery plaster mold made, that's what lets us produce the porcelain pieces.

Your vases have the folds, curves, and sense of movement we normally associate with fabric. When you begin designing a new piece, what comes first: a particular flower, the gesture of an arrangement, or a visual reference from fashion or art?

It really varies. With Draped No. 1, it was the flower. My collection of rare tree peonies, which only bloom for five or six weeks. I wanted a vase that could hold a lot of their huge blooms but still let them fan out and shine individually.

Sometimes it's a gesture like holding a handful of stems in your hand as you're cutting from the garden, or picking up small bunches at a market stand. Most people are looking at the flowers above their grip; I'm looking at what those stems need to hold them exactly as they are in my hand.

And sometimes it's a reference like an image that strikes me. That can spark an idea so vague I can't connect it to a piece yet, or it can lead somewhere entirely new. Right now I have a few references I'm considering for candlesticks and votive holders, a product category I haven't made before.

Twist No. 1 was influenced by archival and contemporary Dior and the way fabric is draped around the body. Can you walk us through how you translated that softness and movement into the form of a vase?

During the pandemic, when couturiers were working from home with old fabric, Maria Grazia Chiuri's team posted a neon tulle drape, not a full design yet, just pinned to a dress form. I was struck by the color and the way the folds flowed diagonally across the body. My grandmother was a fashion stylist and buyer going back to the early '60s, so I grew up with a broad knowledge of the greats of that era, and that neon dress reminded me of a piece from Mr. Dior's own time, that same line was there.

I started sculpting that line into what would become Twist No. 1, widening the opening at the top like the neckline of a dress so flowers could spill out, and trying to capture some of that same movement in the "hem" of the piece.

I was so excited later to see JW Anderson referencing some of the same archival pieces in his early collections. There's an embrace of femininity and curve in these houses that lends itself naturally to flowers, a lot of designers even refer to their flowers as "she."

You have described your garden as a living floral arrangement, planted in evolving palettes with textures and colors designed to unfold across the seasons. Has growing your own flowers changed your definition of what makes an arrangement beautiful?

Growing my own flowers has only deepened my appreciation for them, and for the people around the world who grow them for all of us. My garden has taught me patience and given me more optimism than I ever thought I was capable of. I grew up a cynical little New Yorker. Picture a five-year-old in all black, holding court with the eighty-year-old regulars at the corner cafe.

But planting a tiny plug plant, a sad-looking bare-root peony, or sowing seeds too small to see is an exercise in hope. It's a belief that you'll be here to see those flowers bloom, here next year for the next round, here in ten years to watch the tree they're attached to mature. It took me until I was forty to really understand that, and I'm grateful I finally did.

Why has Barely Cinched become one of the pieces you use most often yourself?

It was my first vase, so it's incredibly special to me. In 2020, I was in a dark place, like a lot of people were. I'd spent a decade building my floral design studio into something that supported me and my small team. We were doing work we were proud of, with clients who trusted new ideas. Then it all went on hold, which to me felt like it had simply gone away, through something entirely outside my control. I blamed myself for not being prepared, for not somehow foreseeing a global pandemic.

I threw myself into the garden doing everything myself that I'd planned to hire out, growing my own plugs, moving tons of compost, exhausting myself daily just to sleep. By August, with 100-degree days, that wasn't sustainable anymore. I needed an indoor project, and a video of someone throwing a planter on a wheel was the spark. Philadelphia has a wonderful nonprofit called The Clay Studio, and they'd just resumed small in-person classes. I signed up for the one technique I'd never tried in eight years of art classes, including two years of art college: slip casting and mold making.

The minute I made my first mold, which was a simple two-part mold of a lightbulb I was obsessed. You can achieve folds and wall thicknesses in slip casting that hand-building or throwing can't touch. I took the class twice and, by the end, became an Associate Artist, meaning I could work on and fire my own pieces independently. I still hold that title; it's still my play space.

I made the first Barely Cinched in my second class session. It was a hard piece to mold. I wasn't 3D printing or sculpting in wax yet, so it was rough. But the vase itself was a joy to arrange in. I'd made it for the handfuls of flowers I'd walk around the garden cutting, and it just worked.

I used it, people loved it on Instagram, but I didn't think about actually selling it until I gave one to a client, the mother of a bride in 2022. She found me again in 2023 and told me she used that vase every week, sometimes every few days. It never left her kitchen island. That was the spark for turning it into a collection. Without knowing someone had used and loved it for a full year, I don't think I'd have had the nerve to invest the years it took to make the rest of the collection real.

How should someone choose between Twist No. 1, Barely Cinched, Envelope No. 1, Draped No. 1, and Baby Twist for a particular arrangement?

I actually answer this for clients all the time, I ask what flower they always want to display.

Peonies in spring, roses in summer, dahlias in autumn? Barely Cinched. SHOP IT HERE

A snip of daffodils, a few tulips, a couple of fall leaves? Baby Twist, to add color and life to a desk or bedside. SHOP IT HERE

Hamptons hydrangeas, tall beachy grasses, a branch of plum or peach blossom? Twist No. 1. SHOP IT HERE

Bits foraged from late winter or early spring, a few herb stems, a stem knocked down in the rain? Envelope No. 1. SHOP IT HERE

Draped No. 1 is different. It's the piece you have to really want, especially at its price point. It's less about a specific flower and more about wanting that particular form in your home. SHOP IT HERE

Which vase would you recommend for someone who loves loose, romantic arrangements but does not have professional floral experience?

Baby Twist is what all my customers would say. It's a great way to try out small designs. It’s personal, low-stakes, and it lets people flex their creativity and find what they actually love in flowers and color. It's also everyone's favorite piece to gift someone who'd love having flowers around more often.

From there, most people build out their collection based on their favorite flowers or a spot in their home they want to fill. I designed the whole collection with something like a vase library in mind, no matter the season or the flowers, there's a form that works. Pedestal No. 1 is the newest addition to that library: a true centerpiece form that's actually easy to arrange in. Bowls are notoriously difficult to arrange in, and I've removed that challenge entirely. I can't wait for people to experience it.

Is there one vase in the collection that most fully embodies your floral design philosophy, and what about it makes it feel so representative of your approach?

I wouldn't put a piece in the collection that didn't work well, but I think Twist No. 1 most fully embodies what I'm trying to achieve. A tall cylinder vase is always hard to arrange in the rigid, straight sides and long reach down to the water means flowers have nowhere to go but straight up, fighting the vessel the whole way. By changing those lines, adding folds and movement to the rim, and leaving room for stems to flare out at both the base and the top, it achieves an effortless, natural-looking arrangement. The flowers themselves are exactly the same. I've just made space for them to behave the way they would in nature.

What is your best advice for making grocery-store flowers look more romantic and elevated?

Take the bunch apart. Grocery bouquets are designed to look full in the sleeve, not good in a vase. Pull them out, cut every stem to different lengths, and remove anything you don't love, this is your chance to curate the bunch to your own taste, not anyone else's. Then add one thing from outside: a branch from your yard, an herb, a few leaves. That one foraged element is what makes it read as designed rather than bought.

What is your best trick for making an arrangement look beautiful from every angle?

First, where is this arrangement actually going, and from what angle will it be seen? If it's going against a wall, you only need to worry about one side, don't waste time perfecting a back no one will see. If it's going somewhere it'll be viewed from all sides, turn the vase constantly while you're working, every few stems rather than waiting until the end. Most people build a front and discover the back later.

The post We Found the Dreamiest Porcelain Vases That Look Like Draped Couture appeared first on The Chalkboard Mag.

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Dyson Supersonic vs. Supersonic r: We Used One for Years. Is It Actually Worth the Upgrade?

There are certain things you replace because they stop working. A hair dryer that cost several hundred dollars and is still working perfectly is generally not one of them.

We had been using the Dyson Supersonic for years, most recently the Supersonic Nural, and genuinely loved it. It was fast, reliable and one of those beauty tools that quietly became part of the routine because it simply worked. Still, we had been eyeing the Dyson Supersonic r for a long time, mostly because the smaller curved shape looked so different from anything we had used before and kept showing up in the hands of professional stylists.

Eventually curiosity won.

The question was not whether the Supersonic r would be good. We already expected that. What we really wanted to know was whether someone who already owned and loved a Dyson hair dryer would notice enough of a difference to make the switch feel worthwhile.

For us, the answer was yes, and not because of one flashy feature. It was because the r made the entire process of drying and styling hair feel noticeably easier.

The First Thing You Notice Is the Weight

Before you even turn it on, the Supersonic r feels completely different in your hand. It is significantly lighter and less bulky than the Supersonic Nural, and that difference becomes even more obvious once you start moving it around your head.

Dyson designed the r with professional stylists in mind, particularly people who may be holding a dryer for hours at a time. The body weighs about 0.7 pounds, while the Supersonic Nural is listed at 1.8 pounds. The measurements are not perfectly identical because Dyson measures the r body separately, but you really do not need numbers to understand the difference.

Our Nural never felt particularly heavy until we started using the r.

The curved shape also makes much more sense once you are actually holding it. Reaching the back of the head, getting closer to the roots and changing angles all feel more natural, with less awkward wrist positioning. That sounds minor until you blow dry your hair several times a week, at which point lighter and easier to maneuver suddenly matters a lot.

I Thought I Would Use the Concentrator Most

The Supersonic r comes with several intelligent attachments designed for different types of drying and styling, and I initially assumed the Pro concentrator would become my favorite. It seemed like the obvious choice for a polished blowout because the airflow is narrow, precise and easy to direct with a brush.

In reality, the attachment I reach for most is the Powerful air attachment.

It creates a concentrated, high velocity stream of air that gets hair dry quickly while still feeling controlled. For my everyday routine, it sits in the perfect space between rough drying and actual styling. I can remove most of the moisture quickly, direct the airflow where I want it and still end up with hair that looks smooth and put together.

That also feels much more realistic for the way most of us actually do our hair. Not every wash day involves a round brush, sectioning clips and the patience for a full blowout. Sometimes you want your hair dry, smooth and looking good so you can get on with your day, and the Powerful air attachment is exceptionally good at that.

The Attachments Are Smarter Than They Look

One of the more interesting features of the r is what happens when you attach one of its styling tools. Each intelligent attachment communicates with the dryer through an RFID chip, allowing the r to recognize what you have connected and adjust the available heat and airflow settings.

Even better, it remembers what you like.

If you use one combination of temperature and airflow with the Powerful air attachment and something different with the concentrator, the dryer remembers those preferences the next time you attach each one. It is the sort of technology that sounds slightly unnecessary on paper but becomes useful precisely because you eventually stop thinking about it.

The dryer simply starts adapting to the way you use it.

The Technology Inside the r Is Very Different

Comparing the Supersonic r with the Supersonic Nural gets especially interesting when you look at how differently Dyson approached the two dryers.

The Nural introduced features like Scalp Protect mode, which senses how close the dryer is to your head and adjusts the heat, along with Pause Detect, which lowers airflow and temperature when you set the dryer down. The Supersonic r puts more of its engineering into making the dryer smaller, lighter and more precise without sacrificing power.

At its center is Dyson's Hyperdymium motor, which spins at up to 110,000 rpm and creates a high pressure stream of controlled air. The Professional model is rated at 1,700 watts compared with 1,600 watts for the Nural, while the heating system has also been completely redesigned.

Inside the curved body are 10 heater foils positioned along the shape of the machine. They are designed to heat the airflow more evenly as it moves through the dryer, while temperature sensors monitor the air more than 20 times a second and continually regulate the heat.

That all sounds highly technical, but what you notice as a user is much simpler. The dryer feels extremely powerful without feeling aggressive, the airflow is more controlled and it is easier to place exactly where you want it.

It Feels More Like a Styling Tool

This may be the biggest change in how we think about the r after actually using it.

The Supersonic has always been an excellent hair dryer. The r feels more like a styling tool that happens to dry your hair very quickly.

Because the body is so light and the airflow is easier to direct, working around the roots, front pieces and crown feels much more intuitive. You can change angles quickly, move from one side of the head to the other and get closer to specific areas without feeling like you are fighting the dryer.

You also do not have to be particularly skilled at blow drying to appreciate that difference. If anything, it helps more when you are not. Anything that makes the dryer easier to control makes the whole process feel less tedious.

The Professional Design Works Surprisingly Well at Home

The Supersonic r was originally designed for professional stylists, so there are a few details that make its salon roots obvious. The Professional model has an extra long 12.5 foot cord, which makes perfect sense when someone needs to move around a salon chair.

At home, it is admittedly more cord than most people need, but it is also surprisingly convenient if your bathroom outlet is nowhere near where you actually want to stand. The dryer also has a professional grade filter designed to withstand heavier use, which adds to the feeling that this is a tool built for consistent performance.

One thing worth knowing is that the US Supersonic r Professional is designed for 120V, so it is not something we would bring to Europe with a simple travel adapter. For us, this is very much the hair dryer that lives at home.

Is It Actually Faster?

The Supersonic r is very fast, but the biggest improvement for us is not necessarily a dramatic reduction in drying time. The Nural was already fast, so this was never going to feel like going from an old drugstore dryer to a Dyson for the first time.

What changed is how effortless those minutes feel.

The r is lighter, easier to maneuver and more comfortable to move around the head, while the Powerful air attachment gets a lot of moisture out quickly. There is less switching hands, less awkward positioning and less of that point halfway through where you start wondering whether your hair is dry enough to just stop.

Even when the total drying time is not wildly different, the experience feels quicker because there is less effort involved.

What About the Nural's Smart Features?

The Supersonic Nural is still one of the most impressive dryers Dyson has made, and features like Scalp Protect and Pause Detect are genuinely clever. We expected to miss them more than we actually did.

The r simply has a different appeal.

Rather than focusing as heavily on automatic adjustments, it gives you more physical control. The lighter body, compact shape, strong airflow and intelligent attachments all work together to make styling feel easier and more intuitive.

For us, that ended up being the upgrade that mattered more.

So, Is the Dyson Supersonic r Worth the Upgrade?

If you already own a Dyson Supersonic that you love, you probably do not need to rush out and replace it. That is exactly why we waited so long.

We had been eyeing the Supersonic r for years, but our existing Dyson still worked beautifully and there was never a moment when we urgently needed something new. Eventually we made the switch because we were curious whether the difference would actually feel substantial.

It did.

The biggest selling point is not one specification or one piece of technology. It is the overall experience. The r feels dramatically lighter in the hand, less bulky, easier to maneuver and more intuitive to style with. The attachments are useful without feeling gimmicky, and the Powerful air attachment has become the one we reach for most.

Most importantly, doing our hair simply feels easier.

That is ultimately what makes an upgrade worthwhile. Not because the thing you owned before suddenly became bad, but because the new version improves something you do all the time in ways you actually notice.

After years with a Supersonic, we are very glad we finally made the switch. We certainly did not need a new hair dryer, but now that we have the r, we would not want to go back. GET YOURS HERE

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Cycle Syncing Guide: How to Work With the Four Phases of Your Menstrual Cycle

How to work with your body through the menstrual, follicular, ovulatory and luteal phases without turning cycle syncing into another wellness rulebook.

Your menstrual cycle is not one static hormonal state. Estrogen and progesterone shift throughout the month, and with them, some people notice changes in energy, appetite, sleep, mood and the way exercise feels.

That is the basic idea behind cycle syncing: adjusting certain habits according to where you are in your menstrual cycle. Research on cycle syncing as a complete lifestyle program is still limited, so a more useful approach is to understand what is happening during each phase, notice your own patterns and make adjustments when they actually feel helpful.

Herbalism has long taken a similarly phase aware approach to the menstrual cycle. Anima Mundi applies that idea through its Menstrual CycleTea Kit, with four loose leaf blends for the menstrual, follicular, ovulatory and luteal phases. We wanted to look more closely at why certain herbs appear in each formula, where traditional use comes in and what modern research can actually tell us.

What Are the Four Phases of the Menstrual Cycle?

A menstrual cycle begins on the first day of your period and continues until the next period begins. Although 28 days is often used as the textbook example, real cycles vary, and ovulation does not automatically happen on day 14.

There are four commonly discussed phases in cycle syncing: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory and luteal. Estrogen is relatively low around menstruation, then rises as the body approaches ovulation. After an egg is released, progesterone increases during the luteal phase before both hormones eventually fall if pregnancy does not occur.

Those hormonal shifts are real. What they mean for your energy, appetite or mood is much more individual, which is why paying attention to your own cycle matters more than following an exact calendar.

Menstrual Phase: Focus on Restoration

During menstruation, estrogen and progesterone are relatively low and the uterine lining is being shed. Some people feel completely normal, while others experience lower energy or simply feel better scaling things back.

There is no reason to automatically stop exercising during your period. A large systematic review of menstrual cycle phases and exercise performance found only small average differences across phases and emphasized the importance of an individualized approach. If movement feels good, keep moving. If your body is asking for less intensity, walking, stretching or a gentler workout may make more sense.

For this phase, Anima Mundi uses Moon Blend | Rest + Restore, made with nettle, motherwort, rose, orange peel, cinnamon and clove. Nettle has a long reputation as a nutritive herb, while cinnamon and clove bring warmth to the blend.

Cinnamon is particularly interesting because it has also been studied for primary dysmenorrhea. A systematic review of cinnamon and ginger for menstrual discomfort found promising evidence for reducing pain compared with placebo. Those studies tested specific cinnamon preparations rather than this tea, but they help explain why the spice continues to appear in traditional menstrual formulas.

Follicular Phase: Think Nourishment and Returning Energy

After menstruation, estrogen generally rises as the body moves toward ovulation. Some people notice energy, motivation or exercise capacity beginning to pick back up, while others feel little difference.

The research does not support prescribing a universal follicular phase workout, so this is less about forcing yourself to become more active and more about noticing whether you naturally feel ready for greater intensity. Balanced meals with protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and plenty of plants remain more useful than a complicated phase specific diet.

Anima Mundi pairs this stage with Follicular Tea | Rise + Renew, a blend of raspberry leaf, moringa leaf, chamomile, ginger, burdock root and rosehips. The formula leans heavily into nutritive and digestive herbs. Moringa is particularly interesting because its leaves contain a broad mix of vitamins, minerals and plant compounds, and a 2025 review of moringa leaf describes it as a nutrient dense botanical while noting that stronger human research is still needed for many of its broader health claims.

Ginger and chamomile also have long histories of digestive use, while raspberry leaf has been used traditionally in women's herbalism. Taken together, the blend fits naturally into a phase often associated with returning energy and nourishment without asking the tea to do more than the evidence supports.

Ovulatory Phase: Work With the Energy You Actually Have

Ovulation happens when an ovary releases an egg after a rise in luteinizing hormone. Estrogen is generally high leading into this point, and cycle syncing advice often describes ovulation as the most energetic and social part of the month.

That may be true for you, but it is not a guarantee. Sleep, stress and everything else happening in your life still influence how you feel. If you consistently notice more energy around ovulation, it may be a great time for a harder workout, social plans or a demanding workday. If you do not, there is no reason to force it.

Anima Mundi's Ovulatory Tea | Radiance + Bloom combines damiana, lemon balm, oatstraw, rose and lavender, a group of herbs that leans more toward calm and nervous system support than anything intended to influence ovulation itself.

Lemon balm has some of the stronger human research in the blend. A systematic review and meta analysis of lemon balm found improvements in anxiety and depression measures across clinical trials, although preparations, doses and study populations varied. Lavender has also been studied extensively for relaxation, while modern human evidence for damiana remains more limited.

That calming profile makes the blend an interesting counterpoint during a phase some people already experience as more social, energetic or outward facing.

Luteal Phase: Pay Attention to Appetite, Stress and Recovery

The luteal phase begins after ovulation. Progesterone rises, then both progesterone and estrogen eventually decline as the next period approaches. For many people, this is where shifts in appetite and energy become easier to notice.

There is good reason to pay attention to hunger here. A 2025 systematic review and meta analysis found that energy intake was higher on average during the luteal phase than during the follicular phase. There was considerable variation between studies, so this does not mean everyone will suddenly become hungrier, but it does suggest that an increase in appetite before your period can be a real physiological pattern.

This is a good time to make sure meals contain enough protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats to actually satisfy you. If you also notice that intense exercise feels harder as your period approaches, adjusting intensity or prioritizing recovery may feel more supportive than forcing yourself through the exact same schedule.

Anima Mundi's Luteal Tea | Soften + Settle combines tulsi, linden, schisandra berry, calendula and blue cornflower, botanicals traditionally associated with calm and resilience. Tulsi has particularly interesting research around stress. In an eight week randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial, adults experiencing stress who took a standardized tulsi extract showed improvements in perceived stress and sleep measures compared with placebo.

A standardized extract is different from a cup of tea, but the research offers useful context for why tulsi appears so often in formulas centered around stress support. Schisandra also has a long history as a tonic in Traditional Chinese Medicine, while linden has traditionally been used as a calming herb.

Where Herbal Tea Fits Into Cycle Syncing

You do not need a different supplement routine, workout plan and grocery list for every phase of your cycle. That kind of complexity starts to defeat the purpose.

What works well about Anima Mundi's Menstrual Cycle Tea Kit is the simplicity of the format. The ritual stays the same while the herbs change. The kit contains all four loose leaf blends along with the brand's 80 plus page digital A Woman's Herbal Guide to Cyclical Living, with additional phase specific herbal guidance, recipes and rituals.

The evidence behind the ingredients varies. Some, including cinnamon, lemon balm and tulsi, have human research behind them, while others are supported more heavily by traditional herbal practice. Rather than expecting a botanical to change the course of each phase, the tea can simply become a cue to check in with yourself. How is your energy? Are you hungrier? Do you need more intensity or more recovery? Over several cycles, those observations can become far more useful than blindly following a generic 28 day schedule.

So, Does Cycle Syncing Work?

The biology behind the menstrual cycle is established. The idea that everyone needs a completely different lifestyle for each phase is not.

Cycle syncing makes the most sense as a tool for body awareness. Your appetite may change. Your workouts may feel different. Your energy or mood may shift, or they may barely change at all. Understanding those patterns gives you the option to respond instead of expecting your body to feel exactly the same every day.

The goal is not perfect synchronization. It is knowing your own patterns well enough to work with them.

SHOP: The Menstrual Cycle Tea Kit by Anima Mundi

All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs. The Menstrual Cycle Tea Kit is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Herbal ingredients can interact with medications and may not be appropriate for everyone, so speak with a qualified healthcare professional if you have questions about regular use.

The post Cycle Syncing Guide: How to Work With the Four Phases of Your Menstrual Cycle appeared first on The Chalkboard Mag.

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8 Clean Foundations That Give You Coverage Without Looking Like Foundation

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Foundation has gotten a lot better at not looking like foundation. Today’s best formulas sit somewhere between skincare and makeup, using serum like textures and skin friendly ingredients to blur redness, uneven tone and texture without covering everything up.

If you want a little more than a skin tint but hate the feeling of a full face of makeup, these are the clean foundations worth knowing now.

Tower 28 Swipe Serum Foundation

Best for sensitive and breakout prone skin

Tower 28’s Swipe Serum Foundation is one of the newest additions to the category and arguably one of the most interesting. The featherweight serum starts sheer but can build to medium coverage, giving you considerably more correction than a traditional skin tint without the feeling of a conventional foundation.

The silicone free formula is made with 82 percent skincare ingredients and includes fermented oat, lactobacillus ferment, squalane and portulaca extract. It is also noncomedogenic and nonacnegenic and was created with sensitive skin in mind. The finish is natural rather than overtly dewy, which means it smooths and evens things out without leaving skin looking overly glossy. It is now available in 36 shades.

Typology Tinted Serum

Best for the ultimate no makeup look

French skincare brand Typology approaches complexion makeup almost exactly like skincare, which is why its Tinted Serum feels so appropriate here. The silicone free formula is 99 percent naturally derived and combines a vitamin C derivative with plant based squalane and aloe vera.

Coverage is deliberately light. This is the one to reach for when you want to soften redness and uneven tone without being able to identify where the makeup begins and ends. The finish is naturally radiant rather than shiny, and the formula is also noncomedogenic. The biggest drawback is the shade range, which currently consists of only six shades. The sheer pigment makes those shades more flexible, but we would still like to see considerably more options.

Westman Atelier Suprême Bio Complex Liquid Foundation

Best clean luxury foundation

If you want your foundation to behave a little more like an expensive serum, Westman Atelier’s Suprême Bio Complex Liquid Foundation is the splurge on this list.

The silicone free formula gives medium coverage while maintaining a hydrated, second skin finish. Its skincare complex includes niacinamide and multiple peptides, along with hyaluronic acid, sunflower oil, rosemary and algae extract. Amino acid based powders help blur without pushing the finish into flat matte territory. It is exactly the kind of foundation we want from Gucci Westman: polished enough for a proper makeup look, but almost impossible to detect once it has been blended into the skin.

ILIA True Skin Serum Foundation

Best overall

ILIA True Skin Serum Foundation remains one of the strongest arguments for swapping a traditional foundation for a skincare makeup hybrid. It offers legitimate medium coverage, but the silky texture moves with the skin rather than sitting visibly on top of it.

The current formula includes niacinamide and allantoin at levels the brand says are intended to visibly improve uneven tone and texture while helping soothe skin. Aloe, jojoba oil, marula oil and squalane round out the formula. It is fragrance free, dermatologist tested and noncomedogenic, with a natural finish that hits the sweet spot between matte and overly luminous. If you want one foundation that can reasonably take you from everyday makeup to a more finished evening look, this is probably our pick.

Saie Glowy Super Skin Tint Foundation

Best for dry and dehydrated skin

Despite “tint” being in the name, Saie Glowy Super Skin Tint Foundation provides medium coverage. The brand describes the formula as 85 percent skincare serum and 15 percent pigment, which explains the unusually fluid texture.

Hyaluronic acid, polyglutamic acid, squalane and glycerin give this one its distinctly juicy finish, while rice bran and amla extracts add to the skincare heavy formula. It is luminous without being a liquid highlighter and works particularly well when you want dry or tired skin to look fresher without layering on several complexion products. If you love the appearance of well moisturized skin more than a perfected matte base, this is the one.

RMS Beauty ReEvolve Natural Finish Liquid Foundation

Best natural satin finish

RMS Beauty ReEvolve Natural Finish Liquid Foundation is for the person who wants more polish without sacrificing the natural skin effect. The silicone free formula offers medium coverage with a soft satin finish, so it sits between the glowier serum foundations and more traditional complexion makeup.

Vegetable squalane and organic aloe help support hydration, while RMS also incorporates its proprietary botanical blend and Tightenyl into the formula. It is noncomedogenic, water resistant and housed in a refillable package. We particularly like this one when you want skin to look finished but not obviously dewy.

Kosas Revealer Skin Improving Foundation SPF 25

Best for smoothing and evening skin

Kosas Revealer Skin Improving Foundation SPF 25 lands at the more perfected end of this roundup, but that is exactly why it earns a spot. You get medium coverage and enough pigment to noticeably even discoloration and redness, while the finish still reads as natural skin.

Its skincare focused ingredient list includes niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate, panthenol, squalane, caffeine and a peptide, along with zinc oxide for mineral SPF 25 protection. It is especially useful when a barely there tint simply is not going to do the job but you still do not want that unmistakable foundation finish.

ciele tint & PROTECT SPF 50+

Best foundation with mineral SPF

Part serum foundation, part mineral sunscreen, ciele tint & PROTECT SPF 50+ makes a lot of sense for daytime. The featherweight formula starts with light coverage and can be built toward medium, with a natural finish that is far less sunscreen like than you might expect from a mineral SPF 50+ formula.

It uses non nano mineral UV filters and is formulated to be noncomedogenic and acne safe. We would still treat your regular sunscreen as the foundation of your sun protection routine rather than depending on makeup alone, but for an extra layer of mineral SPF in a complexion product, this is one of the more elegant options we have found.

The trick to making foundation look like skin

Even the best foundation can start looking like makeup when you use too much. Start with skincare and give it a few minutes to settle, then apply foundation primarily through the center of the face or wherever you actually need evening out. Blend outward and add another thin layer only over redness, discoloration or blemishes.

The goal is not perfectly uniform skin. Leaving some natural variation visible is precisely what keeps foundation from looking like foundation.

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Are We Doing Too Much to Our Faces? Dr. Karam on What Works and What’s Hype

There have never been more ways to “do something” about aging. Botox starts earlier, collagen banking is everywhere, at home devices promise professional level results, and the line between prevention and simply doing too much can get blurry fast.

So we went back to Dr. Amir Karam, one of the most recognized names in facial rejuvenation. The double board certified facial plastic surgeon has spent more than two decades studying how faces age, performed thousands of facial procedures, and built an audience of nearly one million on Instagram for his refreshingly direct approach to what actually works.

We’ve previously talked to him about aging, identity, and what it means to still feel like yourself and how to future proof your face. This time, we asked him to cut through the noise: What’s worth doing, what’s being oversold, and where can we all afford to do a little less?

So, What’s Actually Worth Doing to Your Face?

When someone says, “I just want to look younger,” what are the first things you look at before recommending any treatment?

It always starts with improving the quality of their skin. Youthful, bright, glowing skin plays a huge role in the appearance of youth. This is always where I start.

But it realistically depends on their age, of course. If they’re on the younger side, say in their early 40s and younger, improving their skin quality, a little bit of Botox, and possibly a touch of volume can do the trick. Once you’re in the late 40s and early 50s and structural laxity is present, a facelift would be in the near future to make a meaningful change.

“Collagen banking” is being promoted earlier and earlier. Is there real evidence that starting lasers, RF microneedling, ultrasound, or injectables before visible aging appears changes how someone ages long term, or is much of this prejuvenation hype?

As a concept, this does make a lot of sense. However, the particular application doesn’t have to be so complicated. Botox and injectables have nothing to do with collagen banking. The concept is that collagen production decreases year over year starting in our mid-20s.

The most effective way to address this is by reducing the breakdown of existing collagen with sun protection and by using skincare actives like retinol and vitamin C as some examples of topicals that help with collagen production and protection. To take it one step further, in-office treatments like regular microneedling can help stimulate collagen. The name of the game is to try to outpace collagen loss. With consistency, this can be achieved for the most part.

Some patients find that Botox, Dysport, or Daxxify stops lasting as long or no longer produces the same effect after years of injections. When that happens, what should they actually do next? Should they change the dose or placement, switch products, take a break, or be evaluated for true treatment resistance?

It’s very unlikely that the neuromodulators stopped working. I almost never see this. However, the expectations of what they can achieve as you age definitely change, and the distribution and dosage you use should also change with age.

When you’re younger, in your 30s and 40s, a little bit of Botox around your eyes and forehead can make you look significantly more refreshed. But if you use that same distribution when you’re in your 50s or 60s, oftentimes the change will be significantly less impressive because of the overall changes that are happening with laxity around the eyes, brows, etc. In fact, in many cases as you age, you want to avoid putting Botox in your forehead altogether to keep the brows from drifting down. So the tactical approach changes with age.

However, if there’s truly a resistance that happens to a particular neuromodulator, for example, if Botox stops having any impact, then it is reasonable to try a different neuromodulator.

From your perspective, which nonsurgical treatments produce a genuinely noticeable result, and which are marketed as far more transformative than they really are?

My honest opinion is that there really isn’t a nonsurgical treatment that can meaningfully lift the face.

At-home red light masks, microcurrent tools, gua sha, and facial devices are now treated almost like essentials. Which can meaningfully support the skin over time, and which mainly create a temporary effect that disappears within hours?

The foundation to beautiful, youthful skin that improves year over year starts with sun protection and the use of active skincare ingredients such as retinol, vitamin C, niacinamide, ceramides, lipids, and hyaluronic acid. This is responsible for well over 90% of the changes you can ever hope to expect.

Only if you have covered these bases should you venture into at-home devices to give you a few extra percentage points of improvement. The best category here would be red light devices, in my opinion. They are safe and have some science to back them up.

I like microneedling as well, but I get nervous with people doing it at home because of the risk of infection if they don’t clean the needles correctly.

Under-eye filler was once the go-to treatment for hollowness, but more patients are now turning to PRF as a more natural alternative. What is your take on that shift, and when does PRF make more sense than filler?

PRF is not a volume-enhancing tool. It does help with improving skin quality, but it does not bring any meaningful volume back to the lower eyelids. For somebody who has moderate to severe volume loss, they’ll be very disappointed if they’re using PRF to help them with lower eyelid hollows.

For somebody whose primary concerns are crepiness and thinning of the skin, with perhaps an extremely mild appearance of hollows, they may see an overall improvement with this approach.

Fat transfer and filler using HA are still the most reliable ways of addressing lower-eye hollowing.

What are the three most worthwhile things women over 35 can do for their faces, and the three things they can confidently stop spending money on?

Sun protection. KaramMD Trifecta. Botox.

They can confidently stop spending money on everything else.

Let’s talk skincare. Doctor-founded skincare has become its own crowded category. You have been very clear that KaramMD was not created from a white-label formula. What formulation decision in KaramMD could only have come from spending two decades studying how faces and skin age instead of just a list of trending ingredients?

I formed a deep understanding of how skin ages over the years. I’ve been treating skin from the day I started practicing. Combining different categories to address the key changes that were happening with age was a fundamental starting point.

I knew that everyone is losing collagen. The skin is getting thinner, leading to lines and wrinkles. I knew that pigment is increasing, leading to sunspots and discoloration. I knew the skin is becoming dehydrated and flaccid. I also knew that the skin barrier was changing for the worse as we age. Ultimately, aged skin would be characterized by fine lines and wrinkles, discoloration, dullness, roughness, and sensitivity.

I’ve been actively addressing all of these regions, but with separate bottles for each ingredient. The results were fine, but patients were unable to remain consistent with these products because oftentimes the routines would be six to ten steps.

So my goal was to combine everything into as few steps as possible while still addressing every aspect of skin aging. That’s what led to the KaramMD Trifecta.

The KaramMD Trifecta combines 24 active ingredients and is designed to replace several separate skincare categories. For someone who already has a vitamin C serum, retinoid, peptide product, and moisturizer they like, what does the system offer that a pieced-together routine may not, and when is it actually worth clearing the counter and making the switch?

If somebody is already using every category of skincare, the Trifecta may not plug any holes. But it’s extremely uncommon for somebody to be using everything that’s already in the KaramMD Trifecta.

If we assume that they are, then what they would be getting is a streamlined system that takes them a minute or two and just three steps, as opposed to a significant amount of time and energy to apply all the different steps. But I can always find something that is lacking in someone’s skincare routine that can be covered with the Trifecta.

The post Are We Doing Too Much to Our Faces? Dr. Karam on What Works and What’s Hype appeared first on The Chalkboard Mag.

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DedCool’s New Mocha Magic Is the Cozy Gourmand We’re Wearing Into Colder Weather

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We have had DedCool Mochi Milk in heavy rotation since it launched, so when we got a sneak peek of the brand’s newest fragrance, Mocha Magic, we were immediately curious.

Launching today at DedCool and Sephora, Mocha Magic is the brand’s most decadent gourmand yet, built around freshly ground espresso, creamy mocha and tonka bean. It is warm, addictive and arriving at exactly the right time as we start transitioning into colder weather. Think sweaters coming back into rotation, dinners moving indoors and that first moment you find yourself reaching for something a little richer.

This is also the kind of fragrance that is going to have people stopping you to ask what you are wearing.

What Does DedCool Mocha Magic Smell Like?

Mocha Magic opens with the unmistakable richness of freshly ground espresso and mocha, softened almost immediately by cream. Biscotti and toffee add sweetness, while bourbon gives the fragrance a little more depth.

As it settles on the skin, vanilla, tonka bean and sandalwood come through, creating a warmer, smoother finish.

For a fragrance with coffee, chocolate, toffee and vanilla in the mix, it could easily have gone very sweet. Instead, there is enough depth to keep everything feeling balanced and sophisticated.

It is gourmand, but not overly sugary. Cozy, but not sleepy. Rich, without becoming heavy.

There Is More to the Coffee Note

Mocha Magic also features DedCool’s Balance Note™, a fragrance technology developed with perfumers around coffee’s ability to feel both energizing and grounding.

It is an interesting idea because coffee is rarely just about caffeine. There is the lift you get from it, but there is also the ritual. Making it in the morning, sitting down with a cup in the afternoon or walking into a coffee shop and immediately recognizing that smell.

Mocha Magic plays with both sides. Espresso gives the fragrance an initial energy, while creamy mocha, tonka bean, vanilla and sandalwood bring in that warmer sense of comfort.

DedCool even translated the concept into something you could taste ahead of the fragrance launch, with drink collaborations at Erewhon in Los Angeles and The Elk in New York.

Why We’re Reaching for It as the Weather Cools Down

There is something about cooler weather that naturally makes us want to switch up fragrance too. The airy, barely there scents we gravitate toward during warmer months start making room for something with a little more depth.

Mocha Magic hits that sweet spot.

The espresso and bourbon give it richness, while cream, vanilla and tonka bean keep everything soft and inviting. Sandalwood grounds it enough that the fragrance never feels like you are wearing a literal coffee drink.

It is easy to imagine wearing this to dinner, on a night out or simply during the day once temperatures start dropping. There is a coziness to it that feels especially good heading into colder months without making it a fragrance you can only wear during one specific season.

We will be wearing it on its own, but we are also planning to layer it with Mochi Milk when we want to make the combination even softer and creamier.

The Gourmand We’ll Be Wearing Next

Gourmand fragrance is having a serious moment, but Mocha Magic does not feel like another vanilla forward scent trying to capitalize on it. Coffee gives it personality. Toffee and biscotti bring in just enough sweetness. Bourbon, tonka bean and sandalwood give the dry down more dimension.

The result feels comforting and familiar while still having enough intrigue to make someone lean in a little closer. And as we trade warmer days for cooler nights, that is exactly the kind of fragrance we want in rotation.

DedCool Mocha Magic launches September 14 at DedCool and Sephora. Get it here.

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