Category Archives: TikTok

Grant Shapps Delivers A Blunt Message To The Government After TikTok Ban

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Grant Shapps has delivered a blunt message to the government after it introduced a TikTok ban.

Oliver Dowden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, announced that the app would be removed from all government devices amid cybersecurity fears.

But Shapps, who is energy secretary, made it clear on his own TikTok account that he would not be closing down his own account.

He posted a 45-second clip on TikTok from the hit moving The Wolf of Wall Street, in which Leonardo DiCaprio tells a cheering crowd “I’m not fucking leaving.”

DiCaprio’s character, Jordan Belfort, adds: “The show goes on. This is my home. They’re gonna need a wrecking ball to take me out of here.”

Shapps added: “This morning the government announced a TikTok ban on government devices. That’s sensible.

“I’ve never used TikTok on government devices and can hereby confirm I will NOT be leaving TikTok any time soon.”

His post is a stinging rebuke to Dowden, who had earlier said: “Restricting the use of TikTok on Government devices is a prudent and proportionate step following advice from our cyber security experts.”

TikTok requires users to give permission for the app to access data stored on the device, which is then collected and stored by the company.

That gives TikTok access to a range of data on the device, including contacts, user content, and geolocation data.

Ministers are believed to be concerned about the way in which this data may be used by TikTok’s owners, the Chinese company ByteDance.

Parliament’s TikTok account was shut down last year after MPs raised concerns over the firm’s links to China.

The US government banned TikTok last year on federal government-issued devices due to national security concerns.

Meanwhile, staff working at the European Commission have been ordered to remove the TikTok app from their phones and corporate devices.

A TikTok spokesperson said: “We are disappointed with this decision. We believe these bans have been based on fundamental misconceptions and driven by wider geopolitics, in which TikTok, and our millions of users in the UK, play no part.

“We remain committed to working with the government to address any concerns but should be judged on facts and treated equally to our competitors.

“We have begun implementing a comprehensive plan to further protect our European user data, which includes storing UK user data in our European data centres and tightening data access controls, including third-party independent oversight of our approach.”

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TikTok’s Avocado Storage Hack Comes With An Unexpected Side Effect

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We’re all trying new and innovative ways to try and ensure our fresh fruit and vegetables last longer.

Avocado is one such fruit that is very tricky to handle. As tasty as it is, it goes bad very quickly, so any trick that helps make it last longer is bound to go viral.

But this one TikTok hack that claims to keep avocados fresh for a longer period of time might do you more harm than good.

Specifically, it can give you poop a lot.

The trick in question asks people to submerge their avocados in cold water as it apparently slows down the oxidation process, ensuring it lasts longer.

And while this method can delay the avocado from browning, it also creates a hotspot for pathogens like listeria and salmonella to thrive, according to Scott Evans at Pink Storage Cardiff.

Both of these pathogens can make the consumer very ill and cause diarrhoea. Which is, I think, more than what most people are bargaining for when they bite into their avocado and toast.

Nutritionist and nutritional therapist Mays Al-Ali says that storing avocados in water gives bacteria the perfect environment to thrive.

“Storing them in water can cause bacteria to grow on the skin of the avocado — where they previously lived harmlessly pre submerging. Bacteria need water, right food and right temperature to grow, so storing avocado in water will feed the bad bacteria,” she explains.

Consuming foods with the listeria bacteria can cause listeriosis, which can pose a big threat to babies, pregnant people, over 65s and anyone with a weak immune system, according to the NHS. It can also cause sepsis and meningitis.

Nutritionist Toby King has also warned that even if you wash your avocado before doing the water submerging trick, it will not save you from infections.

“Some social media users believe that they can disinfect the skins from these harmful pathogens. But listeria can infiltrate the pulp of the avocado when in storage. Disinfecting the skin in this instance wouldn’t help,” he says.

So what would be the best way to store an avocado without making yourself poop every few minutes?

“The best way is to sprinkle some lemon or lime juice on the cut avocado and then store in an airtight glass container (chemical free) in the fridge,” says Al-Ali.

Or if you’re using it in a smoothie, you can peel and chop the chunks and then freeze it to use whenever you want.

So unless you want to give yourself diarrhoea and poop constantly, it’s best to stay away from this avocado submerging hack. If not, you can try and regret all your life choices as you sit on that toilet bowl for the tenth time in a day. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

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Sorry, This Popular Radiator ‘Hack’ Isn’t Saving You Any Money

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Spring is on its way but this is the UK and in typical UK fashion, it’s still cold. This means many Brits are still trying to find ways to save money on their energy bills.

The average bill is expected to rise from £2,500 to £3,000 this spring when the UK Government raises its energy price guarantee.

So it’s not shocking to know that people are sharing heater hacks left, right and centre on social media apps.

However, many of these so-called ‘hacks’ that are circling around can actually waste more energy and increase electric bills, with experts warning against trying them out for yourself.

Fortunately, an energy expert from Land of Rugs has done some major debunking around some of these ‘tricks’ and has a few tips on how to keep your house warm for less instead.

1. Turning the heat off if you are not home

While leaving the heat on low sounds like it will waste money, increasing the temps 10-15 degrees until your desired temperature has been reached is more expensive than keeping the house warm throughout the day.

“Keeping the thermostat set between 16-17C when nobody is home and bumping it up a couple of degrees to 18-20C when needed is the most efficient way to heat the house, as small adjustments of 1-2 degrees for short periods do not greatly increase energy bills,” the pro explains.

“Program your thermostat or set a timer to increase the heat a couple of degrees, just when some extra warmth is needed, such as before bed or in the morning.”

2. Tinfoiling the radiators

This is a common “heating hack” on TikTok, but it doesn’t really increase the temperature in your home or save money. In order for the tinfoil to be effective, radiators need to be turned on extremely high for long periods of time.

“The best way to save money with radiators is by making sure that they are working efficiently, not blocked by furniture, and that they have been bled at least once a year,” the expert from Land of Rugs says.

3. Using portable heaters

Portable heaters are usually not cheaper to use than central heating, as using them to heat the entire house can cost 2-3 times more than central heating. If you want to heat up one room in your house, a space heater could potentially save money, but central heating still seems to be the cheapest way to heat an entire home.

Instead of following these hacks, the expert suggests following these instead.

Seal windows and doors

Resealing doors and windows with caulk and weather stripping is beneficial, but using cling film or rolled towels around windows and doors is another inexpensive way to keep draughts out and heat in.

“Add a few extra layers by putting bubble wrap over windows and closing the curtains or blinds to keep the cold air from entering rooms,” they suggest.

Draught-proof your letterbox

If your letterbox is not fitted snugly to your door, it can let heat out and cold air in. Fitting a letterbox draught excluder with brushes can prevent cold air from seeping in through the box.

“A money-saving hack is to pop a sponge in your letterbox to absorb the cold air. Make sure it is fitted snugly and be sure to tell the postman,” the expert adds.

Install curtains over your front door

While many have curtains over windows to assist with keeping the heat in, it is also beneficial to install curtains above the front door. Door curtains can prevent cold air from seeping in whenever the door is opened.

The expert advises, “make sure to install the curtain rod a foot past the entryway if possible, and choose curtains made from thick, thermal material.”

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Here’s What The Secret Codes On The Labels In TK Maxx Mean

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Going to TK Maxx is an EXPERIENCE. A quick visit can end up being hours long as you end up digging through the rails in hunt of a deal.

However, one TK Maxx mega fan has revealed a trick that’s guaranteed to save us some both cash and time the next time we descend on the shop.

According to TikTok user Alex Pavlova (@beautyforeverybody) you can guarantee yourself the best bargains by checking the code on the item of clothing’s label.

Alex shares that tags all have ‘codes’ on them, with each representing a different meaning.

A ‘one’ on the label means the product was “produced solely for TK Maxx”.

Meanwhile, ‘two’ is described as “genuine unsold stock” and ‘seven’ means that the item “was packed away from a previous year.”

A number two is a key number to look out – it’s likely that the item retailed for a way higher price elsewhere before it hit the shelves of your local TK Maxx.

The hack was in fact confirmed by TK Maxx themselves in a documentary about the retailer last year.

Former senior merchandiser at the store, Daniel Baker, explained in the show said that a code system on the labels.

He explained: “The number that is really exciting to a customer is number two because that means it’s a genuine stock that was sold at a higher price somewhere else. It’s excess stock or something like that,” he said.

“That’s normally when you are getting the bargains or the thing that’s quite exciting.

“The main three codes are ‘one, two, and seven’. ‘One’ means produced for TK Maxx, ‘two’ is ‘close out buy’ that is unsold from another brand, and ‘seven’ is ‘packaway’ which means it’s been packed for a previous year, like Christmas crackers bought in January for the following year.” he added.

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Is Fancy ‘Viral’ Olive Oil Really Worth The Hype?

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If you’ve spent any time on food TikTok or Instagram, you’ve likely noticed an onslaught of fancy olive oil brands, all featuring colourful, beautifully designed, photo-friendly bottles.

Influencers and social media-savvy chefs drizzle the golden liquid from these pretty containers on salads, meats, fish, hummus and much more, and their posts and videos make “status” olive oil seem like a necessary addition to any home cook’s arsenal.

But a bit of online searching will quickly show that on-trend olive oils (like Brightland, Graza, Fat Gold and other popular brands) command a higher retail price than the extra-virgin olive oil bottles sold at supermarkets (and a much higher price than the big under-the-sink olive oil vats sold at wholesale clubs like Costco).

This brand at Selfridges comes in at a whopping £126, while this aesthetically pleasing number will set you back £40.

So are these “fancy” olive oils worth the extra cash? When we asked professional chefs and olive oil experts to answer this question, they generally agreed that these oils are sometimes worth their splashy social media presence and their elevated cost.

That said, Christina McKeough, chef de cuisine of High Street in Philadelphia, pointed out that the “is it worth it?” question really comes down to personal preferences.

“Like any luxury product, it’s only worth it if you really want it, right?” McKeough asked. Shoppers need to remember that not all trendy oils are created equal and that a few important characteristics can help to determine whether hip olive oil brands qualify as smart purchases.

It’s up to shoppers to do a little research

When it comes to olive oils with a big social media presence, their (usually higher) price points can reflect a number of factors. According to Doug Psaltis, chef and co-owner of Andros Taverna in Chicago, shoppers should do a bit of digging to figure out exactly what they’re paying for.

“Are we buying the great packaging and marketing with inflated prices? I am not sure that price always correlates to quality. What would lead me to pay more for olive oil would be freshness ― a great raw product that is produced by great people with integrity,” Psaltis said.

In some cases, olive oil’s “viral” potential has more to do with its bottle’s aesthetic (and its ability to be marketed by influencers) than with its overall quality.

Lisa McManus, editor of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews, believes social media can encourage people to learn more about olive oil, which is a positive development: “If Instagram has gotten people interested in olive oil, that’s incredibly great.”

However, she advised against taking these Instagram or TikTok recommendations at face value, instead encouraging the olive-oil-curious among us to “take this opportunity to explore beyond the flashy promotional stuff.”

“Great olive oil does not necessarily come via the recommendations of Instagram stars. There are fantastic extra-virgin olive oil producers throughout California and the world who don’t have Instagram accounts,” she said, adding that “cute bottles and attractive promoters don’t translate automatically to great oil.”

‘Fancy olive oil can actually save you money’

Alexa Dombkoski, founder of Bellemille Extra Virgin Olive Oil, admits that “olive oil isn’t a very sexy product to sell, so putting it in Instagram-able packaging certainly helps.”

But she went on to explain that “with all the options on the market, you have to be able to distinguish between the pretty faces and the products that can stand on their own based on quality.”

Once you know what to look for and how to interpret the labels of the trendy viral olive oils out there (or the labels of your regular supermarket brands), then you’ll discover that, as Dombkoski said, “Fancy olive oil can actually save you money. It’s always best to use the highest quality ingredients across the board, but when that isn’t possible, you can lean on that fancy olive oil to add a little zip [to] ‘save’ the most basic or boring dish and bring it back to life.”

Essentially, Dombkoski believes that using a £30 olive oil made from olives harvested at their peak and cold-pressed for maximum flavor can balance out any negatives that come from purchasing a cheaper cut of meat or off-season produce. Also, because a little bit of olive oil goes a long way, spending more on a bottle gives you a high-quality product that can be used for countless recipes over the course of several months.

As the CEO and co-founder of Graza, one of the most ubiquitous “fancy” olive oil brands on social media these days, Andrew Benin acknowledges that “sometimes, when you are paying 38 bucks for 375 millilitres of olive oil, £9 of that is just to cover the cost of the fancy bottle.”

But in his view, olive oil that earns its higher price (and he counts the olive oil produced by Graza in this category) is “harvested and milled the right way, protected from light, never blended, [and] is a powerful flavour bomb.”

How to know if your pricey olive oil is worth the cash.

Chef Steven Jarczyk of Sfera Sicilian Street Food in Chicago recommends paying attention to what the label says about where and how it’s grown. “You have to start with beautiful olives,” he said. Psaltis also prioritises freshness: “[You should look for] a great raw product that is produced by great people with integrity. Are they choosing the best fruit to mill? Is the olive oil fresh and handled with care? I believe those are the most important factors that separate a good product from a great product.”

Dombkoski gave a clear breakdown of what to look for on a label: “Does it tell you where the oil comes from? Is that different than where the label says it was bottled? Is it blended with olive oil from somewhere else? A quality producer is going to want you to know where the olive oil is from, when it was produced, [and] how it was produced. The more information a brand is willing to volunteer about their production, the better off the consumer is to make an educated decision when purchasing olive oil.”

If you’re wondering what specific information you want to see, look out for the following before buying a new brand of olive oil:

  • “Extra virgin”: This term, commonly found on olive oil bottles, refers to oil that’s never been heated or treated with chemicals. Because the oil is cold pressed and unrefined, it retains more of the natural flavour of the olives and offers both aromatic notes and a smooth texture.
  • The phrases “single origin” and “single varietal”: “Single origin” means the olives used to make the oil are grown in the same location, while “single varietal” means only one type of olive is used. While blended olive oils aren’t inherently bad, there’s a lot more room for error in these bottles; different growing conditions and different olive types can clash and produce an oil with a less-than-smooth flavour profile. If your oil only includes one type of olive grown in the same place, then you’ll end up with a much higher rate of consistency.
  • Grown in Spain, Italy, Greece or California: Olives thrive in Mediterranean climates, so olive oils produced in actual Mediterranean countries benefit from the vibrant flavour of the olives grown there. In the U.S, Southern California’s Mediterranean-ish temperatures make this region the best area for domestic olive oil.

Make sure you’re using it for the right reasons

Some home cooks say olive oil (and especially “nicer” olive oils) shouldn’t be used for cooking, because the oil’s bright and mellow flavours can turn bitter and acrid. But our experts insist that, in the words of Dombkoski, “It is perfectly acceptable to cook with your fancy extra-virgin olive oil.” That said, Dombkoski warned that quality extra-virgin olive oil “will impart a distinct flavour into your dishes.” So if you don’t want to taste the grassy, botanical notes associated with olive oil, you may want to swap it out for a neutral-flavoured cooking oil like vegetable oil or canola oil.

To maximize the flavor potential of well-made olive oil, Ann Ziata, chef at the Institute of Culinary Education, suggests “using it as a finishing oil or a dressing oil rather than a cooking oil.”

“High-end olive oil will add great depth and richness when used as a seasoning, drizzled over pasta, vegetables or rice,” she added. “High-heat cooking like deep-frying or grilling may destroy the flavors of the oil, which are sensitive to heat, oxygen, and light.”

Mica Talmor, the chef and owner of Pomella in Oakland, California, likes to use olive oil for finishing, but she mentioned that “EVOO has very bold and distinct flavors, so I won’t use it if I want the dressing to have a specific flavor, like in a citrus vinaigrette or pomegranate vinaigrette. A less expensive neutral oil is much better for that.”

While lighter-weight neutral oils are a better bet for deep-frying and high-heat cooking, plenty of recipes still call for olive oil as a primary cooking fat, particularly when moderate or low stove or oven temperatures are involved. In these cases, “‘regular’ olive oils are still perfectly fine to use when cooking, and they have the added advantage of being extremely versatile and less expensive,” said Michael Murdy, the chef and food scientist behind the blog Robust Kitchen.

Check out the bottle itself (not just the label) before you buy

To get the best possible value out of a £30-plus bottle of olive oil, be sure to store the oil in conditions that will keep it fresh and flavourful for an extended period. “The enemies of olive oil are heat, air, light and time,” McManus said. “You want to keep it cool, covered, and tightly capped, away from heat and sunlight (so definitely do not store it next to your stove or in a window!).”

Michelle Spangler, the owner of Infused Oils & Vinegars in Dallas, said it’s also wise to “purchase oil that is packaged in dark glass or light-impermeable tins from a reputable dealer who has stored it in a temperature-controlled environment.” A darker container will prevent the oil from being affected by light.

Olive oil doesn’t “go bad” like other perishable groceries, but our experts generally agreed a bottle of “nice” olive oil will be at its best within six to nine months of opening. For optimal results, switch out your olive oil bottles at least that frequently.

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Here’s The Real Reason Those ‘AI Time Machine’ Pictures Went Viral

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Internet trends come and go. It’s as simple as that, especially on TikTok.

But with over 44 million views, the #aitimemachine trend that went massively viral on TikTok in November and December is still going, spreading to Twitter and Instagram, too.

Users upload photos of themselves to the genealogy platform MyHeritage, which for $10-$18 (£8.15- £14.68)transforms the images into digital portraits in the style of famous paintings and “historical figures” like an ancient Greek, a Viking or a sultan.

Many TikTok users say the images made them feel beautiful and more confident in their unique features, even those they usually feel self-conscious about.

“I usually dislike my key features (thin lips, weak chin [and] soft jawline) but I kinda want to cry at these,” @coreyisnothome wrote in a TikTok video that went viral with over 300,000 likes and 2.5 million views. “I’ve never felt so beautiful,” said user @marymargaret14.

Student Savannah Caughey explained in her own viral TikTok video that she always felt insecure about her nose, but the Time Machine images made her change her mind.

“This trend allows people to connect with a part of themselves that is not distinguished by modern-day beauty standards,” she told HuffPost, adding that “the images allowed me to see myself in another light.”

“I learned to see that I have more of a classic beauty than a modern one, and this trend allowed me to feel confident and happy with that,” she said.

The MyHeritage program produces images that resemble drawings and paintings that imitate real art. Could that be why people feel so beautiful in their images?

Portraiture dates back at least to ancient Egypt, and throughout history portraits were used to showcase wealth and power. “I think it’s important to know that humans have been creating portraits for thousands of years; it’s really not a new phenomenon,” said Ella Raphëlle Dufrene, a French-Haitian American visual artist and registered art therapist.

Before photography, portraits were also a way to be remembered after death — physical proof of someone’s life. But in the selfie era, when it’s easy to capture your own image with the click of a button, the AI Time Machine images combine the digital world and the love of portraiture humans have had for centuries.

If there’s anyone who can speak about people’s love of portraits, especially in the form of paintings, it’s Melbourne, Australia-based artist Rebekka Lord-Johnson, who specialises in photorealistic and hyperrealistic drawings and paintings.

She went viral on TikTok for creating live wedding paintings in which real-life couples and their wedding celebrations become the subjects of her art. She has more than 500,000 followers and 32 million views on TikTok, where she posts the work she describes as “family heirlooms.” “It’s a family portrait, essentially,” said Lord-Johnson.

In her opinion, the AI Time Machine trend went viral because art is a celebration of uniqueness. People are generally excited to see themselves in images resembling art.

“I think when you see yourself in the context of an artwork, when you’re a part of making an artwork, your recognisable features, and your recognisable face is part of the whole painting that makes everything beautiful, I think it can really capture and feature your uniqueness,” she said.

Lord-Johnson said that art has the opposite effect of social media, which promotes beauty standards that have people trying to look extremely similar to one another in order to feel beautiful. By contrast, art celebrates each person as they are, no filters needed.

But while images from the AI Time Machine might resemble art, she said, they aren’t really. “It’s almost like a filter to me, like an Instagram filter,” Lord-Johnson said. “It’ll adjust your features to current beauty standards or standards of beauty back then, historically. So people aren’t actually seeing themselves, necessarily.”

In her experience, people do feel prettier when they see themselves in artwork. In a painting, a person’s uniqueness is highlighted and appreciated in a way that’s not commonly experienced, which many people find refreshing.

The couples Lord-Johnson works with, for example, often express how beautiful they feel in her paintings. Not only are they seeing themselves portrayed as they are, but “there’s a lot of emotion behind what I do,” she said. “When I create a work of art, a lot of love and attention goes into that painting.”

But if the AI Time Machine creations can’t really be interpreted as art, why are people feeling beautiful? “I think people are seeing themselves as beautiful because they’re seeing themselves in a different context,” Lord-Johnson said.

Dufrene offered a similar theory. “I do think that it’s because of the fact that they’re being turned into an ‘artwork’ that it’s increasing their sense of beauty,” she said. “But if we think of the origins of the word ‘portrait,’ coming from old French ‘portraire,’ which means to draw, reveal or expose, the AI portraits are allowing people to play a role, to reveal a more beautiful or empowered part of themselves. What that’s really telling me is that people are longing for a sense of wonder, play and creativity in their lives.”

“If you think of a little girl dressing up as a princess, we all have that inner child that wants to feel fantastical, wonder and play,” Dufrene said. She explained that when people see themselves as famous paintings and historical figures, it may help them to tap into their inner child — which might be why people are so drawn to this trend.

“We have a lack of playfulness, wonder, and spontaneity in our own lives,” she said. It’s not often that people exercise their will to play, like by creating digital portraits of themselves that resemble art and feel fantastical and special.

“People are really stressed out, especially after Covid,” Dufrene said. “Many people work 9-5 day-to-day jobs, where they’re doing these redundant activities that don’t necessarily explore their creativity and bring out their sense of play, and I think that can kind of dull our sense of self.”

It’s understandable, then, that people felt beautiful participating in the AI Time Machine trend (and thankfully, given facial recognition and online privacy concerns, the company says it does not save the photos that users upload).

As internet fads come and go, Dufrene said, there are many ways of exercising our inner child in our day-to-day lives, as well as increasing our own sense of beauty through art. If we have the means, of course, we can contact artists we admire to create a portrait, or we can do it ourselves with an art therapist. It’s also possible to add more play to your life by yourself; your inner child lives wherever you want them to.

“Playing dress up, creating a storyline, there are many ways that we can push it a little bit more,” Dufrene said. “Paint it. Dress up. Create a story.”

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This TikToker Wants To See More Child-Free Areas – As Parents, We Get It

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An actor on Tiktok has called for the creation of child-free suburbs after a trip to her local swimming pool ended in chaos. Because, well, kids.

Kitch, who is known as Tiktok user @soybabie__ and based in Melbourne, said she’d visited her pool to do laps, but her peaceful swim in the lap lane was disrupted by screaming kids who kept jumping in.

“I would like to know when somebody is planning on opening an adults only suburb where everything in it is only for adults, because I’m so sick of going places and kids are just everywhere screaming and I just have to put up with it,” she said in a Tiktok video, which has had a quarter of a million views.

“I just went for a swim. They have their own pool and they’re in the lap lane pool, not swimming laps just jumping in and screaming – and that’s just allowed because they’re allowed everywhere.”

“I just feel like for people like me that are evil and hate kids, we should have our own suburb where we can just be quiet and undisturbed,” she joked.

Most parents will tell you they love their child more than life itself. I’m the same. But I have to tell you, when I saw this, I thought: “Fair.”

Adults only holidays exist, so it doesn’t seem unreasonable to have more areas where children don’t venture.

Of course, there are some who would strongly disagree. One user commented on the video: “You used to be a kid mate.. ya know. So get over getting older.” The comment had 215 likes at the time of writing.

Another added: “Go live in Antartica.” Eek.

But plenty of parents, like myself, agreed that child-free people should have their own spaces to exist. In fact, we’d probably go to them too if we had a rare day to ourselves.

That’s not to say I don’t love my child fiercely. I do. But sometimes it’s nice to have some alone time where you can just… adult. The feelings aren’t mutually exclusive.

“As a parent of two small children, I completely understand what you’re saying and respect that childfree people need space too,” said one mum.

Another added: “As a mum, I agree. I hate going to dinner without my kids to listen to other people’s kids carry on. There should be more adult only places.”

“I would totally support a place without kids. Maybe I could go there too without my kids,” said another parent.

Some pointed out that adult only places like this do exist: retirement villages. But the original poster suggested they shouldn’t just be for older adults.

The video also prompted an interesting point that most adult only places are centred around alcohol – ie. bars and nightclubs. People suggested child-free parks, restaurants and even supermarkets should be a thing.

After the video was picked up by the media, @soybabie__ shared another video acknowledging that people were “pressed” that other people don’t want to be around children 24/7.

“I’m not saying kids shouldn’t be allowed at the pool, it’d just be nice if there were more places that were JUST for adults to enjoy and that includes parents wanting a break from their kids too,” she said.

Where do we sign up?

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Jennifer Coolidge’s TikTok Debut Features A ‘Poem’ And A Seriously A-List Guest

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Just when you thought you couldn’t love Jennifer Coolidge any more than you already did.

The White Lotus star has joined TikTok and gifted us all with a truly iconic debut clip featuring a (ahem) “poem” and one seriously A-list cameo.

“Hi, this is my first TikTok,” the Legally Blonde star begins.

“And I was trying to think of something cool to do, and I think I’m just gonna do a poem that I like.”

And no, Jen didn’t choose Shakespeare…

Jennifer and J-Lo’s appearance in the TikTok clip comes as the two stars promote their new rom-com, Shotgun Wedding.

Speaking to ET about working with the recent Emmy and Golden Globe-winning star on the film, J-Lo said “iIt was one of those things where everything came together.”

Their co-star Josh Duhamel was also full of praise for the American Pie star, admitting he was a “huge fan”.

“She is a wonderful person to have around the set. She’s very chill,” he said.

“What I’ll never forget about working with Jennifer was that we didn’t know if she was like, doing it on purpose or if it was like part of her thing ― it’s almost like an Andy Kaufman thing,” he said of Jennifer’’s oddball character choices.

“It makes everybody feel like we need another take, and she’s like, ‘No, I’m good.’ And then you see it, and it’s brilliant… She’s one of those enigmas.”

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The 10 Best Makeup TikTok Trends Of 2022, According To The Pros

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TikTok is a constant source of inspiration among beauty lovers, quickly becoming the go-to platform for tutorials and #makeupinspo as well as a great place to discover new talent in the beauty sphere.

HuffPost spoke to five makeup artists to find out their favourite trends of 2022. Here’s what they couldn’t get enough of and what they loved trying on themselves.

Euphoria makeup

Think glitters, bold colours and bling. The HBO series had us glued to our screens ― partly because of Zendaya’s phenomenal acting and partly because of the innovative makeup. Our experts praised the looks.

Millie Kendall, founder and CEO of the British Beauty Council: “Euphoria has been a bit of a moment on TikTok. Lots of glitter and shiny shadows. Appliqués and jewels, generally adornments. The combination of dewy, glowy skin with shimmery eyes has been great. It reminds me of a ‘nightclub at 4am’ kind of look.”

Rose Gallagher, makeup artist and beauty content creator: “I loved the whole Euphoria style makeup of super fresh skin with playful pops of colour on the eyes. 2022 has been a year that really made me rethink how I use coverage and made me want to use as little as possible so that the focal point of my makeup was those pops of color, not the complexion. I loved the start of 2022 when we would have a weekly new Euphoria episode and people would replicate the [looks]. Cassie’s unhinged moments with little pops of gems and glitter were a real highlight!”

Check out some of the best TikTok tutorials about Euphoria makeup:

Mood makeup

Lately, we have seen people re-creating real feelings through their makeup, from being cold to sad and everything in between. Want to look like you’ve been crying? There is now a makeup trend (and tutorial) for that.

Ehlie Luna, pro makeup artist and beauty content creator: “Going a step beyond the ‘clean girl’ makeup aesthetic, we have seen more people leaning into how they feel or how they want to feel. The makeup look that took over the past two years will serve as a sort of home base, with playful touches ranging from cold girl, indie sleaze, to dark feminine and more layered on top.”

Katie Jane Hughes, celebrity makeup artist: “There’s something really beautiful about these looks. The look people are trying to create is happening naturally and there’s oddly something really cute and pretty about that. It’s also quite strange, but I tried the ‘cold girl makeup’ and liked it!”

Glossy 90s Lips

There was some controversy with Hailey Bieber’s “brownie glazed lip” this year, but the brown lip liner and gloss combo still has been a much-loved look, since it suits everyone and gives J.Lo 90s vibes.

Donni Davy, head Euphoria makeup artist and co-founder of Half Magic: “I love the shift from pinky nude lips to brownie nude lips. Browns and rosy browns just look so stunning on everyone, and there are so many directions to go here. Soft and diffused, punctuated with darker brown liner, and worn with a sparkly gloss on top, to name a few. Half Magic’s Rosy Brown Mouth Cloud Lip Cream in Magic Brownie is my favourite! It’s velvety soft, hydrating and buildable.”

Kendall: “I noticed a throwback to the J.Lo lip – the darker liner and the defined, glossy pout. I wouldn’t have normally taken to it – I was there the first time around! But I think that the colors of lip liners are so sophisticated now, with Vieve, Charlotte Tilbury and Lisa Eldridge really owning the space and delivering superb colour options that have made this quite a wearable look.”

Blush, blush, blush

Makeup artists and beauty influencers have fallen hard for cream and stick blushes, which give a natural sheen to the skin and blend seamlessly. TikTok is full of blush looks featuring purple blush, blush draping, lipstick worn as blush and more techniques that have gone viral.

Luna: “After a period of blush ‘fear,’ we’ve gone all in. Every season there are more ways to wear it like high placements, the W trend, and editorial draped styles. With more shades and formulas than ever before, there’s something here for everyone.”

Davy: “I think purple blush really made a splash in 2022 and is still making its mark. I love to convince people whenever I can to try this one out! I’m loving the shift from pink blush shades to the surprisingly flattering violet. Violet has the cool tones of purple in it, but it’s also super warm for a purple and actually has quite a bit of pink in it so it doesn’t look completely jarring on the cheek, especially if you’re blending in just a sheer layer. My favourite way to wear it is with a periwinkle or lilac shimmer on top as a highlighter. It’s a delicate, yet simultaneously edgy, way to wear blush and I’m obsessed with it.”

Rainbow eyes

A fun and colorful look reminds us that love is love and that makeup exists for people to have fun with. Why not play with colors and try something new?

Kendall: “This year has been really focused on eyes, I particularly loved the focus on neon eyeliners. I have been wearing quite a lot of neon blue with blue mascara the last few months.”

Gallagher: “I loved the Pride makeup and colourful rainbow-inspired looks (creator Call Me Chim is incredible for those). Not only were the colourful looks just beautiful, but I loved the comradery and celebration of the LGBTQ+ that came along with them.”

Siren eyes meet razor-sharp wings

The eyeliner trend has really evolved this year, partly thanks to Davy’s work on Euphoria. Now, there are more tools than ever before to help you achieve the perfect flick, from silicone guides to liners designed for those with fine motor issues.

Gallagher: “The siren eyes trend [which is connected to Middle-Eastern makeup looks] felt really classic and sexy. I definitely think this would look great on everyone. What I loved about it is that it is a little undone, all about framing the eyes and creating a feline shape but without the constraints of perfection. It would still look great five hours into wearing.”

Old Hollywood glam

The focus here is on beautiful smoky eyes, bold eyelashes and the glam reminiscent of the 30s to the 50s in Hollywood and beyond.

Gallagher: “Around the time of the Marilyn Monroe film launching onto Netflix, there were some beautiful videos using Marilyn’s techniques (Sophie Mand did some great ones). I thought it was lovely that we were seeing these tips for really timeless, old-Hollywood glamour on a platform saturated with newness. It felt very achievable to recreate something we were so familiar with and also seemed like a trend you could jump on just using whatever you already have in your makeup bag.”

Metallic eyes

This trend is perfectly suited for the festive season and beyond. Metallic eyes are much-loved by makeup artists and are suitable even for makeup newbies.

Hughes: “I think metallic eyes suit everyone. I feel people are scared of shimmer and glitter – perhaps they think it will make their skin look a certain type of way. I think it looks gorgeous on everybody, it just depends on how you apply it. If you are worried it would look too much, just start with a little bit, press it onto the centre of the lid and work it around. Start with a little bit and add more when you’re comfortable.”

Natural-looking skin

The natural-looking “no-makeup makeup” trend continued this year, and the “clean girl makeup” trend is also here to stay, according to the experts.

Luna: “Makeup artists, myself included, have been going deeper with makeup techniques on TikTok and Instagram. We have seen the use of multiple powders in makeup routines – from pigmented loose to translucent pressed powders, baked and finishing powders.”

Hughes: “The makeup trend that stood out to me the most was glossy skin, letting the skin speak for itself! Something I’ve been a fan of my entire career. Think dewy, skin, like no-makeup makeup.”

Bleached brows

A polarising trend this year, the bleached brows have taken our TikTok screens by storm with tutorials gone wrong and some gone right. If you decide to try out this trend – which was seen on the likes of Julia Fox, Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner ― it might be best to leave it to the professionals.

Kendall: “The 90s eyebrows are back – a bit thinner and bleached. I think the thinner brow is nice, I have never been that big on the overly brushed up bushy brow or the overly neat flat brow.”

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The Problem With TikTok Therapists

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In the past few years we’ve seen mental health and therapy content explode online. As the stigma towards therapy decreases, people are using social media to share the beauty that can come out of sitting down with a professional and talking.

Among those sharing videos, are therapists and counsellors who want to reach a wider audience.

As someone who has been in therapy, being able to watch content linked to anxiety has helped and encouraged me to continue to do the internal work. And let’s face it, accessing therapy can be both arduous and expensive – especially if you’re early in your career or you’re facing long NHS waiting lists – so these videos are a way for people to start work on themselves today, without paying a hefty fee.

However, there’s been recent debate around how therapists are using social media. There’s a big difference between a therapist who shares five tips for coping with anxiety – and a therapist who retells their client’s life story for likes. (And no, I won’t be sharing examples of the latter).

Increasingly, it feels like it’s becoming normalised for therapists to speak about their clients in their social media, which has made people wonder how ethical this is.

“Therapists are not supposed to be using their clients to become influencers,” one therapist (@QueeringPsych) said on Twitter.

“Sharing helpful info (without generalising or diagnosing strangers) is great. Making your clients wonder if you’re gonna talk about them affects the relationship,” he added.

Therapists aren’t the only ones using social media to speak about their profession. American nurses recently came under fire after sharing their patient ‘icks’ on TikTok.

No job is perfect and being a nurse is a demanding job. But where is the line between raising awareness of the challenges of your profession and speaking about real-life patients? Does it matter if they’re unnamed? Or does it still cross a line?

Vuma Phiri, who is a 25-year-old paralegal from Western Australia, thinks the content therapists make is starting to go overboard.

“There are certain client-facing careers that need to avoid speaking about the people who come to see them because they visit you at their most vulnerable. It’s unethical to use their vulnerability to go viral,” Phiri says.

However, she shares that she’s benefitted from therapy content but mainly the therapists who give general advice without mentioning their clients’ experiences.

“You can definitely reach your audience well by giving out advice based on your knowledge rather than specifically speaking on those who come see you,” she says.

Phiri also says she’d be angry if her therapist used her story for a viral video. “The security I feel signing a confidentiality agreement would be breached by you speaking about me online on an app as far reaching as TikTok, even if I was anonymised.”

Crystal*, who has been going to therapy for some years, understands how these videos can help others, but “when its explicitly prefaced and explained as the story of a particular person, I think it’s invasive and an informal violation of trust,” she says.

She explains that she would feel violated if her therapist shared her story online. “How can I be baring my soul and telling a professional things that even my close family and friends don’t know and they’re using it as gist online for engagement?” asks the 24-year-old painter from London. “Even though only I would know it was about me, I would feel quite exposed.”

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She adds that she’s never found hearing people’s personal stories in this context helpful. “It feels like entertainment and the focus is always on how juicy the story is rather than the healing/resolution/lesson to be learned,” Crystal adds.

Caroline Jesper, who’s head of professional standards at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy’s (BACP), believes social media channels can be a great way to connect and communicate with people, and for therapists, it can be a good way to network with other professionals.

“However, it’s important therapists keep in mind their ethical values and principles while doing so,” she tells HuffPost UK.

“They shouldn’t breach confidentiality or publish anything on social media which could identify a client. They should also be aware that even when anonymising aspects of their client work, a client may see this and recognise themselves in being said. This would be a breach of trust in the therapeutic relationship.”

Are therapists allowed to speak about clients online?

Counselling Directory member Jennifer Warwick shares that there’s been some healthy debate amongst therapists about how, or if, they should use social media.

“Some stay well away, while others see it as a way of connecting and engaging with people,” Warwick says. “It’s a way of showing ourselves as being human and relatable.”

Therapists in the UK are bound by ethical guidelines set out by the governing boards, such as the BACP, so in theory this should prevent people crossing a line.

“Client confidentiality and privacy are key, so we need to make sure that no information that might identify the client is used,” Warwick explains.

“The BACP even have specific guidance for its members, which includes how social media relates to its ethical framework, maintaining clients’ privacy and confidentiality, as well as appropriate boundaries.”

But if you’re viewing this kind of content on TikTok – or you’re in therapy yourself – how can you judge when a therapist has shared too much?

“It’s vital for therapists to tread very carefully around this and not to share any identifiable information about clients, past or current.” Warwick adds.

“Imagine seeing a post from your therapist and thinking ‘they’re talking about me!’ even without them giving a name or location.”

She emphasis on the the importance of a health relationship between therapists and clients. “It makes no sense to have a client or potential client feel that we might not be safe to work with when they see us posting about a current client.

“It can however be helpful to talk about general themes or issues on social media that we work with, as this helps clients find the right therapist for them.”

Should therapists ask their clients if they can speak about them online?

“It’s definitely good to set boundaries with clients around social media use, for example, not responding to DMs or accepting friend requests,” Warwick says.

“Ideally, this would be stated as part of the therapist’s social media and also as part of the agreements made when starting with a client.”

“It might be good to discuss with a client how we use social media, to be there to answer any questions they might have and put their minds at ease so they know we are bound by ethical guidelines in our work, which protects our clients’ privacy and confidentiality.”

If you have concerns about your therapist, the BACP advises trying to speak to your therapist first to try to resolve the issue directly with them. But if you think confidentiality has been breached, you can make a formal complaint.

Help and support:

  • Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
  • Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
  • CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
  • The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
  • Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.
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