Jon Hopkins has collaborated with NASA for a new single, ‘Forever Held’. The track features string arrangements by Icelandic multi-instrumentalist Ólafur Arnalds, and it was composed for NASA’s new immersive experience Space for Earth, which is open to the public at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, DC. Check it out below.
‘Forever Held’ is inspired by love letters that NASA’s creative director, the artist Erica Bernhard, wrote from Earth to space. “I took this opportunity to create a full orchestral piece,” Hopkins said in a press release. “I wanted to make something timeless that would transmit the feeling of being ‘held’ by the Earth. I was thinking about the fragility and power of our planet, and of the human race’s role in its own destiny.”
Bernhard, who also created the song’s music video, added: “Space is not merely the backdrop to human existence, but a living, breathing dimension. There are invisible communications happening between Earth and the NASA satellites that observe our planet. The view from space offers a profound shift in perspective – astronauts call this the overview effect. Hopkins’ compositions capture that shift – infusing sound with the expansiveness of space while grounding us in the essence and rhythms of life on Earth. His soundscapes act as a bridge between these realms, translating the awe and wonder of space and Earth into a sonic and immersive journey that asks us to consider our place in the universe and our responsibility to the planet.”
The trend of preventative anti-wrinkle injections has grown in recent years. These injections are often marketed to young people and designed to delay the onset of wrinkles, rather than treat existing wrinkles.
What are preventative anti-wrinkle injections?
Preventative anti-wrinkle injections use a botulinum toxin to reduce forehead wrinkles, crow’s feet, frown lines, and other areas where wrinkles may develop. Traditional applications aim to smooth out existing wrinkles, but preventative treatments work by relaxing muscles before wrinkles form. These injections are sometimes considered among the best anti-wrinkle treatments with a procedure time of around 15 minutes. This means that if you undergo anti-wrinkle treatment London, you can be in and out in no time and on the other side of the city within the hour. The injections are a non-surgical treatment and require minimal recovery time.
Why are younger people embracing these injections?
The influence of social media and platforms like TikTok and Instagram have helped make self-care an important part of young people’s lives. Influencers and celebrities promote skincare routines and cosmetic treatments. Younger people are now more aware of options to maintain their looks and often feel more compelled to adopt them earlier.
Cosmetic treatments have gained wider acceptance. Celebrities openly discuss getting Botox and fillers, for example, where once they may have kept treatments more private. Anti-wrinkle injections are sometimes seen more as part of routine self-care, rather than a drastic measure. More people in their twenties are choosing such treatments. Preventative skincare has become a focus, with people addressing possible issues before they develop.
How do the injections work?
A small dose of botulinum toxin is administered. This reduces contraction of the targeted muscles. Often, the treatment is aimed at forehead lines, frown lines, or crow’s feet (the lines around the outer corners of the eyes). Muscle movement is limited, which can prevent the formation of wrinkles.
What are the benefits?
Anti-wrinkle injections offer a low commitment and affordable solution to wrinkle prevention. Unlike many surgeries, an injection doesn’t require extensive medical consultation before the actual treatment. Recovery time is minimal, and most people resume regular activity immediately. There isn’t much preparation required. People are advised to avoid alcohol and certain supplements, such as fish oil, in the days before the treatment. The appointments are quick, lasting only around 15 minutes.
Other anti-ageing approaches
Anti-ageing has become a hot topic, especially on social media. Along with anti-wrinkle injections, other non-invasive ways to delay the signs of ageing include sunscreen use, which can help prevent premature wrinkles, moisturisers which can improve skin texture and reduce the appearance of fine lines, and a healthy diet and adequate hydration. A diet rich in antioxidants, including foods like berries and leafy green vegetables, can fight oxidative stress, which accelerates ageing. In an article about anti-ageing beauty routines, Healthline named cleansers, exfoliants, serums, moisturisers, and sunscreen.
Medical News Today noted that several factors can reduce the signs of skin ageing. Avoiding smoking, a healthy diet, and limited alcohol consumption, as well as cleansing skin gently and using a moisturiser daily, can all help. A healthy diet helps other types of ageing, too: a study published in the journal Neurology showed that consumption of fish and seafood, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, legumes, and olive oil may protect against brain ageing.
Grumpy is the project led by Heaven Schmitt, who was originally based in Nashville and studied songwriting at Belmont University. Schmitt recalls dramatically quitting music right as they were graduating, and they took up a job at a marketing agency, which relieved so much of the pressure of pursuing a music career that they did, in fact, pick up a guitar again. The songs Schmitt wrote during that time – sillier, weirder, and naturally more true to themself – ended up on Grumpy’s debut album, 2020’s charming and cheekily titled Loser. With Schmitt having since moved to New York, Grumpy has become associated with the Brooklyn scene that includes This Is Lorelei, Frost Children, Blaketheman1000, and May Rio, and signed to New York City institution Bayonet Records. Their current backing band – Austin Hans Seegers on drums, Lane Rodges on keys, Anya Good on bass, and Diego Crimson on guitar – includes a few exes, which was also true when they recorded their new EP, Wolfed. “I keep on writing you syrupy songs so that I don’t forget how it felt when you loved me,” Schmitt admits on ‘Flower’, offsetting its twee sensibilities with piercing honesty. For Grumpy, the line between ugliness and love, discomfort and catharsis, humour and vulnerability, isn’t just permeable but vital – a glue stitching the songs’ disparate elements into a raw, mesmerizing whole.
We caught up with Grumpy for the latest edition of our Artist Spotlight series to talk about the project’s origins, the intimate process behind Wolfed, their upcoming tour, and more.
What are some of your earliest memories of being drawn to music?
I remember the first time I realized that someone was writing the song. I remember being really young and thinking, like, “Wow, somebody sat down to write this.” I really thought about lyrics for the first time. I was pretty young, and it was the song ‘Crooked Teeth’ by Death Cab for Cutie. I remember sitting in my parents’ house in their little den and being like, “These lyrics are really smart; they say something to me.” And I just hadn’t been listening to lyrics as a kid, I knew the words to songs, but I never thought about what they meant. And then I was like, “Is that somebody’s job? Who’s writing words for songs?” That kind of blew my mind. I had never considered that there’s a person feeling these things behind the song. I was really stunned by the imagery in that song.
I remember talking to my dad about music a lot. He would make me and my twin sister mix CDs that were really good. My dad has great music taste, and he played Death Cab, the Shins, The New Pornographers, Neil Young, Postal Service, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beck – Beck has been a deep, lifelong influence for me, and it’s really coming out in what I’m writing now, although it may be years down the line before it’s released. I remember making little music videos with my family’s camcorder to Beck songs when my sister and I were little. Whenever I think about being a kid and listening to music, my brain goes straight to being in my dad’s two-door yellow Jeep Wrangler with the top down, hair blowing everywhere, listening to music in the Jeep with my dad, mom, and sister, headed to the community pool. I was like, “That’s the life. That’s music right there.”
What do you remember about the first songs you wrote? Did you think about how they represented you as a person feeling these things?
When I first started writing lyrics, I was not really thinking about – the first time I ever wrote a song, I was auditioning for some play. I was probably 14. The audition was like, “You have three minutes to do whatever you want,” and I wanted a singing role in this play. I barely knew how to play guitar at the time; I only knew a couple of chords, and I couldn’t find a song I really liked to sing, so I thought, “Well, I’ll just make one up.” So I just made up a song, and it was about some crush, or like the disillusionment of a crush I had at the time. It was very dramatic, and I went downstairs and told my parents, “This is what I want to do for this audition.” They were like, “What song is that?” And I was like, “Oh, I just made it up.” They were like, “You wrote that song?” I didn’t go into it thinking, “I want to be a songwriter.” I just knew that I loved singing and wanted to do it more. After that, people responded, saying, “You wrote a song?” People loved it – the song, I’m sure, was terrible, but I was young enough that it was probably cute. And they were like, “Yeah, do that again, keep working on that!”
I definitely loved the feeling – I’ve always loved attention, so I was like, “This is a good way for that!” [laughs] But I just loved singing, and it was such a vehicle to get the best out of my voice. I was writing a lot pretty soon after that, and then I was like, “Okay, I want to be a musician and a songwriter.” It was kind of just me understanding that’s where the songs come from, that someone was writing them.
You went on to study songwriting at university. How did being in that environment affect your approach to songwriting or becoming a musician?
As a high schooler, I started thinking, “I want to do this.” And then I was like, “Well, then I have to go to college, because that’s what you do.” I don’t regret it, I had a blast. But if I could do it again – if there’s anyone out there who’s going to college for music and wants to be an artist, I’d say production or audio engineering: learn how to produce at home on your laptop. I’m still learning that now, how to make this rich inner world translate into a recording. The more I learn that, the more it sounds like me and how I wanted it to sound.
The songwriting major itself I think was a little more geared toward people who wanted to be professional songwriters, writing for other artists. There were people who wanted to be artists, too, but I think the program leaned more toward co-writing, like Nashville songwriters. What I really needed was to learn how to produce, and I did learn a lot about recording there. But I was such a highly stressed student, just plagued with anxiety about my future and about how I would become a career artist. I created this highly pressurized environment for myself, thinking I had to write commercially viable songs, songs that will make mone so that I don’t have to do some other job. That really destroyed music for me. I was trying so hard to make commercial music, and I thought what I was making on my own was too weird or ugly for anyone to care. By the end of college, I couldn’t even look at a guitar; I wasn’t writing at all. I was like, “If I don’t make it by the time I graduate, I’m cooked. There’s no way I’ll be an artist.” You know, college is the coasting time.
It absolutely was not. I was getting a degree, and it was a ton of work that didn’t leave a lot of time to, like, become an artist. It wasn’t until I graduated that I was like, “Oh, there’s so much more time here. I can work a job, but then I get paid for my labor, and then the rest of the time is mine? This is crazy!” But anyway, I get to my senior year, and I’m like, “I need to be real. I don’t have what it takes to be an artist.” I remember going to my friends, and I think I even told a professor, “I’m going to find another career path. I’m done trying to make it.” It’s so silly, I just dramatically declared quitting music. I also, at the time, really believed that I had to be in great emotional pain in order to write something worth hearing. That belief, and the pressure of trying to make music that would make a career, really destroyed art for me.
I went and worked at a marketing agency for a year and didn’t pursue music and didn’t really write. In that time, I just felt such a relief that made me feel like this was the right call, like this must mean I don’t have it in me to be an artist. And I relaxed so much that silly, fun songs just flowed out of me. I was like, “Well, alright, I guess I can write songs just for fun, and maybe I’ll show my kids one day, and they’ll be the only ones who hear it.” What ended up being the first Grumpy album just came out of me in like a month. I was writing these silly songs that were so me and didn’t need to be anything, and the people in my life loved these songs more than all of these high-pressure, forced songs I was writing before. I was writing stuff that was just me, and then people liked that. That was also a big turning point of me being like, “Dude, people like me? They like this expression of who I am; they must like me.”
I just had been coming from such a low-confidence place, and this project, for me, has so much to do with my confidence arc and me becoming who I am, loving who I am. The genesis of Grumpy was me realizing that music could be fun, and that if I write it for me, actually, people like it a lot more. I formed a band and recorded this album, and some of my friends from school had started a label called Acrophase, and they were some of the earliest believers in me. I’m really grateful to them. So that was this big boost, but I’m still young, I don’t quite know how to produce and record an album. I’d written the songs, but in the recording of it, I was really shy and doubted myself. I was like, “I’m not loving how this sounds,” but I didn’t speak up because I was like, “Well, what do I know? I don’t know what good is, these are the professionals. They know what will be good.” It just came out sounding a little safer than I wanted it to.
That first album was so important to me in just deciding to go for it, but I still ended up being in a really bad place with the songs. It just wasn’t quite me; I wanted it to be fully me. I left that process knowing that I didn’t speak up when I didn’t like it. So I was like, “Well, maybe when it’s out I’ll like it.” And it didn’t change. And then I was thinking, “Well, they’re my songs, I’m always gonna hate them. That’s just what being an artist is like.” Another silly thing that I believed as a young person. The four years between that album and now has been this massive arc of so much self-reckoning. I came out as non-binary, I got divorced, and I’ve written a huge body of material. After that album, I was like, “I’m gonna figure out how to record, and I’m gonna work with people who I think are brilliant and risk-takers.” We made this EP, and I was like, “These are my songs, and I still love them. I love them even more in a produced setting. I’m not gonna always hate them if I make them good.” [laughs]
Both the album and the EP seem to contradict that belief that great music comes from being in great pain, because so many of the songs come from being in love – with the people around you, but also the process of making them.
Obviously, in this EP there’s songs that came from pain, but it’s like, “Maybe I don’t have to suffer.” Being a songwriter, I’ve developed such a love for my pain because it’s a big part of the art. And I think singing about pain is not creating it; it’s soothing it. When we listen to these painful songs or write painful songs, that’s a comfort. I have a much deeper love and understanding for my feelings and my own pain. I’m really grateful that that’s a way that I cope. It’s very cathartic, and it’s something that makes me really happy. When I express what I’m feeling in a way that can be shared between me and the person it’s about, that’s actually a really joyful feeling, too. I think that’s what makes me love this ugly side of life and love so much – the way that me and another person can share that understanding and that acceptance of the ugliness.
To your point, ‘Holding’ feels like both the most painful and cathartic song on the EP.
Often, I’ll write and songs come out because I want to do something sweet for this person, like I want to make this person smile, or I want to flirt with this person. My songs are often created as a gift, and sometimes that’s a really lighthearted thing; sometimes it’s this deep expression of pure love and devotion. In the case of ‘Holding’, it was intended to be this gift. Someone who was my best friend, someone I was kind of seeing just someone who I loved in many different ways, got some really terrible news that was also going to really potentially derail her life plan. She FaceTimed me, and I answered all silly in this costume, I had a ski mask on. She was sitting in her car crying, and I had never, ever seen her cry – it was so rare that I ever really knew what her feelings were like. She has so much wonder about the world, so much excitement and so much curiosity, but I don’t ever really get to know her pain.
She called me crying, and I awkwardly took off this ski mask and was like, “What’s wrong?” She told me what was happening, and we were far away, it was so rare that we communicated about big things with words because I just don’t think that’s what feels natural or comfortable to her. She just quickly wanted to hang up, and there was nothing I could say. I wanted, more than anything, to be able to hold her. That was the way we communicated was with touch so often, in pain and in love. We didn’t often talk – we didn’t really talk about the fact that we were seeing each other, you know? I just wanted to be able to hold her so bad. But I couldn’t be there, and I wrote this song as just, like, “I’m holding you. I’m hearing you. I’m with you.” It ended up being a really difficult thing for her to hear. I thought maybe it would help, and it just made her uncomfortable. She now really loves the song a lot – we’re so many years later.
You recorded the EP in Chicago less than a week after you and your drummer, Austin Hans Seegers, decided to get a divorce.
I swear to God, it was days prior. The whole band was, at the time, Austin Arnold, my ex-husband, Lane Rogers, my ex-girlfriend, and Kaden Vanoorsdel, a Chicago-based artist who was with the band for many years. The four of us and our producer, Austin Hans Seegers, who project-managed the whole thing with us – it was days before everyone was going to basically move into our house for 15 days and work nonstop on making a whole album, which is what we thought it would be at the time.
Do you feel like you had to make that decision before going through with the recording?
No, I did not. We didn’t see it coming. I just kind of got to my own breaking point. Austin, Lane, and I were already living together and a throuple at the time. Mine and Austin’s relationship probably had been over before we really called it, and it honestly was fine, as far as recording goes. This was probably two or three years of us really processing how hard things between us were. No matter what is going on between us – and I think this is true for all my exes – no matter the way our relationships change shape, there’s such a baseline of respect and kindness and love. All of my breakups – there’s nothing totally damning that could stop what feels like an unconditional love for these people. It was pretty fucking intense, but we got through it. These people were all so close to us, so there’s already a level of intimacy and everybody knew what was going on. But it was like, “We got a job to do. We love these songs. We love each other. We have to just put this aside for 10 to 15 days.” And we did.
It was hard, but it was also kind of a welcome distraction for both of us. We had this time to just calm down a little bit and make something amazing together. After that we had to untangle and process it, but the record kind of saved us, in a way, from the deepest suffering, and really gave us something good to put that energy into. Once again, music really took this pain and allowed us to do something beautiful with it.
Putting the breakup aside but also channeling it – I think there’s something to those things both being true, because the intimacy of the songs is so intertwined with the intimacy that you share.
I think it showed us who we are to each other other than partners. It really confirmed that we’re family, and that we’re artistic collaborators, and that we’re friends. It was this thing that I think was actively terrifying to Austin, and for me, it was like, “This will be scary in a week, when this project is over.” But I knew we would be okay, and it gave us something to do together that was positive. Relief was setting in because we got to do our favorite thing that we do together, which is make music. And it was like, “Whoa, we don’t have to fight anymore. We’re broken up.” We’re not chained to each other when we didn’t want to be anymore, so now we can just do the things that we want to do together and not the things we don’t want to do together, which was, like, live together. [laughs] It was totally soothing to do this together.
‘Beach Towel’ is one of my favorites on the EP, both in terms of its vulnerability and the ways you experiment with a more ambient sound. The Bandcamp bio describes it as being about “the imperfect love of friendship,” while another press release says it’s about “benign moments shared with a romantic interest.” Those are obviously different, if not necessarily conflicting, perspectives on the song, and you don’t have to offer a definitive take – but it did make me wonder if the song has changed meaning for you.
For me, ‘Beach Towel’ is about this person who was my closest confidant, Kaden. The reason I wouldn’t correct necessarily that it’s not about a romantic interest is because, in my life, the line between friend and romantic partner, romance love and friendship love, is very blurred. People love to comment on the fact that the band is mostly my exes, and that person was once a lover, but mostly they’ve just been my friend for 10 years, and there aren’t hard lines of who this person was to me. The song was something I again wrote as a gift to this person, because the 10 years that we’ve known each other, it’s the same miscommunication. I think when you commit to somebody in your life, there’s a certain level of commitment to the fight, the fight that you two are always gonna have.
I don’t know what it is that makes us disconnect – Kaden and I were demoing a song in my house, and we had this painful miscommunication and had to separate in the house. I think sometimes we get to this place where he thinks that I’m judging him, and I wish I could just open up my chest and my head and show him how much I believe in him and how much I feel like his champion. It’s so true for me how much I think he’s brilliant and talented that I think I forget to say it. So I’m like, “Let’s keep going.” I stepped aside and I wrote this song about our friendship. I don’t think I’ve thought so much about why I sit down and write a song until this interview, but it’s so true: pretty much every song comes out of wanting to give a gift, like this is something to give to someone, especially the really heartfelt ones. Because I write songs that are so true to me, that was almost a way of trying to prove to him how much I believe in him – I’m proving it because I would never lie in a song.
What excites you the most about the future of Grumpy?
The thing I’m most excited about is tour. It’s the reason I’m doing any of this. I think what we bring to the table the most is our live performance. The lineup of who’s in the band is just the funniest, most talented people I know. All these years ago, when I started Grumpy, I was like, “I’m going to come back to music, but it has to be fun.” And I’ve picked the perfect people to keep that dream alive. I want to get this music in front of people. We’re going on a full-length tour opening for Real Estate, and that’s going to be our first real tour. That’s the most exciting thing coming, for sure, but I’ve got big plans for songs coming out.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Hachiku – the musical project of Anika Ostendorf – has dropped a new single, ‘Keep on Swimming’. It’s taken from their sophomore album, The Joys of Being Pure at Heart, which is due February 28 (via Marathon Artists) and includes the previously shared ‘Time Wasted Worrying’ and ‘Tell Your Friends You Love Them’. Check out the new song below.
‘Keep on Swimming’ features harpist Mary Lattimore as well as violin and cello from the classical music group The Newmarket Collective. “During the pandemic I was trying to make up my mind whether I’d be more successful swimming from Australia back to Germany or digging a tunnel through the earth – this song is the resulting love letter to my family back home and everyone I’ve ever missed,” Ostendorf explained. “There’s a certain self-inflicted heartache in the repeated goodbyes and the masochism of choosing to move to the other side of the world – always wondering and worrying, yet holding onto the belief that it was for good reason.”
The song’s accompanying video, filmed in Berlin, was directed by Tom Mannion and Caity Moloney. “I really wanted to shoot the video back home in Germany – the semi-bleak concrete architecture feels nostalgic to me as it reminds me of my younger self growing up just outside of Cologne,” Ostendorf added.
‘Brian’s Golden Hour’ is a song about Brian, a fictional teenage skateboarder in the fictional American town of Richmond, the same place where most of Horrible Occurrences takes place. Brian has glorious plans to film himself skating off his parents’ roof and down a ramp that he’s set up in the alley alongside the house. Brian is going to perform the trick just after sunrise during ‘the golden hour’ when the light is most beautiful. Standing on the roof at sunrise, Brian has a premonition that the trick won’t go as planned. He sees a terrible future stretch out before him in a flash. But Brian’s fine. It was all in his head. It isn’t too late to change his mind. That’s what I keep telling myself, at least.
I recorded the instrumental passage that introduces ‘Brian’s Golden Hour’ on an Opus 3, a paraphonic synthesizer introduced by Moog in 1980. I have a sentimental attachment to the Opus 3. I first played my friend Jason Quever’s Opus 3 at his recording studio while we were trying out some different arrangement ideas for the song ‘Your Dog’ from the 2018 Advance Base album Animal Companionship. The Opus 3 was just what the song needed, and I really fell in love with the sound of that synthesizer that day. So, after Joe Pera licensed ‘Your Dog’ for his comedy special, Relaxing Old Footage With Joe Pera, I used the licensing fee to buy my very own Opus 3. It appears on four of Horrible Occurrences’ eleven tracks, including the album’s first single, ‘The Year I Lived in Richmond.’ The way I use the Opus 3 on Horrible Occurrences was inspired by John Carpenter’s scores for his early horror films like Halloween and The Fog. It’s the sound of apprehension, a warning that something horrible is about to occur.
Lady Gaga has shared a music video for ‘Disease’, the lead single from her upcoming seventh album. The Tanu Muino-directed visual features Gaga facing different versions of herself, some freakier than others. She’s also shared a video for a live rendition of the Bruno Mars duet ‘Die With a Smile’, performed in Las Vegas. Check out both clips below.
On Instagram, Gaga wrote:
I think a lot about the relationship I have with my own inner demons. It’s never been easy for me to face how I get seduced by chaos and turmoil. It makes me feel claustrophobic.
Disease is about facing that fear, facing myself and my inner darkness, and realizing that sometimes I can’t win or escape the parts of myself that scare me. That I can try and run from them but they are still part of me and I can run and run but eventually I’ll meet that part of myself again, even if only for a moment.
Dancing, morphing, running, purging. Again and again, back with myself. This integration is ultimately beautiful to me because it’s mine and I’ve learned to handle it. I am the conductor of my own symphony. I am every actor in the plays that are my art and my life. No matter how scary the question, the answers are inside of me. Essential, inextricable parts of what makes me me. I save myself by keeping going. I am the whole me, I am strong, and I am up for the challenge. Happy Halloween.
Gaga’s as-yet-untitled seventh record, the proper follow-up to Chromatica, is expected to arrive in February. Last month, she released Harlequin, an album inspired by her role as Harley Quinn in the film Joker: Folie à Deux.
Finding love across borders is nothing new, but the idea of mail order brides has really taken off in some parts of the world.
You’ve probably heard of certain countries when it comes to mail order brides—and there’s definitely a reason for that. Some places have unique social, economic, and cultural factors that lead women to look for love internationally. So today, we’re diving into where most mail order brides come from and why these countries have become such hotspots for international romance. Whether you’re curious about what motivates these women or just want to know which countries are the most popular, we’re here to help!
Why are mail order brides popular in certain countries?
So, why are mail order brides so popular in some countries? It’s not random—there are real cultural, economic, and social reasons behind it:
Tough Economic Situations: A lot of women face limited opportunities and financial hardships, so finding a partner abroad can mean a chance at a better life.
Traditional Values: Many of these women hold onto traditional family values that match what a lot of Western men are looking for in a partner.
Desire for Stability: In places with political or economic instability, marrying someone from a stable country can be really attractive.
Looking for Real Love: It’s not all about money—many of these women are genuinely looking for love and someone who values their personality, culture, and family views.
At the end of the day, these women want more than just financial security. They’re looking for a real connection with someone who respects their values and shares their vision of a stable, loving family.
Top countries where most mail order brides come from
1. The Philippines
Filipino women are known for their strong ties to Western culture, especially the United States, and their fluency in English makes things so much easier. Family is everything in the Philippines, and these women grow up with a deep sense of caring for their loved ones. Sure, economic hardships play a part in why many look abroad, but they’re also incredibly warm, loving, and genuinely want to find a real connection.
2. Ukraine
Ukrainian brides are famous for being gorgeous, strong, and super family-oriented. Life in Ukraine isn’t always easy, with political unrest and tough economic times, so a lot of women look for stability abroad. They love traditional family roles, where the guy is the provider, and they focus on building a warm home. Ukrainian women are resilient and deeply value meaningful connections.
3. Russia
Russian women are more than just beautiful—they’re smart, ambitious, and incredibly loyal. For many, marrying abroad is a way to escape financial struggles and find a partner who appreciates them. Russian culture is all about strong family values, and these women take that seriously. They want a partner who values their dedication to a loving, long-term relationship.
4. Colombia
Colombian women are known for their warmth, beauty, and vibrant souls. In Colombia, family means everything, and loyalty, respect, and care are core values. Economic challenges make marrying abroad attractive, but it’s also about finding a supportive partner. Colombian women bring passion and positivity, and they’re truly looking for a deep connection.
5. Thailand
Thai women are gentle, respectful, and all about family. Harmony and caring for loved ones are huge in Thai culture, which makes these women so attractive to men looking for a nurturing partner. Economic reasons play a role too, but Thai women are genuinely committed to building loving relationships with someone who shares their values.
6. Vietnam
Vietnamese women are admired for their beauty, hardworking nature, and dedication to family. They grow up with strong traditional values and take pride in caring for loved ones. While economic challenges push many to marry abroad, it’s also about finding real love. They want a partner who respects their culture and shares their vision for a happy, stable life.
7. China
With the gender imbalance from the one-child policy, many Chinese women are looking abroad for love. They’re loyal, hardworking, and very family-focused. These women want partners who appreciate their culture and value family life. While financial stability matters, they’re really looking for genuine, long-term love based on trust and respect.
What motivates women to become mail order brides?
Why do women choose to become mail order brides? It turns out the reasons are as diverse as the women themselves. Here are some of the key motivations:
Economic opportunities. Many women come from countries with limited economic prospects. Marrying abroad can mean better opportunities, not just for them but for their families too.
Desire for a better life. Beyond financial stability, a lot of women are looking for a stable, loving environment. They want a life that offers more opportunities, safety, and comfort.
Cultural factors. In some cultures, it’s totally normal for women to look for a partner who can provide a stable future. Marrying someone from a different, often more developed country can fit with these cultural values around security and family.
Personal reasons. Ultimately, many women are just looking for genuine love and connection. They want someone who appreciates them, values their personality, and shares their vision for the future.
These women aren’t just driven by financial reasons. They’re looking for stability, meaningful relationships, and a partner who respects their values and dreams. It’s about finding a better life and the right person to share it with.
How mail order brides find partners
So, how do mail order brides connect with potential partners? Here’s how it usually goes:
Matchmaking platforms. Many women use reputable matchmaking websites that specialize in international relationships. These platforms offer a safe way for women to meet men who are serious about commitment.
Social media. Some women also use social media to connect with potential partners. It’s more informal but can lead to real, meaningful relationships.
Mutual agreement. It’s important to note that these relationships are not coercive. Both partners enter into the relationship willingly, with hopes of finding love and building a future together.
These platforms and methods help women and men connect across borders, find common ground, and build relationships based on respect and shared goals.
Summing up
Mail order brides come from all over the world, but certain countries stand out because of their unique cultural, economic, and social factors. Whether it’s the strong family values of Filipino women, the resilience of Ukrainian women, the loyalty of Russian women, or the passion of Colombian women, each country has its own reasons for being a hotspot for international romance. These women are looking for more than just financial security—they want real love, stability, and someone who will appreciate their values and build a happy life together.
When it comes to styling, hair sprays are often the unsung heroes of our beauty arsenal. Whether you are aiming for voluminous locks, a sleek finish or a textured look, hair spray can be your go-to solution.
Here’s why hair sprays are essential for achieving and maintaining your desired hairstyle.
Easy Application All-Round
A significant advantage of a great hair spray is its ease of use. They can be quickly applied, making them a practical choice for busy mornings or last-minute styling adjustments. Simply hold the can at a distance and spray evenly across your hair for optimal results. With just a few sprays, you can transform your hairstyle from flat to fabulous.
There are many different types of hairspray out there, one for each occasion. Understanding the nuances between different options will play a large role in their effectiveness.
Versatile Styling Solutions
One of the primary reasons hair sprays are a must-have is their versatility. Different types of hair sprays cater to various styling needs. For instance, volume sprays are specifically designed to lift hair at the roots, giving it that sought-after fullness. If you’re looking to elevate your hairstyle without resorting to heavy products, a volume spray can add body and movement to your locks, making them appear thicker and more vibrant.
Finishing Touch
After spending time perfecting your hairstyle, the last thing you want is for it to fall flat. This is where finishing sprays come into play. These sprays provide a strong hold, ensuring your style remains intact throughout the day. A good finishing spray locks in your look, protecting it from humidity and environmental factors that can cause frizz and flyaways. Whether you’re heading to the office or a night out, a finishing spray can help maintain that freshly styled appearance.
Texturising Benefits
For those who crave a more effortless, beachy vibe, texturizing sprays are an absolute must. These sprays enhance your hair’s natural texture, creating a tousled look that’s both chic and laid-back. Texturizing sprays add grit and dimension to your hairstyle, allowing for that perfect “just-got-out-of-the-ocean” effect. They are ideal for creating soft waves or enhancing curls, giving your hair a lived-in feel without looking over-styled.
Spray Away
Incorporating hair sprays into your hair care routine is a game-changer. Their versatility allows you to achieve volume, maintain a polished finish, and create texture effortlessly. Whether you prefer a stronghold or a more natural look, there’s a hair spray tailored to your needs. By making hair sprays a staple in your styling routine, you’ll not only enhance your hairstyles but also enjoy long-lasting results that keep you looking your best all day long.
Chastity Belt have shared a new single, ‘That Guy’, their contribution to a split 7″ with Holy Wave arriving on February 7. It follows their latest album Live Laugh Love, which came out in March. Check it out below.
“We recorded this song in LA in November 2022 with a bunch of other songs that ended up on Live Laugh Love,” Julia Shapiro explained in a statement. “It didn’t quite make the cut, but I’m excited to release it now! I really love Lydia’s meandering lead guitar line. I remember her having so many different ideas of what she could do, and we were like, do them all! I wrote the lyrics after Chastity Belt had just come back from doing a bunch of touring, and I had to go back to normal life. It’s always a rough transition for me. I feel so alive on tour! There’s this one line in the song about this habit I have with music where, when I find a new song that I love, I listen to it on repeat until it no longer makes me feel anything. Like I’ve drained all the blood from it.”
Choosing a new car is something that you are going to have to do a few times in your lifetime. It’s important that each time you are choosing something that fits your lifestyle, fits you, and generally is able to provide you with what you need. More than that though, you want a car that can give you what you want, especially if you’re someone who’s interested in cars themselves.
The good news is that for those of you who don’t really know how to go about buying a new car properly, or even those of you who do but just want to hear a little advice, we’re here for you. Down below, we’re going to be discussing some of the different elements that you need to think about when buying a new car to lead you to the right decision. Have we got your attention? Good, let’s get started.
Sort Out A Budget
The first thing that anyone needs to do when making a big purchase such as a car is sort out a budget. Your budget will help to determine quite literally everything from this point on because you’ve got to stick inside the confines that you have set yourself. You didn’t set it where it is for no reason, so you have to respect your own financial situation and buy a car that you can afford.
If you’re not happy with the kinds of cars that are available within your price range, you can always wait a little longer and save up a little more. It might not be ideal for you, and you might resent the fact that you have to wait, but really, what are you going to do? You have to be reasonable, even if you don’t want to be entirely practical with your purchase.
Type Of Car
Next thing we’re going to look at are the types of cars that you can buy. Now you need to think about how many people are going to be getting in this car on a regular basis before you can even think about what you want. The reason we say this is because it’s no use getting a 2 door, 2 seater car if you know that you have kids that you have to drive around. Unless, you want to get a separate car for that, but that’s something that you can take up with your budget.
For example, you might decide that for your next car you want a sports car. You want something that can perform, something that can go fast, and something that makes you feel happy when you sit inside it. There’s nothing wrong with wanting this, and we actually think that this is an amazing choice for those people who love their cars. Do your research into the kind that you want though, as there are different cars that cater to different desires. Most cars can go fast, but they don’t all have what you need.
Interior Preferences
You’re also going to need to think about your interior preferences. When you sit in the car, are you more of a leather or fabric kind of person? What about the control panel that is usually in the center of the car? You need to think about what your preferences are before you actually get to a point where you can make a purchase. We know that some people don’t really care about the interior as long as they are comfortable, but for those who do care it is a big deal.
Take a look at different interiors of various cars and see which ones you find the most appealing. Of course, there may be some that don’t fit your normal style but that you love anyway, and these are definitely ones that you want to consider purchasing. We say this because if you are willing to step away from your usual type, that’s a big deal.
Space Needs
Have you sat down and thought about the space needs? This is a more practical side of car buying that’s slightly less exciting but still needs to be done. You can’t just purchase a car and not think about your practical needs because you were blinded by your likes and wants. You need to think about the number of people that are going to be getting into your vehicle on a regular basis, whether the back is big enough to accommodate all of them, the amount of trunk space that a car has and so much more.
Of course if it’s just you and you only have a few items that you want to ferry around regularly then there’s not really a massive problem when it comes to space. You can buy pretty much anything that you want which is an amazing feeling. But, sadly this is not the reality for most people, and instead you’re going to have to think about leg room behind you, how much you can fit in the trunk and so much more. So, make sure that you do.
Make Your Own Modifications
If you love cars, then you will know all about making modifications to whatever car you buy, and this is a massive advantage. This means that no matter what you end up purchasing, you can do whatever you want to make it better and make it perform better. There are plenty of ways that you can do this to most cars, and if you want some more advice on the specific type that you end up purchasing, then there are more than enough guides online to help you.
Let’s look at an example, shall we? If you want to add some more horsepower to your vehicle, then you need to look at what your options are. A great choice would be to use a downpipe to reduce exhaust backpressure, allowing the engine to breathe more freely than before. That’s just one example, we’re sure there are plenty more.
Safety Measures
Of course, you have to look at safety before you purchase anything. You need to ensure the brakes are working, you need to look at what other safety measures a vehicle has and decide if this is right for you. Most modern cars are equipped with things like collision warnings, rear cameras for reversing, lane keeping, cruise control and so much more to ensure the safest drive possible. Safety is not something that you should overlook or take for granted, because it’s an essential part of trusting your car.
Always always always test drive a car before you purchase. This way you can test out the safety features, but more than this you can ensure that it’s a smooth, comfortable ride that will suit you for a long time to come. If you don’t do this, you only have yourself to blame when the car turns out to not be what you wanted.
Hopefully, you have found this article useful, and now know some of the things that you should be thinking about when it comes to choosing a car that’s right for you. There are so many considerations, and if you’re more of a petrol head than not then you should already know what you’re looking for. But, for the average person it can be tough to determine what constitutes the right car, and making a decision can be tough. Use the guide above to help you, and you should be able to choose a car that you adore for your next! We wish you the very best of luck with this.
