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I asked TikTok to guess my age and people were cruel – they said I looked 67

Jeffrey Bailey — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 20:51:26 +0000

“Radiant skin”, “a youthful face” and “maybe in your twenties or thirties”.

Those are some of the confidence-boosting statements I heard about my fresh look.

Kate Winnie decided to jump on the TikTok age guessing trendCredit: supplied

Kate says: ‘I soon discovered that not only did I look 20 years older than my actual age, but I could also benefit from a few touch-ups.’Credit: supplied

One user guessed that Kate was 60 years oldCredit: supplied

But after joining TikTok over a month ago, I quickly discovered that not only do I look twenty years older than my actual age, but I could also benefit from a few tweaks.

My wake-up call came after I decided to jump on the TikTok age trend that has gone viral.

I’m 34, work in marketing and live in Grimsby, and thought it was an interesting ‘social experiment’ so I posted a 30 second video of myself on the site.

Smiling, facing the camera, I simply asked, “How old do you think I look?” and then waited for the guesses to pour in.

People always assume I’m in my 20s or early 30s, so – without dropping any hints as to my real age – I hoped TikTok users would pick between 20s.

I’m very comfortable with my appearance, so what harm can it do? Overnight I gained over three million views, 1,000 followers and 20,000 comments.

I was completely shocked that my self-filmed post, with no makeup, fresh-from-bed hair and a cozy, striped sweater, could attract so much immediate attention. How did my au-naturel face cause such a stir?

The TikTok algorithm, of course.

After #agedfilter, which uses AI to accelerate the aging of your face by decades until the year 2073 went viral and was used 169 million times in less than a week, it’s clear that social media continues to fuel our obsession with aging.

According to the Washington Post, TikTok has actively promoted de-aging filters and challenges to capitalize on the public fixation with youthfulness, sparking a trend that became a global sensation.

From banana peels to ear massages: five natural anti-aging hacks revealed

Stunned by the number of responses, I started scrolling through the comments.

I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically as my eyes scanned over some people’s guesses: apparently I look 42, 47, 50, and even 67. And while a few fellow millennials guessed I was in my 30s, the 20s were few and far between. with most guesses being forty and fifty.

That was a bit surprising considering I don’t smoke, am active, love my skin care, and wear SPF 50 SPF daily. Still, TikTokers advised me to wear more, because apparently I have sun damage.

I actually wasn’t that fond of the numbers. Yes, 42 hurt, but some of the other guesses were so wrong I had to laugh. Instead, it was the unsolicited advice that sapped my normally cheerful spirit.

With my work I know how cruel social media can be.

But I didn’t expect strangers to be so willing to take apart someone else’s face.

In my video I asked, “How old do I look?” not “How can I look younger?”, yet many of the comments gave well thought out reasons why I look so old, along with suggested “improvements”.

Many said I look older because of my bags under my eyes, a family trait I am very proud of

One comment analyzed my face as if it were forensic evidence: “You wear glasses so your eyesight must be deteriorating, which makes me think you’re 50.” Ouch!

Or how about this: “You have gray teeth fillings, so I think you’re in your late 40s.

Even my & Other Stories sweater took a hit; Apparently stripes are now only reserved for middle-aged people.

Many said I look older because of my bags under my eyes, a family trait I am very proud of.

I was also told I needed a brow lift for my hooded eyelids, full dental work, tear filler for the aforementioned bags under my eyes, and Botox for my forehead wrinkles.

Those fine lines have been there since I was in my twenties.

While I have nothing against cosmetic treatments, it’s not something I’ve ever thought about – especially after watching my mother, who is now in her early 70s, age naturally. And I’ve always believed that growing older is a privilege that not all of us get to experience.

I’m still very happy with the way I look, but for some, this TikTok trend may crush confidence.

Telling someone they need to invest in Botox or fillers is not okay and the experience showed me how normalized cosmetic treatments have become and how distorted our views on aging are.

Content promoting youth is huge on TikTok, with the hashtag #antiageing generating 7.4 BILLION posts.

And children as young as eight have begun to adopt strict beauty routines. According to the British Association for Dermatologists, some are already using the powerful skincare ingredient retinol.

A quick scroll through my video commentary shows that many young people are afraid of growing older.

Surprisingly, many of the 50+ guesses came from people in that age group, possibly because it made them feel better about thinking someone younger than them looks older.

That said, the mixed array of responses, some of which viewed me as a granddaughter and others as a grandmother, proves that our perspective on age is skewed. It’s clear that no one knows what someone should look like anymore.

I’m still very happy with the way I look, but for some, this TikTok trend may crush confidence

TikTok user @theskincarediarist, who also tried the trend, said: “I’m told I look like I’m 28, 38, 48 and 58. This shows that everyone’s view of aging has been distorted thanks to Photoshop, filters and facelifts.”

In the last 12 months, 7.7 million people in the UK have had aesthetic treatment.

The number of patients under the age of 30 requesting plastic surgery or injectables has increased by 75 percent.

At 34, I don’t want to look the same as I did when I was twenty.

I’ve lived a life since then, and my face – and the signs of aging – are simply a map of that.

To anyone considering following in my footsteps and trying this TikTok trend, I say: be careful. Hiding behind a phone or an anonymous account makes people brave and can get personal and pick you apart for fun.

That said, I would do the trend again. It generated engagement and helped my TikTok account grow. I can’t help but smile about it.

And at least my natural laugh lines prove that I can still giggle.

As told to: Siobhan O’Connor

Kate said: ‘It was the unsolicited advice that sapped my normally cheerful spirit’Credit: supplied

Another user guessed she was 40 and then gave her tips on how to look youngerCredit: supplied

Other users estimate that Kate is between forties and fiftiesCredit: supplied

She adds: ‘A quick scroll through my video comments shows that many young people are afraid of growing older’Credit: supplied

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How the citizens of Gaza fared after Israel asked them to flee

Sabir Ansary — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 20:05:55 +0000

For many civilians in Gaza, fleeing Israeli attacks has become a grim cycle. Israeli evacuation orders since October have prompted more than a million people to move from one destination to another, packing up their belongings and seeking transportation — by vehicle, cart or on foot — to escape airstrikes and ground fighting between Israel and Hamas.

The most recent example is Rafah in southern Gaza, a city that has grown to more than 1.4 million inhabitants due to forced displacement. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that his army would invade the city to root out Hamas, but that it would provide humanitarian aid and “facilitate an orderly exodus of the population.”

Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Advisor, said so major ground invasion in Rafah would be a mistake, not least because it would further compromise humanitarian access. Displacement has contributed to a hunger crisis sweeping the region, and the United Nations has said an invasion could send an already catastrophic situation sliding “deeper into the abyss.”

Some citizens say they have fled again and again. As many people face the prospect of being displaced again, here’s a look at what happened a few times when Israel ordered civilians to evacuate.

North Gaza

Israel began telling more than a million civilians to evacuate northern Gaza about two weeks before the ground invasion on October 27, although the area was ravaged by Israeli airstrikes shortly after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7.

“Hamas is using you as a human shield,” Admiral Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, said on October 22, calling on civilians still in northern Gaza to move south.

The Israeli army also dropped Arabic-language leaflets over the area, warning that anyone who did not move south “could be considered an associate in a terrorist organization.”

The United Nations said the evacuation order was impractical, and the US asked Israel to delay its invasion to give civilians more time. Still, hundreds of thousands of people obeyed the order and moved into southern Gaza, taking with them some belongings from an area already devastated by airstrikes before the full-scale invasion began.

The south proved to be no way out of danger. An investigation by The New York Times in December found that Israel had used some of the largest and most destructive bombs in its arsenal in southern Gaza, posing a pervasive threat to civilians.

Mr. Netanyahu said Israel plans to minimize civilian casualties in the fight against Hamas, and Israeli officials said Hamas fighters had set up checkpoints to prevent people from following orders to move.

Khan Younis

In early December, after a week-long ceasefire, Israel launched a major military operation in Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza. Many civilians there had fled to the city from northern Gaza.

The Israeli military again warned civilians to leave parts of Khan Younis for Rafah and other places further south, although residents said they sometimes had only hours’ notice. Israel also dropped leaflets on Khan Younis and broadcast information about which parts of the city were safe at any given time.

However, several Palestinians said the orders to leave or move into Khan Younis were confusing, not least because they seemed to shift over time and left little opportunity to collect belongings. Furthermore, obeying the orders meant moving family members – many of whom had been displaced several times before – to a new place where prospects for shelter and basic needs were uncertain.

Citizens also said that when they fled as instructed, they sometimes found themselves in locations embroiled in fighting or subject to airstrikes.

Rafa

The most recently designated large-scale safe zone is Rafah, which lies against the closed Egyptian border and has swelled enormously due to displacement. Without adequate accommodation, many of the new residents have set up makeshift tents.

Rafah has been subject to airstrikes and fighting in recent weeks. In one example, health authorities in Gaza said on February 12 that at least 67 people had been killed in airstrikes in the city overnight. The Israeli army had launched an operation to rescue two people held hostage in Gaza since the October 7 attack.

Al-Mawasi

Israeli authorities have asked people at least twice to go to Al-Mawasi, a coastal town in southern Gaza that could be a destination for people wanting to leave Rafah. Aid officials have said the village lacks shelter, humanitarian aid and basic infrastructure.

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A Bronx teacher asked. Tommy Orange replied.

Sabir Ansary — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 15:56:44 +0000

Tommy Orange sat at the front of a classroom in the Bronx and listened as a group of high school students discussed his novel “There There.”

A boy with blue glasses raised his hand. “All the characters have some kind of disconnect, even trauma,” says Michael Almanzar, 19. “That’s the world we live in. That’s all around us. It’s not like it’s in a far away land. That is literally your neighbor.”

The class broke into a round of finger-snapping, as if we were at an old-fashioned poetry slam on the Lower East Side and not an English class at the Millennium Art Academy, on the corner of Lafayette and Pugsley Avenue.

Orange took it all in with a mixture of gratitude and humility – the semicircle of serious, committed teenagers; the bulletin board decorated with words describing ‘there there’ (‘hope’, ‘struggle’, ‘mourning’, ‘discovery’); the shelf of well-thumbed copies with dust jackets in various stages of disintegration.

His eyebrows shot up when a student wearing a sweatshirt that read “I Am My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams” compared the book to Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.” When three successive students talked about how they related to Oranje’s work because of their own mental health issues, he was on the verge of tears.

“That’s what attracted me to reading in the first place,” Orange said, “the feeling of not being as alone as you thought you were.”

It’s not often that an author walks into a room full of readers, let alone teenagers, talking about characters born into his imagination as if they were living, breathing people. And it’s rare for students to spend time with an author whose fictional world feels like a refuge. Of all the classroom visits he has made since “There There” was released in 2018, the one at the Millennium Art Academy earlier this month was, Orange later said, “the most intense connection I have ever experienced.”

The catalyst for the visit was Rick Ouimet, an energetic ponytailed English teacher who has worked in the fortress-like building for 25 years. Ouimet is the kind of teacher students remember, whether for his contributions to their literary vocabulary – synecdoche, bildungsroman, chiasmus – or for his battered flip phone.

He first heard about “There There” from a colleague whose son recommended it during the pandemic. “I knew from the first paragraph that this was a book our children would identify with,” he said.

The novel follows twelve characters from indigenous communities as they lead up to a powwow at a stadium in Oakland, California, where disaster strikes. “Orange leads you over the drawbridge, and then the span begins to rise,” wrote a critic for The New York Times, Dwight Garner, when it came out. The novel was one of The Times’s 10 best books of 2018 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. According to Orange’s publisher, well over a million copies have been sold.

Ouimet’s suspicion turned out to be true: “Students love the book so much that they don’t realize they are reading it for English class. That is the rare find, the gift of gifts.

Some relevant statistics: Attendance rates op Millennium art are below the city average. Eighty-seven percent of students come from low-income households, which is above the city average.

In the three years since Orange’s novel became a mainstay of the Millennium Art curriculum, pass rates for students taking the Advanced Placement literature exam have more than doubled. Last year, 21 of 26 students earned college credits, exceeding state and global averages. The majority of them, Ouimet said, wrote about “There There.”

When three students in the school’s art-decorated hallway were randomly asked to name a favorite character from “There There,” they all responded without hesitation. It was as if Tony, Jacquie and Opal were people they might encounter at ShopRite.

Briana Reyes, 17, said, “I connected with the characters so much, especially because I had family members with alcohol and drug abuse.”

Last month, Ouimet learned that Orange, who lives in Oakland, would be in New York to promote his second novel, “Wandering Stars.” An idea started to percolate. Ouimet had never invited an author to his class before; Such visits can be pricey and, as he noted, Shakespeare and Zora Neale Hurston are unavailable.

Ouimet wrote a message in his head for over a week, he said, and on Monday, March 4, just after midnight, he sent it to the Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau.

“The email felt like a rough draft, but I wasn’t worried,” he said. “It was my midlife college essay.”

The 827-word missive is written in the style Ouimet encourages in his students’ work, full of personality, texture and detail, without the business language that infiltrates so much important professional correspondence.

Ouimet wrote, “In our 12th grade English classroom, in our diverse corner of the South Bronx, in a tight but vibrant urban neighborhood not unlike the Fruitvale, you are our rock star. Our more than rock star. You are our MF Doom, our Eminem, our Earl Sweatshirt, our Tribe Called Red, our Beethoven, our Bobby Big Medicine, our email to Manny, our ethnically ambiguous woman in the next stall, our camera pointing into a tunnel of darkness . ”

Orange, he added, was a hero to these children: “You changed lives.” There was Tahqari Koonce, 17, who drew a parallel between the Oakland Coliseum and the Roman Coliseum; and Natalia Melendez, also 17, who noted that a white gun symbolized the oppression of indigenous tribes. And then there was 18-year-old Dalvyn Urena, who “said he had never read a whole book before ‘There There,'” and now compared it to a Shakespearean sonnet.

He ended with, “Well, it was worth a try. Thank you for taking the time to read this – if it ever finds its way to you. In appreciation (and awe), Rick Ouimet.”

“I took a chance,” Ouimet said. And why not? “My students take a chance every time they open a new book. There is a sigh and they open the page. To see what they gave this book? The love was palpable.”

Within hours, word reached Orange, who was in the middle of a 24-city tour with multiple interviews and events every day. He asked Jordan Rodman, senior director of publicity at Knopf, to do whatever she could to get Ouimet’s class into the mix. There would be no compensation involved. Knopf donated 30 copies of ‘There There’ and 30 copies of ‘Wandering Stars’.

In a large, busy school full of squeaky soles, walkie-talkies and young people, moments of silence are difficult to find. But when Oranje opened his new novel, you could have heard a pin drop.

“It’s important to pronounce things, to pronounce them, like the way we learn to spell by saying words slowly,” Orange read.

He continued: “It is just as important for you to hear yourself speak your stories as it is for others to hear you speak them.”

The students followed along in their own copies, heads bowed and necks looking vulnerable and strong at the same time. Their meaning proved that books, like the spiders described in “There There,” contain “miles of stories, miles of potential home and trap.” On this inconspicuous gray Thursday, Oranje’s work offered both.

After the 13-minute lecture, the questions came, fast and furious, with refreshing bluntness: “What even inspired you to write these two books?” and “Did Octavio die?” and perhaps most pressing: “Why did ‘There There’ end like that?” Not since ‘The Sopranos’ has an ambiguous ending caused more consternation.

“We were like whaaaat?” said one student, keeping the last word in a high pitch.

“It was a tragic story,” said Oranje. “Some people hate it, and I’m sorry.”

He admitted that he had not been a reader in high school: “No one gave me a book and said, this book is for you. There was also a lot going on at home.” He talked about how he staves off writer’s block (by changing his point of view), how he reads his drafts out loud to hear what they sound like. Orange shared his Cheyenne name – Birds Singing in the Morning – and introduced a childhood friend who travels with him on tour.

Despite all this, Ouimet stood quietly at the side of the room. He cast a soft, stinking glance at a group of talkative girls. He used a long wooden pole to open a window. Usually he beamed like a proud parent at a wedding where everyone was dancing.

The truth is that ‘There There’ didn’t just enchant his students: it also had a profound effect on Ouimet himself. When he started teaching the book, he had just retired from coaching football and softball after 22 years.

“I was afraid: If I don’t get coaching, will I still be an effective teacher? ‘There there’ was a renaissance of sorts. “I don’t want to get too sugary,” he said, “but it saved my career somehow.”

Finally the bell sounded. The students stepped back from their desks and lined up to have their books signed by Orange, who took a moment to chat with everyone.

Over the din, Ouimet shouted to anyone still listening, “If you love a book, talk about it!” If you like a story, let other people know about it!”

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Kylian Mbappe laughs and gives cheeky response when asked about joining Arsenal

Jeffrey Bailey — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 13:10:53 +0000

KYLIAN MBAPPE laughed off a fan’s plea for him to join Arsenal.

The Paris Saint-Germain star will see his contract with the club expire at the end of this season.

Kylian Mbappe laughed at a brave fan who asked him to join ArsenalCredit: @mikeypoulli

Mbappé, 25, appears ready to leave and sign for Real Madrid on a free transfer.

It has been reported that he will take a pay cut to secure his dream move to Los Blancos.

Amid the ongoing transfer saga, Arsenal are being linked with a shock move for the player if his move to Real Madrid falls through.

Mbappe posed for photos with fans earlier this week after PSG beat Nice 3-1.

He was asked to “come to Arsenal” by a cheeky supporter.

Mbappe started giggling and replied cheekily: “That’s not possible.”

When asked why he wouldn’t move to North London, the superstar replied: “It’s too cold there.”

It left Gunners fans devastated, with one saying: “The dream is over.”

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Another said: “I never had a chance.”

Others remain hopeful that he will arrive in the Emirates: “That nervous laugh you make when someone mentions your loved one… he’s coming.”

‘We need to be in the conversation,’ says Mikel Arteta as Arsenal boss has his say on Kylian Mbappe transfer saga

Mikel Arteta was asked last month whether Arsenal should sign the most elite players.

The manager said: “Why not? If we want to be the best team, we need the best talent and the best players, that’s for sure.”

“I’m not (part of those conversations). Maybe Edu and the owners are, but I was only involved in those conversations in the final phase.

When asked directly whether he would be interested in Mbappe, Arteta said: “If there is a player of that caliber we should always be in discussions.

“But like you said, it looks different. That’s what I’ll say.”

ARSENAL NEWS LIVE: Stay up to date with the latest transfer news from the Emirates

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I asked my mother if she was willing to die

Sabir Ansary — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 11:58:31 +0000

SCRATCH

Then I spoke to some end-of-life experts. This is what I discovered.

By means of Shaina Feinberg And Julia Rothman

Shaina is a writer and filmmaker who interviewed her mother for this story. Julia is an illustrator.

March 16, 2024

Recently I had the following conversation with my 82-year-old mother, Mary:

Me: Are you willing to die?

My mother: Not really. But I am prepared with my paperwork.

You may be wondering why I asked my mother about her end-of-life preparation. Well, when my father, Paul, died suddenly a few years ago, so did we complete unprepared.

“Dad and I never talked about what he wanted for his funeral,” my mother said. “He was 74 when he died, and he was in pretty good shape.”

On top of everything she had to do when he died, like planning the funeral, there was also the stress of finances and paperwork. “We had a joint checking account, but there wasn’t much money in it. There was more money in our other bank account, but it was only in his name. I had to get that sorted out, which took forever.”

The most helpful advice my mother received when my father died? “My best friend, Fran, told me, ‘Get a lot of death certificates because you’re going to have to send them to people and sometimes they don’t want Xerox, they want the real thing.’ I received fifteen death certificates from the funeral home.”

Preparing for death is complicated. How’s that for an understatement? You have to consider the emotional, spiritual and financial aspects. We spoke to three end-of-life experts who unpacked how we could make this massive undertaking a little more manageable.

According to a study by Ethosless than half of Americans have discussed their end-of-life plans with loved ones. Still, having these conversations is important, says Sarah Chavez, executive director of the nonprofit Order of the Good Death, which provides resources to learn about and plan for death.

“These conversations can be uncomfortable,” Ms. Chavez said, “but by planning these things and talking about them, it is a gift to the family left behind.”

As you think about what you’re going to do with your body, you also want to consider what you’re going to do with your stuff. “Basically everyone should have a few documents that last as long as you live,” says Michael Pevney, an estate planning attorney with a practice in California. (He also makes estate planning videos on TikTok.)

Whatever you decide to do with your body or your belongings, you need someone to carry out your requests.

If you don’t want to ask your loved ones about their preparations for death, there are other ways to broach the subject. “The easiest way is to open the family photo album and have conversations about the people in the photos,” says Joél Simone Maldonado, funeral director and death counselor. “The conversation is always about what people liked or didn’t like about a funeral or grieving process.” Ms. Maldonado suggests using these conversations as a springboard to ask questions about people’s expectations about the end of life. And take notes.

The only benefit of being so unprepared for my father’s death is that my mother is now super prepared. “I have several folders in a closet with all the things you need to do when I die,” she said. “I listed you as power of attorney so you can write a check for the funeral. I already paid for my grave. I’ll be next to Dad, under the same gravestone.”

When I asked my mother how she feels when she looks at the empty side of the gravestone, she said, “There’s my side. I have a place! Oh, and remember,” she added, “I’ve always wanted a mariachi band at my funeral.” Noted.

Created by Rebecca Lieberman.

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RuPaul’s Husband Georges LeBar Was Once Asked to Floss His Teeth: ‘Fk No’

Sabir Ansary — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 21:09:04 +0000

Georges LeBar and RuPaul. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

RuPaul offered a rare insight into his long-lasting love for his spouse Georges Le Barrecalling a moment during their first days of dating that changed their relationship.

“When we first started dating, he asked me, ‘Hey, can I floss your teeth?’ Fk no, you can’t floss my teeth. I’ve never heard of that,” RuPaul, 63, said during an episode of the Podcast ‘Call her daddy’ on Wednesday, March 13. “He wanted to be so intimate with me. … I’ve never forgotten that.”

He added: “He didn’t just want to be inside me, but he wanted to be a part of me. I had never experienced that level of intimacy before.”

From the first moment he met LeBar, 51, RuPaul knew he was a “kind and friendly” man.

“He never hurt my feelings, ever,” says the RuPaul’s Drag Race host shared on Wednesday’s podcast, revealing that he and LeBar briefly separated before getting married.

RuPaul met LeBar in 1994, putting their relationship on hold after they both got sober. (RuPaul has been sober since 1999.)

Georges LeBar and RuPaul. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

“Even [in] The time we were apart, we both realized there’s no one I like more,” RuPaul told the “Call Her Daddy” host. Alexandra Kuiper. “The chance of me meeting someone who I felt so comfortable with and felt that way about myself is very rare.”

Years after reconciling, the couple officially tied the knot on their anniversary in 2017.

“If you are committed to a person, nothing will change that. And after 23 years, you know, hey, I know him. He knows me,” RuPaul shared Entertainment tonight months after their wedding. “I love him. He is my favorite person on the planet that I have met. I have met a lot of people. I have met a lot of people. He is my favorite person.”

The artist previously shed light on the couple’s open marriage during a chat with The New Yorker.

“I meet new people, but do I go out to dinner with people socially, or do I meet someone and say, ‘Hey, let’s go for a walk’? Very rarely,” RuPaul said earlier this month, noting that he doesn’t have a “circle of people that I can kind of rely on” when it comes to intimacy.

He went on to say that being monogamous isn’t “realistic,” adding, “There is no such thing as monogamy in men.”

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Jose Mourinho’s sad reaction when Chelsea fans asked him to return

Jeffrey Bailey — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 15:05:53 +0000

JOSE MOURINHO reacted ruefully as Chelsea fans asked him to return for an incredible third spell.

A blues fan posted a photo on social media shows him next to the Special One.

Jose Mourinho reacted sadly to a fan when asked about a return to ChelseaCredit: https://twitter.com/Sirshargi

He gave a thumbs up to the camera as Mourinho took a more somber stance.

And the supporter claims to have then asked Jose about a possible third run into the Stamford Bridge dugout.

Mourinho’s first Chelsea spell lasted more than three years and saw him win two Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006.

He was sacked in 2007 but made an incredible return to West London in 2013.

Mourinho added another league title to Chelsea’s cabinet in 2015 before receiving the ax for a second time later that year.

Fans have longed for the Special One in recent times following the Blues’ troubles under Mauricio Pochettino.

And according to the fan, Mourinho reacted sadly when asked whether he would take over this summer.

The fan said: “Hello Jose, Chelsea fans from all over the world love you very much and hope you return to Chelsea.”

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Mourinho apparently replied: “Thank you my friend, but Chelsea is not the Chelsea we know.”

The fan continued: “Yes Jose, so we want you to return to the team so that the glory can return.

What next for Jose Mourinho? Dave Kidd looks at The Special One’s options

“What if an offer were made to you in the summer, would you come?”

The fan then posted Mourinho’s response as several emojis of a man shrugging his shoulders.

And after getting Jose’s autograph, he ended the conversation by saying, “We love you very much and hope you come back.

“Thank you so much for the gift you gave me. I wish you a nice day.”

It is unclear where Mourinho and the fan posed for their photo together.

The Portuguese boss is currently unemployed after being sacked by Roma in January.

He has since been linked with a big move to Saudi Arabia.

But there could still be options in Europe, with Napoli, Newcastle and Bayern Munich all linked too.

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I asked AI to do my makeup for a date night… my husband would be shocked

Jeffrey Bailey — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:00:25 +0000

THE beauty world is having its AI moment, with brands from NYX and Boots No7 to YSL, Laura Mercier and Armani all offering customers the ability to try on different products virtually, without leaving home.

Forward-thinking foundation brands like Dcypher even use artificial intelligence to analyze skin tones to create a perfectly matched product.

Can AI really do your makeup for you?Credit: David Cummings

But how accurate is it – and can a robot really give beauty advice?
I wanted to find out.

So I enlisted the help of ChatGPT – a powerful, free-to-use AI chatbot – and asked him how to do my makeup for different occasions.

I then performed the step-by-step instructions with the help of professional makeup artist Lisa Coleman.

But even when a professional handled the brushes, the results were: see for yourself. .

Look 1: Daycare

I START with an easy one and ask ChatGPT to design “a makeup look suitable for the nursery”.

It only takes a few seconds for a detailed response to emerge, stating that this look should be “quick, easy and natural while making you feel good and confident.”

ChatGPT says a nursery look should be ‘quick, easy and natural while still making you feel good and confident’Credit: David Cummings

Hallelujah! If this works, it will be a miracle.

It’s almost like it’s spying on my early morning grooming attempts as I try to keep a toddler from chewing on a makeup brush.

The step-by-step routine it proposes seems very sensible.

Professional makeup artist shows how to do your makeup for a date night

It starts with a tinted day cream or a BB cream.

“Choose a formula with SPF to protect your skin from the sun during outdoor activities,” says my skin-conscious digital friend.

I’m a big fan of sun protection every day of the year, but since it feels like it’s been raining heavily for weeks, the chances of me doing any “outdoor activities” seem optimistic.

It then suggests a simple, neutral, understated eyeshadow (to be honest, I don’t normally bother with eyeshadows, but I’ll give it a try); mascara – “choose a waterproof formula if you’re concerned about smudging or flaking during the day”; tinted lip balm; optional brow gel and setting spray for a dewy finish.

Although it takes Lisa a little longer than the maximum five minutes I normally give myself, the result is natural, flattering and completely appropriate.

With one exception: there is no color in my cheeks, which makes me look a bit flat.

I’d probably swap the eyeshadow for a bit of blush and, as Lisa points out, the setting spray isn’t really necessary for light daytime makeup.

Easy to apply: 5

Last look: 5

Look 2: Date night

I was now convinced that ChatGPT could pull off a dressed-up daytime look, but what about date night?

Wanting to spice things up, I ask the company to design “a sexy makeup look for a date night.”

ChatGPT says: ‘A sexy date night makeup look is all about enhancing your features with sultry shades and seductive finishes. This is how you create a fascinating look’Credit: David Cummings

Within seconds my virtual Charlotte Tilbury is there.

“Absolute!” it responds. “A sexy date night makeup look is all about accentuating your features with sultry shades and seductive finishes. This is how you create a fascinating look.”

The recommended base is a bit heavier, while the eye make-up starts with a neutral base, before progressing to a smokey eye with an extended line “for a seductive wing”.

Then I contour my cheeks with a matte bronzer, a highlighter “with a champagne or rose gold undertone for a romantic finish” on the cheekbones, forehead and bridge of my nose, before finishing with a striking lip in “classic red , deep berry or sultry plum”.

“Remember, confidence is the key to a sexy date night makeup look,” says my virtual makeup artist, who also seems to have become something of a life coach.

“Embrace your inner goddess and let your beauty shine through as you enjoy your special evening.”

Meanwhile, my real makeup artist was a little less impressed.

“It was really beautiful until we added the lip,” she says. “It looks very difficult for a date. You look a bit like a flight attendant.”

I have to agree.

I think my husband would be shocked if I looked like this on date night, and as someone who is paranoid about the size of my nose, the idea of emphasizing the bridge horrifies me.

Easy to apply: 3

Last look: 2

Look 3: Party face

AFTER the date night look left me feeling as sensual as a turnip, I was concerned about what ChatGPT could create for a dramatic party look.

And I was right to be concerned. . .

ChatGPT says: ‘This dramatic party makeup look is sure to turn heads and leave you feeling confident and glamorous’Credit: David Cummings

The base was pretty heavy: a pore-minimizing primer, a full-coverage foundation, a concealer, and then a translucent powder to set it all.

For the eyes, a primer was first applied, then a matte neutral shade and then a ‘deep and richly pigmented eye shadow, such as plum, emerald green or navy blue’, worked from the corner to the center – with a metallic or shimmer shadow on the eyes . inner corner and center.

Finally, a gel or liquid liner on the top lashes with a smooth wing, then a smudged dark shadow on the bottom line and “several coats” of volumizing mascara, with optional false lashes.

Since the eyes brought so much drama, I assumed the rest would be minimal.

Not really.

Matte bronzer to contour the cheeks, a “highly pigmented blush in a bold shade, like coral, berry or fuchsia” on the apples, and then a highlighter.

I’ll look like Aunt Sally.

I thought everyone knew that you never go for dramatic eyes AND dramatic lips. But not ChatGPT.

It says: “Choose a bold lipstick that makes a statement, such as red, deep berry or vampire plum. For extra intensity and dimension, apply a matching lip gloss or metallic lipstick in the center.”

Lisa does her best not to make me look ridiculous, but her assignment was to follow the instructions.

ChatGPT says: “This dramatic party makeup look is sure to turn heads and leave you feeling confident and glamorous.”

Basically my eyes are watering, my skin feels caked and I don’t feel like myself.

Pass on the makeup wipes!

Easy to apply: 1

Last look: 0

Cannot cover up errors in AI makeup routines

THE instructions that ChatGPT spit out make it look at first glance like it knows what it’s talking about.

But talking to Lisa, it becomes clear that, unsurprisingly, it lacks the human touch.

The AI recommends using powder right after foundation, which makes it harder to blend creams and clean up mistakes, says Lisa.

She would use it eventually.

And the way it suggests applying the outer corner of the eyeshadow first is unorthodox to say the least.

The difference in people’s faces is also not taken into account.

Lisa says, “You may not want to accentuate your nose, but you also have good cheekbones, so you don’t really need contouring there.”

At the bottom of the ChatGPT website it says: “ChatGPT can make mistakes.

“Consider checking important information.”

Well, that was right.

Professional makeup artists, your job is safe.

The post I asked AI to do my makeup for a date night… my husband would be shocked appeared first on USMAIL24.COM.

I asked my Instacart shopper to get me lemons, his replacement was an outrageous failure

Jeffrey Bailey — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 05:57:44 +0000

A CUSTOMER was left confused after receiving a strange replacement for one of her groceries.

She wondered if she was crazy after not receiving her lemons.

An Instacart customer was unhappy with one of the items she receivedCredit: TikTok/charlotterose251

She said her customer didn’t ask if she wanted a replacementCredit: TikTok/charlotterose251

TikToker Charlotte Rose (@charlotterose251) said the incident was a “huge loss”.

“I ordered Instacart to get some groceries and I ordered some lemons. Right?” she said. “Pretty easy.”

“There’s nothing complicated about picking a few lemons,” she continued.

But there was a problem because the store was out of lemons.

Her Instacart shopper tried to resolve the issue.

She said the person did not mark the lemons as out of stock on the app.

So she wasn’t asked if she wanted a refund, or if she wanted a replacement.

Then she held up a box of fake lemons.

“My Instacart shopper thought these fake plastic lemons would be a suitable substitute for a pound of real lemons,” Charlotte said.

“Am I crazy or does this make no sense?” she asked. “Like, what do I do with this?”

People in the comments section had a lot to say.

“This is a man’s job lol,” is the most popular answer.

“I thought you’d say they had a bottle of lemon juice, but THIS?” said a second.

“This might be my favorite strange vicissitude,” said a third.

The customer gave her fake lemons instead of real lemonsCredit: TikTok/charlotterose251

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Kate Middleton’s uncle Gary Goldsmith recalls meeting ‘normal’ Prince William for the first time – and reveals the quintessentially British question he was asked by the royal family

Sabir Ansary — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 02:57:51 +0000

The Princess of Wales’s uncle Gary Goldsmith has revealed the unexpected question Prince William asked him when they first met.

Mr Goldsmith, who entered the Celebrity Big Brother house as a contestant last night, opened up about meeting the royal family.

He made the comments in an introductory video, letting people know he would be entering the famous home.

In the short clip, Mr Goldsmith says: “I am Gary Goldsmith, the uncle of the future Queen of our country. Catherine is the current Princess of Wales. She’s just perfect.

‘The first time I met William, Catherine was cooking and William said, “Hello, would you like a cup of tea?”.

Gary Goldsmith (pictured) is Kate Middleton’s uncle. He is currently appearing on Celebrity Big Brother. He appeared in this video before entering the house

In his video, Mr Goldsmith says people often think he’s “a bit of a bad boy” and that it’s “lovely to go on the show” to set the record straight.

However, he admits that “it probably does turn people on.” [his] favorite hobby and that he is ‘an absolute nightmare to live with’.

Meanwhile, in an interview with The Sun, Mr Goldsmith defended his niece against racism claims made against her in the leaked copy of Omid Scobie’s book Endgame.

He said: ‘She is beautiful on the outside but even more beautiful on the inside and is a truly loving mother.

‘That’s why I got so angry with Harry and Meghan, because you don’t put a stick in the spoke and you don’t reinvent history.

‘I got quite angry when they attacked my beautiful niece, who couldn’t say anything for herself.’

Mr Goldsmith’s comments come after Kate and King Charles were identified by author Omid Scobie as the ones who allegedly asked Meghan and Harry what color Archie’s skin might be before he was born.

“It’s absolute nonsense and I couldn’t hide my feelings very well when I was given the opportunity to say something,” Mr Goldsmith said. “Kate is 100 percent not racist.”

Prince William (pictured with Kate Middleton in 2008) offered Gary a cup of tea when the

Mr Goldsmith’s appearance on CBB is described as the ‘last’ [Kate] needs as her recovery continues, a royal expert said this week.

Royal commentator Phil Dampier said that although the 58-year-old businessman is likely to enter the house “determined to only say nice things” about Kate and William, “after a few days his tongue may loosen up a bit and he may say things that he later regret it’. .

But a reality TV appearance for the ‘black sheep’ Mr. Goldsmith is set to cause headaches for the royal family amid speculation about Kate as she recovers from abdominal surgery.

Mr Goldsmith reportedly tried to land a spot on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here last year but was rejected because he feared it would embarrass his niece.

He is said to have told friends he won’t do anything to hurt Kate or William, but he has previously attacked Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which is why they could now be in the line of fire.

And Mr Dampier told MailOnline today: ‘The last thing the Princess of Wales needs right now is her uncle talking about her on Celebrity Big Brother.

‘And I’m not surprised by the reports that her mother Carole is not happy about her brother being in the house.

“I’m sure he’ll go there determined to say nothing but nice things about her and William, as he has done in the past. And he probably plans to criticize Harry and Meghan if he gets the chance.

Kate Middleton’s uncle Gary Goldsmith (pictured) entered the Celebrity Big Brother house as a contestant this week

‘But after a few days his tongue may loosen and he may say things he later regrets.’

The commentator also warned that ‘any indication about Kate’s medical condition will not end well for her or William’, adding: ‘I’m sure Gary wants to support his family but giving them more publicity isn’t what’s going on at the moment they want to. .’

Mr Dampier said it would be interesting to know whether Mr Goldsmith consulted Carole or Kate before deciding to enter the house, which “presumably he does for the money”.

And he continued: ‘He has embarrassed them in the past with his misdeeds at Maison de Bang Bang, but he has cleaned up his act in recent years and mainly stayed out of the spotlight.

‘Big Brother bosses will want him to spill the beans – why else would he be there? – but Kate and William will hope he manages to be sensible and focus on other housemates and their problems.’

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