Table of contents for Issue 2 2022 in Cosmopolitan

When the Cosmo team was deciding which themes we wanted to explore for our 2022 collection, music was the first thing on our list. It was partly selfish: There are just a ton of cool new artists we’ve been dying to feature…Bella, of course, and the four you see above from our rising talent portfolio (page 72). But also partly because music is actually the single most relevant pop-cultural topic today. Despite our collective obsession with TV shows and movies, it’s music that—per a fancy-schmancy Cosmo research study and also per being a human on this planet—we’re all most into. Gen Z, millennial, and Gen X women rank it as their favorite form of entertainment right now. The industry has changed drastically in the past few years alone—TikTok has replaced…

ON MY LAZIEST DAYS, I GET READY BY… Putting Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil on my hair and letting it airdry. And when I’m not in the mood for a full beat, I throw on EltaMD UV Glow tinted sunscreen. ONE HOME ITEM THAT’S SIMPLY NONNEGOTIABLE My Slow Burn candle with Boy Smells. This wasn’t some product I phoned in for dough. It’s a creation I took my time on and am proud of. It was my first time bringing a song to life in a smell—a scentiment, if you will. THE CLOTHING ITEM THAT—NO JOKE—CHANGED MY LIFE My long camel trench by Nanushka. You can dress it up or down, and I love layering it with my camouflage Moncler x Palm Angels coat. I FEEL SMART WHEN I…

A TOUCH OF YE OLDEN DAYS What’s the point of throwing it back without throwing it *all* the way back? Wear the latest interpretation of this historical piece as you please: over a frock, on its own, or as a matching set.…

EDGY EYES START HERE Line your upper and lower lash lines with a gel pencil and then smudge them out with a short, dense eyeshadow brush. For more intensity, layer black powder eyeshadow on top and then pile on a long-wearing, volumizing mascara. The more coats the better.…

As someone whose skin is made of angel whispers and kitten paws, I live my life in fear of irritating products—especially retinols. So when encapsulated retinol began trending as a gentler yet equally effective formula, I was very skeptical. But three months (and zero rashes or redness) of testing later, I can confirm the hype is real. “Encapsulated” basically means—you know what, I’ll just let dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, explain: “An encapsulated retinol molecule has a protective barrier around it, so it can penetrate deeper into the skin with less risk of setting off surface irritation.” That barrier also helps the retinol release into your skin slowly, “so you’re not dousing your cells with a big dose all at once.” It’s like sipping a beer versus taking a shot—they’ll both…

IF YOUR MOOD IS TRADITIONAL CLASSIC… Charleston, South Carolina Its Southern hospitality, wedding-cake-like architecture, and proper beach-to-city ratio will check every box on your monogrammed must-have list. After a day spent on Folly Beach, centuries-old oak trees and cobblestone-paved pathways guide you to late-night punch bowls at the Cocktail Club on King Street. Book a suite at Hotel Bennett for easy access to its rosé-hued champagne lounge. Traverse City, Michigan Another option: Start your wedded wine collection with curated bottles from a sophisticated fete in the vineyards of Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula. Take a party bus or limousine from Park Place Hotel in Traverse City to private vineyard-side tastings of this up-and-coming wine region. Sip at 45 North Vineyard & Winery, eat at FireFly Kitchen & Bars, and hit the spa…

STEP 1 Find Your In Every airline has its own rules, but most allow pups at least 8 weeks old that fit in an under-the-seat-in-front-of-you carrier. Bigger dogs must be trained service animals to board. Emotional support animals (different from service ones) aren’t exceptions to these rules, and dogs are typically not allowed in cargo. STEP 2 Do the Work That carrier? It needs to be airline-approved (see our pick below). Oh, and check the Department of Agriculture’s APHIS site to see if your destination requires any pet records. To get a service animal ready, fill out the Service Animal Air Transportation form from the Department of Transportation’s site to submit to your airline. STEP 3 Book It The key here (sorry) is to stay flexible with flight times. Only…

Say you’d like to leave a casual hookup still fantasizing about you decades from now. You’ve come to the right place. Say you’re looking to blow the mind of your longtime partner. You’ve come to the right place. Say you’re just looking to cum. You’ve…yes, you get it, because here’s the secret: Anything you can do without a mirror is suddenly ten times hotter in front of one. Why? Well, aside from the obvious reasons (like you can pretend you live in Samantha Jones’s old apartment), mirror sex taps into your body’s reward center (i.e., the part of your brain that releases feel-good chemicals) in a very specific way, says clinical sexologist Valerie Poppel, PhD. When you see yourself both experiencing and expressing pleasure, your body releases dopamine that makes…

What has shaped your music taste the most? 49% The stuff my family and I listened to growing up 26% Definitely social media 25% My social circle What genre is always in your rotation? (Check all that apply.) 89% Pop 49% Hiphop 46% Indie/alternative 44% R&B 38% Rock 33% Dance/electronic 20% Country Do you often actually listen to an entire album? 54% Nope. I just repeat my fave songs. 46% Yes, I love a full body of work. And what’s your go-to music platform? 81% Spotify 13% Apple Music 4% YouTube <1% EACH Amazon Music, Pandora, SoundCloud, the radio For new music: Do you like a surprise album drop or a full rollout? 50% Beyoncé style, with no warning, is the best. 50% I like all the lead-up anticipation! When…

Giving the World Away, by Hatchie April 22 This is definitely no sophomore slump—the Australian singer-songwriter’s second album is an otherworldly dream-pop wonderland, complete with highly addictive dance-around-your-room anthems like “This Enchanted” and darker, honest tracks like “Quicksand.” Pachinko March 25, Apple TV+ Based on the novel of the same name, Pachinko follows four generations of a Korean family living in exile during the 20th century. One of the (many) things that makes the drama series so powerful is its dialogue… in three different languages. If you relate to the immigrant experience at all, this one will hit you right in the feels. The Offer April 28, Paramount+ Did you know The Godfather almost didn’t get made because the actual mafia did everything in its power to stop it? The…

The first lesson you learn after being announced as the Bachelor is to ignore social media chatter. I stopped checking Instagram, except to post occasionally, and all my friends knew not to send me the latest gossip. I wasn’t interested. With a new “controversy” brewing every day, ignorance was truly bliss. So when rumors about Rachael Kirkconnell began bubbling up in the middle of the season, they took weeks to reach me. First came allegations of high school bullying, then insensitive comments she supposedly made. A TikTok rant about her past circulated on the web. It pulled her parents’ voting record into the fray. News leaked that she and I chose each other at the end. The microscope on her life intensified. Even after filming, especially after filming, being the…

THE NEW HAIR-COLOR RULES Ask your colorist for thick, face-framing highlights (bonus points for playing with bright pops of color) and a shadow root. The subtle shading technique will buy you more time between salon appointments.…

Wray 10 out of 10 Size Range: XXS to 6XL Fit: Runs true to its size chart Overall Experience: You really wouldn’t know that this brand didn’t always carry extended sizes. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g on the site is available up to 6XL. I noticed that each piece has its own size chart, so before buying, make sure to note where your measurements fall and don’t assume fit based on other items. The trendy checkered lounge set I tried was incredibly soft, with fabric that made it feel worth the price. Both pieces fit perfectly oversized (the way they were intended). Lululemon 9 out of 10 Size Range: 0 to 20 Fit: Runs true to its size chart Overall Experience: Guys…I finally get the obsession with Lululemon’s buttery-soft activewear. And having it actually…

BEST CONCERT SNACK It’s four hours from the time you find your seat till the show ends, and this new Boston Creme flavor is the sugar rush you need to stay standing through the encore. BEST POPCORN SNACK “Well, I guess I am now 99 percent lightly sweet, just-salty-enough kettle corn.”—you thriving out in the world after finishing the perfectly snack-sized bag of magical taste-bud entertainment BEST COOKIE SNACK There’s no better way to take your mind off *gestures broadly* than eating a quintessential ’90s cookie. No matter how much has changed in the past 30ish years, dipping crunchy cookies in thick frosting is a timeless pursuit. BEST CHIP SNACK Truffles belong on everything, but consuming said umami deliciousness gets costly. Well, at least it did before this tote-appropriate bag…

THURSDAY, 4 P.M. A notification pops up: “Am I still seeing you this evening?” Relief. It’s move-in day at my new apartment back in Manhattan. Yes, “return to office” is finally happening—and with it the end of my vagabond lifestyle. As the movers unload the last of my boxes, I sit with an uncomfortable realization: I already hate living alone. An unbridled extrovert, I crave having other people in close proximity, something I’d gotten accustomed to over a decade of living with roommates. Paul, the plastic surgeon I’ve been sort of seeing, says he made a reservation at a Greek restaurant on my block. It’s a good thing he picked somewhere close, because I have plans to put his dexterous hands to good use afterward (by helping me secure the…

BLOOD SUGAR, by Sascha Rothchild April 19 A murderer turned therapist is framed for killing her husband in this twisty thriller. THE MEMORY LIBRARIAN: AND OTHER STORIES OF DIRTY COMPUTER, by Janelle Monáe April 19 Imagine Janelle’s Dirty Computer album but in written form. FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK, by Elissa Sussman April 12 A journalist + a hotshot celeb + two separate interviews, 10 years apart. (Yes, it’s sexy as hell.) MEMPHIS, by Tara M. Stringfellow April 5 This powerful family saga asks: What if you could change your legacy?…

PEEKABOO Christina Aguilera vibes from back in the day, meet 2022…and Gen Zers who love playing with a nostalgic moment. Give the fiery detail even more oomph by going ultra bright.…

There’s no formula for creating an It Bag—but Brandon Blackwood has managed to do it several times over. First, a collection of “End Systemic Racism” totes in solidarity with the June 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. (The initial drop sold out in a matter of hours.) From there, he skyrocketed, gaining hundreds of thousands of IG followers eager for more of his classic but undeniably of-the-moment pieces. Now, his colorful, luxe designs are the arm candy of hitmakers like Doja Cat and Christina Milian (pictured above) as well as Normani and Olivia Rodrigo, among others. If you weren’t eyeing one already, shouldn’t you be now?…

I sometimes think of my body as a garden. One that for most of my childhood and early adult years, I absolutely hated. No matter how many times I attempted to cultivate and celebrate its beauty, I saw only its weeds: arms too big, legs too slow. A body that didn’t look or move the way I wanted it to. In high school and college, I tried to counteract the resentment I felt by “getting healthy.” I wanted to be smaller, thinner, leaner…to look like the happy bodies I saw projected all around me. But a misguided focus on losing weight turned into disordered eating and unhealthy exercise patterns—and general misery. Trying to squeeze my not size 0 body into a size 0 dress was a regular occurrence. Skipping pool…

Gives Good Vinyl Are we surprised records are making their biggest comeback since the ’90s? No. No, we are not. Earn your rightful place as the trendy one by shopping the coolest vendors in the biz. Tower Records The iconic retailer houses everything from classic jams to emerging artists. towerrecords.com Experience Vinyl Sign up for its album-of-the-month club so you’ll always have new tunes. experiencevinyl.com Dusty Groove Deep funk. Groovy beats. This Chicago-based shop has all the cool-kid cred. dustygroove.com Vinyl Me, Please VMP is the MVP of cool record designs. It’s called exclusive pressing. Look it up. vinylmeplease.com…

Presenting your expertly curated sexy-time soundtrack:…

If you follow both the stars and Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist, you might have noticed that sometimes, they’re weirdly in alignment. What, you don’t have push notifications turned on for three different astrology apps? Allow me to convince you: Last November’s lunar eclipse in Taurus coincided with the release of Adele’s album 30 (btw, she’s a Taurus). Earlier that year, June’s solar eclipse in Gemini fell on the same day as Lorde’s comeback single, the appropriately titled “Solar Power.” And it’s not just eclipses: In August, SZA dropped three new tracks during the Full Moon in Aquarius. We know SZA was influenced by the Moon because, well, she told us so. “@iJaadee made me do it lol,” SZA tweeted when the songs dropped, tagging her astrologer and attaching a…