You’ve likely heard of Myers-Briggs, personality frameworks such as The Enneagram and love languages, but have you heard of Human Design? Prepare to feel seen. 

Created by Alan Krakower, who published a book in 1992 on the subject under the pseudonym Ra Uru Hu, Human Design combines astrology, the I Ching, Kabbalah, quantum physics, and Vedic philosophy to offer a toolkit for self-awareness based on both modern science and ancient wisdoms.

Calculated by your exact time, date and place of birth, it offers a unique system for living in alignment with your innate self and who you were always meant to be, instead of chasing something you are not. 

From how you are wired to make decisions to what role you’re meant to play in the world, and how you exert and exchange energy with those around you, it helps you understand who you are and how you function, so you can reconnect with your core self and start living according to your Human Design.

Dana Stiles and Shayna Cornelius are Human Design experts, spiritual teachers, and the podcast hosts behind DayLuna. As co-founders of their company, they are on a mission to empower the collective towards self-love, personal freedom, and radical authenticity through the tool that is Human Design. The pair feel passionately called to help spread the complex and life-changing science of Human Design to a wider community in a grounded and approachable way. 

Intrigued? Here, Dana and Shayna provide a beginner’s guide to Human Design and how you can start applying its magic to your life. Limiting beliefs – you can see yourselves out!

Human Design is a hot topic right now, and for good reason! It really is the all-in-one modality that can not only tell you what alignment looks like for you, it also sheds light on your unique individual life purpose, what your gifts are, how you can best connect with others, and how you can show up in the world with complete authenticity.

If you’re just now hearing about this system, Human Design is the science of differentiation. It is a modality that shows us how we are all uniquely designed, how we are all meant to use our energy in different ways than other people, including what our unique gifts, diet, mindset, and life purpose is. Some refer to it as “the new astrology.” Human Design is a synthesis of modern science mixed with Western Astrology, the Chinese I Ching, The Hindu-Brahmin Chakra System, and The Kabbalah Tree of Life. By generating your free Human Design chart using your birth details, you can see the complete blueprint of your energy and soul’s purpose, as well as the owner’s manual of how to operate in alignment with your design.

Every day, thousands of people are discovering Human Design and when first hearing about it, it can be extremely tempting to gather as much information as you possibly can about your chart. While this leads to a great knowledge of your design, a lot of times it also leads to mental overwhelm with little to no results in how you are optimizing your energy each day to really change your life. The power with this system truly only comes from grounding down what you’ve learned into your physical body and daily life. Here are our top 9 things you can start doing every day to live by your Human Design:

Hone your self-awareness

Start being the observer of your own life. Observe how you react to things, when you feel triggered, when you feel the most exhausted or energized, when you are fascinated or excited by something. Having this kind of awareness and self-observation can help you to understand yourself better without judgment. It can also help you to take responsibility for your energy and create healthy boundaries that support your personal energy levels. Books we love that can help you better hone your awareness are The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz.

Tune into your body

How is it feeling in this moment? Is there any tightness or tension? Does it feel energized by what you are doing or contracted in any way? Human Design teaches us that our bodies are connected to a higher plane of consciousness and divine timing. Try to get out of your mind and check in with your body at least twice a day. This simple act can majorly start to increase your magnetism, and by listening to the signals your body is giving you; you will start to notice beautiful synchronicities in your life.

Learn your Authority and exercise it every day.

Your Authority is your unique decision-making center in your body that is a consistent way for you to make decisions that are energetically correct for you. We are conditioned to believe that it is best to make big decisions with our minds and with what “makes sense”. Human Design is reframing this to show us how to make decisions with our bodies instead of our minds. Our minds are here to observe, process data, create, and inspire, but they are not here to make our major life decisions. There are 8 different Authorities in Human Design and your chart will tell you which one you have. One of the most powerful things you can do is to learn your Authority and start experimenting with making decisions that are of medium importance to you. You will be blown away at how natural it feels and how when you release mental pressure to figure things out, your Authority leads you to less resistance and more ease.

Practice your Strategy

Your Strategy tells you the best way your aura interacts with others and the world around you based on your energy Type. With awareness of this, you can start to really lean into it one day at a time. While we won’t get into the daily practice and Strategy for each Type, here are some of our favourite quick tips:

Manifestors – Start talking out loud every day (to yourself, the Universe, the people around you…etc.).

Generators – Focus on getting present and listening to what your body is telling you (what do your energy levels say about what is directly in front of you?).

Manifesting Generators – Prioritize being present with all of the many things you have going on in your day and make sure to inform the people in your life about what you are wanting to do next (before you do it).

Projectors – Start focusing more on how you perceive yourself instead of how others may be perceiving you (what is interesting to you right now? Spend time doing that and try to get more rest).

Reflectors – Prioritize alone time at the end of the day and let each new morning surprise you with what comes up for the day.

Start saying “no” more

How many things are you saying yes to each day out of guilt, obligation, FOMO, or because you “should”, or you feel they will make other people happy? As a rule of thumb, if it doesn’t fully light you up, excite you, make you happy, or just feel right… say “no” to that thing for now if you can. This small act will help you take some of your energy back where you may be leaking it. Saying “yes” to small things you want to say “no” to, actually put you (and that person you are saying yes to when you don’t want to be) out of alignment.

Cleanse your energy

Regardless of your energy Type, you likely have areas of your energy where you are empathetic to the world and people around you. This is where you can pick up conditioning and hold onto emotions, ideas, needs, fears, desires, and pressure from others. Doing a simple energy cleanse (5 mins is all you typically need) each evening can make a huge difference in how you feel. Some of our favorite ways to cleanse are with palo santo, sage or smoke, taking a bath or shower with the intention of “emptying out”, or connecting in nature for a few minutes alone.

Actively release judgment and comparison

When we compare ourselves to others, we sacrifice our own self-love a little bit and we keep ourselves playing small. Also, when we judge others, we energetically welcome judgment upon ourselves. Human Design is powerful in that it can liberate you from this judgment/comparison conditioning that we have been taught to accept as “normal.” By having awareness of how you operate differently than other people, you can then begin to have acceptance about how others are different from you, and the need for everyone to be the same dissipates. Start to notice when you feel the inclination to compare or judge, and just take note. In that moment, choose to release this tightness from your being. It is a small energetic shift that builds up over time and leads to you actively living your design more each day.

Trust yourself

Human Design is an experiment, but it starts with tuning into what your body is telling you, and then taking aligned action to listen to what it says. Self-trust is HUGE and it starts one step at a time. Start small and build up from there. For example, if you felt something, you felt something. Instead of questioning whether you did or not, own it! It’s as simple as that.

Be honest with yourself

You are the only one who can know if something is right for you or not, if you are making a decision out of fear or not, if something is resonating for you or not, if you need a boundary or not, or if you are doing something because you want to or because you “should”.  Be real with yourself and hold yourself accountable to be honest with how you feel. Raising your vibration and living your design starts with awareness and is honed with self-honesty and trust.

Human Design is a complex system, but the power comes from experimenting with it. We have seen this modality transform the lives of thousands of people and we cannot wait to see how it does the same for you. You can learn more about your design by generating your free chart, listening to our many podcasts or learning more on our website daylunalife.com.

Winner of the debut novel of the year at the British Book Awards 2022, Open Water is Caleb Azumah Nelson’s mesmerizing first novel. 

Making waves since its publication in 2021, this achingly beautiful story is about two Black artists who fall in love against a backdrop of music, politics and race. Uniquely written in second-person perspective – a bold choice for any author – it follows two nameless protagonists in the throes of love, encapsulating every nuance, painful truth and vulnerability between this will-they-won’t they couple, while offering an unvarnished commentary on the realities of systemic racism. 

“What is better than believing you are heading towards love?” 

Effortlessly lyrical, Open Water is a joy to experience, whether reading or listening along, and an essential work of art from an exciting new voice in British fiction. 

Keep scrolling to read the team’s reviews for this month’s book club pick! 

Two young people meet at a pub in South East London. Both are Black British, both won scholarships to private schools where they struggled to belong, both are now artists – he a photographer, she a dancer – trying to make their mark in a city that by turns celebrates and rejects them. Tentatively, tenderly, they fall in love. But two people who seem destined to be together can still be torn apart by fear and violence.

At once an achingly beautiful love story and a potent insight into race and masculinity, Open Water asks what it means to be a person in a world that sees you only as a Black body, to be vulnerable when you are only respected for strength, to find safety in love, only to lose it. With gorgeous, soulful intensity, Caleb Azumah Nelson has written the most essential British debut of recent years.

Lareese says…

What a debut. This book is a masterpiece and I will not hear any different. It is a story-telling feat! The second person present tense (‘you’) might throw a few readers off initially, but I very much enjoyed it and thought it was the perfect voice to tell this intimate yet unconventional love story. The prose is ethereal, painterly and raw, deftly articulating the heat and delirium of young love whilst exploring hard-hitting themes of racism, police brutality and trauma. Slim in size but huge in heart, it’s a book I will continue to harp on about until every one of my pals has read it. Caleb is a unique and exciting new voice in fiction and I can’t wait to read whatever he writes next. For the second-person POV naysayers, allow Caleb to respectfully prove you wrong.

Would you recommend? Get in, the water’s lovely!
Rating: 5/5

Charlotte says…

I love a short read thrown into my reading mix every now and then as a chronically slow reader, and Open Water makes for the perfect summer read when schedules are busy but you still want an addictive book to return to in your quieter moments.

I always find it super intriguing reading an author’s debut novel, and in this case it’s almost unbelievable that Caleb hasn’t been published before! Open Water is a beautiful, poetic and honest tale of forbidden love, after two young Black artists (one a photographer and one a dancer) meet, become friends and finally fall in love. Written so poetically it feels at times like song lyrics, Open Water explores delicate love against the harsh backdrop of racist London and the inescapable dangers and pain this brings.

The second-person perspective is a little difficult to get into at times, and despite the book being short definitely required a level of concentration, but regardless was worth the persistence for its at times devastating yet consistently beautiful exploration of honest, profound love.

Intense and impactful, this book is a must-read.

Would you recommend it? Absolutely!
Rating: 4/5

Danielle says…

This was such an incredible read, like nothing I’ve ever read before. I absolutely LOVED the takeover Caleb did on our IG account, he had such a great vibe, a born storyteller. What makes Open Water so interesting is that it’s written in the 2nd person making you really visualise what’s happening to the protagonist which, as it happens, is a young black male Londoner, all of which I am not. A character I probably wouldn’t have found myself relating to if the book had not been written in the 2nd person, completely changes the way you feel when reading it.

The words and sentence structure throughout the book are simply exquisite, I’d be doing the book a disservice trying to explain just how beautiful it is written. I think I’ll always remember how this book made me feel, completely taking me out of my life. Read it, it’ll change you.

Would you recommend it? Please read it!
Rating: 5/5

Darcey says…

A poetic, short but impactful read, wow what a debut novel from Caleb! I don’t believe I have ever read a book in the second person perspective and I was unsure how easy I would find it to read, but it really complimented the flow of the book and it was a really interesting way to read the unfolding of a romantic relationship.

Such an intimate read which feels incredibly poetic, exploring the relationship of two young black artists who struggle to feel as if they fit in in a city that celebrates them but rejects them at the same time. A deeply moving read, Caleb covers themes of racism, trauma, police brutality, friendship, love and hope. One of the best debut novels I think I’ve ever read, I cannot wait to see what Caleb does next!

Would you recommend it? Yes
Rating: 4.5/5

If you want to care for your vulva with water and water alone that’s A-OK, it’s a personal choice, but for anyone looking for a product that’s gentle, effective and most importantly won’t run the risk of giving you thrush, you’ll be buzzing to discover Luna Daily, the brand revolutionising intimate care and disrupting the social stigma associated with women’s intimate hygiene. 

Many shower gels contain harsh chemicals and high pH levels that can disrupt the vulva’s delicate microbiome but having to use a separate wash for your vulva seems, well, excessive at best, sexist at worst. So, why not just simplify things, destigmatise vulvas and use one product everywhere? Enter Luna Daily – expert-developed natural products you can use anywhere on your body, including intimate skin. Whether you’re menstruating, you’ve just done a workout or you just prefer using a product as part of your daily care routine, Luna Daily is here to make caring for your vulva as easy as it is to care for any other part of your body. 

“For too long what we all know as ‘feminine hygiene’ has made women feel embarrassment and discomfort: even the name insinuates our vulvas are ‘dirty’. Water alone is totally fine to wash with, but for women who want to use a product to care for their intimate skin (myself, and 64% of women*), we knew this category needed, and deserved, a shift in thinking,” says Luna Daily, Founder Katy Cottam. 

Here we spoke to Katy to find out more about the brand on a mission to shake off the shame and make products for and conversations about Womanhood as natural as they should be!

Revolutionising the products available for vulva-owners is only part of the mission at Luna Daily, can you tell us about the business and what inspired you to start?

Our mission is to make products for conversations about Womanhood as natural as they should be, naturally connecting women of all ages and stages to each other and their entire bodies, including their vulvas. We’ll do this through our World’s first range of daily care products for intimate skin and everywhere else, alongside the Ai-driven platform and chat service we’re building to provide expert advice, information and resources for all women, everywhere.

15 years later and with a career in beauty and wellness, I could see that nothing had really changed in the category since my teenage years, so during the first pandemic, I decided to quit my job and give Luna Daily a go. I started out by commissioning some pioneering research amongst 1000 women of all ages, stages and skin-types and it turned out I wasn’t alone; 87% of women were not taught about intimate care at school and for 43% of women their washing routines are causing them to have a gynae issue, (shockingly 1 in 3 women are washing inside their vagina, despite it being totally self-cleaning). It also showed women are more embarrassed to talk about their vulvas than they are about how much they earn or their sex life.

What’s your favourite part of running your own business?

The freedom to run a business which can be a force for good, always putting the customer first, not constrained by ‘oh but this is the way we do things’ and with a genuine belief that the products and services we’re offering for women will help change their lives. I feel so privileged to have been able to build a World-class team around me.

From our internal core team to our external agency partners, medical experts, manufacturers, product developers, and freelancers all the way to our Investors, I am so proud of the team of people driving forward the Luna Daily brand. Every single person believes in our mission and vision and has an incredible passion to help make it a reality. We live by four key values which we embed into everything we do and to me they quite nicely sum up what I love so much about running Luna Daily, being able to live and breathe these every day.

Inviting – We’ll always try to be positive and inclusive, both within the Luna Daily team and with anyone we interact with. We’re open to new ideas and ways of doing things. We have a business-wide coaching culture, inviting different opinions, thoughts and approaches to make us the best we can be.

Spirited – We’re hugely passionate. We’re excited about what we’re doing, and we’re hugely positive about the way that we’re doing it. If it comes across like we enjoy what we do, it’s because we do – and we hope we inspire others to feel the same.

Direct – We don’t mess about. We make decisions efficiently based on data and science, but also gut feel (also known as experience!). We’re straight-talking (without being rude), embracing fearless feedback from our team and customers alike.

Thoughtful – We’re deeply compassionate and considerate, kind and helpful, both with each other and with everyone else that we might partner with. We’re clear and precise, and use accurate, helpful terms so that we don’t blur things with jargon.

What’s a typical day in the life of Katy Cottam? What’s your 9-5 look like?

I’m an early bird, so typically my day starts about 6am. I’m up and out the house walking or running with our cavapoo Alfie by 6.30 – 7am, meaning I can get some fresh air and be ready for the working day by 8ish. I’ve really found that post-pandemic and continued hybrid days of working mean I have the most structure I’ve ever had to my working week, which (given how much I juggle as CEO) is really important to me. We typically do 1-2 days in the office and the other days WFH), so when overseeing all business functions it really helps me and my team get into an efficient cadence.

Mondays always start with a virtual team huddle to catch up on the weekend and share priorities for the week. Then they’re filled with admin and 1:1s with the internal team. Inevitably something will have come up that needs prioritising which we hadn’t planned for! Tuesdays are for external meetings with our manufacturing partners or retailers, and it’s our regular day for consumer-facing content, be it an Instagram live or an interview.

Wednesdays are our team day in our office space in High Street Kensington, so will typically start with a team coffee or exercise class (once a month!) and I try to prioritise face-to-face meetings so we can have a day not on zoom! This means it’s filled with signing off marketing plans, campaign creative, social content and partnerships for the month, as well as budget and financial meetings (we have a BIG screen which is much easier on the eye for detailed spreadsheets!).

Thursdays are for product development, deep thinking time (so minimal emails). As a rule, we have no meetings on Fridays so the team can wrap up their work week before clocking off at 1pm to enjoy the weekend so I end the week with a weekly ‘Friday feels’ highlights message to the team – not only does it mean we take a moment to celebrate all the wins of the week, it’s such an important way to document them and look back on them with pride.

How did you develop the range of products and how did you know where to start with product testing and allergen testing for intimate skin?

I’ve spent my career in the beauty wellness industry so I was fortunate at having experience at launching some amazing products, as well as a network of some brilliant partners. With the help of expert gynaecologists, dermatologists and formulation specialists, we set out to create a range of natural daily care products which were gentle enough for even the most intimate skin, and versatile enough to cope with the changes that women go through every week, month and decade and beautiful enough to want to leave out in the bathroom. We work with some of the very best labs in the World who ensure every product is safe to use on all skin types and we undergo rigorous product testing to ensure they are safe. All our products get the stamp of approval from our in-house gynaecologists and dermatologists.

What’s different about the Luna Daily products vs other feminine hygiene products on the market or standard shower gels?

Firstly, pH: For years, the feminine hygiene market has told us that one of the reasons we need specific products is because of pH. Now, it’s true, the vagina (inside bit, remember) is more acidic (3.7 – 4.5) than typical skin (pH5), so could be more susceptible to irritation and disruption than elsewhere. But the reality is that so many shower gels / soaps are a much higher pH than your skin, so your whole skin would probably be better off with a wash that’s a lower pH. That’s where Luna Daily’s washes come in. They are created to be at a pH that suits all the skin on your body, including, yes, the vulva.

Soap: We don’t use it. Because by definition, it’s an irritant, with a typical pH of 9-10 (!). So it’s not included in any of our products, as recommended by our dermatologists. And it’s not just about ‘washing’.

Our products are formulated to balance, nourish and protect. (We don’t just ‘wash’ our faces, after all). They’re formulated with our trademarked Hydra-Biome+(TM); a unique complex of Thermal water, which mirrors the body’s NMF (Natural Moisturising Factor), Pre-biotics inulin and lactic acid to enrich the skin biome and foster natural protection, and Vitamins A,E,C & F to deeply nourish and hydrate skin. Because your skin deserves that level of care, everywhere.

The other stuff: Luna Daily contains only natural and necessary ingredients. That means no sulphates, no harsh chemicals, no common allergens, alcohols or irritants. Just effective formulas, vegan and sustainably sourced, suitable for all skin types and all over the body.

As a female-led brand, why is it important for you to challenge the way society feels about womanhood?

We’re a generation of women who, more than ever, consider all the aspects of what we buy, eat, and put on our faces, and yet for so many women, their intimate skin is an afterthought, only prioritised when there is a ‘problem’. Women have told me how they ‘thought they were dying’ when their period started, have felt completely alone through motherhood and are approaching menopause thinking it’s just hot flushes. The more we can normalise conversations about Womanhood, the more we stigmatise it, remove the embarrassment and shame, and embrace what it means to be a woman in a more inclusive, positive way.

What frustrates you the most about the female hygiene industry?

I don’t agree with the feminine hygiene industry, and how they’ve persuaded women that they need specific products to ‘clean’ their vulvas (even the word ‘hygiene’ implies something is dirty). But I understand completely why a woman would want to use a product to wash their vulva. Because I do. I want to use something more than water because if I’m on my period, on the go, at the gym, or at a festival, for instance, I just want something extra to care for my intimate skin. I don’t want my vulva to be rose-scented. I don’t want to follow any industry fads. It’s my personal choice. And so I feel very passionately about the fact that how you wash your vulva is your personal choice.

What are the dos and don’ts and why are so many of us still so embarrassed about just about anything to do with our vulvas?

Your vagina (the internal passage) is very clever and totally self-cleaning, so never needs to be washed. Your vulva (the external intimate skin) is very similar to the skin biome of your armpits, so it’s recommended to give it a daily wash. The vulva and the vagina are different, and too many women (myself included until a few years ago) are misnaming them. This is possibly why 1 in 3 women are (worryingly) washing inside their vagina.

If you want to wash your vulva with just water, that’s absolutely fine. Our vulvas don’t need specific products. I created Luna Daily because I wanted to use more than water to wash my vulva, but didn’t want it to have to be a specific ‘fanny wash’, which was seemingly all that was available.

Can you tell us about your partnership with Lady Garden?

58 women are diagnosed with gynaecological cancer in the UK every day, and out of those 58, 21 will not survive. I am so passionate to be partnering with The Lady Garden Foundation to help with their efforts in driving positive change for women everywhere.

Together, we are creating a movement to get more women of all ages and stages talking to raise significant awareness of these important conversations and the symptoms of the 5 x gynae cancers. In doing this we can ultimately help reduce the devastating outcomes for women and save lives. We have a number of planned activities throughout the year including a large campaign for Gynae Cancer awareness month in September, along with product sale donations, campaigns, partnerships and events.

Does anyone else binge the latest hot-to-trot series and start Googling ‘how to become an actor’ approximately 0.2 seconds afterwards? There are certain scenes, whether from a blockbuster film or Netflix’s latest series, that stick with you for good, and lines you can recite from start to finish as if they’re moments from your own life. If you were in a relationship with Timothée Chalamet … and your name was Oliver … anyway…

From Queen’s biographical Bohemian Rhapsody to Florence Pugh’s beautiful adaptation of Amy March in Little Women, there are times when an actor nails the delivery of their lines with such effortless believability that you get sucked even further into their world. Whether it’s a moment of rage that’s filled with conviction, or an emotional realisation that life as they know it has changed for good, these dramatic moments are the definition of movie magic. 

The Social Network- “You Set Me Up” by Andrew Garfield.

It might have taken 40 attempts to nail this scene, but Andrew Garfield’s performance in the 2010 release of The Social Network is a cinematic masterpiece if we ever did see one. The “You set me up” scene follows Andrew as Eduardo Saverin, co-founder and investor in Facebook from its humble beginnings back at Harvard University in 2004, upon finding out that Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) has reduced his shares in the company to 0.3%. Ouch.

Garfield’s character visits the Facebook office where learns he’s being pushed out of the company before confronting Mark and Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) in a dramatic and unforgettable argument that delivers some of the movie’s most iconic lines. 

“Sorry, my Prada’s at the cleaners along with my hoodie and my fuck-you flip-flops, you pretentious douchebag […] You better lawyer up, a**hole, ‘cause I’m not comin’ back for my 30 percent, I’m comin’ back for everything!”

The laptop smash, the black suit, the final walk away with security and the cuts to the conversations with said lawyers makes for truly mesmerising stuff.  Andrew, we love you!

10 Things I Hate About You- Kat’s Poem by Julia Stiles.

Look up the dictionary definition of iconic and you might just find this scene from the 1999 rom-com classic that is 10 Things I Hate About You. Heartbreak cuts deep, and if anyone knows that feeling it’s Julia Stiles’ character, Kat Stratford after reluctantly falling head over heels for Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger)- sigh, who can blame her?

After finding out Patrick has been paid to take Kat to the prom by Joey Donner purely so that he has the chance to date her little sister, Bianca, she’s seriously (and rightfully) irked. Standing up in front of her English class, she reads aloud a poem that sums up her frustration and heartbreak, before bursting out of the room in tears as Patrick is left sat speechless. 

All’s well that ends well when Patrick wins Kat back in the final scene with the guitar of her dreams, but despite the happy ending, Kat’s emotional reading will forever be ingrained in the heart of 90s teens experiencing their first taste of heartbreak and romantic disappointment. Iconique. 

“I hate the way you talk to me, And the way you cut your hair.

I hate the way you drive my car, I hate it when you stare.

I hate your big dumb combat boots, and the way you read my mind 

I hate you so much it makes me sick, It even makes me rhyme.

I hate the way you’re always right, I hate it when you lie

I hate it when you make me laugh, Even worse when you make me cry

I hate it when you’re not around, And the fact that you didn’t call

But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you, Not even close, Not even a little bit, Not even at all”

The Devil Wears Prada- ‘Stuff’ by Meryl Streep

It’s near impossible to identify the ‘best’ part of a movie as legendary as the 2006 release of The Devil Wears Prada starring the one-of-a-kind cast of Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt to name but a few, but if we’re talking monologue, than Miranda Priestly’s ‘Stuff’ speech is up there at top spot.

In the ultimate clapback, Miranda (Meryl Streep) responds to Andy (Anne Hathaway) as she sniggers during a meeting in which the Runway magazine editors are painstakingly deciding between two seemingly identical blue belts for an upcoming shoot. If there’s someone you don’t want to get on the wrong side of in (fictional) fashion, it’s Miranda Priestly, and her effortlessly ice cold response is one that to this day sends shivers down the spines of fashion cupboard interns everywhere. 

This… “stuff”? Oh, okay. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you.

You… go to your closet, and you select… I don’t know, that lumpy blue sweater for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back, but what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis, it’s actually cerulean.

You’re also blithely unaware of the fact that, in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns, and then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent, wasn’t it?… who showed cerulean military jackets. I think we need a jacket here.

And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores, and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin.

However, that blue represents millions of dollars of countless jobs, and it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry, when in fact, you’re wearing a sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room… from a pile of “stuff.”

Little Women- “I’m just a Woman” by Florence Pugh. 

Amy has no real way of earning money of her own, and even the children that she will grow, birth and care for won’t be hers. Everything in her life will become the property of a man, and she is not oblivious to that, as she powerfully yet matter-of-factly explains. With that, Laurie is unable to come up with a convincing counterargument, and the facts of being a woman in the 19th century hang in the air. So powerful.  

“Well. I’m not a poet, I’m just a woman. And as a woman I have no way to make money, not enough to earn a living and support my family. Even if I had my own money, which I don’t, it would belong to my husband the minute we were married. If we had children they would belong to him, not me. They would be his property. So don’t sit there and tell me that marriage isn’t an economic proposition, because it is. It may not be for you but it most certainly is for me.”

The eternal bisexual dilemma, this scene with Amy March (Florence Pugh) and Laurie (Timothee Chalamet) is one of the most memorable in Greta Gerwig’s beautiful 2020 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel Little Women. Amy’s monologue comes during a discussion with Laurie about marriage and the freedom (or lack thereof) she has about with whom she spends her life, as he questions her motivations for wanting to marry rich. Whilst Alcott’s original work forced a sense of reading between the lines, the 2020 adaptation allows Amy to explore how she truly feels- marriage is an economic exchange, and her life may as well be better for it if possible. 

Hidden Figures- “There are no bathrooms for me” by Taraji P. Henson

Hidden Figures (2017) is based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly, and tells the story of three brilliant mathematicians — Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) — who worked as “human computers” in the all-black “West Computing” group of NASA’s Langley research lab in Hampton, Virginia, in the late 1950s and ’60s. 

This monologue, part of perhaps one of the most memorable scenes within the film, comes after Katherine is reprimanded by her boss for taking long breaks every day. 

Katherine is forced to walk half a mile from her desk across the NASA campus to use the “colored” women’s restroom after being transferred to a building with mostly white male physicists in which none of the bathrooms are open to her. The scene is a powerful reminder of the everyday barriers black women faced in the workplace, and the racism that for so many was a normalised part of their experience. 

“I worried people would think this was the craziest story line, but for me it represented both racism and being a woman,” Co-screenwriter Allison Schroeder explains.“Because of course the guys don’t realise what’s going on. [Harrison’s] not an outright villain, he’s just oblivious, and it would never occur to him in a million years that she didn’t have a ladies’ room.” 

“Where the hell have you been? Everywhere I look you’re not where I need you to be. It’s not my imagination, now where the hell do you go everyday?”

“There’s no bathroom for me here. There are no colored bathrooms in this building. Or any building outside the West Campus, which is half a mile away. Did you know that? I have to walk to Timbuktu just to relieve myself. And I can’t use one of the handy bikes. Picture that, Mr. Harrison. My uniform. Skirt below my knees, my heels, and a simple string of pearls. Well, I don’t own pearls. Lord knows you don’t pay coloreds enough to afford pearls! And I work like a dog, day and night, living off of coffee from a pot none of you wanna touch. So, excuse me if I have to go to the restroom a few times a day.”

Breaking Bad- “Ever Since I Met You” by Aaron Paul

Unpopular opinion: Breaking Bad is actually a tragedy, not a crime thriller, and Jesse Pinkman deserved better. 

Breaking Bad is packed full of incredible one liners, monologues and incredible screenwriting, and Season 3, Episode 7 is no exception. We see Jesse Pinkman deliver his powerful and emotional “Ever Since I Met You’ speech to Walt from his hospital bed, after he being beaten by Walt’s brother-in-law Hank Schrader after Walt set Jesse up to cover his own lies, deceit and at this point ridiculously outlandish crimes- talk about a guy that simply doesn’t know when to call things quits. 

Jesse is one of the only loveable characters in the otherwise chaotic, emotional and turbulent series, and the numerous times we see him try to better himself and his life for those around him, only to find himself in the gutter feels like a punch in the guts for viewers. This scene is just one example of the incredible acting and character development we see for Jesse across the 5 seasons of Breaking Bad, with actor Aaron Paul himself suggesting this pivotal monologue in particular is one to rewatch before delving into the later released Breaking Bad movie, El Camino.

It might be old news, but it’s still a series like no other.

“I am not turning down the money! I am turning down you! You get it? I want NOTHING to do with you! Ever since I met you, everything I ever cared about is gone! Ruined, turned to shit, dead, ever since I hooked up with the great Heisenberg! I have never been more alone! I HAVE NOTHING! NO ONE! ALRIGHT, IT’S ALL GONE, GET IT? No, no, no, why… why would you get it? What do you even care, as long as you get what you want, right? You don’t give a shit about me! You said I was no good. I’m nothing! Why would you want me, huh? You said my meth is inferior, right? Right? Hey! You said my cook was GARBAGE! Hey, screw you, man! Screw you!

Call Me By Your Name- “And I’ll Say One More Thing” by Michael Stuhlbarg

So. Many. Tears.Call Me By Your Name still has us in a chokehold 5 years after its cinematic release, from the tranquil, dreamlike cinematography to the beautiful, complicated love story of 17 year old Elio and 24 year old Oliver over the summer of 1988 in Northern Italy. There are too many intimate, mesmerising moments to count in the 2017 adaption of the 2007 book of the same title, but perhaps the most moving and memorable scene comes at the end of the film after Elio finds out Oliver is engaged, and sits down with his father who offer some words of comfort and wisdom. 

The powerful monologue shows unconditional parental love in its truest form, and both audience and Elio alike breath a sigh of relief after a summer of secrecy and squashed expression can come to an end. His father’s words of wisdom explore the idea of pain and love coexisting alongside one another, and for anyone that has experienced allconsuming and at times nauseating love- perhaps intensified when the love feels forbidden- Elio’s father seems to understand it perfectly. The gentleness with which his father validates his pain, and the wisdom and care he shows in this quiet yet no doubt life changing moment cannot be understated. 10/10 beautiful. 

“When you least expect it, nature has cunning ways of finding our weakest spot. Just remember I’m here. Right now, you may not want to feel anything. Maybe you’ll never want to feel anything. And, maybe it’s not to me you want to speak about these things, but I feel something you obviously did.

Look, you had a beautiful friendship. Maybe more than a friendship. And I envy you.

In my place, most parents would hope the whole thing goes away, or pray that their sons land on their feet. But I am not such a parent. We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster that we go bankrupt by the age of 30 and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to make yourself feel nothing so as not to feel anything—what a waste!

And I’ll say one more thing… it’ll clear the air. I may have come close, but I never have what you two have. Something always held me back or stood in the way. How you live your life is your business. Just remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once, and before you know it, your heart’s worn out. And as for your body, there comes a point when no one looks at it, much less wants to come near it. Right now, there’s sorrow, pain; don’t kill it, and with it, the joy you’ve felt.”

Bohemian Rhapsody- “Before you leave, can I have a second?”. By Rami Malek

Bringing to life the story of Queen and the one and only legend that is Freddie Mercury is no mean feat, but the 2018 release of Bohemian Rhapsody starring Rami Malek does a damn good job of it. There are plenty of emotional and memorable scenes throughout the film, but perhaps the most moving is the moment Freddie tells his fellow bandmates about his AIDS diagnosis, with a mix of matter-of-fact honesty and a sprinkling of humour and determination that remind us just how special Mr Mercury was.

The scene comes near the end of the film, and is shortly followed by the band’s legendary Live Aid performance- a moment so moving it really needs no explanation. No matter how well you think you know Freddie’s story, there won’t be a dry tear in the house if you’ve somehow yet to watch the mesmerising tale of Queen brought to life. 

“If any of you fuss about it or frown about it, or worst of all, if you bore me with your sympathy, that’s just seconds wasted. Seconds that could be used making music, which is all I want to do with the time I have left. I don’t have time to be anybody’s victim, AIDS poster boy or cautionary tale. No, I decide who I am. I’m going to be what I was born to be: a performer that gives the people what they want: a touch of the heavens! Freddie fucking Mercury.”

Bali, Berlin, New York or The Netherlands- the choice is yours. Travel season is here and despite the constant cancelled flight scares and do-you-or-don’t-you-have-Covid before flying, excitement levels are high! 

Whilst at one time your dinner and beachside looks were the centre of attention, the humble airport outfit has since taken centre stage as the first of many important decisions to make on your travels (next being if you order a beer or Prosecco at Wetherspoons pre flight). 

Influencers from Sarah Ashcroft to Molly-Mae Hague have set the standards high, but the truth is: comfort is still the number one priority. Breezy, thin and breathable layers are best, with leggings or joggers taking top spot as the bottom half option of choice. Throw a linen shirt over a crop top, chuck some extra thick socks in your tote, download your fave playlist and boom, prepare for warmer climates and Piña Coladas on tap!

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Pass the Pimms, it’s BBQ season! If you’re a sucker for spontaneity then you’re in luck because ’tis the season for “pub?” texts and long, drawn-out nights in the beer garden. Two years on from the dreaded panini, nature has been restored.

For those lucky enough to have a garden or with friends who’s outdoor space you can comfortably invite yourself to, the months for the humble BBQ are well and truly here. With a sprinkling of showers to keep us on our toes (oh England), there’s no time like the present to chuck some Linda McCartney Mozzarella Burgers on the barbie and wonder whether the chives in your potato salad count as one of your five a day.

To keep the vibes vibing and the good times rolling, may we introduce the creme de la creme of summer playlists- Certified Bops: BBQ Edition. With bangers from ABBA, Taylor Swift, Doja Cat and Lily Allen, consider this your no-skip soundtrack to the summer.

From taking 3-5 working days to recover from Stranger Things Season 4 Volume II to unapologetically planning your life around Love Island, here’s 20 things to do in July. 

1. Pitch up a tent in your back garden just to feel something. Those Glasto blues have hit you hard. This time last week you were living off cider, glitter and crisps. You are a shell of humanity and everyone will hear about it. 

2. Walk into your group gym class and break into an immediate sweat when you realise you’re one of only *two* people to show up… because it’s sunny. Send help. 

3. Celebrate Percy Pig turning the big 30 the only way you know how… by hoovering an inappropriate amount of gummies until you grow a curly tail of your own and snort, burp, sneeze and fart all at the same time. It’s all downhill from here, Percy pal. 

4. Play Kate Bush on repeat. It’s a need.  

5. Hyperventilate when your life turns Upside Down again due to Stranger Things Volume II and pray that Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington lives to tell the tale of slaying Vecna.

6. Disguise yourself as a tree just to get into Hyde Park to see Adele without paying £400 a ticket. Go easyyyyy on me

7. Feel personally victimised by pollen. Struggling to speak, breathe or open your eyes right now.  

8. Watch Love Island and get heavily invested in the girls and their salon experiences. Ahem. 

9. Have your first sea swim of the year. It’s lovely once you’re in. 

10. Suddenly become a tennis extraordinaire just for Wimbledon, what does love mean again?

11. See if the food that normally hurts your stomach still hurts your stomach today. What in the internal shower is going on here?!

12. Try and motivate yourself to fake tan. You *never * miss a workout. 

13. Tell your friends not to invite you anywhere till the cost of living goes down. 

14. Consider cancelling that road trip. You can barely afford the journey from pump 2 to pump 3. 

15. Buy every bastard Kopparberg you can find. It’s 34 degrees babyyy. 

16. Watch Where the Crawdads Sing. We stan Daisy Edgar Jones. 

17. Master your corporate laugh whilst being positively bedevilled with Microsoft Teams meetings. 

18. Calculate how much your boss owes you for being the highlight of everyone’s day. 

19. Reward yourself with 3 ice coffees a day. Treating yourself is in the fine print of the introvert contract. 

20. Wear deodorant on your thighs and talc your tits. Not everybody fits in the bad bitch genre. It’s a genre. 

If luck’s on your side, living with strangers turns out to be the best serendipitous experience ever. You’re thrown together and as fate would have it, you’re inseparable, these are your people. You are the chosen ones, living your best Everything I Know About Love lives. 

But for the poor unfortunate souls cooped up with the flatmate who will no doubt be the subject of a viral docu-series in years to come, home isn’t always sweet. 

Whether you’ve lived in halls and survived to tell the tale, shared a house or you’re *still* trying to lose the gaming addict housemate who ordered adult nappies to the gaff so he didn’t have to use the toilet… chances are you’ll be able to relate to a few of these hardcore horror stories. 

From horrendous hygiene to twisted toilet habits, here’s some DISGUSTIN’ anecdotes that’ll make you thankful for that housemate doing a naked lunge in the lounge. You might want to give Spare Room a wide berth after reading this lot. In a bit, roomie! 

1.     I had one who would steal people’s dishes if they hadn’t washed theirs up within the hour. He’d wash them up, then hide them under his bed in his room. We just noticed things disappearing slowly. SO WEIRD. I almost invoiced him for my stolen plates.

2.     Mine was so drunk he forgot to turn off the tap and caused a flood at the neighbours.

3.     Found litres of piss in bottles in their room – the bathroom was right next to their room.

Refused to buy hand soap and toilet roll because she ‘didn’t use it’ a week later she got pink eye.

5.     Flatmate going through the packaging in a bin to snoop on the beauty products I bought. Then copying all the food and beauty products I used!

6.     We had a lodger who hid a snake in her room.

7.     One had sex in the kitchen with people in the house.

8.     She decided she was doing a season in Ibiza so sublet her room on Airbnb for £25 a night. Broke the news to us by saying we have a 40yo man from Sri Lanka coming to stay with us…

9.     I had one who became BFFs with my bf’s ex which was fun… she would always come over and hang out in the room next to my bedroom. So odd!

10.  Stalked a professional footballer and terminated our apartment when we asked her to stop.

11.  Came home one night to find the whole flat ankle-deep in glitter…

12.  Lived with all boys, shower got blocked from too much jizz (which isn’t’ water-soluble).

13.  My uni flatmate threw her spaghetti at the wall to see if it was cooked. Unnecessary. 

14.  ALWAYS flossed teeth in the living room. Bits pinged everywhere!

15.  My ex housemate got so drunk she shat herself on MY SOFA and went to bed without cleaning.

16.  Set the corridor on fire at uni in the middle of the night. Woke up to ‘fire’! Got put out quickly though.

17.  A girl I used to live with flushed leftover food down the loo.

Someone made a hole in their milk and put a combination lock through it. 

19.  The guy that refused to use bedding as it was more ‘hygenic’ (his words) to sleep directly on the mattress, which you could smell from the outside of his room with the door closed…

20.  The girl who told us she could smell carbon monoxide leaking in our kitchen. She kept calling out the engineers who obviously couldn’t find any and left it to us to pay for it / deal with it. 

21.  The girl who stored rubbish behind all her furniture. We didn’t find it until after she’d moved out and the letting agent had to investigate her room.

22.  A guy went on an absolute bender and broke all of our kitchen chairs alone in the middle of the night, woke up in the middle of all the smashed wood with no memory of it.

Caught my old flatmate cooking hotdogs by boiling them in the shared kettle. I had a ‘bedroom kettle’ after that.

24.  Put laundry in the washer/dryer for 9 hours when they work from home and I don’t.

25.  We lived with this girl who had a wild bender with two blokes. The following morning, I was in the kitchen making myself a cup of tea when out pops this bloke from my friend’s room (she was away at the time). He waltzed into the kitchen and even asked for a coffee. I was like, erm hello who are you and why are you in my friend’s room? He continued to tell me how he’d shagged the girl all over the place. She had her own filthy room so obviously chose to pretend G’s room was hers! I had to break it to G but the girl denied it. From that day forward the battle was on to get her out. I also caught her out in London wearing my jeans!

26.  Uni flatmate hoarded old takeaways in bin bags in his room. THE SMELL.

27.  My flatmate screamed in her sleep and told our landlord someone kidnapped her. I was terrified, she had the Samara vibe with her hair and would stand in the hallway. She also slept with her coat on. I didn’t even ask…

28.  Uni flatmate never washed his baking tray. Just dipped it in water to rinse off. He cooked pizza and chicken nuggets on that tray pretty much every night for a year.

29.  They blocked the loo so pooped in a bag. I left the house share after that.

30.  Came home to find my two flatmates in the heat of a bowel movement. One was squatting over the glass oven door shitting. The other one was underneath watching…

Walked in on him with a girl in my living room. He texted me to join them. I didn’t respond. He moved out the next day without saying anything.

32.  She kept accusing me of eating her Super Noodles even though I wasn’t. When I was out with friends, she would text me saying ‘stop eating my Super Noodles’. Even if I was, it was like 50p a pack. Come on!

33.  We lived with a French/English duo (couple) in a two-bed flat in London for a year. Started out okay, but it was clear within the first fortnight it was going to be awful. Regularly left washing in the machine then hung out days later just thrown on the clothes aired in a heap – proceeded to complain nothing ever dried in the flat. Up at 5am running through the hall before slamming the door to go to CrossFit. We went away for a few days, came home to every plate/bowl/cutlery dirty on the bench. Put a carpet cutting in the washing machine and clogged it. I had to buy a new one as it was not repairable. Never cleaned at all and stole all the teaspoons and left them at work/on the train or whatever. 

34.  The time I came back from a trip and found stains on my actual mattress and pillow case after stripping my bedding because I knew she was letting people sleep in my room and lying about it- in the summer of 2020 pandemic madness no less.

35.  That time she denied me of a desk when I had to work from home during the pandemic because it didn’t go with her living room aesthetic.

36.  I went to pick up a prescription for my old housemate who had been in hospital despite being unwell myself, only to come back and find her getting ready to go to a house party, during lockdown. The audacity. 

37.  I lived with a guy who had a different woman round every night. And a girlfriend…

38.  Housemate bought her dog round while on its period. Leaked all over the house and she didn’t care.

39.  I lived with someone addicted to cereal. At one point they had 32 boxes. Took up the whole kitchen!

40.  Moved in with two uni mates who turned out to be a secret couple and ket addicts. House was like a squat. I tried to confront them about cleaning and he started fingering her until I left. They also dropped a bottle of voddy on the floor and licked it off so it didn’t go to waste. 

Night one of freshers, treated myself to a one night stand. Turned out to be my new uni flatmate.

42.  He once came home at 3am with his boss who wanted to order coke and prostitutes to our house.

43.  He stripped and settled down to sleep on the doorstep after he lost his key on a night out.

44.  Mid-revision everyone was stressed, my flatmate blocked the loo and it started flooding shitty water. She walked out the house and didn’t tell us anything. We only realised when we needed a wee. We spent hours clearing up her literal shit. Turns out she didn’t like “talking about poo.”

45.  My flatmate urinated in her flatmate’s shampoo because she flirted with her bf.

46.  Left pulled pork in his slow cooker for MONTHS. Mould was growing out from under the lid. I’m incredibly stubborn and forbade my boyfriend from cleaning it, it wasn’t ours to clean. We insisted they clean it and still nothing. Eventually, the landlords were selling the flat and so we had some viewings – unsuitable for a rotting slow cooker, almost resembling their bedroom. The viewings prompted them to clean their room and I decided to put the slow cooker in their room as a not so subtle hint. This didn’t result in the slow cooker being cleaned, but placed at the end of the bed and covered in a Blanket and teddies like some sick end table.

47.  One of my housemate’s friends ate our goldfish.

I once had a flatmate who used to steal my clothes from the washing machine and then wear them around the house without any shame.

49.  We had a live-in landlord. She was the WORST. We left after three months. She wouldn’t let us have the heating on, so I’d sit with a coat and gloves in bed working whilst seeing my breath, and she would pretend the wifi was down for some reason but in reality she just didn’t want us to have the password. The usual passive aggressive notes would be left around the flat, accusing us of tampering with the boiler because the prices had gone up. If we left anything unwashed in the kitchen whilst we were eating, we’d get a knock on the door telling us there would be ants if we didn’t go and wash up right away. All in all, a horrible experience and I never wanted to leave my room for fear of bumping into her

50.  Context: we’re 8 people living on the 2nd and 3th floor of a big house) woke up early to go to uni, walked out of my room and the floor had blood splatters and smears all over. Got super scared but also concerned for my flatmates. Followed the blood downstairs. There were drops and bigger stains on the stairs all the way to the ground floor but there were also some leading into our shared kitchen. On the (white!) kitchen floor, there was a really big puddle of blood and more smeared blood all over. And also (plot twist) an extinguisher in the middle of all of it, which really gave me the creeps. All my flatmates were still asleep, so I woke them up to check on them and it wasn’t until we knocked on the last door that we found the bleeding one. He was deep asleep in his bed, partly also soaked in blood. Apparently he got in a drunk fight with a bike (no human involved) and injured his foot and hand.. not broken or anything just a very bloody mess.

The female gaze: A feminist theory term representing the gaze of the female spectator, character or director of an artistic work. The female gaze is not about banning sex, desire and fantasies, but about showing that these can exist without objectification.

Meet Libby Cooper, 19-year-old nude photographer and creator of the Born To Be Nude project- a series dedicated to creating a safe space to celebrate nudity without being sexualised. Libby’s art aims to change the narrative surrounding nudity, creating a raw and realistic portrayal of the human body. 

As well as taking inspiration from renaissance imagery, Libby strives to reclaim it with a female gaze and works mostly within nature, partly because of its unpredictability- the natural lighting and the adventure of finding locations are some of the many joys in her process.

“Before I was a nude photographer, I was a music photographer capturing gigs and festivals, and then all of a sudden we were in a lockdown. There were no festivals or gigs to photograph and I felt so low and creatively unfulfilled. No matter what I tried to create at home nothing was the same as going out and working with other people. So I decided to start planning a project as soon as I could get out of lockdown and work with people again, thus came my project Born To Be Nude. I knew I really wanted to create something unusual and completely different to the work I had previously made. The first nude shoot I did was in Morden Hall park, with an incredible woman named Dami. After that shoot I never looked back at music photography- the passion I felt for the work I had just created was unlike any I had felt before. 

“A big part of photographing models nude is having an understanding that being naked on camera is one of the most vulnerable states you can be in, so it’s important to treat it as such. I often leave my shoots having made a new friend, which is something I absolutely love about my job. 

“I mostly find my subjects by sharing a call out for something quite random like “looking for a model, happy to photograph nude with snails”, or “I am also looking for someone with pet snails” and people will message you from there! If people have a particular idea in mind and they want my help capturing it, there’s also the option to book a shoot via my website.

“Finding a suitable location is one of the hardest things about the series- it needs to be quiet and secluded and yet also have gorgeous scenery! Often we will go really early in the morning or visit a quieter place in general. The earliest I have gotten up for a nude shoot so far is 4am (a nude shoot in Lewes on a walking path). I have had dog walkers walk through in a few shoots, but people don’t seem to care. Either they’re curious and want to know what you’re making, or are so British that they pretend they haven’t seen anything! 

“I’ve had such a mixture of feedback from the Born To Be Nude project, but definitely more positive! I was not expecting this project to grow into what it has, and I still can’t believe it. I get such incredibly kind messages and opportunities, just like this one! I also get the odd message from an incel or two, which I have learnt to laugh at! 

“My friend Ciara was the first person to point out that my photographs present nudity without sexualising it. It blew my mind- that something I had created had resonated with someone beyond what I saw as myself. From there I’ve found more meaning in my work, and I feel as though I grew as a photographer. For me, a lot of this comes down to my intentions. Because of how I conduct the shoots, the intent actualises itself, as I’m photographing the model through the viewpoint of celebrating all different types of bodies! I want the models to see themselves presented in a comfortable, natural, and serene context, and from a perspective they might not usually see. 

“I am heavily inspired by renaissance imagery, however I aim to reclaim it through a female gaze. I am also heavily inspired by nature, which I think resonates in my work. 

“Covid impacted my work in the best way imaginable, I found my style, and the work I truly love to create. Whilst it was one of the hardest and unhappiest periods of my life, I will always be grateful that it gave me a moment to stop and realise that I didn’t love music photography. 

“The most annoying part of being a nude photographer is the online censorship- it’s extremely unfair. I actually recently lost my account due to ‘violating community guidelines’, even though I always make sure to censor correctly, as I want my work to be shared!

I feel as though there should either be no censorship, or everyone has to follow this censorship, not just women.”

You can find Liberty on Instagram at @shotbyliberty or view more of her work on her website www.shotbyliberty.com. 

Choosing a fragrance- perhaps one of the most personal selections you can make when it comes to stepping out of the door and presenting yourself in a way that feels like ‘you’. Arguably more memorable than your outfit choice or new red lip, a fragrance reaches everyone around you differently, leaving a lasting impression and even triggering old memories upon smelling it again- it’s safe to say, scent matters.

Signature scent: a fragrance one always wears, so much so that it comes to represent them.

Perfume is as personal as it gets and technically speaking, this is proven to be true too. Did you know that your unique skin chemistry mixes with the top, middle/heart, and base notes of every scent, meaning that the same perfume can smell different from person to person? 

Your choice of scent is one that those around you will come to associate with you, helping you make lasting first impressions and even acquire compliments aplenty- without sounding dramatic, it’s worth the trials and tribulations of finding ‘the one’ in the world of fragrance.

If you have the tendency to flit between a selection of scents without ever finding one you’re always drawn back to, may we suggest you keep reading to discover 50 perfumes that have held the top spot in the hearts of many and thus secured their ‘Signature Scent’ kudos – no mean feat! 

1. Le Labo, Santal 33 – it makes me feel like the rich aunt I aspire to be.

2. Jo Malone, Honeysuckle & Davana – I’d been searching for a signature scent for a while and I picked this one up at the airport and I have to say, I’m already in love! I think I’ll be married to this one for a while.

3. Chloe, Roses De Chloe – it’s super long-wearing and rose is one of my favourite scents! I honestly think I’ll wear it forever.

4. Jo Malone, English Pear and Freesia – because it reminds me of my wedding day.

5. Chanel, Coco Mademoiselle – it was my first Chanel perfume and I’ve been hooked ever since!

6. Chanel, Allure – I have this indescribable feeling that it somehow smells like my personality. Daft I’m sure, but it’s as good enough a reason as any. 

7. Frederic Malle, Portrait of a Lady – Because it’s dramatic, a bit chaotic and you don’t forget it easily.

8. Hugo Boss, Red – it’s the perfect balance between feminine and masculine.

9. Coach, Woman Eau de Parfum – it reminds me of a beautiful time of my life. 

10. Jo Malone, Wood, Sage and Sea Salt – because Sandalwood.

11. Jennifer Lopez, Live Eau de Parfum – it always reminds me of the summer when I’d just graduated and was just living my best life stress-free! Done with education not yet ready to worry about work.

12. Floral Street, Arizona Bloom – it reminds me of summer. 

13. Yves Saint Laurent, Libre – it’s a memorable scent and I’ve had some of my best memories wearing it! Keep it for special occasions and nights out.

14. Lush, Fairy Dust – it puts me in a good mood and I feel fresh wearing it.

15. Gucci, Bloom – it’s classy, fresh, smells like flowers and I’m not sure why but I feel like it fits my personality.

16. Marc Jacobs, Daisy – because it’s a classic!

17. Twilly d’Hermès Eau de Parfum – not too strong, not too sweet, just perfect!

18. Lancôme – Trésor Midnight Rose – it was my first ‘grown-up’ perfume and I’ve been wearing it ever since.

19. One Direction, That Moment – simply because it’s the only perfume I’ve used in 5+ years.

20. Yves Saint Laurent, Black Opium – best smell in the world! 

21. Litoralle Aromatica, Isola Rosa – I’m drawn to hazy rose scents, this one is fresh and a little bit sweet too – it makes me think of the phrase ‘life through rose tinted spectacles’. I used to think it was a negative thing, an insult even, but I think it can be a very magic lens to experience things through. I think when you’re a grown up that rosy lens fades sometimes and when you find it, you just want to hold on to that way of seeing things.

22. Dolce and Gabbana, Light Blue – I love citrus and woody scents so I can’t get enough of this one!

23. Mugler, Angel – smells like my favourite memories with my mum. 

24. Taylor Swift, Wonderstruck – it’s so perfect for every day but it’s been discontinued.

25. Glossier, You – simple, clean, fresh, sexy.

26. Chanel, Coco Mademoiselle – perfect for every occasion and doesn’t give me a headache.

27. Guess, Seductive – you can wear it for every occasion and outing!

28. Yves Saint Laurent, Cinema – I bought my first bottle on holiday when I was 15 and now it smells like sunshine to me.

29. Billie Eilish, Eilish Eau De Parfum– it’s really sweet and the scent stays on me for hours and hours.

30. Jo Malone, Peony and Blush Suede – the scent is discreet yet amazing.

31. Aerin, Amber Musk – my wedding perfume.

32. Yves Saint Laurent, Black Opium – it makes me feel confident.

33. Chanel, Chance – for some reason it must just work for me, I always get compliments.

34. Dior, Miss Dior – it’s a soft but sweet floral scent that reminds me of cottages and fresh flower picking.

35. Zara, Gardenia – just so lovely and a nice balance of vanilla and floral.

36. Dolce and Gabanna, Light Blue – it reminds me of summers when I was a teenager.

37. Glossier, You – it’s not an overwhelming scent and is so neutral that everyone loves it.

38. Joop-Le Bain – because it smells like a warm and cosy day during winter.

39. Giorgio Armani, Si – it works during all seasons and I get so many compliments when I wear it.

40. Lancôme, Poême – I love its uniqueness and I don’t know anyone else that wears it.

41. Armani, Si Passion – it reminds me of good memories and was a gift from my aunt.

42. Bath and Body Works, Gingham – the scent just represents me!

43. Lush, Lord of Misrule – the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.

44. Lancôme, La Vie Est Belle Eau de Parfum – warm without being a ‘winter’ scent.

45. Victoria’s Secret, Bombshell – makes me feel sexy and feminine.

46. Jo Malone, Cardamom and Mimosa – the scent brings me so much joy!

47. Lancôme,  La Vie Est Belle Eau de Parfum – a gift from my mum. Three generations have bonded over this perfume, my daughter will be the fourth. 

48.  Le Labo, Another 13 – hypnotic and lasts till the next day.

49. Maison Margiela, Replica By The Fireplace – it smells expensive and sophisticated but is perfect for day and night. The only scent I take on trips with me!

50. BYREDO, Slow Dance – romantic, sexy and hypnotic- what’s not to love?!

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