Review: The Shark FlexStyle is the best Dyson Airwrap dupe
We’ve tried the Shark FlexStyle and the Dyson Airwrap, and for us, Shark is the clear winner in this battle of the multi-stylers.
UPDATE: Nov. 4, 2023, 5:00 a.m. EDT This review has been updated to include the latest pricing tiers of the Shark FlexStyle, as well as information on new attachments for the FlexStyle and Dyson Airwrap.
Revlon One-Step, your reign is over. There’s a new Dyson Airwrap dupe in town, and it’s the best we’ve ever seen — the Shark FlexStyle.
You’ve likely seen the FlexStyle on your For You page, and noticed that unlike pretty much every other dupe out there, it actually looks like the Airwrap. It has a wand base and several interchangeable styling heads, including Coanda tech-powered curling barrels — you know, the ones that magically wrap your hair around the barrel without a hitch.
The resemblances aren’t just in its appearance. I’ve throughly tested both products, and at the end of the day, the performance is nearly indistinguishable. If anything, the Shark offers a few new features that make me reach for it more.
Factoring in its $279 starting price point, the Shark goes beyond being a gold-standard dupe. It’s an excellent copy for less than half the price and it outperforms the original.
All of the available Shark FlexStyle configurations
The internet loves a good tear down of anything popular, so I get you’re probably itching to see me hate on the Airwrap. But before we get into any major comparisons, let’s go over what you’re actually getting with the Shark.
Really, it depends on what configuration you pick up. Here’s what’s available:
-
Coming in at the cheapest price point is the build-your-own option, which you can get exclusively from Shark’s website. You’ll spend $279.99 to choose any three out of the ten available accessories, including a storage case (the two directional curling barrels count as one attachment). When the FlexStyle first came out, there were only six available attachments to choose from.
-
The next configuration will set you back $299.99 from Amazon and Best Buy. The first option includes two 1.25-inch curling attachments, the oval brush, the paddle brush, and the styling concentrator. For people with straight or slightly wavy hair, this is a great pick. If you have wavier or curlier hair, the second option includes all of the above, but swaps the paddle brush for a diffuser. If you remember this bundle being a little cheaper at one point, you’re right — this used to be the most affordable version of the FlexStyle, retailing for just $269.99 at the aforementioned retailers. This configuration has always been $300 on Shark’s website.
I received the wavy hair system, plus the paddle brush to test out.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
When the FlexStyle was first released, these were the only two available configurations. These days, they have a few more kits and color options, including:
-
The Shark FlexStyle Ultimate Six-Piece Accessory pack, which retails for $319.99 and comes with two 1.25-inch curling barrels, a paddle brush, an oval brush, a styling concentrator, and a diffuser. Basically, it combines the curly and straight hair FlexStyle offerings.
-
The Shark FlexStyle FrizzFighter Finishing Tool Limited Edition Gift Set is available for the 2023 holiday season, retailing for $349.99 and bringing with it the latest FrizzFighter attachment (more on that below). It also comes with two 1.25-inch curling barrels, two 0.95-inch curling barrels, the styling concentrator, a storage case, and four alligator clips.
-
Finally, Shark has recently introduced three additional color options, including Malibu pink, lilac frost, and copper for the Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System Limited Edition Ultimate Gift Set, which also retails for $349.99. Attachment-wise, you’ll get the same situation as the six-piece accessory pack (again that’s two 1.25-inch curling barrels, a paddle brush, an oval brush, a styling concentrator, and a diffuser), plus a large storage case that on its own, retails for $49.99. Overall, that saves you $20 if you were to buy the six-piece set and a case separately.
Shark sent me the wavy hair system to test, but also included the paddle brush on the side. The only attachment I didn’t receive was the then newly-released wide-tooth comb, but I don’t have the hair texture to properly test it anyway. Bought separately, each of the individual attachments will run you $29.95.
Still in the testing pipeline is the newest FrizzFighter Finishing Tool (which very much resembles a Dyson Supersonic attachment) and the 0.95-inch Auto-Wrap curlers, which both retail for $29.99 a piece.
Shark also sends along a little booklet of how to use each attachment, with recommendations for the heat and air settings.
Unlike the Airwrap, you can also use the FlexStyle attachment-free, thanks to the base’s ability to swivel and basically replicate the experience of a standard hair dryer. I packed the base by itself for a wedding I was in, and it was way less bulky in my bag than any travel hair dryer has ever been.
The value of the Shark FlexStyle versus the Dyson Airwrap
Now that the comparisons to the Dyson have begun in earnest, let’s get down to what really matters — the price.
As a refresher, the Airwrap will run you $600 for six attachments, including two different sized curling barrels, a smoothing dryer attachment, two smoothing brushes, and a round volumizing brush. Any additional attachments will cost you $40 each, but Dyson does have more options overall.
Breaking it down solely by the number of attachments, that’s roughly $100 per attachment, and I can’t say each one justifies its spot (looking at you, firm smoothing brush and soft smoothing brush).
The non-customizable FlexStyle, on the other hand, comes with four attachments, but as I mentioned above, can function as a dryer sans attachment. Therefore, you have five styling options for $299.99, which breaks down to about $60 per attachment. Even without the built-in drying, you’re still paying about $75 per attachment, putting you way below the Dyson.
If you opt for the cheapest $279.99 FlexStyle, which comes with three attachments of your choosing, you’ll get a little less bang for your buck, at $70 per attachment if you factor in the base as a dryer, and $93.33 if you don’t — still cheaper than the Airwrap.
Minus a few differences, the attachments offered are nearly a one-to-one.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
The discrepancy in cost doesn’t translate to a discrepancy in quality, either. The attachments performed almost identically, down to the curling attachment using Coanda air tech to pick up your hair for you. Both stylers have three heat settings, three fan speeds, and a cool shot button or switch.
The only other edge the Dyson has is its fancy carrying case, which I do prefer for storage over the box the Shark comes in. I just don’t prefer it for $330 more, especially since you can pick up a carrying case from Shark these days for $50 (or get it included, depending on which set you buy).
The Dyson case feels more polished, but not $330 more polished.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Attachments breakdown
When I was initially sent my sample of the FlexStyle, I tested it for a few weeks and used each attachment at least once, if not a few times.
I say initially because after I was done testing and in the process of writing this review, Shark informed me that they wanted to send me a newer sample with an updated ALCI plug that was meant to increase the lifespan and durability of the FlexStyle. The one I had been sent was a pre-release version sent to a limited number of consumers, and a Shark spokesperson reassured me that anyone with the “old” model was sent the updated version.
I say this for the sake of transparency, not because I noticed a difference at all in the FlexStyle’s performance. I retested each attachment with the new sample, again at least once if not multiple times for the same timespan. None of the attachments or the base as a standalone dryer performed differently, and all of the attachments clicked in to the base and stayed locked in without a hitch.
With all of that said, here’s how I found the experience of using each attachment that was sent to me. As I noted earlier in this review, I did not receive the new wide-tooth comb meant for coily and curly hair, nor could I have accurately tested it.
Auto-wrap curlers
When I reviewed the newest version of the Dyson Airwrap, I went on and on about how grateful I was to test the curling attachment that did not require switching barrels and was pretty dramatic about how detrimental that would’ve been to my minimal hair-styling patience.
Then, the FlexStyle arrived and I saw that Shark’s curlers are exactly like of the Airwrap’s first generation, which require you to switch barrels to switch directions of the curls. And you know that? This is one of those moments where I get to exhibit my maturity and admit that I was wrong. It was really not that big of a deal to switch out the curling wands mid-styling.
Don’t get me wrong, it meant that I pretty much stuck to the look of curls going one direction — away from my face — on either side of my head. However, what I realized with these curlers, and with hot air styled curls in general, is that on my hair, they look the best and frustrate me the least when I lean in to a more very loosely curled blown-out look. The more structured curl look that I can easily achieve with a curling wand simply does not last when using a hot air styler. (Allegedly, there are ways to get hot air styled curls to last, but they’ve never worked for me, and are frankly far too time consuming to be worth it.)
The curls looked decent right after styling.
Credit: Bethany Allard
Credit: Bethany Allard
But embracing more blown-out voluminous curls made me much happier with the results.
Credit: Bethany Allard
Credit: Bethany Allard
All this to say, I don’t think switch the direction of the curls makes that big a difference when you’re going for the loose curl look to add just a bit of dimension and volume. Plus, my loose curl method took less time and let me style on dry hair, which made me way more likely to reach for these attachments.
OK, last thing on the curlers and then we can move on — they don’t have a longer barrel version meant for longer hair, like those I tested with the Airwrap. Considering the ends of my hair are closer to the bottom of my back than my shoulders, I anticipated it might pose a problem, but once again, Shark proved me wrong. Sure, the hair wrapped around itself more, but I really didn’t find myself having to adjust section sizes. The wand was just at successful at grabbing my hair, and the style lasted for the same amount of time.
Styling concentrator
While I can’t say using the concentrator gave a vastly difference experience from the sans-attachment dry, it did get a lot of moisture out of my hair in under 15 minutes. I still had some frizz, but I rough dried my hair, so that was to be expected. While it’s probably the most redundant attachment since you don’t need it to rough dry your hair, I could see a more directed air flow having a time and place, especially if you pair it with a brush. It does score points for being super tiny and easy to store or pack.
It lowkey looks like a vacuum attachment, but the styling concentrator gets the job done.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Oval brush
My official tier ranking of hot air oval brushes I’ve tried is as follows: the Revlon One-Step, the second generation Airwrap, and then the Shark FlexStyle. It’s not that the FlexStyler’s brush was bad — I actually really liked the way my hair came out, and I’m usually not a huge fan of my hair without some defined waves or curls in it. I also liked that the barrel was larger than that of the Airwrap, as it felt like I could get more volume and movement in my hair.
My favorite part of my job is taking pictures of myself (but seriously, my hair looks good).
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
What got me was the way it felt using this attachment with the swivel part of the base. Working with a round brush to style your hair requires a decent bit of tension, and I could see and feel the base on the Shark moving ever so slightly. It was never enough to cause concern, but it was noticeable. Still, I really can’t complain that much. Working in sections from 80 percent dry hair, it only took me about 25 minutes to fully style my hair, and I loved the results.
Paddle brush
This was my personal least favorite attachment, mostly because again, not so much a fan of my hair straight. If you’re not really looking for a ton of volume, and want smooth sleek hair more than anything else, the paddle brush will be your best friend.
It was super easy to use, and didn’t yank or tug, which especially impressed me because I have perpetually knotty hair. I started from about 80 percent dry hair, though some sections were more damp than others, and was able to get perfectly straight and dry hair in 10 minutes.
Curl defining diffuser
My wavy hair and I were stoked to be sent a diffuser, and the Shark one did a great job.
Typically, I’ll use a diffuser to give an overall dry to my hair, then pixie diffuse — a technique where you let small sections of hair fall into the bowl of the diffuser, scrunch upward, and hold it into place for 15 to 30 seconds.
I’m currently in the process of testing the [Airwrap’s] new diffuser and how it compares to Shark’s. The lack of a Dyson diffuser was one of the factors that made it easy to declare the FlexStyle the superior hair tool, so we’ll have to wait and see if Shark’s diffuser holds up, and really and truly outdupes Dyson.
I’m not super precise, and I usually only go for whatever percent dry hides that fact that I washed my hair just before I went out in public in the middle of the afternoon. Though my process can lean on the haphazard side, I loved how much control this diffuser gave me in styling my hair. I could adjust the prongs to be long (Shark recommends this for roots/longer hair) or short (for shorter hair or ends). The long prongs make grabbing sections and actually holding it for pixie diffusing so simple.
The Shark FlexStyle versus my standard diffusing system.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Having that control not only made the process of styling more pleasant, but I think it actually gave me better results. For a fun, very un-scientific experiment, on one test I dried half my hair with the FlexStyle and the other half with my standard blow dryer and diffuser combo (a BabylissPro Nano Titanium and its matching diffuser). When I used the Shark, I had less trouble keeping sections in the bowl of the diffuser, which led to more defined waves. I noticed the longer prongs when getting into my root to dry with some lift. Most of all, I liked I could do the overall dry in dryer mode and then switch to wand mode for pixie diffusing.
No wand mode for the BabylissPro.
Credit: Bethany Allard
Credit: Bethany Allard
The timing was about the same, and again the results weren’t that different, but it made me, a devout air dryee, actually want to pull out a blow dryer more.
For a long time, the mere existence of a diffuser gave Shark a huge edge over Dyson — but those days are over. In fall 2023, Dyson released its Airwrap for curly and coily hair, which included a much-awaited diffuser attachment. At the time of writing, Dyson doesn’t sell the attachment separately, but according to a spokesperson, it will be available on its own this fall for $39.99.
I’m currently in the process of testing the new diffuser and how it compares to Shark’s. The lack of a Dyson diffuser was one of the factors that made it easy to declare the FlexStyle the superior hair tool, so we’ll have to wait and see if Shark’s diffuser holds up, and really and truly out-dupes Dyson.
Though I still needed to go in with a hair oil to calm the frizz, the left side (styled by the FlexStyle) had noticeably more defined waves than the right (styled by my usual dryer).
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
More praise for the overall design
The Shark’s base is a bit bigger than the Dyson’s, but honestly both are kind of surprisingly big when you first pull them out of the box. Considering you can twist the Shark, the extra inch and a half or so made sense.
Weight-wise, the Dyson is ever so slightly lighter, with only 24 ounces on Shark’s 24.64 ounces. I could tell a difference when I held both wands in either hand, but when I was styling, I didn’t think twice about it.
One smaller change that Shark made that I especially appreciated was flattening the barrel of the base where the power switch, air, and temperature buttons were located. It made it super easy to hit the cold shot button without looking, or changing the air speed when I was diffusing my hair.
The flat side of the wand makes it easy to locate the buttons without looking.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Is the Shark FlexStyle worth it?
Much like the Airwrap, the FlexStyle is not an absolute essential hair styling tool, especially if you already own a blow dryer and some hot tools.
However, if you’re looking to switch to hot air styling to help your hair out for regular styling, the FlexStyle is 100 percent worth it. Admittedly, I am someone who would much rather put more effort into their makeup than hair, but I found myself wanting to style my hair more often with the FlexStyle.
Though it has some minor flaws, at $280, those are much easier to look past than those of the Airwrap. Between the FlexStyle and the Airwrap, it’s hard for me to imagine a reason why you’d opt for the latter unless you’re into big purchases for the sake of big purchases, or if you’re especially loyal to Dyson. But if neither of those apply to you, then there’s a better vacuum company making hair tech to throw a significantly smaller amount of your money behind.
5 AI-powered tech gifts that are actually fun — and productive
As the holiday season approaches, I, like everyone else with the means and mental bandwidth, am brainstorming what to get the loved ones in my life. Or rather, […]
10 editor-tested travel gifts for frequent fliers in 2023
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been traveling a lot this year. In fact, I’ve been back to my 2019 levels of travel, which has been a […]
Boys World reveal their internet obsessions: Bada Lee, manifestation, Petra Collins, and more
Girl group Boys World shares their latest obsessions, including Bada Lee, Petra Collins, perfectly cooked salmon, and manifestation.
For the past three years, Boys World have made moves as a modern-day pop group remixing the sounds and aesthetics of ’90s and 2000s-era R&B. The quintet’s new single, “Gone Girl,” comes on the heels of a national tour, during which the girls admitted they were too busy, you know, being pop stars to do much else.
“I haven’t watched shit, to be honest with you,” Makhyli confesses to Mashable when we ask for her recent watches, “The second I get home I just want to talk with these girls or knock the fuck out.”
But Boys World — Olivia, Lillian, Elana, Makhyli, and Queenie — deliver nonetheless, gushing for over an hour about their favorite artists, recipes, and online obsessions. These pop stars, it turns out, are the sweetest, most candid pop culture junkies around.
Olivia
Olivia: I’ve followed Petra Collins’ work for a while, and I think her visuals are always incredible. The way they executed this whole music video was just so refreshing and very pleasing to my eyes, and I love them working together. The Glee reference of a slushie being thrown on her… I love it when people use stuff that happened in movies and put it in music videos. I love the song. It grew on me a lot.
This is kind of rhetorical, but do you guys want to work with Petra Collins ever?
All: Yes!
Were you into Petra Collins when she was at Rookie?
Olivia: Yes! Rookie mag! I am so upset it’s gone. I have three copies of each volume of Rookie: two I cut up for my journals and one I didn’t touch.
Makhyli: She’s a big collector.
Olivia: You know Mini Brands? I love them! I collect the Disney ones, the food, the little fashion ones. I got so lucky, I got a bag with tiny makeup brushes and a blush. I also have a tiny grand piano on the shelf in our living room, and it has a little stool and sheet music and it opens up. It’s adorable.
What do you love about this Bodies Bodies Bodies edit?
Olivia: It’s one of my favorite movies of all time. I’ve gotten to the point where I can quote it like “Mean Girls.” All of Rachel [Sennott’s] lines, the way she delivered them, make me crack up every single time. If I was ever an actress, I would want to have that kind of role.
A lot of you acted as kids, right?
Makhyli: I did musical theater
Elana: I was on a show called SuperWings. And I was also on an American Girl doll YouTube show.
Olivia: We need to all act together.
Makhyli: To be on a show together in general.
Did you guys ever watch S Club 7? They were a British pop group that had their scripted TV show in the early 2000s.
Olivia: No! We’ve never heard of them.
I highly recommend it. Makhyli, what musicals were you into?
Makhyli: Everything. Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Dear Evan Hansen, Annie, Hamilton, Freckleface Strawberry.
Elana
Elana: I love SZA’s new music video.
Makhyli: Ah! I can’t even talk about it.
Elana: I love that album, that got me through winter. SZA has such a unique voice. She’s so talented, and I love her music. So I love watching her music videos. And this one features Justin Bieber.
Queenie: His fine ass.
Makhyli: He was my first CD.
Queenie: My ex-girlfriend has a blanket of him. She has a toothbrush that sings his songs.
Olivia, I read you ran a Dolan Twins Instagram fan page.
Olivia: Yeah, I would tweet as if I was this one pink hat they wore. And then the Dolan Twins were like, “Oh, this is cool.” They will notice me a lot, retweet my tweets, quote them, whatever. When they had a tour I went, and that’s when I was like, “OK, this is when I’m going to show my identity. I’m going to make this my moment. Today’s my reveal. I want you to know who the pink hat is. Now come find me.” And then they knew who I was. Then I started promoting my singing and covers to my fan page audience, and it turned into a career.
Elana: Ice Spice is doing so well. And her personality intrigues me. And she’s from New York. And I just love that. She seems so down to earth. So I was like, “Hey, why not put this on while I do my makeup?”
Queenie: Her personality is showing a lot more now.
Elana: She’s so cute, she seems sweet. I think we’d be friends. It’s so nice to see people around our age doing so well, it’s exciting. And I just like the way she talks, the sound of her voice. It reminds me of home because I’m from Queens. [In this interview] she talks about how she’s touring so much and she’s in different countries so it gets hard to stay in touch [with family and friends].
Do you guys relate to that?
Makhyli: Oh, yeah.
Elana: At the moment definitely [because we are on tour ourselves]. And we also live in LA and some of us have family in different places. So I relate to that.
Is there anything else you’ve been loving lately?
Elana: My favorite YouTuber right now is Monet McMichael. I freaking love her. I found her on TikTok, and now I watch her on YouTube. She should just she seems so sweet. I love to watch people and I’m like, “Oh, I probably would be friends with them.”
Queenie
Queenie: OK, so this salmon. We were preparing for our first week of tour rehearsals, and every day was, like, five hours. I was like, “OK, I need to meal prep.” And I also wanted to save a little bit of money so I wouldn’t have to order anything. I was just scrolling on TikTok, and I found this recipe. I have never made salmon, ever. And so I was like, “OK, fuck it. Let me try something.”
It took me three hours. I was just locked the fuck in — in the kitchen mashing the potatoes, putting it in the oven while setting up the oven, boiling it, and all of a sudden now the salmon’s sizzling, and now I have to make the soy glaze for it. I’m like a fucking chef running around. And then I keep forgetting things. When I tell you the best fucking salmon I ever ate in my entire life. This recipe is insane. I was like, this is illegal. And then the girls’ reactions to it gave me so much confidence.
Olivia: This is the best thing I’ve ever had.
Queenie: And Elana doesn’t even like salmon.
Elana: I don’t but I would eat that every day.
‘This recipe is insane.’
Credit: YouTube/@CookingWithTammy
Credit: YouTube/@CookingWithTammy
Do you cook for the girls often?
Queenie: Not often but I make them Filipino dishes sometimes. The most important one that these girls love is my Filipino spaghetti. And like if I don’t make it my mom usually comes [over] and she’ll make it.
Olivia: What’s that soup?
Queenie: Sinigang. I can’t wait to take them to the Philippines, both on tour and for fun. It’s a different world. I’m not the type to like to go [to places] as a tourist, go to resorts. I feel like if you’re gonna go to another country, experience the local parts, the actual neighborhoods. It’s important to see those things when you go to another country, and not just like the rich areas.
Where would you suggest someone go for their first time in the Philippines?
Queenie: Manila, just because that’s the [main] city. Then [go] anywhere that you can go island hopping because it’s the most beautiful thing. And I feel like you get both worlds there. Because anywhere you travel for island hopping you have to go through mountains and you have to see nature, sometimes you have to fly to it. So it’s just a whole experience. Also, go to the Mall of Asia, one of the biggest malls in the world.
Queenie: I started “Street Woman Fighter” because it’s huge in the dance community in general. JAM Republic is one of the groups that have joined who are like from the U.S. And then there’s this one girl Bada Lee, who everyone’s geeking over saying that she’s fucking fine, and I can abide by that because she is. The way she dances… chef’s kiss.
[Watching her] I am mesmerized. I wish I could dance like that. Looking at people who are at that level is just mind-boggling to me. I love staying updated with the dance battles, and I wish I could be there one day.
Lillian
Lillian: I’ve been a fan of Ari since she came out with this album. And so it was so fun to see her do this 10-year anniversary and remake it as she would do it now. The difference in her vocals… they’re in their prime time right now. Even her tone is a little bit different, I think because of filming Wicked. And people are saying “I can understand what you’re saying now.”
Lillian: I love to put [videos] on when I do my makeup and hear other artists talk about their experiences. You can always learn from it. I just love Victoria, like she’s just the sweetest, and her voice is so nice to listen to. She’s so soft-spoken and was talking about how she grew up shy, and I relate to that a lot. But she’s done all these amazing things and been in all these crazy rooms with crazy artists, and she’s worked on some of the biggest hits. Now she’s finally honing her artistry, which is cool because I love her music, too. Her new album is really good.
Queenie: If I were a solo artist in the future, she’s like the epitome of what I would love to do for a video, like the masc/femme of “On My Mama.” That’s literally what I want to do,
She was also talking about manifesting, that she had been doing it since she was little.
Lillian: She also talks about new motherhood. I love it when people talk about pregnancy or postpartum, what you can go through that’s not so fun. Because I feel like people don’t talk about that much. And then women get pregnant, and they’re like, “This is like the worst time of my life but also the best,” and it’s just very confusing.
Victoria notes how it’s really important to always go up to the mother and give them attention and ask about how they’re doing because most people will just go straight to your belly or the baby. So you just feel invisible, [even though] being the mother to this child is like the best thing in your whole life. So it’s conflicting feelings, and people need to understand because it happens every day.
Makhyli
Makhyli: I’m super into affirmations and manifestation. It’s been big for me since I was tiny. It’s kind of like I grew up on my mom’s side with spirituality and affirmations, and it always just stuck with me. My dad was religious but my mom was spiritual, so I felt I grew up just hating what my mom believed because my dad would be talking in my ear, right?
But then I was like, “Oh, wait, this is sick. I love this. Give me the sage, give me the crystals.” I found what I believe in, who I am at my core. And now I just take it with me everywhere because I feel like [it resonates with me] more. It’s the one thing in life that can always give you hope. Manifesting is something that I can always look forward to no matter where you are in your life, even if you’re at your lowest of lows, you can always manifest something better. That’s what always gets us through.
Religion is finding faith in something else. And manifesting is finding faith in yourself. You’re like a renewable resource. What age were you like, ‘I feel confident that this is actually who I am.’
Makhyli: I think we all manifested being here, but I don’t think I knew that’s what it was like. When I was tiny, like seven, my mom was like, “OK, so when you’re older and go to college…” and I was like, “I’m gonna be on tour.”
And she was like, “OK! I won’t ask you again, I won’t push you.” And she helped me get where I am now. I owe it all to her. She used to be our house mom for a while because I was the youngest. And she’s always been pushing me to work hard and she likes me to be independent, too. But I also call her if I’m like, “What brand of toothpaste do I get?” Ever since I was small, she’s been my best friend. My dad was never really involved. Man, what’s in the air! The last two days we’ve been getting so much closer.
Are all of you guys getting closer?
Makhyli: We’ve been talking so much. I feel like we’re together all the time and sharing a room, we’re up at night. We share a house, but this has brought us back to when we first joined the group and we had bunk beds and we shared one room.
Meet the people spending $4,000 to travel with their favorite creators
How creator-led trips through Trova Trip work, and why YouTubers and their fans go on them.
A YouTube vlog shows a group of twentysomething women on a food tour of Mykonos, Greece. They eat sugar-coated kourabiedes cookies, take shots of ouzo, walk the narrow streets ducking into eateries, and share laughs over a charcuterie board. But this is not your average girls trip.
The women in the video paid to travel to Greece with their favorite YouTuber, Maddie Dragsbaek. Dragsbaek posted the video, titled “I traveled to Italy and Greece with 40 of my subscribers.” She’s one of a growing number of creators who have made traveling with their audiences into a lucrative endeavor of its own.
While you once might have enviously watched an influencer’s vlog or swiped through photos of her sponsored trip and then jealously planned your own (which would never quite compare), now you can pay for a trip together. The experience lives both on her feed and yours, and in your memories.
SEE ALSO:
Instagram took away a major source of income for its creators, and they’re not happy about it
Instagram took away a major source of income for its creators, and they’re not happy about it
For creators, it’s “a no-brainer”
Dragsbaek’s trip is one of 500 creator-led trips operated by travel company Trova Trip this year — nearly 200 more than in 2022. Founded in 2017 by Lauren Schneider, Trova Trip is a three-sided marketplace that helps connect creators with travel operators in more than 40 countries. Creators, called hosts by Trova Trip, sell trips to their audiences through the platform for an average of $2,000 to $4,000, though the prices go up to $12,000 for an Antartica trip, airfare not included.
To host a travel experience through Trova Trip, a creator first sends out a survey to their audience. They are eligible to host a trip if their community demonstrates interest — for Trova Trip, that means at least 50 responses from adults with budgets of over $2,000 for the experience. Currently, Trova Trip is the only company specializing in creator-led travel, although more traditional creator-led travel, like yoga retreats, have existed for a while, and some creators have planned one-off trips via other companies. “[Based on the survey results] our platform provides recommendations of itineraries that match their audience interests. We have a wide range of experiences, from backpacking in Patagonia to practicing yoga in Bali to eating food in Japan,” explained Schneider.
Once the creator picks an itinerary, their request must be approved by the local operator of the trip. Then Trova Trip provides the operating cost, and the creator sets the price and sells it to their audience.
The trips range in price depending on location, with the final price set by the creator. “We trust our creators to decide their earnings based on what they believe is best for them and their community,” Lauren Schneider, the founder of Trova Trip, explained to Mashable. “On average, they’re taking about 20 percent of the total trip price.” 60 percent goes to the trip operators, and Trova Trip takes the remaining cut.
According to Trova Trip, around 700 creators have hosted trips so far. Hosts have spanned from Love Is Blind‘s Kwame and Chelsea to Cassie and Danielle of the National Park After Dark podcast (they’re the ones going to Antarctica). Hosts have access to 150+ itineraries. And the hosts are just that; the trip operators provide tour guides and manage on-the-ground logistics.
When Trova Trip reached out to Dragsbaek to gauge her interest in hosting a trip for her 233,000 subscribers, saying yes was a no-brainer, Dragsbaek told Mashable. “It’s such a strange and unique opportunity that I had to do it,” she continued. “Not only was I getting to meet the people that support my content face to face, but I was able to meet them in a meaningful way by spending a good amount of time traveling together.”
Dragsbaek’s 7-day Greece trip cost a whopping $3,350. The price included a double room with another trip attendee, six breakfasts, two dinners, shuttle service to and from Athens airport, transport to and from Mykonos, and planned activities like a visit to the Parthenon. It did not include attendees’ air fare.
Despite the steep price, Dragsbaek’s fans were eager to attend.
“I can’t not do this”
In 2020, during a spell of quarantine-induced boredom, Amanda Layne Miller turned to YouTube. An outfit video from Dragsbaek popped up on her homepage and she clicked. “Literally the algorithm just fed it to me,” Miller told Mashable. “I started binging literally every single one of her videos. I felt like I had a lot in common with her.”
Miller found Dragsbaek authentic, conversational, and funny. “The way that she speaks is so personal that I got to know her through her opinions and what she loves,” she explained.
So when Miller caught wind that Dragsbaek was hosting a trip to Greece in June 2023 for up to 20 of her subscribers, Miller jumped at the opportunity. “I thought, I’ve always wanted to go to Greece. It’s with one of my favorite YouTubers. I think we’d get along, and I want to be friends with her. I can’t not do this,” she said.
Similarly, several years ago Cari Cakes, an American creator living in Seoul, was recommended on YouTube to Katie Giordano, a 25-year-old media worker in Hong Kong. Giordano became a fan of both Cakes’s travel content and book tube. “Her whole demeanor is so relaxing. I don’t know if that’s weird, but she’s just very calm and realistic,” Giordano explained to Mashable. This past May, Giordano went on Cakes’s trip to Tokyo. “Everybody was a little bit like Cari in a certain way,” she said. “They were all really nice, accepting, and eager and open-minded. Cari attracts niceness, because that is her own aura.”
The inevitable complications when creators meet their fans
These trips seem like a recipe for an Ingrid Goes West situation — a group of people all hoping to become friends with someone they feel like they already know from watching them online for years. But for Dragsbaek, the unique relationship broke down walls between attendees and her. “It’s hard to even describe when you’re talking to someone, and [they’re] a stranger, but you immediately feel understood by them. And it’s because they already know so much about you,” she explained.
While there is the possibility for immediate connection between creator and traveler, creators, who lead and profit from the trip with their followers, could easily act as though they are above the travelers. Followers, who have watched these creators often for years, may fall into overt fan-girling.
Morgan Yates, a 28-year-old lifestyle YouTuber in Los Angeles, California, who has hosted three trips — two through Trova Trip — dealt with overzealous travelers. One made it clear she knew basically every detail of Yates’s life. Others were “clingy.” “It becomes a difficult situation because I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by trying to get away from them, but at times I’ve felt a bit conflicted and frustrated when those people are only making an effort to spend time with me and not get to know everyone else,” she told Mashable.
There are some safety mechanisms in place to help keep overtly dangerous fans off trips. “Hosts have the ability to review or reject a traveler, they control how and who the trip is marketed to, so they could list it in the marketplace or they can only send it to vetted folks,” said Amy Dunn, communications lead at Trova Trip.
The first trip Yates hosted was through Contiki, a tour company she’d previously been a traveler with, and due to their privacy policy, Yates wasn’t allowed to access any info on the travelers on her trip ahead of time which made her “super nervous,” despite it ending up being a “great group.”
An exercise in managing expectations
Despite going on these trips to meet their favorite creator, travelers are expected to behave as travelers might on any group trip. But this can be a challenge.
“It’s easier to develop a parasocial relationship with a YouTuber, because their art is literally just them,” said Miller. She acknowledged the potential for weird behavior and for travelers to overwhelm Dragsbaek because everyone wanted to develop a connection with her. “I was excited to get to know her as a person and actually have a relationship with her further than just audience and subject.”
You might imagine that as soon as Dragsbaek left the room, all the travelers would immediately begin discussing her and comparing her to her videos. But it wasn’t quite like that. The travelers all being huge fans of Dragsbaek was “the elephant in the room” until the middle of the week, said Miller. “Someone finally said, ‘I feel like, we all came here to like become friends with Maddie to a certain extent.”
When Giordano arrived in Tokyo and met Cakes, she felt like she was meeting a celebrity. “When I first met her, I said, ‘You look like a woodland fairy.’ She’s got the beautiful red hair. She’s literally so gorgeous,” said Giordano. “The first few days I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s so cool.’ But it toned down throughout the trip.”
While Giordano was struck by Cakes’s real-life beauty — and by how slow Cakes talks, because Giordano watches YouTube at double speed — the person she met was exactly how she thought she would be. “I got a good idea of how she was as a person, because she’s very open and honest on her YouTube channel,” explained Giordano.
Travelers’ expectations aren’t just something they have to manage. The creators are hyper-aware of whether or not they are living up to the persona in their content. Jade Fox, a 32-year-old lifestyle creator YouTuber in Los Angeles, California, worried about her ability to meet expectations ahead of the trip she hosted to Bali with her best friend and fellow creator Arrows this summer. “I’m used to the process of capturing myself exactly the way I want to. People are used to seeing a very curated, edited version of me,” Fox told Mashable. “I was nervous about disappointing folks.”
Yates faces similar anxieties on her trips. “I almost have imposter syndrome going into these trips. I know I’m not any cooler or more special than anyone else there. My fear is always that I’m not living up to what people expected me to be like,” she explained.
“It felt like summer camp”
All the hours of anecdotes Miller and Giordano watched led them to fly across the world to meet their favorite YouTubers, which can make for a lot of pressure. But creators have the capacity to create a community that reflects the content they’ve put out there, and that can lead to incredibly meaningful trips.
“I was nervous if that [connection between creator and audience] was going to exist in real life, as it does in the comment section. When we met in person it was almost as if we had all already known each other for years,” said Fox. “I’m a Black queer woman. Arrows is a transmasculine, nonbinary queer person, and our audience is just different iterations of that.”
The group’s shared identities provided a touch point for connection. “We are a giant pack of Black people; some of us are gender-fluid. And we’re going into a city where we don’t know how we’re going to be perceived, we don’t know what’s going to happen. A lot of us had never been out of the country before,” explained Fox. “That was another way that we were all able to protect each other, because we all know what violence looks like toward people who have experiences like ours.”
Fox described the trip as “spiritual,” “a fully immersive experience,” and “kismet.” By the end, travelers were getting tattoos to commemorate the experience and changing their flights home to spend more time with each other. The most magical moment for Fox came on their chill day by the pool when one of the travelers taught her how to swim. “It was this big Disney Channel moment. When I finished my first full lap, I lifted my head out of the water and everyone was just screaming and going crazy,” reminisced Fox.
Miller also felt moved by the end of Dragsbaek’s trip. “The last night is when we’re all like, ‘We know each other really well’ and wishing it was the first day. It felt like summer camp,” said Miller. “I was like, ‘Whoa, like, I’m an adult. And I have not been in this type of environment since high school.'”
For some, it’s just another hustle
For creators with a smaller audience who might not be sought after for brand sponsorships, a Trova Trip venture can provide more money than a brand sponsorship. So, while Fox and Dragsbaek created meaningful connections with their audiences, there’s the potential from others to treat the travel game like a full-time hustle.
Lindsay Mukkadam, a 37-year-old based in Austin, Texas, who posts under the moniker “One Girl Wandering,” pivoted from being a solo travel creator to making her business about encouraging her audience to get out and travel by coming on one of her trips. Her Instagram bio labels her as “Your solo travel bff! Stop waiting for others and finally book the trip of your dreams,” and in this year alone, she’s hosted trips to Costa Rica, Iceland, Scotland, two to Japan, and two to the Amalfi Coast. By the end of the year she’ll host two trips to Egypt, and two to Christmas markets in Germany and Austria. A slew of her 2024 trips are already being promoted.
Others, like Danah Clipa, @danahbananaa on TikTok, refuse to, as they see it, take advantage of their followers by making them pay to join them on travel adventures. In a since-deleted video, Clipa explained that she canceled her Trova Trip because it would be free for her at the expense of her followers. “If I’m inviting someone to travel out of the country with me,” said Clipa, “I want them to feel on the same level as me, because we are — we are the exact fucking same.”
‘All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt’ review: Raven Jackson’s feature-length debut is a beautiful, languid coming-of-age story
Writer/director Raven Jackson’s feature-length debut, “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt,” tells the story of a young woman growing up in Mississippi. Review.
If I had to describe All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt in one word, it would be “lingering.”
The feature-length debut from filmmaker and poet Raven Jackson takes its time in all things. It fixates on quiet moments, sometimes for minutes on end. It pokes at the ways in which memories can surface long after we’ve experienced them. Finally, it stays in the mind long after you’ve seen it, even if you struggle with its languid pacing.
What is All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt about?
Sheila Atim in “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.”
Credit: A24
Credit: A24
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt transports us to Mississippi in the 1970s and 1980s, where a young Black woman named Mackenzie — Mack for short — comes of age. Four actors play Mack across the span of her life: Mylee Shannon is Mack as a toddler, Kaylee Nicole Johnson is adolescent Mack, Charleen McClure is Mack from her late teens to her thirties, and Zainab Jah is a somewhat older Mack. The film weaves between these four life stages but mostly focuses on those embodied by Johnson and McClure.
Mack’s life unfurls before us in a series of nonlinear vignettes. She goes fishing with her father, Isaiah (Chris Chalk), and observes her mother, Evelyn (Sheila Atim), as she applies lipstick. She finds first love, only to lose it. She endures grief, becomes a mother herself, and remains steadfastly connected to her family. Her story is almost entirely devoid of dialogue — instead, Jackson finds meaning in silence and sensory experiences.
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is a deeply sensory film.
Sheila Atim and Kaylee Nicole Johnson in “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.”
Credit: A24
Credit: A24
With such an evocative title, it’s no surprise that All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt immerses itself in the senses. Lush soundscapes of chirping insects and falling rain envelop you in the muggy heat of Mississippi. The film’s very first image is an extended shot of young Mack running a finger over a fresh-caught fish, taking in every ridge of its scales. Not long after, she’ll dip her hands in the river mud and squeeze until it drips through her fingers.
Based on these opening scenes alone, you can tell that All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is a film of textures. Jackson and cinematographer Jomo Fray are fascinated by how characters tangibly interact with their environment, focusing on bare feet treading over grass and hands digging through dirt. To watch these scenes is to feel the ghost of mud and grass on your own skin, to feel more aware of your own body in space overall.
SEE ALSO:
‘Poor Things’ review: Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo deliver a horny-as-hell spin on ‘Frankenstein’
‘Poor Things’ review: Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo deliver a horny-as-hell spin on ‘Frankenstein’
The environment surrounding Mack is not just a place, but a deep-rooted part of her family’s lives and culture. As Mack’s Grandma Betty (Jannie Hampton) tells Mack and her sister, Josie (Moses Ingram), they’re all made of dirt and water. Repeated shots of rivers and rain, of mud and dry clay emphasize this granule of wisdom passed from generation to generation.
These all crystallize in the film’s exploration of the practice of geophagia, or eating earth. Geophagia is an old tradition, one that came to the United States from Africa through the transatlantic slave trade. The practice continues today, primarily in the south, and in All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, we see that it is especially meaningful to Mack and other Black women in her family. When she or other characters eat clay dirt, it feels like a way to connect to those who came before, be they mothers, grandmothers, or ancestors even further back in the family line.
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is an unconventional meditation on memory.
Charleen McClure in “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.”
Credit: A24
Credit: A24
Jackson’s focus on memory and family connections is supported by the film’s hazy, dreamlike quality. The narrative flits from scene to scene, sometimes crossing decades in the process. Yet even if these moments take place years apart, Jackson manages to find the strange and beautiful ways in which they’re related. In one scene, a pregnant Mack lies in her bathtub — in the next, we see Evelyn bathing Mack as a toddler in the very same tub. There’s a circularity to it all, as if Jackson is eschewing linear time itself.
This slower, circular pacing allows for some thematically resonant parallels between stages in Mack’s life, but it can also prove challenging — even frustrating, at times. Beyond one scene where an older Mack (Jah) reflects by the river, there are few anchor points in the present that offer context for the memories Mack is processing. There is little sense of build-up in this film, only of events simply happening and then moving on. This is not to say these events happen in a vacuum: Mack’s memories are always in conversation with themselves. However, these conversations don’t necessarily have much to say. They simply exist.
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt also struggles with its relationship to silence. Scenes that start out naturally quiet, like a melancholy parting hug between Mack and her ex-boyfriend, Wood (Reginald Helms Jr.), stretch on to the point of strangeness, bogged down by a continued silence that doesn’t always feel earned. In the aforementioned scene, the hug itself lasts for around five minutes, its original intimacy slowly devolving into grating repetition. When the film’s dialogue does come, it is both naturalistic and deeply evocative, even more than the lengthy silences that take up most of the film. If only the characters had more chances to really dig into a spoken scene.
While Jackson’s experimentation with narrative structure and rhythm sometimes falters, the overall beauty and deeply felt emotion of All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt are undeniable. With her feature-length debut, Jackson has crafted a sensitive coming-of-age film, one that doubles as a hyper-specific portrait of the woods and fields and rivers that shaped Mack and her whole family. After all, the truest scenes here are always those shared between humans and nature: Mack and her father fishing in a muddy riverbed, Mack and her daughter letting rainwater trickle down their arms, Mack’s grandmother telling Mack and Josie about clay dirt eating. In these moments, Jackson and the film’s magic truly come together, making for a perfect storm of memory, family, and the places that shape us.
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt opens in theaters Nov. 3.
UPDATE: Oct. 31, 2023, 1:40 p.m. EDT All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt was reviewed out of the New York Film Festival; the movie opens in theaters Nov. 3.
13 amazing holiday gifts for the person who already has it all
Here are 13 perfect holiday gifts for that special someone who seems to already have everything. From smart tech gadgets to self-care products.
This holiday season, don’t be daunted by the challenge of shopping for that friend or family member who appears to have everything. We’ve put together a list of thoughtful gifts that promise to delight even the most seasoned of shoppers.
From a temperature-controlled mug to the latest portable Sonos speaker, our guide blends the elegance of modern technology with the charm of timeless self-care treasures, like face masks.
So if you’re having trouble picking a gift for someone, but want to take full advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, take a look through our product recommendations below.
ASUS ROG Ally 7″ Gaming Handheld Console
The ASUS ROG Ally handheld gaming console comes with a 7″ LED screen.
Credit: ASUS
Credit: ASUS
For PC gaming enthusiasts, the ASUS ROG Ally is the handheld console to have. With its 512GB SSD and microSD slot, they’ll be able to take all of their favorite games on the go. And thanks to its 7-inch LED touchscreen, AMD Radeon graphics card, and AMD Ryzen CPU, gameplay will be smooth with stunning graphics.
Opens in a new window
Credit: ASUS
Glade PlugIns Plus Air Freshener
The Glade PlugIns Plus air fresener warmer has a refill indicator light that lets you know when it needs a refill.
Credit: Glade
Credit: Glade
A delightful stocking stuffer, this refillable plug-in air freshener will ensure their space always smells welcoming. It has adjustable fragrance settings — like auto rest mode for overnight — so they can conserve energy and their chosen scent. It will automatically shut off when it runs out of fragrance, and a refill indicator light will turn on. Consider pairing it with the warm notes of Glade’s Vanilla Caramel Twist, available at an additional $5.92 for a two-pack.
Opens in a new window
Credit: Glade
Sponsored | Microsoft Xbox Series X
Credit: Microsoft
Meet the apex of gaming power — this console is renowned for being the fastest, most powerful Xbox ever. Dive into native 4K gaming at up to a blazing 120 frames per second, delivering sharper characters, vibrant realms, and an unmatched level of detail.
Opens in a new window
Credit: Microsoft
Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug
The Ember Mug 2 has a light on the base that shows you when it’s charged or needs charging.
Credit: Ember
Credit: Ember
Elevate their beverage experience with this smart mug. Though not an essential, the Ember ensures every sip of their favorite beverage is at their ideal temperature — thanks to the mug’s built-in heating technology and app connectivity. It’s a seamless blend of form and function for those chilly winter mornings.
Opens in a new window
Credit: Ember
Logitech MX Keys Mini Wireless Keyboard
Credit: Logitech
This wireless keyboard, with its durable and compact design, is perfect for both work and play on the go. It can connect to up to three devices at once via Bluetooth, with the user able to switch between each device by pressing one of the keys. It also has an impressive battery life of up to 10 days on a full charge — or up to 5 months with the backlighting turned off.
Opens in a new window
Credit: Logitech
Luminara Pillar Candles – Set of 3
The Luminara Pillar Candles in this set come in three different sizes — 4.5″, 5.5″, and 6.5″.
Credit: Luminara
Credit: Luminara
These flameless battery-operated candles are made with 100 percent pure paraffin wax and mimic a real flame’s flicker. Without the mess of a real flame and the soot that comes with it, they make the perfect gift for households with pets or small children — or to introduce an element of romantic allure for intimate evenings in or if the power goes out.
Opens in a new window
Credit: Luminara
Sonos Move 2 Speaker
The Move 2 uses its microphones to analyze its surroundings to continually optimize the sound.
Credit: Sonos
Credit: Sonos
Whether your loved one is hosting a holiday soirée or enjoying a quiet evening, this portable speaker will ensure they have the best audio quality — including crisp vocals, deep bass, and full instrumentals. It’s rated IP56, so it’s both water and dust-resistant and connects to their device via Bluetooth or WiFi. They’ll be able to enjoy up to 24 hours of non-stop listening on a single charge thanks to the speaker’s long battery life.
Opens in a new window
Credit: Sonos
Anker 3-in-1 Charger Cube with MagSafe
The Anker 3-in-1 15W MagSafe Charger comes with a 30W charger and a USB-C to USB-C cable.
Credit: Anker
Credit: Anker
If your loved one is a fan of Apple devices, this 15W MagSafe charger ensures that their phone, watch, and earbuds are always charged up and ready to go. With its sleek design, it’s a stylish addition to any nightstand or desk. Or, thanks to its compact design, it’s a great addition for any upcoming travels they have planned. And as a bonus, they can use their phone in portrait or landscape mode while it charges.
Opens in a new window
Credit: Anker
Sand & Sky Australian Pink Clay Face Mask & Facial Exfoliator
The Sand & Sky Australian Pink Clay Deep Pore Cleanser and Porefining Face Mask.
Credit: Sand & Sky
Credit: Sand & Sky
Indulge them in a spa-like experience with this face mask and exfoliator combo. Harnessing the purifying properties of Australian Pink Clay, this duo will have their skin feeling clean and soft in no time. Sand & Sky’s products are made with 100 percent natural ingredients and are cruelty-free, vegan, and paraben-free — so you can feel good about your gift.
Opens in a new window
Credit: Sand & Sky
Google Nest Learning Thermostat – 3rd Gen
The Google Nest Learning Thermostat has a sleek and simple-to-use design.
Credit: Google
Credit: Google
Combine aesthetics and efficiency with this smart thermostat. It not only adds a touch of modernity to any home but also learns their temperature preferences over time, ensuring optimal comfort while saving energy. The Google Nest Learning Thermostat is compatible with 95 percent of heating and cooling systems, so chances are they’ll be covered.
Opens in a new window
Credit: Google
Philips Smart LED Light Bulb 2-Pack
The Philips WiZ smart color light bulbs are dimmable, and offer millions of colors to choose from.
Credit: Philips
Credit: Philips
Light up their world with 16 million colors thanks to these smart LED bulbs — and also likely save them money on their energy bill. These bulbs connect to the Philips Hue app, so they can adjust the brightness and color, or turn the lights off no matter where they are. The bulbs are also compatible with Alexa and Google Home Assistant for the ultimate smart home setup.
Opens in a new window
Credit: Philips
Hatch Restore 2
The Hatch Restore 2 comes in three colors: putty (as shown), latte, and slate.
Credit: Hatch
Credit: Hatch
Offering a unique blend of sleep and relaxation features, the Hatch Restore 2 is the perfect smart alarm clock for those who value their beauty sleep. Its range of soothing sounds and guided meditations will ensure they get a restful night’s sleep — and wake up slowly in the morning thanks to its sunrise light options.
Opens in a new window
Credit: Hatch
Conair 2-in-1 Handheld Steamer and Iron
The Conair 2-in-1 handheld steamer and iron also comes with Turbo mode for quicker results.
Credit: Conair
Credit: Conair
If your family member or friend is always traveling, this 2-in-1 device is the perfect addition to their arsenal. The steamer heats up in 40 seconds and can provide continuous steam for up to 15 minutes — so they’ll never have to worry about wrinkles on that business trip or at that wedding. And if they need something more heavy-duty, they can use the ironing mode with its non-stick soleplate to ensure their clothes are pressed exactly the way they like them.
Opens in a new window
Credit: Conair
With these holiday gift options, you’re sure to find the perfect present for that special someone who has a taste for the consumer lifestyle.
Review: ‘All the Light We Cannot See’ is a sweet, if heavy-handed, series
Based on Anthony Doerr’s novel, “All the Light We Cannot See” is a Netflix series about two young people in World War II. It releases November 2.
August, 1944. American aircraft bomb the Nazi-occupied French city of Saint-Malo. In a townhouse, a blind girl reads Jules Verne over a radio broadcast, waiting for her great-uncle and father to come home. Not far from her, in an upscale hotel-turned-fortress, a German soldier listens to her words. Their lives are inextricably connected and are about to become even more so, but as the bombs rain down, they are unaware of the forces that tie them together.
So begins Netflix’s All the Light We Cannot See, opening in near-identical fashion to Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel on which it is based. Spanning years and much of the European continent, Doerr’s novel is a densely layered war epic. Cursed gems, radio technology, and secret codes all play a part within its many, many pages.
Given the novel’s heft and immense popularity, adapting it for the screen presents a tricky challenge — one that director Shawn Levy (Stranger Things, Free Guy) and screenwriter Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders, Serenity) mostly rise to meet. The four-part limited series is unable to replicate Doerr’s lyrical prose, resulting instead in some fairly heavy-handed dialogue. However, it more than makes up for that shortcoming with its genuine earnestness and high-quality production, which results in an adaptation that is cinematic and sweet in equal measure.
All the Light We Cannot See is part war story, part coming-of-age tale.
Nell Sutton and Mark Ruffalo in “All the Light We Cannot See.”
Credit: Netflix
Credit: Netflix
While All the Light We Cannot See opens with a boy and a girl weathering the bombing of Saint-Malo, there are several years’ worth of story leading us to that point. The series winds back the clock to explore each character’s childhood, using the events in Saint-Malo as a framing device. Notably, the series spends far more time in Saint-Malo than in the past: one of the many changes Knight’s adaptation makes from original book. However, the chronological back-and-forth recalls the structure of Doerr’s novel, all while creating a sense of inevitability: Everything in the boy’s and girl’s lives has been leading to these fateful few days in Saint-Malo.
The girl is Marie-Laure LeBlanc (Aria Mia Loberti). Before Saint-Malo, she lives in Paris with her father Daniel (Mark Ruffalo), the master locksmith at the Museum of Natural History. He makes her a scale model of their neighborhood to help her learn its roads by touch, and he tells her about the many wonders of the Museum. One such wonder is the famed jewel known as the Sea of Flames. Legend has it that whoever possesses it will live forever, but that their loved ones will suffer great misfortune. (The greatest misfortune that Marie’s portion of All the Light We Cannot See suffers are the British accents put on by all these supposedly French characters. A common trait in period movies, I know, but an aggravating one nonetheless.)
Luckily, what these scenes lack in accent realism (charming as he is, Ruffalo’s is extra shaky), they make up for in whimsy, whether that’s Daniel teaching a young Marie (Nell Sutton) how to use the Paris model or Marie listening to illuminating radio broadcasts from a figure known simply as “the professor.” Even when the Nazis’ invasion of Paris forces Marie and Daniel to flee to Saint-Malo to live with Daniel’s Uncle Etienne (Hugh Laurie), Marie seeks out the professor’s broadcast wherever she can.
The boy listens to the professor, too. He is Werner Pfennig (Louis Hofmann), a German orphan who’s a whiz at building and fixing radios. His genius catches the eye of an elite Nazi academy, where Werner faces unspeakable cruelty. The only things that keep him believing in the good of humanity, even as he’s sent on missions to eliminate illegal radio transmissions, are the professor’s words of guidance and kindness. Nations apart, both Werner and Marie look to those words as lifelines to hang on to as the world grows dark around them.
Marie and Werner’s discussions of light and darkness can tend towards being too on-the-nose, especially when you’ve heard variations of them over and over again. However, both Loberti and Hofmann wear their hearts on their sleeves, each performer creating a portrait of hopeful, clear-eyed youth. It helps that both actors are relative unknowns to U.S. audiences. Hofmann is most recognizable for his work in the German series Dark, while Loberti is a complete newcomer. Their takes on Marie and Werner shine throughout the series, and while they rarely share the screen, All the Light We Cannot See makes sure to draw parallels between their resourcefulness, kindness, and perseverance.
All the Light We Cannot See is a feast for the senses.
Louis Hofmann in “All the Light We Cannot See.”
Credit: Netflix
Credit: Netflix
In addition to the strength of its two leads, All the Light We Cannot See benefits from a beautifully realized world. While much of the series was shot in Budapest and Villefranche-de-Rouergue, exterior shots of the real Saint-Malo help ground us in the city, from its narrow streets to its massive wall extending along the sea.
All the Light We Cannot See also relishes in the tactile — a choice that drops us right into Marie’s point of view, as touch is one of the primary ways in which she navigates the world. We watch young Marie examine the nooks and crannies of the wooden Paris model with her hands, and later reach for familiar touchstones in Etienne’s house, like banisters or tables and chairs. Thanks to this focus on texture, we become extra receptive to everything from bomb shrapnel to the rubble-strewn across Saint-Malo.
Equally captivating is the show’s use of that all-important titular light. Whether it’s the sun’s golden rays diffusing through a room or a campfire keeping the darkness at bay, light is everywhere in All the Light We Cannot See. The show’s nighttime scenes in particular make for a much-needed antidote to the majority of overly dim night scenes in film and TV today. Here, crisp shadows and blue hues win out over shapeless darkness. (Fitting, given the show’s many speeches about how light always overcomes the dark.) A sequence in which sinister Nazi gemologist von Rumpel (Lars Eidinger) hunts Marie through a darkened grotto is especially representative of this feat. It establishes the presence of light through the reflection of the moon on the water and the explosion of bombs outside — a juxtaposition of natural beauty and wartime horror in full effect.
That same dichotomy between beauty and the horrors of war runs throughout All the Light We Cannot See. The Sea of Flames is a stunning gem, shining as if lit from within, yet its supposed curse — and von Rumpel’s dogged obsession — make it more of a danger than something to be treasured. James Newton Howard’s soaring score contrasts with the whistles and explosions of bombs and artillery. But the most prominent source of duality in All the Light We Cannot See is none other than the radio. Nazi officers and French resistance members alike refer to the radio as a tool of war, but for Marie and Werner, it’s a means to connect with others and to feel less alone during a time of great strife. The latter is the path All the Light We Cannot See emphasizes again and again, rejecting any cynicism in favor of bringing an optimistic message to beautiful, blinding light.
All the Light We Cannot See premieres on Netflix Nov. 2.
UPDATE: Oct. 31, 2023, 11:24 a.m. EDT All the Light We Cannot See was reviewed out of its world premiere at 2023’s Toronto International Film Festival.
Everything Announced At The Disney Dreamlight Valley Showcase
Disneys Dreamlight Valley is finally getting online multiplayer as part of its big December update. We also learned about future free updates that will add more characters and realms as well as more details on the game’s first paid expansion launching in December, too.