So, if you've hopped on Twitter anytime recently, you too may have seen Lionel Richie trending for the past few days. And thankfully, he is alive and oh so well, in all the best ways possible, mostly because the American Idol judge has clearly gotten allllll his little groove back, chile.
Lemme explain.
On Valentine's Day, the 71-year-old crooner took to social media to wish all his dearest fans a Happy Valentine's Day. He was posed next to a woman, and cheesing from cheek-to-cheek in a post captioned:
"Love is in the air and #AmericanIdol is back on our screens TONIGHT on @abcnetwork at 8/7c! Happy Valentine's Day from @lisaparigi_ and I"
Well, his fans didn't give a damn about what he was saying, and was immediately drawn to the snack that he was posed next to.
Her name is Lisa Parigi, and according to her Insta, she's from Switzerland and is founder of vegan skincare brand, Glow Up Beauty. And despite numerous reports, no one really knows her actual age, but there is a clear age difference between her and the "Hello" singer. Additionally, my favorite thing about sis, is she's been around, and their love hasn't been a secret whatsoever...
Because, as it turns out, sis has reportedly been bae since 2014, she was just waiting for us to catch up!
Richie has been married twice before—once to Brenda Harvey and the other, Diane Alexander—and he has three adult children, Nicole, Miles, and Sofia.
And since we all know that in Hollywood, age gaps aren't new, and never will be, so we shouldn’t be making a fuss, right? I mean, she seems to be a completely sane adult entering a consensual relationship with someone who just so happens to be a...*few*...generations older.
It made me wonder though, in love and war, is age really just a number?
After all, Gabrielle Union is 10 years older than Dwyane Wade:
Eddie Murphy is 19 years older than his partner, Paige Butcher:
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
Jennifer Lopez was 18 years older than Casper Smart when they dated:
DFree / Shutterstock.com
Marques Houston married Miya Dickey last year—who's about 20 years his junior:
And Jay Z is 12 years older than Beyonce:
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com
So, when, if ever, is the gap worth having the conversation?
--
Well, as you probably can imagine, the internet had a LOT to say:
From comedy...
To optimism...
To support...
...every corner of the conversation was touched on.
--
As of today, Lionel has yet to respond to his newfound couple's popularity, but I have a feeling he's unbothered, and, if anything, beyond happy and more than proud to have her on his arm.
But. Hmm.
When it comes to relationships, is age really just a number?
Featured image by Lionel Ritchie / Instagram
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During the Los Angeles tour stop, which spanned three dates on May 21, May 23, with the finale on May 24, xoNecole had the opportunity to test out the glosses included in this soft launch, as SZA revealed in a statement that "this is just the start of other lip products, including plans to launch stains, liners, and creams all inspired by SZA's “infamous layered lip combinations.”
Courtesy
So, what is included in the first Not Beauty launch?
The current Not Beauty products available are lip glosses that come in three shades: In the Flesh, Strawberry Jelly, and Quartz.
During my visit to the first LA Not Beauty pop-up activation, I not only had the chance to purchase all three glosses but also took a peek inside the blow-up log tent. Inside, fans got to experience SZA’s love for nature and her fascination with bugs, which are prominently featured in her performances for this tour. At one point, she even had human preying mantis prancing across the stage y'all.
There were blow-up photos of the beauty that is SZA for fans (myself included) to take photos, but in wooden-like tree trunks were a deeper dive into some of the ingredients featured in her products and their benefits.
For example, the glosses feature Hi-Shine Lip Jelly and Shea Butter as key ingredients and some of the listed benefits included are:
- Shea Butter - “A powerhouse ingredient, offering both functional and nourishing benefits.”
- Hi-Shine Lip Jelly (featured in the In the Flesh shade) - “Formula glides on with perfect adhesion to the lips without stickiness).
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What are in the products?
Featured in an orange package, with images of a bug and flower on the side, the back of the box reads: “It’s NOT BEAUTY, it just works. Developed by Solána “SZA” Rowe.
As someone who never leaves home without a good lip gloss, I loved how compact the wood panel packaging is. Perfect to slip into my purse, or in the case of the show at SoFi Stadium, into my pocket when I’m not carrying a bag.
Because I’m a sucker for a good black and brown lip liner and clear gloss combo, I decided to wear the Quartz flavor on night one of the Grand National Tour LA stop, and it did not disappoint. I’ll admit, it’s light weight feel made me nervous because it felt like there was nothing on my lips. However, when I checked my lips in my compact mirror several times throughout the night, I was shocked to find that my gloss was still intact. I only reapplied once out of the habit of looking cute and applying my gloss, but not necessity.
Here are some of the ingredients featured, but not limited to, in the Quartz flavor.
- Polyisoubutene
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea)Butter
- Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil
- Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil
- Tocopherol
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Lip prep
I’m a simple girl who loves to stay true to her roots. So ahead of the show, I stopped by a local Inglewood Beauty Supply store and grabbed a Black and Brown shade lip pencil for just under $2 a piece.
Shading the outline of my lips with the black pencil first, I used the brown to lightly fill the inside of my lips before applying my Quartz Not Beauty shade gloss.
How to apply
There’s truly no right or wrong way to apply lip gloss (in my opinion), with this being a brush applicator sort of product, I simply untwisted the top and swiped the gloss around my top and bottom lip generously.
Courtesy
Results
Again, my Not Beauty Quartz product stayed on my lips from the start of the show, which began with a fire DJ set from LA’s very own, Mustard, to the conclusion when Kendrick and SZA reunited on stage to send us home to their duet, “luther,” featured on the rapper's GNX album.
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