Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend! A reminder that Monday’s holiday is a National Day of Service, so if you’re one looking to take “a day on, not a day off,” you can find local opps via Americorps, or if in L.A., here is a list of organizations in need of volunteers.

Today’s The Skinny will take under 5 minutes to read, and is designed to help enhance your week with our entertaining, curated content with the most relevant tips and topics. As one of our subscribers told us: “You’re like my favorite magazine, just without all the annoying pop-up ads.” 

(And for anyone new here, this is The Skinny, a free newsletter designed to entertain and save you time, which is everyone’s most valuable resource.)

What we’re covering: 

• Food trends for 2025, starting with the juiciest one to look for (in food, beauty + fashion)

• Clearing your mind starts with decluttering your space, and our expert has an easy way to get started 

• The latest dupe news, including the best lookalikes from fashion to food to beauty (and an athleisure brand that duped itself)

• Plus, what staying in an ice hotel is really like, adult gap years, The Rock’s new haircare line & how to score a free lift ticket

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Cherry on top

The juiciest trend in fashion and food

The Skinny: Dark Cherry Winter is this year’s Tomato Girl Summer (flashback, 2023). We called the cherry martinis (of course, sans Red Dye No. 3), but per Pinterest Predicts, 2025 is sweet and tart in fragrance/beauty, fashion and food to last all year. With a beguiling personality, from sultry and bitingly tart to flirtatious and sweet, cherries have a mood to match every season. And not surprisingly, cherries are always at the top of the “sexiest fruit” list (with this ranking also citing the least sexy fruits). The cherry on top for this item, however, is knowing that they can help you sleep better—just buy a bag frozen and snack on a couple before bed (also, toss them in oatmeal, with honey). 

A bushel full of cherry beauty

Nicole has always been a huge fan of dark cherry lips but right now “black cherry” nails are the juiciest tips out there. And from luxury to prestige to the mall, cherry has been popping up in fragrance from Tom Ford Lost Cherry Eau de Parfum (and, Cherry Smoke) to Snif’s Tart Deco ($25 bucks for a 10ml mini!), to Bath & Body Works’ Perfect in Pink and its new Sweethearts collab (checking in for any mall walkers out there). As for makeup, Glossier just released its Black Cherry Collection, which features not only varying shades of cherry, but also flavor—not to mention this cherry lock, which (despite its cuteness) exactly no one needs. 

Add to cart: Jill just ordered this viral tart cherry juice, stand by for results. What she’s most excited for: reduced inflammation and (again) better sleep. For beauty lovers, two lip products to try: Laura Geller Moisturizing Lip Color in very cherry and (for no plastic) an Axiology lip crayon, in cherry.

Clearing out the clutter

Creating space for your future self

The Skinny: Continuing with No. 2 of our 3-part series on Decluttering your Life, we’re back with Georgi Dienst, who today discusses how to create your ideal with “Define & Release.” And, YES, our cluttered closet definitely makes mornings stressful. Help us! 

Last time, we started small with the Five-Minute Focus Method. Today, we're thinking bigger – but don't worry, we'll break it down into manageable steps that won't overwhelm you. First, let's understand: decluttering is not organizing, but it is the essential first step in your organizing journey.

Start with Your Ideal 

Before diving into more decluttering, take a moment to imagine your ideal environment. Close your eyes and picture walking into your home or office. What feels different? Maybe it's the calm you feel when you see clear surfaces, or the energy boost from knowing exactly where everything is.

Get Specific with Priorities 

Now, let's turn that vision into action. Choose your top three spaces that need attention. But here's the key – don't just list the spaces, identify their impact. Is your cluttered desk affecting your productivity? Is your chaotic closet making mornings stressful?

The Art of Letting Go 

Here's where many get stuck, but I'll share a simple question that changes everything: "Does keeping this serve my ideal life?" Instead of "Will I need this someday?" think "does this support the ideal environment I'm creating?"

Try This Now:

1. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes

2. Write your ideal feeling for ONE space (examples: My ideal desk space feels productive and inspiring or My ideal kitchen feels welcoming and efficient)

3. List three items in that space you're ready to release

4. Take action immediately:

   • Trash/Recycle (anything broken, expired, or no longer useful)

   • Relocate (items that belong elsewhere)

   • Decision box (for truly uncertain items - but remember, if you're hesitating, that's often a sign it's time to let go)

Pro Tip: Keep your decision box small and set a one-week deadline. If you haven't needed or thought about an item in that week, it's probably time to let it go. The goal isn't to create a "maybe later" pile, but to give yourself a short grace period for items that genuinely need more consideration.

Why This Works: When you connect decluttering to your larger vision, decisions become clearer. You're not just organizing stuff; you're creating space for your future self.

Ready to dive deeper? Get Georgi’s FREE CLARITY framework guide for powerful visualization exercises and priority-setting tools to support your journey HERE.

Fake it ‘til you make it

Is imitation really the sincerest form of flattery?

The Skinny: Earlier this year, The Guardian looked at the cool-factor of dupes for Gen Z, and encouraged brands to embrace it and “play along”—since those embracing dupe culture will often choose them over the real thing, even if they can afford it. While we personally have an affinity for the real thing—and appreciate the heritage, quality and value of luxury items as splurges—right now, dupes are celebrated and flaunted for what they are: fun fashion, and a lighthearted FU to the establishment. Time will tell if they are “built to last,” but with a low price tag and badge of dupe honor, they’re having a moment and consumers are having fun playing along.  

Dupe news and notables:

• Target kitten heels ($1190 for the Italian original vs. $30 Target version).

• Perhaps taking the Guardian’s advice was Popflex, which duped its own brand with a new line called Blogilates at Target. 

• Beyond fashion are food dupes from Aldi—which, unbeknownst to us, recently had a short-lived, $12.99 suede platform clog UGG dupe that surely sold out immediately. We’d only first shopped at Aldi recently during a break in a NJ soccer tournament, and weren’t sure what to think—starting with our confusion over the locked carts, wondering why knock-off Barbies were for sale, and intrigue over the “Clancy’s” Pringles dupes standing proudly in a cardboard box next to actual Pringles. However, we are now fans after scoring some ridiculously cheap eggs, great fresh salad items, whole milk Greek yogurt, frozen taquitos, TP galore, and some great English muffins that were basically dupes for Bay’s (costing up to $5 elsewhere). In conclusion: Aldi feels like the “Marshall’s of grocery stores” (by virtue of its potential hidden treasures), so we’re now joining the Aldi Aisle of Shame Facebook group which, despite its name, celebrates Aldi culture and aisle finds.

• We covered the “Wirkin” last week (and are still getting messages about it), so to further unpack this story: FYI that the “Wirkin” is no longer available on Walmart.com, but the retailer is being tight-lipped as to actually why. However, our sources say that this bag had actually been on the site since early 2024 before it “took off,” and we have heard of lucky shoppers who snagged more than one of them during that time as “their little secret.” Second update is that ICYMI, Walmart also has the real Birkin available (second-hand, via third-party sellers). With a sticker price of $26K+, we do not suggest adding to cart.

Last licks

This week’s newsfeed

• Your frozen ice bucket list: as cool as ice hotels are in theory, wouldn’t they be the opposite of relaxing, in reality? To learn more, we tried to find the best first-person account, which also explains why having sex (and/or drinking too much) in an ice hotel is ill-advised. So…maybe we are out.

• Mind the gap: no longer just for high school grads, adults are now taking gap years too. 

• If anyone can explain why we need an apparel line from hype-y soda brand Poppi, we’re all ears! Then again, we actually don’t really care! Of course we’re not the target demo here, but curious to see how this sells (it was all fully stocked when we happened to see it in Target yesterday).

• As an extension of his Papatui skincare line, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has launched haircare—yes, yes—but beyond the jokes, the scuttlebutt in our PR/Marketing groups is that he has a history of doing his daughter’s hair and hence, some genuine creds. 

• No. 1 Reason to ski in your Golden Years: showing the young’uns how to crush après like these seniors (IDOLS–apparently one is reportedly a music exec). Also, hot gear tip: Helly Hansen offers free lift tickets to a huge range of mountains—from Chamonix to Sugarloaf—with the purchase of many of its products.

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