The $120,000 Banana Wins Art Basel

Leave it to Maurizio Cattelan. The first flight of V.I.P. collectors had barely arrived at Art Basel Miami Beach, the art fair that some call the “Running of the Billionaires,’’ and the satirical Italian artist had already won the battle for Instagram. All he needed was a banana and some duct tape. In a gesture…

You’ll Never Buy Caramel Corn Again

Can a person have too many popcorn epiphanies? I had my first last year, when the Los Angeles chef Jessica Koslow taught me that using more oil than corn kernels yielded the best-textured, crunchiest popcorn. But my latest revelation came a few months ago, when I sampled a caramel popcorn superior — lighter, crisper, more…

What They Wore for Their Kusama Art Selfies

ImageCredit…Nathan Bajar for The New York Times The wait to see Yayoi Kusama’s latest art attraction was over two hours. But that didn’t deter hundreds of tourists and New Yorkers from standing in freezing weather outside the David Zwirner gallery in Chelsea last Saturday. The exhibition, “Yayoi Kusama: Every Day I Pray For Love,” on…

How Miss USA Spends Her Sundays

Before Cheslie Kryst was crowned Miss USA in May, she was a lawyer in Charlotte, N.C. In keeping with pageant rules, she moved to Manhattan. Although Ms. Kryst is taking a hiatus from her day job, she still maintains her blog, White Collar Glam, where she discusses affordable workplace fashion. And in October, she became…

My Week of ‘Noble Silence’

Holding a transparent plastic pouch, my cellphone zipped inside with a white label displaying my name in bold letters, I followed the line as it snaked toward the front of the meditation hall. With a small knot in my belly, I inched forward and approached the small stage where five meditation teachers sat silently. When…

Dirty makeup sponges harbor dangerous bacteria

New evidence shows that many makeup products that have passed their expiry date, as well as many beauty tools — particularly makeup sponges — that people do not periodically clean, harbor potentially harmful bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Share on PinterestDirty makeup sponges harbor the highest amount of bacteria among beauty products,…

Fibroid surgery: Everything you need to know

Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths that grow in the wall of the uterus. When fibroids cause heavy bleeding or painful symptoms, and other treatments are ineffective, a doctor may recommend surgery. Fibroids are common, but it is challenging for doctors to determine what percentage of people have them, as not everyone experiences symptoms. According to…

The More (and More) the Merrier

Never mind that old Coco Chanel chestnut about taking one thing off before walking out the door. Today, you may want to add more to the mix. One of the current preoccupations of fine jewelry collectors is an assemblage of necklaces that is layered, personal and playfully disheveled (or artfully edited, as the case may…

Beware the Evil Eye. Or Buy One, Just for Kicks

“From the disease of conceit/Give ya delusions of grandeur/And a evil eye…” — Bob Dylan, “Disease of Conceit”(1989) Search the phrase “evil eye jewelry” on Etsy, the e-commerce website for handmade and vintage items, and more than 71,000 items appear. It’s a staggering result, but not so surprising when you consider how many people, well,…