At mbg, we don’t believe that skin care should be complicated, so we’re here to help you sift through all of the skin care language so you can make better decisions about your skin health. Today, we’re getting to the bottom of this frequently asked question: Which is better, tretinoin or retinol? Tretinoin, on the other hand, is actually a prescription-grade product, meaning you’ll have to have a consultation with a dermatologist before receiving it....

A healthy gut deserves the hype, too. A diverse gut microbiome, which is a key indicator of a healthy gastrointestinal tract, protects against unwelcome invaders, helps to optimize the extraction of nutrients and energy, and contributes to healthy immune function3. Yes, it means better digestion but also better mood and cognition and much more. And it’s a two-way street. Not only does vitamin D influence the gut, but the gut also influences vitamin D—particularly, how well it’s absorbed....

Ultimately, all of the various nuances of diet that are designed to target a specific organ system share two fundamental goals: 1) reducing inflammation, and 2) nurturing our gut microbes. So how do these two ideas play out in terms of what yours truly decides to eat? I’ve actually been covering this subject quite a bit lately on Instagram, with the recent launch of my Summer Brain Challenge on Instagram. If you follow along, you’ll notice that the first order of business on Day One involved getting more anti-inflammatory foods into your diet....

Though most of us cannot see auras with our eyes alone, there are ways to figure out their color compositions, like having an aura portrait taken, for example, or taking a quick aura quiz to get an idea. Here, we break down what having a white aura is all about, plus what it means for love, professional success, and more. “Anything alive has an aura,” explains Kathryn Grace, founder of Aura Shop, an aura reading shop in Santa Monica, California....

But there are a few important things to note about this buzzy ingredient, so keep reading to learn more and find out if it’s right for you. Here’s how it works: “Niacinamide Increases production of ceramides and fatty acids, two key components of the skin’s outer protective barrier,” Goldfaden explains. In skin care formulas, you can find niacinamide in two forms: nicotinic acid (also known as niacin) and nicotinamide (also called niacinamide), Goldfaden says....

These descriptors feel like little badges of honor. They may not change the way I present myself in the world, but they provide a framework for analyzing some of my patterns and tendencies. To calculate your human design (you can find out yours using an online calculator, like this one), you’ll need your birth date, time, and location. The resulting chart is a slightly intimidating map of numbers and symbols arranged on a human figure....

It only makes sense that methods of understanding our own and others’ thoughts and behaviors could also be incredibly useful tools for enhancing our sex lives and potential for pleasure. Enter: the erotic blueprint. The concept was developed by somatic sexologist Jaiya from her two decades of study and clinical research into sexuality, arousal, and pleasure. Throughout her work, Jaiya noticed certain patterns in desire and arousal, which she conceptualizes as five sexual archetypes, or “blueprints....