• Walmart is posting signs in stores in order to clarify its policy on bringing animals inside. 
• The signs read: "Service animals welcome. No pets."
• Walmart told Business Insider that this isn't a new policy, but that the signs are meant to remind shoppers of the rule.

Like the airlines, Walmart has faced scrutiny for its policy on permitting animals into its stores. For years, commenters have taken to social media to describe odd interactions with animals in the store:

SEE ALSO: Walmart has gobbled up a slew of brands since 2010 — and it's all part of a strategy to take on Amazon and win over millennials

DON'T MISS: From entire lawn sets to used toilets, these are the most ridiculous returns workers from Costco, Walmart, and Target say they've ever gotten

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 11 things you probably didn't know about Walmart

• Some job offers that seem incredible on the surface could be coming from a company that is fraudulent, has a toxic environment, or otherwise may not be what it seems.
• Here, two career experts walk through 10 potential warning signs that your dream job offer is too good to be true.

After months of researching, applying, and interviewing, nothing is more relieving than finally getting that dream job offer. Even though you're fresh out of college with minimal job experience, they're promising you a six-figure salary, the ability to work from home once a week, and free trips to Mexico should you meet your goals.

Although you've been doing all of the reaching out, the company seems really interested in bringing you on, despite not yet having an in-person interview. Out of eagerness you're ready to sign the offer letter. They haven't sent you one, but that's okay, you can just give them your social security number and bank statements over the phone.

Sound like a plan? No! If you find yourself in a similar situation, know that there are many red flags in this particularly dire example of a hiring process that should steer you clear of accepting the job.

It's important to be mindful of vagueness, verbal agreements, an eagerness to hire, and personal data requests early on, as these could indicate that the company is fraudulent, has a toxic environment, or otherwise may not be what it seems.

Here, two career experts walk through 10 potential warning signs that your dream job offer is too good to be true, and that you should avoid the opportunity at all costs:

SEE ALSO: 11 tax deductions every independent contractor should know about

1. The salary offer is too high

An unreasonably high salary is a common sign that the job may not be what it seems, according to career expert Eileen Sharaga.

"This could be a sign that nobody wants the job because the conditions are toxic," she says. "They could be desperate to hire and will need you to solve an immediate problem."

2. They make verbal promises

"Steer clear of companies that make verbal promises to you but won't put them in writing," Sharaga said. "This almost always translates to unfulfillment."

Plus, there's no physical evidence of the verbal commitment, so the company can't be held responsible for not following through.

3. The details are vague

"If they don't have the answers to your questions, this could be a red flag," Sharaga said.

These questions may include details about your job responsibilities, the company's work environment, when you would start, or where the company's headed in 10 years.

According to Sharaga, vageness signifies disorganization and instability.

• Muhammad Ali's former Los Angeles home is on the market for nearly $17 million, The Wall Street Journal reported.
• The boxer and his wife bought the house in 1979 and lived there until 1986.
• The nine-bedroom home, which dates back to 1916, sits on 1.5 acres in Fremont Place, a gated community known for its historic mansions.
• It hit the market on what would have been Ali's 77th birthday.

The former home of celebrated boxer Muhammad Ali is for sale in Los Angeles for $16.999 million.

The nine-bedroom mansion sits on 1.5 acres in the Hancock Park neighborhood in a gated community called Fremont Place, which is known for its historic mansions, according to The Wall Street Journal. It's listed by Douglas Elliman.

The current owners of the home bought it for $2.5 million in 2001, the Journal reported.

The house, which is more than 100 years old, hit the market on January 17, 2018, which would have been Ali's 77th birthday. He died in 2016.

Here's a look inside.

SEE ALSO: Shaq is selling his lakeside Florida mansion for $22 million, and it comes with a 17-car garage and a 6,000-square-foot basketball court — here's a look inside

DON'T MISS: A Mega Millions lottery winner is selling his California mountain estate for $26 million — and the massive property comes with a buffalo ranch, steakhouse, and saloon

A mansion in Los Angeles that once belonged to Muhammad Ali has hit the market for $16.999 million.

Source: 55 Fremont Place

The historic estate sits on 1.5 acres in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Source: 55 Fremont Place

It's part of a gated community called Fremont Place, which is known for its historic mansions.

Source: Wall Street Journal

• "The easier something is to think of, the more it feels true," says management and psychology professor Adam Grant. "The harder something is to think of the more false it feels."
• "Why Are We All So Stupid?" explores the cognitive biases that lead us to make irrational decisions.
• This episode focuses on the availability bias, which makes us believe something is more likely because it's easier to remember. Here's why the news has broken our brains.

Watch other episodes of "Why Are We All So Stupid?":

Overconfidence Bias: Asking Couples About Their Relationships

Anchoring Effect: Guessing How Many Jelly Beans Are In A Jar

Pricing Effect: Why A Higher Price Tag Makes Wine Taste Better

Endowment Effect: Trying To Buy People's Lottery Tickets

EDITOR'S NOTE: This video was originally published on December 14, 2018. 

Join the conversation about this story »

• We asked real estate mogul and "Shark Tank" host Barbara Corcoran to share her advice on how to successfully ask your boss for a raise.
• Corcoran also talked about what you should do if you receive an offer from another company.
• Senior Video Correspondent Graham Flanagan spoke to Corcoran at IGNITION, Business Insider's media and technology event. 

Barbara Corcoran: Do you really want a raise, or this is for example?

Graham Flanagan: We all want to make more money.

Corcoran: Yes, of course. And I could tell looking at you, you're underpaid.

Flanagan: Why?

Corcoran: Because you would afford a much nicer shirt and trousers if you were making enough money.

Flanagan: Wow.

Corcoran: If you want to get a raise, and particularly if you're a woman who wants to get a raise, women don't ask for raises I can tell you. I've employed thousands of women over my life. They do not ask for raises unless they absolutely must, and men ask all the time. And so, what the smartest thing to do is, first of all, make an appointment to ask for a raise, even if your expectation isn't that you're gonna get it. At least ask for it, because that sets you up for the next meeting where you'll likely get it.

And the smartest thing to do is to walk in with a list of your responsibilities when you started at the company, and then also the list of things you've taken on since you started. And simply make the boss aware that you have a lot more responsibility. You're delighted to take it on, give me more, but I'd like to be compensated and to name a number you'd like.

Most women, when they work up to the point where they'll ask for a raise, they won't give a number. "I'd like to get a raise." Men will walk in and say, "I'd like to get a raise. I'd like it to be around 10, 15 percent."

No qualms. So, if you're a timid woman, I think the smart thing to do is ask, "What would a man do?" And walk in thinking like a man. If you don't get the raise, you have to ask, "What would merit a raise?" So that when you come back the next time, you could say, "Hey, this is what I've done," "I'd like to get that raise."

When someone has come to me and said they got another offer for a lot more money from somewhere else, and it's not followed up with, "So, goodbye," they're looking for something from me. I never try to buy their loyalty because I haven't earned their loyalty, obviously, and they're on their way out the door, I'm not gonna stop them with more money. They're already off my list. I can't wait for them to go out that door.

It's perfectly acceptable to go to your boss and say, "You know, I'm a little surprised. I got an offer for a lot more money, but I'm not taking it because I love this business. But I'm really wondering, could you level with me as to my future prospects here?"

That's a great opener. And it's not insulting and it's not threatening. And guess what? You'll get the best out of that boss. Very, very different than saying, "You want to pay up?" The tone is entirely different. One, the boss wants to measure up. The other style, the boss wants to boot you out that door. I think the piece you have to put in is, "I got a great offer, I love working here and I plan to stay, but it brings on the table my question, what do you think my prospects here in the future might be?"

That's pretty fair. If I were a boss, I would go out of my way to think of how I could push you ahead, if I value you. And if my response instead was, "Well I'm happy to hear about it, but you know, we pay you fairly and you have good responsibilities and we're pretty happy, so do what you want," or something like that, I would know I am not valued, and I would take the other job because the one thing you must be in any position you are, male, female, whatever level you are, is you must be valued and appreciated to be promoted.

It's a great way to go in and take a litmus test as to how you are valued in that boss' eyes, and your boss has more to do with your future than the company you're working for, your responsibilities and everything else. If they love you, they will push you ahead. I had so many people come and ask for raises over the years. Of course, mostly men.

My theory as a boss is, you get ahead of your valued employees and you raise them before they ever get to ask. Because employees will kill for you, if you can treat them with that kind of reverence and respect and prove it by paying them more. They'll kill for you. They're loyal forever.

And I've always been very lucky to be surrounded by people that are enormously loyal, and it's no accident. Because I make sure I push money, recognition, whatever I have, opportunity, more valuable than raises. Bonuses, whatever it takes to make them feel "I am loved."

That's what everybody wants.

Join the conversation about this story »

• The New York Times reports wealthyBrooklyn moms are dishing out hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on two defining accessories: slouchy clogs and woven purse straps.
• With starting prices around $300 and $140 respectively, they are an expensive update to the already-expensive styles that used to define the "mom look," which has previously included Ugg boots and Lululemon leggings.
• They look is one of many markers of an era in which discreet wealth is a new status symbol.

There's a new look in town for wealthy Brooklyn moms, and, as Hayley Krischer at The New York Times reports, it's a decidedly bohemian style that involves two staple elements and exudes a subtle sort of wealth.

That's not to say the look isn't expensive: The favored No. 6 clogs start at around $300 and Salt straps start at $138.

What's more, the bright, woven Salt straps are advertised as customizable additions to designer purses — think Gucci and Celine at $2,500 and $2,600 a piece — with price tags that already run well into the thousands of dollars, writes Krischer for the Times.

And clogs, for their part, once the epitome of uncool and unfashionable, are now being touted as an "ugly-chic shoe obsession" by the likes of Vogue and as a fashion "staple" by StyleCaster.

Beyond just being newly chic, though, they also send a message about the look the wearer is striving for.

"For moms, specifically, the No. 6 clog gives off a message that you’re very much interested in comfort and not so interested in appearance," Krischer continues.

Read more: The world's richest people spend $234 billion a year on luxury goods — here's how much they spend on yachts, private jets, wine, and clothes

Both of these style choices are part of a look that's more expensive and perhaps more consciously arranged than it may first appear to be — and they're markers of an era where, as Business Insider's Hillary Hoffower previously reported, discreet wealth is becoming the new status symbol.

"Owning a Louis Vuitton handbag, a multimillion-dollar Bugatti, or a shiny Rolex has typically been a marker of elite status," Hoffower wrote. Those flashy styles, however, are becoming "less ubiquitous among the ultra-high-net-worth crowd," and they're making room for a different kind of wealth display.

Whereas shiny jewelry, leather handbags, and sports cars very clearly display the owner's status to everyone, these new “it” accessories do it more quietly and, potentially, only to a group of people who are already in the know. After all, as demonstrated by high-end hotels that have "secret" suites available only by word of mouth and expensive brands that forgo all sorts of adveristng and celebrity endorsements, exclusivity and subtlety are marks of luxury in and of themselves.

SEE ALSO: These are the brands that blew up in 2018

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Your Christmas tree could be a big fire hazard — take these steps to stay safe

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• In 2018, I tested a heavy rotation of skincare products to cherry-pick the best ones.
• After being introduced to Neogen's Real Fermnet Micro Essence ($38)while doing the famous 10-Step Korean skincare routine, it's become a staple of mine.
• The essence feels and absorbs like a soft water, but hydrates as deeply as a rich lotion, moisturizing my skin without clogging pores. When used with toner, it creates "honey skin" — defined as a "next-level glow."
• For best results, use the Real Ferment Micro Essence ($38) with the Acwell Licorice Toner ($18). 

Many of my last 365 days have been spent testing skincare. Over the course of the last year, I've been working through both the hyped-up and nondescript skin care products that surface on the internet to figure out which ones really are great — and which ones you're really not missing out on. Successes, for instance, included the cult-favorite $11 Aztec Clay Mask and $28 Maelove vitamin C serum.

That search also included trying the 10-Step Korean skincare routine— a meticulous cleansing and moisturizing routine that orbits around K-Beauty products to balance the skin. In actuality, 10 steps are less dramatic than they sound. (Eye cream, makeup remover, and sun protection like sunscreen are already three of the steps, and they're not exactly unusual). One of the products sent to me was Neogen's Real Ferment Micro Essence ($38), and it's one of the best I found in 2018.

What's an essence? it's a lightweight liquid packed with a concentrated blend of hydrating, anti-wrinkle, complexion-enhancing ingredients. In a traditional 10-Step Korean skincare routine, it's supposed to be applied after a toner removes residue from cleansers and preps the skin for better absorption of the products to come. It's a popular skin care category in Korea, and sometimes called the "heart" of a K-beauty routine.

In real life, it basically feels and acts like a soft water. After cleansing and toning, you sprinkle the essence into the palms of your hands (or onto a cotton pad) and pat it onto your skin until it's fully absorbed. Since it's a lightweight liquid, absorption happens very quickly. 

This product is great for a few important reasons, but they all come back to intense, lightweight hydration. The essence doesn't clog my pores like a rich wintertime moisturizer or thick overnight lotion, but it hydrates nearly as well. It tightens my skin and seems to temporarily fill fine lines. And it sinks in completely and without residue, which is often my main complaint with oils and serums. If my skin is really dry, I follow the essence with Maelove's $28 The One Cream— a non-pore-clogging lotion. 

Using the essence with a complementary toner was also one of the first times I've ever noticed an undeniable "glow" from a product — not shininess, but a sort of Kiera-Knightley-holding-a-candle-in-a-Victorian-drama, lit-from-within kind of healthy glow. Like a Glossier ad. It was noteworthy enough to drive me to the product page in search of an explanation. According to Soko Glam and their K-Beauty blog "The Klog," Neogen's Real Ferment Micro Essence is known for delivering on a trend called "honey skin" — "the next level glow after healthy skin" which is typically achieved through a routine with a lot of humectant and toning ingredients for maximum glow. It doesn't make pores enlarged or clogged like an oily shine, but instead results in a glow that is evenly presented across your entire face. Yep, sounds about right.

When you take a look at the product list, the intense hydration and noticeable brightening and plumping make sense. The aptly named Real Ferment Micro Essence has more than 93% naturally fermented ingredients, including bifida ferment lysate and 28% saccharomyces ferment filtrate, to deliver instant moisture and increase elasticity. Fermentation naturally produces amino acids, vitamins, and other antioxidants that are great for the skin. It also has a smaller molecular structure, meaning it's easier for the skin to absorb. On top of that, 17% birch juice adds hydration and 9% rice extracts make skin look like it's illuminated from within. The combination of natural brighteners, antioxidants, and cell-communicating ingredients make for what is essentially a smart power juice for your skin.

It's also blessedly free of fragrances — one main reservation I have with many otherwise solid K-beauty products.

The Real Ferment Micro Essence is $38, which isn't expensive for a skincare product but may raise eyebrows under the name "essence" — which may sound a lot like "inessential" to the uninitiated. But, the bottle is five ounces, and a little can go a long way, so one purchase should last you for months. 

It seems I'm not the only person singing the Real Ferment Micro Essence's praises. Soko Glam later named it one of the 10 Best Products of 2018, and on site, the product has 600 reviews and a 4.5 rating overall (out of 5). The combination I use — the Acwell Licorice Toner and Neogen Real Ferment Micro Essence — is the same one Charlotte Cho, founder of Soko Glam, also swears by for achieving "honey skin." Acwell Licorice Toner was also named one of the best 10 products of 2018.

All in all, if you're looking for intense hydration from something as non-pore-clogging as a water, Neogen's new fan-favorite Real Ferment Micro Essence is worth checking out, and one you might not know about if you're not deeply entrenched in the skin care industry. It brightens, plumps, and deeply moisturizes with fast, no-residue absorption. And, for me, using it with a toner did result in the sort of honey-skin glow that looks like you're wearing highlighter without bothering to put any on. If that's worth $38 to you for a few months of the benefits, I'd wager you're going to like this.

Buy Neogen Real Ferment Micro Essence, available on Soko Glam, $38

Join the conversation about this story »

• In addition to investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 election, the special counsel Robert Mueller is scrutinizing dozens of contacts between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia.
• Trump and his surrogates have offered multiple, at times contradictory, explanations for those contacts.
• Over time, they have claimed the campaign never communicated with Russia, that the contacts did not amount to collusion, and that even if they did, collusion is not a crime.

The special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election has so far indicted 34 people and three Russian companies, flipped five cooperating witnesses, secured one conviction in court, and seized up to $46 million in assets.

In December, Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer and "fixer," pleaded guilty and entered into a cooperation agreement with Mueller's team, sitting for at least 70 hours of interviews. And a series of new court filings has shed more light on the extent of Paul Manafort's contacts with Russian-linked individuals. 

Since last May, Mueller has been investigating not only Russia's election meddling, but also whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow to tilt the race in Trump's favor.

The central thread in the probe focuses on the complex linkage of contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian individuals and entities.

Over time, Trump and his surrogates have had multiple, often contradictory, explanations for those contacts. Here's how their explanations have evolved between December 2016 and today.

November 2016: There was no contact with Russians

In the days immediately following the election, Russian president Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov and a top Russian diplomat told the Associated Press the Russian government maintained "normal" contacts on matters of foreign affairs with both the Trump and Clinton campaigns.

Hope Hicks, then a campaign spokeswoman, categorically denied at the time that any such contacts had taken place.

"It never happened," she told the AP. "There was no communication between the campaign and any foreign entity during the campaign."

But subsequent reporting has now revealed at least 101 known points of contact between Trump campaign aides and Russia-linked individuals or entities.

Those include communications with Sergei Kislyak, Russia's former ambassador to the US; multiple powerful oligarchs closely aligned with Putin; and Russian intelligence officers who were involved in hacking then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee. The officers disseminated the stolen emails via WikiLeaks to influence the election, Mueller has charged.

Read more: Grading the Steele dossier 2 years later: what’s been corroborated and what's still unclear

July 2017: There was contact, but no 'collusion'

The Trump camp's explanation for its Russia contacts saw a significant shift in the summer of 2017, when a bombshell New York Times story revealed that three top campaign officials, including Manafort, son Donald Trump Jr., and senior adviser Jared Kushner met with two Russian lobbyists at Trump Tower.

After The Times reported on the meeting, Trump Jr. put out an initial statement claiming the meeting had nothing to do with Clinton or campaign business.

But the president's eldest son had to revise his statement several times after it emerged that he agreed to the meeting after he was offered "dirt" on Clinton. The offer, according to one email Trump Jr. received from the British music publicist Rob Goldstone, was "part of Russia and its government's support" for Trump's candidacy.

In response, Trump Jr. said, "I love it."

The full picture surrounding the meeting is still somewhat murky.

But it was reported last year that one of the Russian lobbyists, the Kremlin-connected lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, did not arrive with the promised dirt on Clinton, and instead wanted to discuss a potential repeal of the Magnitsky Act, which sanctions high-level Russians suspected of human-rights abuses.

Trump and his lawyers initially claimed that the president did not know about the meeting until The Times broke the story about it.

But the Washington Post later reported that Trump "dictated" the initially misleading statement his son put out after he was contacted about the story.

Trump later acknowledged that although the meeting took place in order to get compromising information on Clinton, it did not count as collusion because the campaign did not get anything from Veselnitskaya.

"This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics - and it went nowhere. I did not know about it!" Trump tweeted in August.

Read more:Mueller dropped an intriguing hint about where the Russia probe is headed in a new court filing

August 2018: Even if there was collusion, it doesn't matter because collusion isn't a crime

With Trump admitting he knew the meeting was to get damaging information on Clinton, his lawyers fell back on another strategy: arguing that collusion is not a crime.

"I have been sitting here looking in the federal code trying to find collusion as a crime," Rudy Giuliani, Trump's lead defense attorney, told Fox News in July. "Collusion is not a crime."

Trump echoed Giuliani in a series of tweets. "Where's the collusion? They made up a phony crime called Collusion, and when there was no Collusion they say there was Obstruction (of a phony crime that never existed)," he wrote.

"I don't even know if that's a crime — colluding with Russians. Hacking is the crime. The president didn't hack. He didn't pay for the hacking," Giuliani also told CNN.

Legal experts told Business Insider at the time that Giuliani's claim was a "red herring." While it is true that the word "collusion" is not a specific crime denoted in the federal code, they said that the focus is likely on whether the campaign was involved in a conspiracy to defraud the US.

"Mueller isn't investigating 'collusion.' He is investigating possible coordination between the campaign and the Russians, particularly any actual crimes committed in the context of that coordination," Bradley P. Moss, a lawyer specializing in national security issues, told Business Insider.

Read more: Here are all the ongoing investigations and lawsuits involving Trump and his businesses

"Russian companies and individuals have been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States as a result of their alleged acts of election interference and hacking and distribution of emails," Harvard Law School professor and former federal prosecutor Alex Whiting said.

"If American citizens knowingly assisted these efforts, which could be described as 'collusion,' they could also be charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States," he added.

January 2019: There might have been collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign – but Trump himself wasn't involved

In a January 2019 appearance on "Cuomo Prime Time," Giuliani didn't rule out the possibility that members of the Trump campaign engaged in unlawful coordination with Russian entities and actors – but maintained that his client, Trump, was completely innocent.

"I never said there was no collusion between the campaign or between people in the campaign, I have no idea," Giuliani said. "I said there is not a single bit of evidence the President of the United States committed the only crime you could committed here: conspired with Russia to hack the DNC."

Giuliani's comments come after Paul Manafort's lawyers accidentally revealed in a recent court filing that Manafort shared Trump campaign polling data with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Ukrainian operative with ties to Russian intelligence. 

Previous reporting has revealed that Manafort sought, at several points, to leverage his position as chairman of the Trump campaign to settle his debts with Russian oligarchs. He reportedly offered "private briefings" on the campaign to Oleg Deripaska, an oligarch to whom he owed around $30 million dollars, through Kilimnik. 

Read more: Manafort's lawyers made a formatting error in a new court filing and accidentally revealed a slew of bombshells about his alleged lies to Mueller

After Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen plead guilty to lying to Congress in 2017 testimony about the nature of the Trump Organization's attempts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow during the 2016 election, a sentencing memo from Mueller revealed more details about the Trump orbit's interactions with Russia. 

The memo describes how "in or around November 2015, Cohen received the contact information for, and spoke with, a Russian national who claimed to be a "trusted person" in the Russian Federation who could offer the campaign "political synergy" and "synergy on a government level."

While this person is not named in the memo, BuzzFeed News reported in June that Cohen reached out to Russian weightlifter Dmitry Klokov about the project. Klokov claimed to be connected to Russian President Vladimir Putin. They were reportedly introduced by Ivanka Trump, then a vice president at the Trump Organization. 

SEE ALSO: Trump reportedly fears the prospect of impeachment, but experts aren't convinced his legal troubles have reached a 'tipping point' yet

DON'T MISS: The 20 biggest Trump-Russia bombshells of 2018

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

• The government shutdown has gone on for 27 days now.
• 380,000 federal employees were placed on furlough at the start of the shutdown, meaning they were forced to stay home and will receive no pay for the shutdown's duration.
• But some agencies are recalling furloughed workers in an attempt to restart key operations and blunt the shutdown's impact.
• The FDA, IRS, USDA, FAA, and State Department all announced that some furloughed workers would return to the job.
• The recalled workers will still not receive pay, which is angering some unions.

The government shutdown, which started December 22, forced many of the federal government's agencies to work with a bare-bones staff and cease a slew of major functions.

But as the shutdown drags on, more and more agencies are starting to call employees back to work to restart some critical functions of government that were going untended.

The unprecedented nature of the closure is forcing government agencies to use legal loopholes to take novel action to try to soften the blow from the shutdown.

During the shutdown, workers deemed "essential" — such as law enforcement and TSA agents — are compelled to work without pay during the duration of the shutdown.

The rest of the "nonessential" workers are placed on furlough, meaning those employees must stay home and do not receive pay.

About 420,000 workers were deemed essential at the start of the shutdown, while 380,000 were furloughed.

Read more: From airport lines to food inspections, here are all the ways the government shutdown is affecting the lives of average Americans

But many agencies are starting to switch workers' classifications from furloughed to "excepted" status to get key operations running again. Here's a rundown of some of the agencies bringing back workers from furlough:

• The State Department announced Thursday that 8,000 furloughed diplomats would return to work. The department found enough money in payroll accounts to fund one 15-day pay period, officials said, but it was unclear whether there were more funds to make the furlough reprieve more than temporary. The employees will also not receive their back pay yet.
• The Food and Drug Administration is bringing back 400 food inspectors to perform high-risk inspections after public outcry and concerns about food-poisoning outbreaks. Some of the inspectors also look after medical devices and drugs.
• The Internal Revenue Service will bring back 36,000 employees to help process tax returns and already called back employees to complete income checks necessary for some Americans to obtain mortgages.
• The Federal Aviation Administration recalled 2,200 safety inspectors to restart work to ensure airlines and aircraft manufacturers are operating safely.
• The USDA recalled 2,500 workers to temporarily open services for farmers to receive aid.

Some funding has been reallocated from other programs, discovered, or paid through fees to those agencies. Almost all the workers will not get paid while they are back on the job until the shutdown ends, meaning the financial strain on these employees will continue.

Furloughed workers can apply for government unemployment insurance in some cases, while excepted workers may not.

Read more: The number of federal employees making unemployment claims during the government shutdown is soaring

Unions representing the various agencies' employees have argued that forcing the workers to come back to the job without pay is a violation of federal labor laws.

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which also represents IRS employees, is suing the government for forcing the workers to come in without compensation.

"There is no doubt the IRS needs to get ready for the 2019 filing season that starts Jan. 28, and IRS employees want to work," Tony Reardon, the NTEU president, said in a statement. "But the hard, cold reality is that they’ve already missed a paycheck and soon they’ll be asked to work for free for as long as the shutdown lasts."

On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked a lawsuit that sought to force the government to pay employees working without pay during the shutdown.

SEE ALSO: The government shutdown is in day 27 and has shattered the record for the longest shutdown in history

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

• The 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit opens to the public on January 19 and runs through January 27.
• This will be the final time the Detroit auto show takes place in January. In 2020, it will move to June.
• New SUVs, sports cars, electric vehicles, and concepts made their North American debuts.
• Ford, Cadillac, RAM, Infiniti, VW, and Subaru are all showing new vehicles.

The Detroit auto show opens to the public this coming weekend and runs for two weeks. I journeyed to Motown and took in as many reveals and debuts as I could.

The pickings were a tad slim this year, as this is the last time the show will take place in the middle of winter. In 2020, the event moves to June.

But in 2019, the show did go on, fast by the frigid banks of the Detroit River. There were pickups and SUVs galore, a few concepts, some much-anticipated sports cars, and a few electric rides.

The public might be disappointed by the lack of some big names at the show, such as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes. But of course that means there's more opportunity to take in new pickups from Ford, Chevy, RAM, and Jeep, not to mention a smattering of sedans and some high-performance metal.

Here's a rundown of all the interesting machines we saw:

SEE ALSO: Ford just unveiled the most powerful Mustang ever to hit the streets

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Ford unveiled a new 700-horsepower Shelby GT500 Mustang.

The hotly anticipated Ford Ranger mid-size pickup literally rose above the show floor.

Ford also showed a hybrid and high-performance ST version of the all-new Explorer SUV.

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• 180 degrees isn't always the ideal angle for you to get your best night's sleep.
• Luckily, with the Nectar adjustable bed frame, you don't have to lie entirely horizontally when you lie down to go to bed.
• This new bed frame allows you to decide for yourself what angle works best for your nightly repose, whether that's entirely supine, or with your legs or back just a little bit elevated.
• While the bed frame works best with its companion Nectar mattress (which you can learn more about in our buying guide to the best mattresses for side sleepers), it can also play nice with the mattress that you have at home (provided it's flexible enough to do a little bit of bending).
• Right now through Cyber Monday, Nectar is offering a deal on its mattress. Take $125 off any size mattress and get two free pillows with your purchase.

If you've ever fallen asleep in your favorite recliner, or sometimes prefer the comfort of  your easy chair to your own mattress, you know that 180 degrees isn't always ideal. But instead of banishing yourself to the cramped space of an armchair, you can in fact return to the luxury of space available in your king-sized bed, all while maintaining control over the angles at which you catch some z's. And it's all thanks to Nectar, the bed-in-a-box brand that isn't just delivering comfortable mattresses, but also adjustable bed frames.

I've slept on my fair share of so-called smart mattresses, and was never particularly impressed. Sure, they'll tell you how much sleep you got during the night, or purport to have self-adjusting temperature settings for those of us who sleep a bit too hot or too cold, but at the end of the day, even the best smart mattress is naught more than a comfortable mattress. But smart bed frames are an entirely different story, and the Nectar is certainly at the top of its game.

First and foremost, I was impressed by how quickly the bed frame was delivered, and more importantly, how quickly it could be set up. All I had to do was screw in the legs — as Nectar promised, there were no tools necessary. The frame isn't the most elaborate of designs (which is a good thing, I should say), and is simple enough to fit with just about any aesthetic. When paired with my pine-colored bedroom furniture, the dark grey frame and its six black legs seemed to blend right in.

But once everything is set up, then you really get to experience the magic that is an adjustable bed frame. While you may think that being able to control the angle of your bed with a remote will make you feel like you're sleeping in a hospital (trust me, that was my fear, too), you'll soon find that you're the most pampered patient around.

The Nectar bed frame is controlled by an easy-to-use remote control that lifts the head region, the foot area, or both, simultaneously. You can either manually select how far up (or down) you want to go, or opt for one of Nectar's presets. There's an anti-snore button that raises your torso quite a bit and slightly elevates your legs, and purports to help you sleep more quietly. While I can't vouch for whether or not this works for snorers, it is a remarkably comfortable position to sleep in regardless.

There's also a TV button, which won't control your television set, but will adjust you to the perfect reclining position for watching your favorite shows. Or, if you'd prefer to simulate what it's like to sleep in a zero gravity setting, you can push the ZG button on the top right of the remote. I wasn't a huge fan of this particular setting (it elevates your legs way up), but hey, to each her own.

The Nectar remote also comes with three memory buttons that allow you to program your own perfect sleeping positions. Just manually adjust the bed to your liking, and have the remote remember it by pressing either M1, M2, or M3.

But as wonderful as adjusting my bed was, there was truly nothing better than lying down and getting my bed frame to give me a massage.

With the Nectar's three-zone massage, getting into bed is synonymous with going to the spa — sort of. It's not the most comprehensive or intense massage you've ever received, but if you're just looking to wind down after a long day, or need a little bit of help falling asleep, the Nectar's massage function does its job. You can choose to focus on your head region or your feet, and the vibrations of the bed certainly helped me relax at day's end.

The bed frame also comes with a couple of additional tech-forward features.

For example, on the right side of the frame are two USB ports, so you can charge your smartphone without having to find a plug on the wall. And atop the remote is a handy little flashlight, so if you need to find your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night, you won't have to flip on every light switch in your room or the hallway.

If you're curious about the Nectar but not entirely convinced that you need an adjustable frame, not to worry. The frame ships for free and comes with a 100-day refund policy (with free shipping on the way back, too). But honestly, if sleeping is believing, it's hard for me to find a reason to send this bed frame back.

The Nectar Adjustable Bed Frame comes in Twin XL ($649), Full ($699), Queen ($799), King ($1,199), or Split King ($1,298) here. 

SEE ALSO: The best mattresses for side sleepers

DON'T MISS: I slept under a 15-pound weighted blanket for a week — and it was the best sleep I've had in ages

Join the conversation about this story »

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• There are fewer Valentine's Day gifts more thoughtful than a personalized one that reflects their identity, interests, and habits. 
• It only takes a few extra minutes of thought and work to turn a generic gift into one that couldn't be given to anyone else. 
• We've rounded up 24 personalized Valentine's Day gifts that'll add a little something special to their day. 

If you think about it, most gifts are "personalized" in that they're (hopefully) geared towards your recipient's specific likes, interests, or hobbies. Still, there are ways to go a step further and make it clear that the gift is made for them, and them only.

A personalized Valentine's Day gift will make them feel special, particularly on a day when many people fall back on hasty and generic presents.

Monograms and engravings are a simple way to make a mark and distinguish the gift — be it a towel, necklace, or leather accessory — as their own. There are also creative personalized gifts that take into account everything from their workout habits to the way they sleep. 

Take the extra time to make your gift unique with these 24 personalized Valentine's Day gifts. 

Looking for more Valentine's Day gift ideas? Check out these guides:

• 32 funny, low-pressure Valentine's Day gifts for every relationship level
• 50 thoughtful Valentine's Day gifts that aren't chocolate and a card — all under $25
• 20 sweet his-and-hers gifts for couples celebrating happy milestones
• 27 sweet Valentine's Day gifts you can get on Amazon
• This online startup is challenging the traditional jewelry industry with conflict-free diamonds and custom engagement rings

A small trinket or treat, gift box included

Create a gift box at Greetabl

Greetabl is a cool service that lets you choose an eye-catching box design and a gift (options range from $4 confetti to a $28 bracelet) to go inside it. Then, pick a few photos from your time together as a couple, write a personal message, and you have a small gift that may not be extravagant but is infinitely thoughtful.

A leather travel organizer

Medium Travel Organizer, $85 + $10 monogram, available at Leatherology

Leatherology's full-grain leather travel bag will become their favorite thing to pack in their carry-on. It includes a zipped mesh storage pocket, elastic loops for their cords and bottles, and a water-resistant lining for maximum durability. Brown and black are classic, beautiful colors, but don't be afraid to go out of the box with a bright Turmeric or Cobalt (shown above). 

A zodiac ring

Virgo Ring, $69, available at Mejuri

If she's very in touch with her astrological sign and checks her horoscope on the daily, you can't give a better gift than an accessory that flaunts her personal alignment of stars. Find her sign in the complete Zodiac collection here. 

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• Mention the word "watermelon" in any beauty and skincare forum and associations immediately jump to Korean beauty and skincare brand Glow Recipe. 
• Founded by two former L'Oréal execs in 2014, Glow Recipe hopes to make K-beauty more accessible to US shoppers. 
• Judging by the sales of its hyper-successful watermelon-infused skincare products, including the cult-favorite Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask ($45), it has established itself as a brand to watch as interest in K-beauty continues to grow. 
• We learned more about Glow Recipe's journey to $30 million in sales, and tried out its best sellers for ourselves. 

Starting a new beauty and skincare brand is risky. In a highly saturated market, it's all too easy to lose footing if you fail to recognize what skincare enthusiasts want from their products. Even more importantly, you must anticipate and lead them to the products they didn't even know they needed. 

So how did Glow Recipe, the Korean beauty and skincare startup that has done $30 million in sales in just four years, do it?

For starters, it helps to have founders with proven experience in the industry. As former vice presidents of global marketing at L'Oréal, Sarah Lee and Christine Chang were the only two employees with expertise in both the Korean and American markets. 

Lee told Business Insider: 

When my partner Christine and I set out to build Glow Recipe in 2014, it was because we saw an enormous opportunity to leverage our bicultural and bilingual beauty backgrounds in a market that was just waiting to become the next big thing — at the time, K-beauty was on the cusp of exploding in the US.

And herein was the white space: the absence of a stakeholder who had the ability to identify, market, and nurture Korean products and brands with the potential to become key players, and make them relevant and appealing to American consumers. 

Glow Recipe's mission, Lee says, is "to break down what K-beauty [is] all about, educate consumers on the unique trends coming out of Korea, bring them best-in-class skincare offerings, and make them accessible to American consumers through repositioning and education."

The concept of curating and introducing natural K-beauty products to US shoppers led them to everyone's favorite reality competition show "Shark Tank" in 2015, where they accepted an offer with Robert Herjavec. Off-screen, however, Lee and Chang ultimately decided to continue self-funding their business and have done perfectly well without the Shark's assistance. 

The company's real breakout moment came in 2017 with the launch of its eponymous brand and Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask product ($45). The mask has sold out seven consecutive times and attracted 5,000-person waitlists, and it was one of Sephora's bestselling products in 2017. 

Having officially entered the beauty big leagues, Glow Recipe followed up with additional hits like the Watermelon Glow Jelly Sheet Mask ($8), Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer ($39, sold out within two hours of being made available for pre-sale), and most recently, the Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask ($45). 

Though K-beauty is known for its high levels of innovation and experimentation, its approach to skincare, which Chang calls "skin-tertainment," is also a hallmark. She explains that self-care and pampering lie at the core of skincare, and K-beauty makes this ritual fun, shareable, and accessible with its "unique textures and visual formats."

Another feature of K-beauty is "natural skincare with compelling ingredient stories." You see this clearly laid out in the Watermelon Glow collection, which highlights the nourishing antioxidant powers of the fruit. Elsewhere, brands like Youth to the People are also taking advantage of the properties of superfoods.

We had the opportunity to try some Glow Recipe's fun and innovative skincare products for ourselves, and you can find each of the reviews below. 

Shop all Glow Recipe products at Sephora here

Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask

Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask, $45, available at Sephora

Insider Picks reporter Mara Leighton tried the product that put Glow Recipe on the map. She says:

Glow Recipe's watermelon mask has been a great, easy addition to my nighttime moisturizing routine a few days every week. The mask smells amazing, and I do wake up to far softer, more hydrated skin in the morning — without the clogged pores that can accompany thicker masks.

However, it hasn't been enough on its own to solve all my dry winter skin problems, and I see more immediate results than long-term. For the extra heavy lifting, I usually look to Neogen's Micro Ferment Essence and Maelove's The One Cream. 

Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer

Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer, $39, available at Sephora

Like a first kiss, you always remember your first encounter with a beauty product. For me, I caught a whiff of this moisturizer's refreshing watermelon scent while browsing the aisles at Sephora and knew I had to try it.

I apply this light, gel-like moisturizer every morning, and it's like I've just splashed my face with watermelon juice (minus the stickiness). It contains hyaluronic acid, which I've discovered is the best way to hydrate my dry skin and works with the watermelon extract to make my skin soft and glowing throughout the day. 

Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask

Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask, $45, available at Sephora

While the watermelon products have a jelly-like, bouncy feel, this mask has a thick and creamy texture expected of its star ingredient, the avocado. On average, I use it twice a week on top of my regular nighttime routine and wake up with noticeably softer skin.

In addition to avocado, which hydrates and supports natural collagen, it features manuka honey, an exfoliating PHA, and pore-clearing kaolin clay. It has a heavier (but soothing) texture that feels especially comforting at the end of a long day, yet still smells fresh and isn't overpowering. 

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• There's nothing worse than a messy, disorganized closet. Having high-quality clothes hangers that match is an absolute must.
• After much research, we found that the AmazonBasics Wood Suit Hangers are best for most people with their sturdy design, low price, and bulk buying options.

It's perfectly normal to make it to adulthood and find yourself stuck with a closet full of mismatched hangers — half of which are crappy wire ones from the dry cleaner's or flimsy plastic ones you bought at the dollar store — but you don't have to live in disorder any longer! It's time to get a good set of high-quality, matching hangers. Believe us, your closet will thank you.

Hangers come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, types, and materials. It can be hard to know which ones are best for your clothes and your closet. One thing is for sure, though — Cheap, thin, flimsy wire and plastic hangers are not the answer. Sturdy, well-made wooden hangers are best, though velvet and padded ones are also very good. We've chosen wooden hangers for our picks because they tend to last longest and look the nicest.

We've also included a few different types of hangers: regular, all-purpose ones that can handle any piece of clothing you have; special ones that are made for hanging pants and skirts without creases; hangers made for children specifically; and a tie rack that can hold ties, scarves, or belts easily.

Editor's note on the merits of high-end hangers: In our research, we found many incredible companies like Kirby Allison's Hanger Project, which make lovely high-end hangers out of fine wood and other materials, however, these hangers are rather expensive, and most people will probably be just fine with more mid-range or budget picks like the ones we recommend.

Here are the best hangers you can buy:

• Best hangers overall: AmazonBasics Wood Suit Hangers
• Best hangers for pants: Natural Wooden Trouser Clamp & Skirt Hanger
• Best hangers for coats: Superior Natural Wooden Hangers
• Best hangers for kids: Honey-Can-Do Kids Wood Shirt Hangers With Metal Clips
• Best hanger for ties: Woodlore Cedar 42-Peg Tie Hanger
• Best velvet hangers: Joy Mangano Huggable Hangers

Updated on 01/18/2019: Updated prices and formatting. Added related organization guides.

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

SEE ALSO: The best sheets you can buy for your bed

The best hanger overall

Why you'll love them: The AmazonBasics Wood Suit Hangers are sturdy, attractive, and so versatile that you can use them for everything.

Solid wood hangers are sturdy, attractive, and practical. Although these AmazonBasics Wood Suit Hangers aren't the most high-end wooden hangers you can buy, they are the best option for most people. 

You could easily just buy the 30-pack of these hangers and use them for every type of clothing you have. Each hanger has a wooden rod for hanging pants, notches to accommodate strappy tanks and dresses, and a broad enough design to hold blazers, shirts, and most coats. Amazon also sells a 16-pack for those of you who don't own that many clothes or simply have a very small closet.

The hangers measure 17.4 x 0.5 x 9.4 inches, which should work in most closets. They come with the AmazonBasics 1-Year Limited Warranty, so if you dislike them or they have a manufacturing flaw, you can send them back within the return window.

Most buyers on Amazon love these hangers and say they helped organize their closets to perfection. However, a few repeat customers say that the build quality isn't as good as it used to be. Some reviewers say that you should sand the hangers down in certain places to ensure the wood doesn't snag on your clothes. The Wirecutteragrees that they're middle-of-the-road hangers that will work for most people, but recommends a slightly more pricey pick instead.

These are minor quality control issues that aren't deal breakers for most people, though you should be aware of them and keep your expectations in check. After all, you're getting these hangers for less than $1 each, which is unheard of for wood hangers.

Pros: Real wood design, includes a pants bar, low price, bulk buying options, you can hang anything on them, notches in wood for strappy dresses and tank tops

Cons: May need light sanding in some areas, not ideal for pants or skirts

Buy the AmazonBasics Wood Suit Hangers on Amazon for $12.99 for 16 pack or $25.99 for a 30 pack

The best hanger for pants and skirts

Why you'll love them: The Natural Wooden Trouser Clamp & Skirt Hangers are specially made to clamp down on your pants without leaving wrinkles and to hold your skirts without damaging them.

If you have a lot of skirts and dress pants that you don't want to subject to creases and life on an ordinary hanger, the Natural Wooden Trouser Clamps and Skirt Hangers from the Container Store are a great option.

They'll match the aesthetic of your ordinary AmazonBasics' Wood Suit Hangers, but these trouser clamps and skirt hangers will take extra good care of your pants and skirts. The Trouser Clamp has a felt lining and a notch inside to hold your dress pants gently without creasing them in all the wrong places. 

The clamp is strong enough to hold your pants so they don't fall, but gentle enough not to leave a weird crease. You can use them for skirts, too, or you can get the Skirt Hanger with its two clips and adjustable metal bar instead. The Skirt Hanger will hold your skirts in place by the waistband.

Buyers on the Container Store's website rate these hangers highly at 5 or 4 stars. Reviewers love the smooth finish, the great quality, and the sturdy grip of these hangers. Although these hangers cost $2.99 - $3.99 each, you won't have to buy too many of them, as you only need enough to hold your most important pants and skirts.

Pros: Real wood design, strong clamp holds pants or skirts secure, no more wrinkles, non-slip security, attractive design

Cons: May not fit all pants or skirts

Buy the Natural Wooden Trouser Clamp & Skirt Hanger at the Container Store for $2.99 - $3.99 each

The best hanger for coats and suits

Why you'll love them: The Superior Natural Wooden Hangers are perfect for suits and coats with their broad, thick wooden shoulders.

If you have heavy wool coats, sturdy leather jackets, puffy down coats, or high-end suits that need stronger broader hangers, you'll love the Superior Natural Wooden Hangers from the Container Store.

These wooden hangers are thicker, sturdier, and stronger than normal hangers, and the arms are specifically made to support the natural shape of coats and suits. The thick, curvy design also ensures that your suit jackets and coats don't get weird hanger bumps in the shoulders. 

If you need these hangers to protect your suits, you may want to opt for the hangers with the ribbed bar that holds your suit pants securely, too. Those who only want to store coats carefully won't need to spring for the bar.

The Superior Natural Wooden Hangers are obviously quite popular at the Container Store, because they have 40 reviews and an average star rating of 4.7 out of 5. It's an excellent rating, and most buyers agree that these hangers live up to their name with superior structure and stability for heavier coats, jackets, and suits.

In fact, the only one-star review is from someone whose only complaint was that the price tag sticker was difficult to remove from the hanger itself.

Pros: Real wood, sturdy design, angled shoulders for suits and coats, can handle heavy coats

Cons: Pricey if you buy many

Buy the Superior Natural Wooden Hangers at the Container Store for $9.99 - $11.99 each

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• Wake-up light alarm clocks can be seriously helpful in ensuring you wake up in the best way possible, so you can be as productive from minute one.
• That’s why we’ve chosen the Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock as our top pick — because it’s fully capable of ensuring you wake up ready to go.

Waking up is no fun. We all know the feeling of being deep into our third sleep cycle of the night, only to be abruptly yanked out by a rude alarm clock. Thankfully, alarm clocks have evolved a lot over the past few years, so that the feeling of waking up cold may soon be a thing of the past.

Thanks to a ton of research into the science of sleep and how we wake up, there are a number of products on the market designed to help you get to sleep, stay asleep during the night, and then wake up easily. Most of the products on this list address that last issue, though you’ll find that many of them help you out with getting to sleep and tracking your sleep, too.

There are a few things to consider when you’re buying a light therapy alarm clock. For starters, you’ll want to consider if you’re looking for any extra features from your alarm clock. Some of them, for example, offer sleep tracking, while others double as a Bluetooth speaker. Still some others allow for you to do things like turn off the actual clock at night to keep the room nice and dark.

Here are the best wake-up light alarm clocks you can buy:

• Best wake-up light alarm clock overall: Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock
• Best light alarm clock with a speaker: iHome Zenergy
• Best for sleeping in total darkness: Lumie Bodyclock 250
• Best budget wake-up light clock: ToToBay Wake Up Light

Updated on 01/18/2019 by Malarie Gokey: Updated prices and removed out of stock items. Added our picks for the best regular alarm clocks, too.

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

SEE ALSO: The best sleep trackers you can buy

The best wake-up light alarm clock overall

Why you'll love it: The Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock is a sleek and stylish alarm clock, plus it offers plenty of wake-up options and won’t stop working in a power outage.

Philips has made a number of great light alarm clocks over the years, but perhaps the best to date is the Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock. The clock is well-designed and stylish, plus it boasts a number of great features to help you both get to sleep and wake up in the morning.

When you’re trying to get to sleep, the Philips light clock will help by showing dimming sunset colors and related sounds. Then, before it’s time to wake up, it’ll gradually fade in a representation of natural light, along with one of five calming wake-up sounds, including birds, Zen garden, a gentle piano, and more.

If you’d prefer, you can even tell the device to instead fade in the FM radio, and there’s a tap to snooze feature in case it’s still not time to wake up.

Plenty of us have experienced the dread of an alarm clock failing to wake us up because of a power outage, but Philips addresses that issue too with its built-in battery that lasts eight hours before it runs out of juice.

Plenty of shoppers love the Philips light clock — after all, it has a 4.1-star average on Amazon — but it’s not perfect. For starters, it’s a little expensive, plus despite having a speaker, you can’t connect to it through Bluetooth to play music from your phone as an alarm.   

Pros: Well-designed, easy to use, plenty of wake-up options

Cons: Expensive, no Bluetooth support

Buy the Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock on Amazon for $138.99)

The best wake-up light alarm clock with a speaker

Why you'll love it: The iHome Zenergy offers a number of great light alarm features, but it also has a pretty great Bluetooth speaker built into it.

While some of the other devices on this list double as Bluetooth speakers, most of them treat the speaker as more of a tool for the alarm than as an actual music-listening speaker. The iHome Zenergy, however, is for music specifically.

Let’s start with the alarm itself, which boasts a number of great features. For example, the light on the device is 360-degrees and allows for a range of different colors to fit your mood. The alarm comes with 10 naturally-recorded environmental and white sound noises to keep you relaxed as you go to sleep and wake up. Last but not least, the device has a USB port on the back to help you charge your device next to your bed.

Perhaps one of the best reasons to buy this device is the fact that it doubles as a Bluetooth speaker, and it sounds pretty good for a device in this price range. That’s good news for those of you who want to use the speaker not just to wake you up, but also to play music for other reasons.

There are some downsides to the iHome Zenergy. For starters, while it doubles as a Bluetooth speaker, the Bluetooth is sometimes a little spotty. Still, the device has an aux port, if you can’t deal with the spotty Bluetooth. On top of that, some find the range of sounds to be a little limiting.

Pros: Well-designed, has a nice speaker, USB charging

Cons: A little pricey, spotty Bluetooth

Buy the iHome Zenergy on Amazon for $78 (originally $94.99)

The best wake-up light alarm for those who like to sleep in the dark

Why you'll love it: If you’re someone who likes to sleep in pitch dark, you’ll love the dimmable clock and lots of options on the Lumie Bodyclock 250.

While wake-up light alarm clocks offer a number of benefits, some of them blast a bright light in your face by showing the time during the night. The Lumie Bodyclock Active 250 attempts to alleviate that issue by allowing users to dim the display as much as they want with two buttons on the front of the device.

Of course, beyond simply having a dimmable display, the Lumie Bodyclock Active 250 offers a number of other great features. It allows you to choose when the “sunrise” starts, so you can set when the clock should start the fade-in process if it would be helpful.

Like the other clocks on this list, the Lumie Bodyclock 250 has some options. For example, there are five sounds you can choose from to wake up to, or you can use the built-in FM radio. You even have six language choices.

Pros: Dimmable clock, lots of options, easy to use

Cons: Expensive, no accompanying app

Buy the Lumie Bodyclock 250 on Amazon for $125.10

• Venice, Italy is one of the top tourist destinations in the world.
• The city sees between 26 million and 30 million visitors per year.
• But despite its beauty, the hordes of tourists, devastating floods, and cruise ship pollution may make you think twice about visiting Venice. 

Venice goes by many nicknames, "The Floating City," "The City of Bridges," and "The City of Canals" among them.

Whatever you call it, it's one of the most popular destinations in Italy, with between 26 million and 30 million people visiting per year.

But despite its beauty, the city suffers from massive overcrowding, devastating floods, and pollution from the massive cruise ships that pass through every day.

While many people may still consider a trip to Venice worthwhile, these disappointing photos show the reality of the less glamorous aspects of the city.

SEE ALSO: The top 10 trips Americans wanted to take in 2018, according to Google

DON'T MISS: Inside the world's largest underwater restaurant, which has a 36-foot window that looks right out into the seabed so guests can watch marine life swim by as they eat

Venice, a city on Italy's northeastern coast, is one of the country's most popular destinations.

Nicknamed the "Floating City," Venice is situated on 118 small islands.

Source: UNESCO, Venice Gondola

These islands are connected by more than 400 bridges, earning the city one of its nicknames: "The City of Bridges."

Source: UNESCO

2017's Fyre Festival became a viral sensation when hundreds of people expecting to party with celebrities on an island in the Bahamas showed up to an event in complete disarray.

Now two documentaries, Netflix's "Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened" and Hulu's "Fyre Fraud," recount the experience of being there and shed light on the person behind it who is now in prison for fraud.

Here's what we think the movies' strengths are and which one is the best to watch.

SEE ALSO: Netflix's Fyre Festival director hits back at Hulu's whitewashing criticism and says Fyre Festival founder wanted $125,000 for an interview

Billy McFarland, the Fyre Festival founder, is in the Hulu doc, but don't expect anything revealing.

McFarland is all over both movies thanks to archival footage, but "Fyre Fraud" is the only one that interviewed him on camera. (Hulu paid McFarland to be in the movie.)

However, don't expect much from the footage. Outside of one time when he and the filmmakers have a little back-and-forth over how truthful he's being — at one point he said his team lost a box of keys that would have housed many of the attendees — most of the footage used is of him avoiding answers.

The Netflix doc gives you a deeper look inside the promo video that made Fyre Festival go viral.

Both movies touch on the infamous Fyre Festival promotional video that went viral thanks to its beautiful island location and its inclusion of models like Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski. But "Fyre" gets a lot more detailed thanks to the footage it obtained from Matte Projects, the company behind the shoot. The B-roll of the shoot in the documentary gives an incredible glimpse inside not just the making of the video, but how unprepared to pull off the festival McFarland and his team were.

The Hulu doc gives a deeper look into McFarland's past.

It seems McFarland was a born hustler, and "Fyre Fest" does a great job of showing that, going all the way back to his wheeling and dealing in grade school.

It also goes into greater depth about his ventures before Fyre, including his Black Card wannabe, Magnises, which was touted as a membership club for young professionals in which they would be invited to lavish parties and hard-to-get-into events.

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• If you ask any of the experts, putting on sunscreen is one of the best things you can do for your skin.
• Not only does daily SPF help prevent more serious forms of sun damage like skin cancer, but it can also prevent wrinkles and fine lines.
• You can easily add more SPF to your skincare routine without using the regular, heavy duty sunscreen you might need at the beach during the summer.
• We gathered six great skincare products that help you add SPF into your daily routine with ease.

When it comes to skincare, there's always a new trend or product promising to solve your woes. But when you ask the experts they all have the same very important tip — wear sunscreen! Protecting your skin with SPF is the ultimate trick in wrinkle prevention, as well as for preventing the more serious side effects from sun damage.

You should be wearing sunscreen every day, not just in the heat of summer. Any time you go outside, you put yourself at risk of damage from sun exposure. And, even though you may not be getting a sunburn in January, your skin still is still left to deal with the effects of those UV rays. Don't worry though — you don't need to lather on Banana Boat in the dead of winter to get your daily dose of SPF. Plenty of skincare products have SPF built right in, so you can seamlessly incorporate sunscreen into your morning routine. 

Keep reading for six great skin-care products that make everyday skin protection simple:

A dermatologist-recommended tinted sunscreen

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Tinted Mineral Primer with SPF 50, available at Amazon, $39.99

If you only have time to put one thing on your face in the morning, make it this face primer. Not only does this correcting primer blur wrinkles and fine lines, it's also tinted for some light coverage and boasts broad-spectrum SPF 50. Dermatologists love the brand's sunscreens because they're non-comedogenic, so they won't clog your pores — they'll just protect them.

An SPF moisturizer for sensitive skin

Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Moisturizer with SPF 15, available at Jet.com, $9.02

If you worry that sunscreen will make your sensitive skin break out, try this light moisturizer from Simple. Their products are made without harsh chemicals, artificial perfumes, or dyes, so your risk of having an adverse reaction is greatly lowered. This particular moisturizer has SPF 15 added for extra protection from UVA/UVB rays without the greasy feeling that accompanies many sunscreens  — meaning you can feel good about wearing it every day. 

A refreshing, skin-protecting mist

Supergoop! Defense Refresh Setting Mist Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Mini, available at Sephora, $12

Once you've already put a face of makeup on, reapplying your sunscreen may seem like a lost cause. This setting spray from Supergoop! offers the protection of SPF 50 in a light, refreshing mist. Spritz it over your makeup or a clean face to refresh your SPF throughout the day — it'll also help keep your makeup in tact. Plus, this mini size is perfect for throwing in your purse and taking with you on the go.

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

From those who prioritize speed, convenience, and simplicity to those who cook every night and spend their weekends embarking on multiple-hour culinary adventures, the Insider Picks team consists of home cooks of all levels. Regardless of our differences in cooking style or interest in food, what we all know is that the accessories, cookware, and appliances we use matter.

We've tested a variety of kitchen products for review and in our personal lives, but there are a few favorites we always rely on and return to. There are no tricks or gimmicks with the kitchen tools we really care about — just quality, efficacy, and value. That means you'll see some investment pieces, but you'll also see small gadgets that prove you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to become a great cook. 

These are the 30 products we swear by in the kitchen and use every day to make our favorite meals and beverages. 

If you're looking for more kitchen tools and gadgets at a variety of price points, here are our recommendations: 

• 28 useful kitchen gadgets you can get under $25
• 24 kitchen tools and gadgets we actually use that are all under $50
• 6 high-end kitchen gadgets that are worth your money and counter space

SEE ALSO: Subscription service Knifey sharpens your kitchen knives so you don't have to — here's how it works

A George Foreman grill that lets you make full meals in under 10 minutes

George Foreman 4-Serving Grill and Panini Press, $22.44, available at Amazon

I don’t enjoy cooking, but I do enjoy how much healthier and more affordable it is than eating out. This cheap $30 George Foreman grill my dad sent me in the mail as an “I’m worried about you not eating enough protein” gift is the only reason I eat healthy. You can cook a full meal (veggies, meat, paninis, etc.) on it in under 10 minutes and finish cleanup in five thanks to the removable plates. It’s the best gift I’ve gotten in years, and it makes home cooking and meal prep far easier than anything else I own. —Mara Leighton, Insider Picks reporter

A top-rated pour-over coffee maker

Chemex Classic Series Pour-Over Glass Coffeemaker (6-Cup), $41.32, available at Amazon

The Chemex is my favorite way to make coffee. I saw it in a fancy coffee store a couple years ago and got one shortly after. I love the design and it just makes a great cup of coffee. I don't have a huge kitchen so anything larger than this would take up too much space. Yes, it is more of a process than a straightforward coffee maker, but I don't drink coffee every morning so I'm fine with that. It forces me to pay attention to making coffee, which means I end up with a better cup. —Breton Fischetti, Insider Picks vice president

A convenient slicer that will make you wonder how you ever prepared avocados in the past

OXO Good Grips 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer, $9.99, available at Amazon

I make guacamole about once a week, and I don't know how I'd do it without OXO's 3-in-1 slicer. It has a plastic blade to slice the outside of the avocado in half, a pit remover, and a slicer to cut the avocado into perfect slices. The pit remover is my favorite part, because it eliminates the danger of removing the pit with a knife or by other means. —Malarie Gokey, Insider Picks guides editor

TheInsider Picksteam writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Since you don't have all day to scour the web for noteworthy sales and discounts, we rounded up the best bargains for you to shop in one convenient place.

1. Save up to 50% outdoor gear and apparel at REI

From apparel and footwear to gear and accessories, REI has everything you could possibly need for adventuring into the outdoors — or simply staying warm during the winter. As part of the brand's huge January clearance sale, you can save up to 50% on select items. The sale ends on January 21, so you'll want to shop now before all of the best items are gone.

Shop the REI sale now.

2. Save 25% on dorm room decor at Dormify

As winter break comes to an end for college students, Dormify is helping them prepare for the spring semester with a back-to-school sale. Now through January 21, you can save 25% on dorm room decor and furnishing by using the promo code "BACK2SKOOL" at checkout. 

Shop the Dormify sale now.

3. Buy an iPhone Xs, Xs Max, or Xr and get up to a $400 gift card at Best Buy

Best Buy is having an Apple Shopping Event with promotions on quite a few products from the brand, and one of the best deals is on new iPhones. Right now, when you buy an iPhone Xs, Xs Max, or Xr, you can get up to a $400 gift card with activation and eligible trade-ins. If you're due for an upgrade, this deal makes getting one of these expensive phones more affordable.

Shop the Apple Shopping Event at Best Buy now.

4. Save up to 50% on fall and winter jackets at Alpha Industries

Alpha Industries was once a US military uniforms supplier, but now the brand uses its high-quality construction to make outerwear with modern style and function. For a limited time, you can save up to 50% on outwear from the fall/winter 2018 collection. Here, you'll find flight jackets, winter parkas, waterproof shells, leather jackets, and more.

Shop the Alpha Industries sale now.

5. Save an extra 20% on sale styles at Warp + Weft

Designed for people of all shapes and sizes, Warp + Weft makes high-quality, comfortable jeans in sizes ranging from petite to plus sizes — and they're all affordably priced under $100. Right now, the prices are even better with an extra 20% off the sale section. Simply use the promo code "SURPRISE20" at checkout to save on already-reduced styles for men and women.

Shop the Warp + Weft sale now.

6. Save up to $1000 on LG OLED Thin-Q 4K Ultra HDTVs

Just in time for the NFL Playoffs and the Superbowl, LG's ultra-thin OLED TVs are at the lowest prices ever. Available in 55-inch and 65-inch screens, the TVs feature brilliant 4K quality and Google Assistant built into the remote. Right now, you can save $800 to $1,000 on them.

LG 65-inch OLED Thin-Q 4K Ultra HDTV, $2,296.99 (Originally $3,299.99) [You save $1,003]

LG 55-inch OLED Thin-Q 4K Ultra HDTV, $1,496.99 (Originally $2,299.99) [You save $803]

7. Save 25% on your order at L.L.Bean

Anybody who's looking for winter apparel and footwear should head over to L.L.Bean this weekend. Now until January 22, you can save 25% on new arrivals and already-reduced sale styles with the promo code "WINTER" at checkout. From fleeces and beanies to outerwear and Bean Boots, all of your favorite items are on sale.

Shop the L.L.Bean sale now. 

8.Save up to 75% on sunglasses at Nordstrom Rack

Wearing a good-looking pair of sunglasses can easily elevator your style, but spending big bucks on designer shades is  hard to justify. Luckily, Nordstrom Rack is making a huge selection of sunglasses from top brands like Gucci, Tom Ford, Dior, and Fendi a lot more affordable with an up-to-75% off sale.

Shop designer sunglasses at Nordstrom Rack now.

9. Save up to $210 on a Leesa mattress and get a free pillow

Leesa has improved the way people sleep at night with its memory foam Leesa and its spring and foam Sapira Hybrid mattresses — and right now, you can save $150 and $210 on them respectively. Plus, you'll also receive a free pillow valued at $75 with each purchase. If you've never bought a mattress online and you're concerned about doing so, there's nothing to worry about. Leesa offers a 100-night, risk-free trial. If it's not the best sleep you've ever had, or you simply don't like, you can return it for a full refund (without paying for shipping).

Shop the Leesa Sleep sale now.

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