• The new Kindle Paperwhite is waterproof, holds thousands of ebooks, and costs just $85 now that it's on sale (originally $130), making it the best ebook reader for most people's needs.
• I read dozens of ebooks on the Kindle Paperwhite to put it to the test, and it's a wonderful reading experience.
• The small size makes it easy to travel with and it's waterproof enough to take a spill into the bathtub or pool without sustaining damage.
• If you've been on the fence about ebook readers, this is the one that will push you over the edge and convince you to give ebooks a try. Once you go digital, you never go back.
• We don't know how long this $45 discount will last, so if you're considering getting a Kindle, we recommend you jump on this deal.

Amazon's Kindles are the most popular ebook readers by far, and they just keep getting better. For years, Kindles stayed largely the same: They were essentially 6-inch tablets with black-and-white E Ink screens encased in chubby, black plastic borders.

The first Kindle Oasis shook things up with its slim, sleek design, and the second-generation Oasis did one better by being the first "waterproof" Kindle ever made. For ebook lovers everywhere, a Kindle that was water resistant enough to survive a two-hour dunk in a tub of water was a prayer finally answered.

There was just one problem: The price.

The Kindle Oasis cost $250 while the Kindle Paperwhite cost $130 (original price — currently on sale for $85), and the entry-level Kindle cost just $80. Although a waterproof Kindle was nice to have, a lot of people balked at the big price jump.

Amazon seems to have heard the protests of Kindle owners everywhere, and in 2018, the company answered with the water-resistant Kindle Paperwhite.

I've tested many Kindles and ebook readers over my past six years as a tech-product reviewer, including the $80 Kindle, the older Paperwhite, the high-end Oasis, and several ebook readers from Kobo, Amazon's main competitor in the space. Although I'm a firm believer that the Oasis is actually worth its high price and it's my ebook reader of choice, I know not everyone has that kind of money to spend on an ebook reader.

I've been testing the 2018 Kindle Paperwhite for several months, and I can confidently say that it's the best Kindle for your money, and arguably the best ebook reader as well. Now that it's on sale for $85, it's an absolute steal.

Here's my full review.

Finally — a water-resistant Kindle you can take to the beach

Let's start with the design and key specs.

The biggest improvement to the new Kindle Paperwhite is that it is finally water resistant. Thanks to its IPX68 water-resistance rating, you can drop this Kindle in fresh water for up to 30 minutes without destroying your ebook reader. That means you can finally take it to the beach, pool, or bath and read in peace.

The 2018 Paperwhite has the same 6-inch E Ink screen in black and white as the previous version. The text looks crisp and clear, thanks to the sharp resolution of 300 pixels per inch. Like all other Kindles, it has fairly chunky black bezels and a nice grippy feel to it. There are no page-turning buttons, so all you have is the power button and Micro-USB charging port.

The ebook reader also has a built-in backlight so you can read in the dark without turning a light on. I find this feature especially useful when I'm reading at night, because I don't have to worry about disturbing my partner. It's also great for reading on flights when they turn off the overhead lights. The backlight is the reason I've never really liked the basic, entry-level Kindle — its lack of a backlight means no reading in the dark, which makes it more or less like a physical book.

Beyond the screen, the most important specs are battery life and storage, and the Paperwhite has both — in spades.

With the 8GB model, you can have thousands of ebooks on your Kindle, so most people won't even need the 32GB version. You can also connect the Paperwhite to a pair of wireless headphones or a wireless speaker and listen to Audible audiobooks, thanks to its new Bluetooth connectivity.

As for the battery, if you read half an hour a day with wireless off and the light setting at 13, the battery should last for six weeks. In testing, I found Amazon's battery-life claim to be entirely accurate. The Paperwhite's battery lasts a long time with normal use, and I've rarely had to charge it.

If you jack up the brightness or read more hours a day, battery life gets shorter, of course. If you don't turn the Wi-Fi off by hitting the little Airplane icon, you will lose battery much faster and have to recharge sooner, so definitely turn Airplane mode on whenever you're not browsing for ebooks to buy on the Kindle store or downloading new ebooks.

The Bluetooth feature will also drain the battery because it requires Airplane mode to be turned off so your Kindle can connect to headphones or the speaker, so if you're listening to audiobooks with your Kindle, you'll have to charge it more often.

Here are all the specs and dimensions

• Screen: 6-inch E Ink Carta, built-in light, 300ppi, optimized font technology, 16-level gray scale
• Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.6 x 0.3 inches (167 x 116 x 8.18 mm)
• Weight: 6.4 ounces (Wi-Fi) or 6.8 oz (LTE version)
• Storage: 8 GB or 32 GB — holds thousands of books
• Battery Life: 6 weeks, based on a half hour of reading per day with wireless off and the light setting at 13
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi with LTE; Bluetooth
• Supported ebook formats: Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, PMP through conversion; Audible audio format (AAX)
• Waterproofing: IPX8 water resistance rating, can withstand immersion in 2 meters of fresh water for 60 minutes

What it's like to read on the Kindle Paperwhite

I never thought that I'd enjoy reading on an ebook reader. I was completely a physical paper book person until I became a tech reporter and found myself traveling all the time and always running out of room for books in my carry-on bag. I started reviewing ebook readers, and I simply fell in love.

The ebook reader that converted me was the Kindle Oasis, mainly because of its page-turning buttons and slim design, which make it easy to hold and read one-handed. It's still my go-to ebook reader, but the new Kindle Paperwhite is the one I'd recommend to most people. I fully admit that the $250 price tag of the Oasis is too much for most people, and the Paperwhite has nearly all the same features for just $130 (it's currently on sale for $85).

Although I miss the page-turning buttons, the Paperwhite makes it a pleasure to read. It's comfortable to hold, thanks to its thicker, rubbery bezels and grippy plastic back. Turning pages is easy with a simple tap of my finger, and I can easily adjust the brightness, font, and text size to suit my preferences. I also love to highlight quotations from the books I'm reading and share them on Goodreads, the social network for readers, which is built right into the all Kindles.

Because I already use a Kindle, all my ebooks from my Amazon account automatically appeared on the Paperwhite when I signed in with my email address. I then chose which ones to download, waited for them to finish, and then turned on Airplane mode to save battery.

Amazon has tons of ebooks available, so you should be able to find most titles easily. If you want to get deals on ebooks, you can subscribe to BookBub, a free service that sends you a daily email with ebook deals and discounts.

You can also get a lot of ebooks for free from a variety of sources. Prime subscribers can read a selection of ebooks for free with Prime Reading, and anyone can browse all the free Kindle ebooks on Amazon or check out Project Gutenberg's collection of free classics.

I also like to get ebooks from my local library, which is super easy to do with the Libby or Overdrive apps. You simply sign into your library with your card number and PIN and search for Amazon-friendly ebooks that are available to borrow. When you go to borrow the ebook, you can ask it to send to your Kindle once you sign in with your Amazon account. The next time you connect to Wi-Fi with the Kindle, the library ebook will download.

You can learn how to get library ebooks on your Kindle and other great tips and tricks in my full guide to how to use a Kindle.

The bottom line

Amazon's new Kindle Paperwhite still has many of the same specifications as older Kindle Paperwhite ebook readers. The biggest changes come from the addition of waterproofing, which allows you to safely take your Kindle to the beach or in the bath without worrying about it getting wet; and Bluetooth technology, which allows you to listen to Audible ebooks when you pair your Kindle with Bluetooth headphones or a speaker. 

Both of these changes are very welcome and make the new Paperwhite a worthwhile upgrade for those of you who have older Kindles from several years ago. It's also the most fully-featured Kindle you can buy for $130, though if you want to get a slimmer design and the benefit of page-turning buttons, you'll have to spend $120 more to get the Kindle Oasis, Amazon's most high-end ebook reader.

• Should you buy it? Yes. It's an even better deal now that it's on sale for $85. Unless you want to spend $120 more to get the slim design and page-turning buttons of the Kindle Oasis, the Paperwhite is the best ebook reader you can buy.
• Which model should you get? We recommend the 8GB model, because it holds thousands of ebooks and if you ever exceed the onboard storage, you can keep all your other ebooks in the cloud. If you really hate ads on your lockscreen, you may want to pay extra for the ad-free version, but it's not necessary, as the ads aren't really intrusive.
• What are your alternatives? The other Kindle we recommend is the Oasis, but again, it will cost you $120 more. If you don't want to get an Amazon-based ebook reader, we recommend the Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2. Kobo is Amazon's main competitor, and it supports more ebook formats, including EPUB files. The Aura H2O Edition 2 is just as water resistant as the Kindle Paperwhite and it holds just as many ebooks.

The Kindle Paperwhite is a great buy, and we highly recommend it. If you do decide to buy the Paperwhite, I also have a full guide on how to use your Kindle, including how to get free ebooks and more. 

Pros: Water resistant enough to take to the beach, holds thousands of ebooks, has a backlight, supports many ebook formats, easy to use, huge library of ebooks available, comfortable to hold, long battery life

Cons: Not as cheap as the entry-level Kindle, not as slim as the Kindle Oasis, no page-turning buttons, Amazon ebook format locks you in

Buy the Kindle Paperwhite on Amazon for $84.99 (originally $129.99)

SEE ALSO: How to get ebooks on your Kindle — and other expert tips and tricks

Join the conversation about this story »

• You can now rent home decor like pillows and throws through Rent the Runway's new partnership with West Elm. They come in bundles that take the place of one of your rental spots in an Unlimited or Update membership.  
• As someone who uses Rent the Runway to experiment with my clothing style, I appreciated the parallels with the home goods rental experience. There were many options to choose from and they let me take more risks with my interior design style. The pieces were shipped directly to me and they were just as easy to return. 
• Normally, a Rent the Runway Unlimited plan costs $159 per month before taxes, but right now, you can take $200 off your first two months with the code "RTRINSIDER".
• See more: Here's how Rent the Runway's $160 monthly 'Unlimited' clothing rental subscription works — and how to get $200 off your first 2 months

Every so often, I get a pressing urge to change something in my life. Why not try a new type of exercise class? How about a new hairstyle? (Not bangs, though. Never bangs.) Though consistency is comforting, it's also natural to crave change in your everyday life. 

Home decor is one example you might've considered switching up. However, given the surprising expense of high-quality home goods, it's just not financially — or environmentally — responsible to keep buying new throws and pillows that, quite frankly, you don't really need. 

Back in 2019, Rent the Runway announced a solution through a partnership with West Elm: home textile rentals. 

Applying the same concept that drives the success of its designer clothing rental program, the introduction of this new product category lets shoppers rent home decor at a fraction of its retail price. 

The idea is that you can refresh your living room and bedroom, two areas of your home you probably spend the most time in, without spending as much money or generating waste. 

I tried renting some West Elm home decor through Rent the Runway. Here's how it works and what to expect 

To start, you can find all the available bundles on this page.

There are Living Room, Bedding, and Pillow Bundles, with styles ranging from abstract and geometric patterns to more traditional striped prints and solid colors. You can stay neutral with some light linen quilting, or be adventurous with jewel tones and unusual textures. 

In order to rent a bundle, you need to be a Rent the Runway Unlimited member ($159/month) or Update member ($89/month). With the Unlimited membership, you can rent four products at a time and make swaps anytime throughout the month. The Update membership lets you rent four products each month. One Home bundle counts for one slot in your rotation. 

During one of my rental orders, I rented three pieces of clothing and then added the Blue Velvet Living Room Bundle as my fourth. Home items ship separately from clothing, so they might not all arrive at the same time. While my clothing came in a garment bag, my West Elm products arrived in a box. 

Inside the bundle 

The Living Room Bundle included an acrylic weave throw, two different pillow covers, and two pillow inserts. You're allowed to keep the pillow inserts. 

Using my home decor rentals 

Since my living room has a lot of neutral colors and lacks a variety of textures, these pieces were a bright and fun change. The throw was very soft, while the pillows were both comfortable and visually interesting.

I'm planning on moving to a new apartment this year, and I know I want to improve my interior design game by then. The advantage of renting these West Elm pieces is not only that I could refresh my current space, I could also figure out my still-developing personal style and determine what types of home decor best fit my personality and preferences through trial and error.

Returning the home decor bundle 

Rent the Runway includes a bag and return shipping label for you to return the pieces whenever you're ready. Since you can keep pillow inserts, you only need to return the covers. I personally would've preferred to return the inserts as well, but understand that they would make it more difficult and bulky to return the whole package. 

You don't need to wash the pieces before returning them either. Rent the Runway will clean them for the next renter. 

Other benefits of renting home decor through Rent the Runway 

An exclusive perk of this Rent the Runway-West Elm partnership is that you get a coupon for 20% off at any West Elm store. If you like shopping at West Elm, this is a nice benefit to take advantage of. 

The bottom line

You don't always need a drastic change like a big new couch or table in order to experience your living space in a new way. Trying new pillows, throws, and sheets is a low-risk way to refresh your living room and bedroom. Rent the Runway makes the switch even less risky and more convenient by renting you all the necessary components from West Elm. 

Rent West Elm decor from Rent the Runway

Join the conversation about this story »

• Masha Drokova is the founder and general partner of Day One Ventures.
• Since its inception, Drokova's early-stage venture capital firm has invested in companies in 18 countries, including 17 women-founded startups, and has secured $20 million in capital.
• While angel investing, Drokova tested an original model she had conceived: leading communications and PR for her portfolio companies. This lead to a unique business venture and Day One Venture's mission and structure.
• She has brought in significant press and investment to her porfolio companies by following a fool-proof, four-step strategy.
• As the company grew, she began to expand her investor pool to include owners of banks, heads of private equity firms, and family offices. "When these investors saw our portfolio growth, deal flow, and LPs experienced in tech, it became obvious that our model is unique," Drokova said.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Masha Drokova keeps her elevator pitch simple: "I fund startups and tell their stories," the founder and general partner of Day One Ventures states on her LinkedIn page. 

Judging from the results, she's darn good at it, too. Since the inception of Drokova's early-stage venture capital firm in 2017, Day One has invested in companies in 18 countries, including 17 women-founded startups, and has secured $20 million in capital. (Earlier this year, Drokova shared a copy of Day One's pitch deck with Business Insider.)

The firm has already had three exits — including data aggregation platform Acquired.io and software company Ntechlab— and invested in an A-list of portfolio companies that includes email client Superhuman, sustainable product merchandiser Public Goods, and customer service automation platform DigitalGenius. 

From all of this success, you wouldn't know that the founder had almost no connections when she immigrated to the US from Russia six years ago. She shared her story and strategies with Business Insider of how she made it all happen. 

Mentorship propels Drokova from venture capital PR to opening her own firm

Drokova first started working in the US in 2011 when she joined Runa Capital, a tech-focused VC firm based in Palo Alto, as a PR director. While at Runa, Drokova worked with Serguei Beloussov, the founder of over 20 companies including backup provider Acronis, software company Parallels, and consumer electronics company Rolsen. 

Over the next five years, Beloussov became a mentor to Drokova, and she joined his team at Acronis in 2013 as the VP of communications, where she led communications and marketing in over 30 countries. 

Beloussov encouraged Drokova to pursue her next vision: launching her own PR firm, M&A PR Studio. Drokova reached a million dollars in revenue in the shop's first year in business, and multiple startups grew to $100 million and $1 billion in valuation while working with her and her team. 

Dipping her toes into angel investing

After seeing that PR played an integral role in the growth of her client's businesses, such as Gett ($1.5 billion in valuation), Houzz ($4 billion in valuation), and HotelTonight ($463 million in valuation), she began setting her sights on becoming an angel investor.

"I wanted to help the best companies with communications and was in search of a structure that would allow me to spearhead communications and achieve stronger alignment and higher returns than agency-client relations allowed for," she explained. 

So while Drokova kept M&A going until 2018, she simultaneously began exploring angel investing opportunities in February 2016. Finance management solutions company Truebill was among her picks. Her vision was on track: Truebill grew eight times last year and recently closed a series B round.  

While angel investing, Drokova tested an original model she had conceived: leading communications and PR for her portfolio companies. 

Her concept resulted in more and more people asking her to coinvest with them and/or invest money on their behalf. Founding her own fund, Day One Ventures, became a natural response to demand on both sides. (Day One's name, as it states on the firm's website, was inspired by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, who once explained that as soon as a business reaches 'Day Two,' it's all over.)

According to TechCrunch, Day One is currently the only fund in the US that leads communications and PR for its portfolio companies. As a result, she described her time angel investing as a "great test for the business model." 

A 4-step plan for adding unique value to clients

Ensuring that her entire in-house team gained a clear understanding of how her VC firm would provide added value, and developing a process around the way they would do this, were key to her company's success. She shared four steps that made this happen, and how other businesses can do the same.

1. Show your team clear examples of what success looks like 

Day One gives their in-house team past examples of strategic communications plans at each stage. 

"We start with business goals and craft goals for communications based on the clearly outlined business goals for each portfolio company," Drokova explained. "As we spent time doing due diligence before working with a company and understanding their business, it makes it easier for us to get clear on business goals and on what kind of publicity will help to achieve them." 

With this process in mind, success for Day One is not just about media coverage gained, but about benchmarks hit with the help of the firm's PR work. "We have multiple case studies of our work that give benchmarks of what we see as good work, though we are always trying to deliver more than [in] previous phases," she said. 

2. Meet with and research clients before making a decision to partner up

Drokova noted that most of the time, her team has met with founders before investing in their company. As part of the investment process at any VC firm, Day One's internal team is also involved in different parts of due diligence in evaluation of investment opportunities — especially when it comes down to evaluating consumer products targeting Day One's demographics. Drokova's team researches the market size and dynamic, tests the quality of the product, and looks at the founding team's experience, including reference checks.

"This structure allows everyone [on the internal team] to gain a great understanding of [our portfolio company's] business, giving them a leg up on delivering 110% — because by the time they're expected to execute on communications goals, they [have] already learned about the business, market, team, and market opportunity," Drokova said.  

3. Pen a "jump-off document"

Upon investment, the firm creates a "jump-off document" that outlines business goals for the next year, announcements, company story, founder story, and expected milestones. 

4. Go out and create opportunities based on your data

Next comes messaging. Using the information from the document, the team paints a fuller picture of the portfolio company and crafts facts into a compelling story that's meant to evoke emotion and be relatable to any reader. 

"We build out messaging with numbers, data, and market trends, leveraging peer-reviewed studies and credible database information," Drokova said. 

Drokova pointed to Day One's portfolio company TrueBill as a great example of her four-step plan in action, noting that Day One invested in the seed stage and led communications all the way through TrueBill's series B. Her team's history with TrueBill enabled them to garner unique feature stories for the company, which led to new opportunities and influenced the growth of users, fundraising, recruitment, and market positioning. 

"We started by clearly defining what the company does and why it's important," she said. "This has evolved over the years and each time a new feature, function, or problem they were solving was added, we reshaped the messaging to reflect this." 

With TrueBill, her team was able to see that the personal finance ecosystem is fragmented, with many apps focusing on a single aspect like investing or savings. After identifying the problem/market opportunity, Day One next moved into showing how their portfolio company is the solution. 

"Our explanation of the solution was that Truebill has grown from an app that helps people track and cancel subscriptions to being recognized as one of the most effective platforms for personal financial management," Drokova said. "It saves its users an average of $500 per year with total savings surpassing more than $50 million, and the company has analyzed nearly $290 billion in financial transactions."

Next, Day One dives deeper and defines key features: the most useful and unique aspects of the app. For example, Day One highlighted that TrueBill was slated to release three new features: Bill Pay (the ability to view bill PDFs and easily pay bills within Truebill from one central place), Credit Scores (to view, track, and monitor a credit score and credit report from the Truebill app), and the Truebill Rewards Program (a rewards program that increases savings bonuses based on behavior).

Based on all of the above components, Day One next crafts press announcements to generate media interest. In the TrueBill example, Day One generated TrueBill's launch, series A, and series B announcements, which resulted in top tier media coverage in outlets such as TIME Money, Forbes, TechCrunch, Business Insider, Crunchbase, and The Next Web, to name a few. Day One also introduced TrueBill to some of the firm's marketing partners, who helped TrueBill with growth and introduced them to some of the firm's new investors.

Widening investor circles

Day One had initially taken investment mostly from successful tech founders, who, Drokova said, "intimately understood, from their own experience building a company, that our value add would get us access to the best founders and help grow business we invested in."

But as the company grew, she began expanding to wider circles including owners of banks, heads of private equity firms, and family offices. 

"When these investors saw our portfolio growth, deal flow, and LPs experienced in tech, it became obvious that our model is unique," Drokova said. "Some of the LPs I met on closed curated events, dinners, [or] educational programs for executives. [A] few people came through my personal friends."

Drokova explained that it was critical to her to make sure that the firm worked only with people with "the right values, transparent reliable sources of income, and perfect business reputation." She also prioritized investors who could add value. For example, she pointed out that some of Day One's LPs buy software and products produced by Day One companies. 

"We couldn't take capital from every person interested in investing in Day One and are very happy with the investors that we work with," she said, noting that they are primarily based between San Francisco, New York, Zurich, and London. Drokova intentionally limited her activities between those four cities to create a community in each city. 

"I try to be in every one of these cities a few times a year, throw a dinner whenever I'm there, and introduce our partners to each [other] so they can have networking benefits from the Day One community besides the financial returns," she said. 

She added that while spearheading communications served as a "great door opener" to the best founders, investors, and deal flow, the most important "north star" for Day One has been an "obsession with founders," which she explained means that every decision the Day One team makes is guided by the best interests of their founders. 

"Our dedication to our founders has resulted in Day One becoming their No. 1 point of contact and trusted adviser for the most complex business decisions," Drokova concluded. "We're constantly working to serve our founders better. It's a never-ending process."

SEE ALSO: We asked top founders, CEOs, and executives to highlight the women 30 and under to watch

READ MORE: I'm a founding partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners with over 20 years of experience in venture capital. These are the 5 biggest trends I see emerging in the next decade.

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Deutsche Bank released its annual "Mapping the World's Prices" report, highlighting the average monthly rent for a typical two-bedroom apartment.
• Hong Kong is the world's most expensive city to rent a two-bed apartment in, while San Francisco is the most expensive in the US.
• Four US cities ranked in the top 25 most expensive cities to rent in.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

If you're looking to save money on housing, you probably shouldn't live in Hong Kong.

It's home to the world's most expensive rent, according to Deutsche Bank's 2019 edition of its annual "Mapping the World's Prices" report. The report highlights the cost of living in 56 global cities, including the average monthly rent for a typical two-bedroom apartment. To determine this specific data, the report sourced prices from Expatistan, a site that tracks cost-of-living expenses in over 200 countries.

Hong Kong and San Francisco are the only two cities on the list where the average two-bedroom rent exceeds $3,000. San Francisco is one of four US cities that make the list of the top 25 global cities with the most expensive rent, along with New York, Boston, and Chicago.

Worldwide, rent in Dubai saw the biggest decline from the past year, while rent in Frankfurt, Tokyo, and Zurich saw the biggest rent increases.

Below: See the the most expensive cities in the world to rent a two-bedroom apartment. All monthly average rent is in US dollars, and the percentage change refers to the increase or decrease in rent from 2018 to 2019.

SEE ALSO: Here's how much a typical starter home costs in every state

DON'T MISS: The top 15 cities with the most billionaires, ranked

25. Milan, Italy

Monthly rent: $1,395 

Percentage change: 5%

24. Shanghai, China

Monthly rent: $1,432

Percentage change: 7%

23. Frankfurt, Germany

Monthly rent: $1,471 

Percentage change: 12%

22. Stockholm, Sweden

Monthly rent: $1,484

Percentage change: -4%

21. Chicago, US

Monthly rent: $1,527 

Percentage change: 7%

20. Auckland, New Zealand

Monthly rent: $1,533

Percentage change: -7%

19. Vancouver, Canada

Monthly rent: $1,556 

Percentage change: -3%

18. Dubai, UAE

Monthly rent: $1,576

Percentage change: -12%

17. Wellington, New Zealand

Monthly rent: $1,581

Percentage change: -1%

16. Toronto, Canada

Monthly rent: $1,602 

Percentage change: 7%

15. Helsinki, Finland

Monthly rent: $1,612

Percentage change: -7%

14. Oslo, Norway

Monthly rent: $1,808

Percentage change: -7%

13. Copenhagen, Denmark

Monthly rent: $1,809

Percentage change: -2%

12. Amsterdam, Netherlands

Monthly rent: $1,854

Percentage change: -1%

11. Singapore

Monthly rent: $1,893 

Percentage change: -4%

10. Tokyo, Japan

Monthly rent: $1,903

Percentage change: 9%

9. Sydney, Australia

Monthly rent: $1,969

Percentage change: -4%

8. Dublin, Ireland

Monthly rent: $2,018

Percentage change: -1%

7. Boston, US

Monthly rent: $2,201

Percentage change: 2%

6. London, UK

Monthly rent: $2,338

Percentage change: -3%

5. Paris, France

Monthly rent: $2,455

Percentage change: -1%

4. Zurich, Switzerland

Monthly rent: $2,538

Percentage change: 9%

3. New York City, US

Monthly rent: $2,909

Percentage change: 2%

2. San Francisco, US

Monthly rent: $3,631

Percentage change: -1%

1. Hong Kong

Monthly rent: $3,685

Percentage change: -1%

• A now-deleted TikTok video of a nurse promoting abstinence outside of marriage to prevent STDs went viral this weekend.
• The post prompted Twitter users to talk about other prejudices and racism that they've felt from medical professionals, both in person and on social media.
• Some responded with videos of TikTok nurses they saw as more positive examples in the field.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

An 18-second TikTok video reposted on Twitter last week has led to anger, fear, and nuanced conversations about prejudice in medicine. 

In the since-deleted video, a nurse in hot-pink scrubs smiles and points as words appear on around her, saying "The best way to prevent STDs is waiting for sex until marriage. Just the truth," as she dances. 

Holly Grace, who goes by "Nurse Holly," on TikTok, is the woman in the video. She's a singer and full-time nurse based in Nashville, the Wall Street Journal reported last April. At the time the Journal article was published, she had around 400,000 TikTok followers. Now, she has around 1.7 million followers on the app. 

Nurse Holly's video quickly gained outraged comments, and some of them extrapolated to anger at nurses on TikTok in general.

Some critics complained about nurses who post videos about not believing patients, and using the videos as an opportunity to discuss "horror stories about patronizing and incompetent doctors."

In a statement to Business Insider, Grace wrote that she was aware of the backlash to her video, but says her intent was not to shame anyone.

"I understand that my voice will not be accepted by many as it's an unpopular view, this video was simply created with the intention of helping little girls see that saving sex for one partner may have certain benefits," Grace said. "I do truly apologize for any offense that was taken as I only wish to promote positivity and healthy lifestyles."

Grace also said that before the video was deleted, she acknowledged in the comments that using protection was also important for preventing STDs.

Prejudice in medicine has consequences

Grace's video seems to have struck a chord not just because of the beliefs she espouses, but because of her position in the medical profession.

The video, which some viewers felt was judgmental of patients who have sex outside of marriage, is just a symptom of the larger problem of prejudice, racism, and judgement patients say is endemic to medicine. With growing evidence that people of color, women, and other marginalized groups don't necessarily get the same level of care from medical professionals, even a video that may have been meant as lighthearted sparked anger.

A May 2019 CDC report found that black women have more than three times the likelihood of pregnancy-related deaths as white women, and native women have more than twice the occurrence of pregnancy-related deaths than white women do.

This report validated personal stories from women like Tressie McMillam Cottom in Time, who wrote last year about three days of undiagnosed labor that resulted in the loss of her baby, though she had complained to her doctors about intense pain.

A 2016 study addressed the link between racial bias and not believing, or treating, patients' pain. The study "provides evidence that false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites continue to shape the way we perceive and treat black people — they are associated with racial disparities in pain assessment and treatment recommendations."

And a New York Times article from last year framed around helping patients ensure their concerns are taken seriously by doctors said that in the US, "if you're not wealthy, not white and not heterosexual, you may be receiving less than optimal health care."

The rise of the nurse influencer

TikTok has quickly become a heavy-hitting social media app along with the likes of Twitter and Instagram since its US launch in 2018. It evolved from video-sharing app Musical.ly, where users lip-synced along to 15-second audio tracks. China's ByteDance bought Musical.ly in 2017 and folded it into TikTok. ByteDance is considered the most valuable private company in the world, worth an estimated $75 billion. 

The app has been downloaded over 1.5 billion times, and it is the top free non-gaming iOS app. TikTok does not provide information on user demographics, but the app is likely closing in on Instagram and Snapchat in terms of active users — Instagram reached 1 billion monthly active users in 2018, while Snapchat has over 300 million.  

Health care professionals have become their own kind of influencers on TikTok. The Wall Street Journal referred to Nurse Holly as a nurse-influencer, and doctors in various specialties have used TikTok as a way to educate viewers and help people with underrepresented conditions know that they're not alone. Dr. Danielle Jones, or "Mama Doctor Jones," calls herself "TikTok's first gynecologist," and posts videos about sexual health and combatting misinformation.

And while TikTok certainly didn't start the conversation about the way prejudice and biases make seeking medical care more dangerous for certain minority groups, it did bring it to a young audience in an easily digestible format.

Most tweets about the video seemed to agree that it portrayed nurses in a negative light, but some were frustrated at the way they reflected the profession in general, and how that might hurt other nurses who do genuinely care about their patients.

Some people posted nurse TikToks that they saw as more positive, calling them a "breath of fresh air."

Conversations about Nurse Holly and anger about her video have predictably already started to die down, but the post will likely continue circulating. TikTok's short video format has unexpectedly become a tool that leads to discussions of race, imperialism, and taboo health issues,  so as the platform grows, this might become the norm.

SEE ALSO: The wildly popular TikTok app is becoming an unlikely place for women to talk about infertility and reproductive health — and it's a clear sign the platform is for more than just teens

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch Elon Musk unveil his latest plan for conquering Mars

• Ritz-Carlton's $18,000-a-night presidential suite in Moscow has hosted high-profile guests including Barack and Michelle Obama.
• But perhaps most infamously, the suite garnered international attention after it was mentioned in the Steele Dossier, an intelligence report that included unverified claims of an alleged night's stay in the suite by Donald Trump in 2013.
• The 2,443-square-foot suite has multiple rooms, a grand piano, a private sauna, a jetted soaking tub, a panic button, and an unbeatable view of the Kremlin.  
• On a trip to Russia last year, I spent a night in the suite.
• While it was probably the most luxurious experience of my life, I wasn't impressed by the food.
• Editorial Note: Business Insider paid full price for a standard room at the Ritz-Carlton, and the reporter received an upgrade to the presidential suite at the time of check-in.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Ritz-Carlton in Moscow sits on Tverskaya Street, a stone's throw from Red Square and the Kremlin. 

While the Ritz-Carlton brand is known for its high standard of luxury, the Moscow location's $18,000-a-night presidential suite has been in the spotlight for its mention in the infamous Steele dossier, a private intelligence report authored by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer.

The report includes unverified claims that President Donald Trump stayed in the Moscow Ritz-Carlton hotel in 2013 and watched hired prostitutes "perform a 'golden showers' (urination) show in front of him" with the goal of defiling the presidential suite bed where Barack and Michelle Obama had previously slept. The dossier indicated that Russian intelligence videotaped this encounter to use to blackmail Trump.

Buzzfeed News released the full report in January 2017, after Trump was elected president and before his inauguration.

The claims in the Steele Dossier are unverified and Trump has denied that such an event happened.

On a trip to Russia last year, I stayed in the $18,000-a-night presidential suite. Here's what it was like.

SEE ALSO: I rode the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway on a 2,000-mile journey across 4 time zones in Russia. Here's what it was like spending 50 hours on the longest train line in the world.

DON'T MISS: I visited a 200-year-old Russian bathhouse in Moscow, where I paid $85 to be whacked with branches and doused in ice-cold water. It was the most memorable part of my trip.

On a trip to Russia last year, I spent a night in the the most expensive suite at the Ritz-Carlton in Moscow.

The presidential suite costs 1 million rubles, or about $15,365 per night, a reservations supervisor told me.

That doesn't include a 20% VAT, which would bring the nightly total to more than $18,000. 

The Ritz-Carlton is in the center of Moscow, a stone's throw from Red Square and the Kremlin.

Source: Google Maps

I used Russia's most popular ride sharing app, Yandex, to get to the hotel.

My driver inexplicably dropped me off on a side street, so I lugged my suitcase through some winding back alleys before finally arriving at the front entrance.

The porte cochere entrance was full of Mercedes and other luxury vehicles.

In the lobby, I was met with towering flower bouquets, elegant staircases, and gleaming marble surfaces.

Calming flute and piano music was playing.

At the check-in desk, I was told that I'd gotten an upgrade and I'd need to wait no more than five minutes while the room received a last-minute check. The concierge took my suitcase to have it brought up to the room.

I sat down on one of the plush lobby chairs and waited for no more than a minute before the front desk woman came to give me my room key. She had a strange smile on her face.

"So, because we're so full, you've been upgraded," she said. "You've been upgraded to our best suite ... You'll be in the presidential suite. It's very nice. It has a lot of rooms. You will like it."

I didn't quite buy that I was getting upgraded to the hotel's most expensive suite because they were "full," but I thanked her and took my room key.

I stepped into the elevator to head up to the suite, which was on the 11th floor, the highest floor before the rooftop restaurant and lounge.

It took me a moment to realize why simply pressing the button for the 11th floor wasn't working: Access to that floor required that I insert my room key.

I stepped onto the 11th floor. It was very quiet, and I didn't see any other guests around.

The hallway was carpeted in blue and gold and lined with glittering chandeliers.

At the end of the hallway was a shiny black door with gold detailing, and a brass plaque with my room number: 1101.

It already looked very presidential.

Upon stepping into the suite's entryway, one thing was clear: It was the largest and most luxurious hotel room I'd ever been in — and probably would ever stay in.

Four different doors opened off the entryway alone, and that didn't include the door I'd just walked through.

One of the doors led to a small yet elegant bathroom.

The lights are controlled by touch panels on the wall.

To my left was a kitchen complete with stovetop, oven, microwave, Nespresso machine, electric kettle, and refrigerator.

I found it odd, however, that there was no sink.

The coffee station had several different types of espresso and decaf, Ritz-Carlton branded coffee cups, teas, and creamer.

Through the kitchen, I found a dining room with a large table and six chairs, although at least four more chairs could be comfortably added.

With the large TV at one end of the table, I could see the space being used as a conference room as well.

The office is outfitted with a fireplace, a stately wooden desk, and a heavy leather-and-wood desk chair.

I couldn't help but imagine Barack Obama sitting at this desk as president.

On the desk were brochures outlining the hotel's spa and dining offerings.

The "Business Spa" menu included a "Leader's Eyes" facial and a "Millionaire's Secret" four-hands massage.

The hotel has an extensive room service menu.

Light breakfast options included a salmon bagel, yogurt and muesli, various cereals, and more.

As I had checked in at about 6 p.m. after a very long train journey, I was starving and planning on a more thorough inspection of the menu after I checked out the rest of the suite.

One of the suite's rooms is dedicated entirely to a Ronisch grand piano.

I took piano lessons for 10 years, so the grand piano was one of the most exciting parts of the suite for me, and I spent a good portion of the evening playing it.

The suite's spacious sitting room comes with its own fireplace ...

... and an unbeatable view of the Kremlin, the complex that serves as the official residence of President Vladimir Putin.

Read more: The Kremlin is the official residence of President Vladimir Putin. It's protected by an elite military regiment and has walls up to 21 feet thick — here's a look inside.

I headed down the hallway toward the master bedroom and bathroom. The first door on the right is a dressing room larger than my bedroom in New York City.

The bedroom is decorated in gold tones.

On the other side of the room is another fireplace and a sitting area.

A flat-screen TV sits across from two comfortable armchairs.

The king-size bed features an elaborate golden headboard.

Touch panels by the bed control the lights and curtains.

The bedroom also has the same view of the Kremlin as the living room.

Next, I went to check out the suite's bathroom.

Unsurprisingly, it's made almost entirely of marble. It includes a double-sink vanity.

The standout feature in the bathroom is the jetted soaking tub sunken into a massive chunk of marble.

There's also a separate walk-in rain shower.

The bathroom includes a bidet with a telephone next to it, and another phone next to the bathtub.

I suppose if you're the president, you need to be reachable at all times, even in the bathroom.

And then there's the private sauna, which I didn't even know existed in hotel rooms.

The sauna is small, but three or four people could probably fit if they got cozy.

Just inside the door to the sauna is a large red button that you would think, looking at this picture, could not be missed.

But as I discovered when I poked my head inside the dark sauna and felt around blindly for a light, the red button is easily mistaken for a light switch. 

About 30 seconds after I pushed the button without realizing what it was, I got a phone call from the front desk. They asked me if everything was OK because I had pressed the panic button which automatically alerted the police, who then called the hotel. 

"Panic button?" I said, panicking. "I didn't know there was a panic button." I told them I was fine and asked where the panic button was so I wouldn't accidentally push it again, not realizing that was what I'd pushed in the sauna.

I was told there was one in the bathroom and one in the bedroom. I never found the one in the bedroom.

Next to the tub was a plush bathrobe that I ended up wearing for the entirety of my time in the suite.

The toiletries provided were from the British luxury brand Asprey.

The mini-bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and shower wash, as well as body scrubbers, combs, and nail files, were scattered throughout the bathroom. 

I took at least one of everything home with me.

After I took a much-needed shower and put on the fluffy white bathrobe, it was time for food.

I ordered room service for the first time in my life, and it came in about 25 minutes.

I got a Croque Monsieur with fries, a glass of Prosecco, and tiramisu for dessert. The person who brought up my dinner set up the cart in the sitting room so I could eat with a view of the Kremlin.

I'd originally ordered the "Ritz-Carlton Cake," the hotel's signature chocolate-orange cake, for dessert, but they didn't have any left, so I went with the tiramisu. 

I was a bit disappointed by the food. It wasn't quite hot when I got it, and the fries were a bit bland and mushy. Yes, I ordered French food in the capital of Russia, but in my opinion, if you're paying hundreds or thousands of dollars per night for a hotel room, the food should be good no matter what you order. 

The total came to $63.36, which I paid with my credit card when the food was brought up. I expected the meal to be expensive — it's the Ritz-Carlton, after all — but I don't think the quality quite lived up to the cost.

As night fell over Moscow, the views from the suite were incredible.

I watched a few minutes of CNN on the flat-screen TV in the bedroom and then crawled into bed.

Although there was a touchpad on the bedside table, I had some trouble figuring out how to turn the lights off. I ended up randomly pushing buttons until they turned off.

Sleeping in the bed felt like being wrapped in a fluffy cocoon.

I woke up at about 8 a.m. after the best sleep of my trip. I opened the curtains with a touch of a button and let the morning sunlight stream into the room.

My first order of business in the morning was taking a bath in the suite's spacious soaking tub.

While the tub was filling up, I made myself a double espresso.

I also ordered room service so my breakfast would arrive right after I finished my bath.

I could have spent hours in that bathtub, but I eventually dragged myself out in time for room service round two. I ordered a relatively light breakfast of cereal, toast, fresh fruit, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and a cappuccino.

Breakfast cost $32.54, which seemed steep for some fruit, cereal, and a few pieces of bread. But again, it's the Ritz. 

The toast was cold, but everything else was fine.

After breakfast, I spent a few minutes relaxing in the sauna.

I was determined to try out every single amenity in the suite before I had to check out at 1 p.m.

After I had bathed, sauna-ed, and eaten breakfast, I went to go check out some other parts of the hotel, even though I was reluctant to leave my suite.

On the 11th floor, just down the hall from the presidential suite, is the Club Lounge, which is only open to guests staying on the 10th and 11th floors.

The lounge serves breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner.

Next, I went up to check out the hotel's O2 Lounge, the rooftop restaurant, bar, and terrace.

The O2 Lounge serves seafood, sushi, and caviar, as well as wine and cocktails.

Menu items include a burrata and tomato plate for $18, salted halibut for $28, and a seafood tower with lobster, crab, oysters, and prawns for about $444.

I went out onto the terrace and sat down at a table, planning on getting a quick drink.

But a server told me the O2 Lounge is closed until 12 p.m., which was about half an hour away, so I continued my tour of the hotel.

Below the lobby is the fitness and spa level of the hotel.

The fitness studio, which is open 24 hours, includes a swimming pool, a hot pool, a sauna with Himalayan salt, and a crystal steam room.

Strangely enough, I couldn't find these luxe amenities after wandering around the fitness center for several minutes. There was nobody around to ask, and because I had limited time, I gave up trying to find them.

On the other side of the elevator bank from the fitness center is the Ritz-Carlton spa.

I couldn't see much of the spa area without booking a treatment.

Spa treatments include more than 11 different types of massages, body wraps and waxing, and several different types of facials, including a "Cellular Swiss Crystal Age-Defying" facial and a "Caviar Instant Lift" facial.

I went back up to the lobby area, where well-dressed men and women were lounging and drinking coffee or tea.

Hotel employees were wiping down the lobby's grand piano and other already spotless surfaces.

Just off the lobby is the Ritz-Carlton Lounge and Bar, where guests can enjoy drinks and "an Afternoon Tea ceremony with a Russian touch," according to the Ritz's website.

Guests can choose from the English afternoon tea with scones and sandwiches for $31 (for two people), the Russian afternoon tea with Pirozhki and Russian pancakes for $23 (for one person), or the Tsar afternoon tea with sandwiches, mini French pastries, and two glasses of Champagne for $92 (for two people).

In addition to the O2 Lounge and the lounge and bar in the lobby, guests can eat at the outdoor Novikov Restaurant & Bar, which sits in front of the Ritz's main entrance.

Novikov serves pan-Asian fare, including more than 15 varieties of sake. There's also an indoor VIP room with an extensive whiskey selection.

Back in my room, I had about 15 minutes before I had to check out. I spent my remaining precious moments in the suite lounging in the greatest of all beds.

Ten minutes before my checkout time, one of the concierges came up to get my bag. 

"Just one suitcase?" he asked. I suppose I must have traveled lighter than the Obamas.

As I stepped out of the lobby, the doorman offered to call me a taxi, but I had already ordered a car through Yandex.

It was hard to leave the Ritz-Carlton presidential suite for a $35-a-night Airbnb room.

While I had expected more from the food, the pure opulence and top-notch service during my stay made it clear why the Ritz-Carlton is one of the world's leading luxury hotels. 

• Garrett Leight is the founder, CEO, and creative director of the luxury eyewear brand Garrett Leight California Optical (GLCO).
• GLCO's celebrity clientele includes Brad Pitt, Jeff Bezos, and Selena Gomez, among others. 
• Leight is the son of Larry Leight, founder of the luxury eyewear brand Oliver Peoples.
• Having grown up in the eyewear industry, Leight said he felt it was natural for him to launch his own eyewear brand.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

For millennial designer Garrett Leight, owning a luxury eyewear brand is about more than just ambition — it's about keeping his family legacy alive. 

Born and raised in Venice, California, 35-year-old Leight grew up watching his father, Larry, run his high-end eyewear brand Oliver Peoples. At first, Leight never thought he would join his father or the family business. Instead, Leight told Business Insider, he was studying journalism at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and intended to enter the music industry, or to do something similarly creative — essentially, goals that were far different from the world he grew up in.

But in 2008, Larry sold Oliver Peoples to Luxottica, and in that moment, Leight says he understood the importance of keeping his family legacy alive. 

"I feel like [this industry] chose me," Leight told Business Insider. "I just loved the family atmosphere and the energy that [Oliver Peoples] had .... and I saw it dwindling because it was becoming more corporate. So I just wanted to rekindle that." 

That summer, Leight made the decision to start his own eyewear company. He took the stake he had inherited from the sale of his father's business and invested the whole sum into launching his own brand.

"I had been working for Oliver Peoples for like two years .... [and] I kind of became miserable there," he said. "I didn't know that I was an entrepreneur at the time, and [there] was just this overwhelming feeling that I needed to create my own thing." 

On November 6, 2009, Leight opened his first concept store in his hometown of Venice and a year later founded Garrett Leight California Optical (GLCO). His first collection was inspired by his childhood, he says, and reflected the artistic and intellectual diversity he was surrounded by growing up. So far, it's been a critical and commercial success. Leight says that some of the brand's best-selling frames of all time hail from those first two Venice-inspired collections.

"I launched my first collection off the influence of my customers," Leight said. "And my customers were just cool intellectual locals with really rad interests and jobs, but they flew completely under the radar. That's basically the spirit of a Venice creative. You don't really know why they're sitting at the coffee shop all day and writing on the computer, [but] they're actually doing something."

The importance of marketing to millennials

GLCO realized early on how vital it was to get millennials to buy their products.

To promote the brand, Leight and his team don't hire big influencers and they don't hire small influencers. In fact, they don't hire influencers in the traditional sense at all. Rather, they focus on connecting with a community of people who they feel would genuinely buy their products; who would sincerely love their glasses; and who would honestly tell other people about their enthusiasm for the frames. 

"For us it's less about [follower] numbers and conversion and data," said Jamie Katz, chief communications officer of GLCO. "It's more about an organic alignment. If they feel like they are an extension of what we've tried to create as the Garrett Leight lifestyle, then we feel like they're probably in a community of people that would also appreciate the Garrett Leight lifestyle."

Instead, GLCO works with stylists, who often give the products to their clients. In turn, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio,Lady Gaga, and even Jeff Bezos, have all been spotted wearing Garrett Leight glasses.

The GLCO team has also been using digital media to educate their millennial and Gen Z customers on the importance of investing in a good pair of glasses. 

"We're a born-out-of-the-recession brand," Leight said. "During that recession, the conversation was just about timeless, classic items that were valuable because they wouldn't go out of style .... [Today] it's all about logos and color and brand, and less about the things that are guaranteed to last you forever." 

This is why, Leight says, his brick-and-mortar shops aim to create unique experiences for buyers ⁠— taking the in-person opportunity to educate consumers on how GLCO products are made, and why they would be a valuable investment.

"Since we started 10 years ago, one of the most common questions I still get is how to select glasses for your face," said Elena Doukas, design director at GLCO. "I think people can be overwhelmed by their choices. [But] we're very focused in our own stores on giving an experience where the customer leaves feeling included in their selection, and expanding that experience in a digital age I think will be key moving forward."

As head designer, Doukas has been responsible for some of GLCO's most innovative designs

For the brand's most recent collection, Doukas took inspiration from her childhood in the southwest United States. 

"I've always been very drawn to the Southwest culture," Doukas said. "I loved this kind of customized experience of matching a stone to someone's personality, and wanted to combine that with glasses. I thought it would be interesting to place a stone near the temple of the frame so it not only adds a sophisticated visual detail, but it also harnesses the powers that the stones are known for."

Growing up in Colorado, the designer remembers the long drives she would take to visit her family who lived in Santa Fe. Specifically, she recalled the crystal shops along the route, and revisited those memories last year, while also stopping by the Petrified Forest in Arizona.

Upon returning to California, she decided to create an eyewear collection based on the colors and cultures of the Southwest. Her most innovative design to date: sunglasses made with the healing crystals Rose Quartz, Black Onyx, and Tiger's Eye. 

These sunglasses — in addition to the brand's "Magician Sunglasses," which have frames that change color when exposed to UV Light — are set to make an impact on the market, proving once again that Doukas and Leight have a, if not harmonious, then a symbiotic creative relationship.

"When he first hired me, we worked together as opticians in his Venice optical shop, and it was there that we started an ongoing conversation about eyewear aesthetic and fit," Doukas said. "Garrett brings an overall vision and identity to the brand, which I then work with him to translate into the physical product that we create in each seasonal collection."

In 2018, GLCO came full circle when Leight was able to launch an eyewear collection with his father

At that point, it had been exactly ten years since Larry sold Oliver Peoples to Luxottica, but because of Garrett, the Leight family name was still at the forefront of luxury eyewear. 

"He's been such a source of positivity for the industry," Leight said of his father. "[Their collaborative collection, called Mr. Leight] felt important to me. Clearly legacy and family is more important to me than I thought ten years ago. [And] just putting that on my resume of life feels like the greater good."  

Despite finding lasting success in the industry over the past decade, Leight is careful not to assume the market will always be this favorable to his company.

"I've learned not to take everything for granted," Leight said. "Especially when you're growing really fast, you kind of feel like you're on top of the world. [But] you could lose sight of some things. As an entrepreneur, you're always one mistake away from losing everything, more or less. So you just have to be aware of your business and, especially as a creative leader, [try] to have a grounded mindset."

So as the industry enters a new decade, Leight and GLCO are taking their time, cruising California style into the future of eyewear. Having now moved beyond their initial customer base of Venice creatives, the brand can be found in 25 countries, on six different continents, and in seven flagship locations around the US ⁠— including in Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City. 

"We market .... who we are, what we stand for, [and] what we've been about since day one, which is California DNA and the quality product and great customer service," Leight said. "We just kind of were ourselves and created what we thought was cool and people liked it."

SEE ALSO: LVMH just offered to buy Tiffany & Co — here's a look at 17 of the most iconic brands the French luxury giant owns

DON'T MISS: Fashion prodigy Zac Posen shuttered his fashion label. Here's how he went from enrolling in a top design school at 16 to becoming a household name with celeb clients like Oprah and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The one thing you need to look for when buying sunglasses

• Maelove's Glycolic Acid cream, The Night Renewer ($27.95), was designed as a highly potent AHA cream that's gentle enough for sensitive skin.
• AHA helps create smoother, brighter skin by encouraging rapid cell turnover and stimulating collagen production. It's often used to fade scarring, reduce fine lines and pores, and soften skin. 
• I used The Night Renewer for a few weeks consistently, and it made good on claims of delivering the benefits of a chemical peel without the harsh side effects.

If you — like many of us lost souls — sometimes feel like you've been put on this earth just to complete a seemingly impossible crusade for effective, cheap skin care products, you may have already stumbled across newcomer Maelove. If not, take note: It's a line of skin-care basics meticulously formulated by MIT grads (with the help of some AI) and designed to work for all skin types. Best of all, each product is priced under $30.

Maelove's line is full of standouts, but perhaps most noteworthy is the gentle Glycolic Acid cream, The Night Renewer ($27.95), that took the company two years to accomplish. It's noteworthy because, unlike many potent AHAs, it's not supposed to be too harsh for sensitive skin types to use. The Night Renewer combines 10% medical-grade glycolic acid to slough away dead skin overnight, as well as hyaluronic acid to hydrate and calm the skin. While AHA breaks down the glue holding tired, dull skin cells together to even tone, stimulate collagen production, and give you smoother skin overnight, ingredients like Vitamin E, Squalene, and Aloe nourish the skin.

In other words, it's supposed to be the secret to locking in the benefits of glycolic acid without paying for it in irritated, dry skin.

When asked by Business Insider which Maelove product was her favorite in February 2019, Maelove co-founder Jackie Kim gave the nod to The Night Renewer. After testing the nighttime cream for myself, I can see why Kim elected this as her all-time favorite, even in a line with a $28 Vitamin C Serum that launched the startup to fame.

I started out using The Night Renewer three times per week as recommended. On application nights, I'd wash my face with my Holy Grail cleanser (a $38 cleansing gel from Dr. Dennis Gross), pat my skin dry, and evenly cover my face with a small dollop of The Night Renewer cream (a little goes a long way). Most of the time, the glycolic acid stung slightly upon application — but, while noticeable, the sting wasn't painful, and the tingling sensation disappeared about 30 seconds post-application. In the morning, I'd swipe my go-to micellar water across my face to remove any residue and proceed with my typical morning routine. 

I've been using it consistently for a few weeks, and my skin is markedly softer, scars are noticeably faded, and fine lines and pores both appear less defined each morning after using. 

When Kim describes The Night Renewer as gentle but effective — two words I grew up viewing as incompatible variables in skin care — she's telling the truth. My pale combination skin often responds to powerful resurfacing agents like glycolic acid and deep clay masks by turning bald-uakari-monkey-red —  like I just moved a couch into a seven-story walk-up. This isn't the case with The Night Renewer. Other than the initial tingling, I don't notice any overt reaction from my skin. 

Despite the transactional mindset (pain exchanged for beauty) we often apply to skin-care, The Night Renewer manages to resurface the skin without requiring discomfort. It makes good on its claims of delivering the effectiveness of a chemical peel without the harsh side effects.

I often recommend Maelove as one of the internet's best-kept secrets. It's radically affordable for the no-nonsense quality, and it's designed to work for all skin types. And if you're looking for a glycolic acid cream that will resurface the skin for a brighter, smoother, more even complexion, I recommend checking out The Night Renewer. 

However, it bears repeating that skin-care is notoriously subjective. Luckily, Maelove also has a 100-day, 100% money-back guarantee — so you're not risking much if you want to give it a try yourself.

Tip: Use the code "TEN" at checkout for 10% off any purchase of two or more products for a limited time.

Buy the Maelove Night Renewer, $27.95

Join the conversation about this story »

• High-quality parental controls allow you to monitor your child's internet use wherever they may go, let you limit screen time, and they work exactly as they are supposed to.
• I like the Circle Home Plus because it features an intuitive app, can be used as a productivity hack for adults, and is packed full of features that all work as advertised.
• It's quite affordable (currently starting at $129.99 on Amazon) and allows you to track your child's iOS and Android devices anywhere they go, even telling you where they are.

I have a 5-year-old son who loves to play games on his Amazon Fire tablet. If left to his own devices, he would play from the moment he wakes up until the moment he goes to sleep. The problem is that his favorite game has little educational value, and well, his mom and I just love expanding his horizons and doing other things with him. This is where good parental control settings come in handy.

The Circle Home Plus (2nd generation) parental controls help you limit how long your child spends in front of a screen and make sure they aren't visiting sites they shouldn't be. I liked that it worked exactly as advertised and had an array of extra features, including a device locator. Read on to learn more about my experiences with this impressive tool.

Specs

The Circle Home Plus comes with an ethernet cable for connecting directly to your router, a power cord for plugging into your wall outlet or USB port, and the device itself, which is a compact white cube approximately three inches to a side.

The base unit costs $129.99 and is bundled with a one-year subscription to the Circle app. And for $299.99, you get a lifetime subscription. Currently, the monthly subscription rate after the first year is $9.99 to use the premium features.

With premium, you can set internet time limits, pause specific users or the entire internet in your home, set off times, set bedtimes, offer extra time as a reward, and use location tracking.

The Circle Home Plus allows you to control the internet usage of any smart TV, gaming console, tablet, computer, or phone on your Wi-Fi network. Additionally, you can control any iOS or Android device with the Circle app installed if it is paired with your Circle app — a process that the app clearly explains.

Setup process

To set up the Circle Home Plus you must first install the app on your device. The app then gives you step-by-step instructions on how to install the physical unit. At this point, you can start creating profiles for your family members and setting the filter levels (Kid, Teen, Adult, or None), time limits, and more.

You may also want to install the app on any device you want to be able to monitor outside of your home, such as your youngster's smartphone.

Overall, the setup process took about 45 minutes. A big chunk of that was trying to figure out which device listed on the Wi-Fi network corresponded with the real-life device I wanted to control. Fortunately, since I first installed the Home Plus, Circle has updated the app to make it easier to identify devices. So, this shouldn't be an issue for you.

What makes it stand out

The Circle team has seemingly thought of everything. I've used a variety of parental controls — typically ones that come with wireless routers — and none of them have been as feature-packed and worked as well as the Circle Home Plus. Additionally, when you use the parental controls built into a router, you can't track your child's internet usage away from home.

When you install the Circle app on your kid's devices, you can manage their screen time and locate where their phone or tablet is. I tried both of these features out and found they worked as advertised. The location tracker comes in handy if your child goes missing or if they simply leave their phone somewhere. It has about the same level of precision you'd expect from GPS. In other words, you'll be able to tell which house the device is in, but you won't be able to tell which room.

There are a few sites that I am okay with my 5-year-old visiting as much as he wants. These include ABCMouse and Adventure Academy. Both have demonstrated that they help him learn. Fortunately, you can set whatever sites you want to "unmanaged." This means that they don't count toward my son's time limit for the day, and he can spend as much time as he wants on them. He usually turns to ABCMouse when his Roblox time runs out.

When your child uses up their internet time for the day, you have the option of rewarding them with more. I found this worked great for motivating my son to clean his room or to complete other chores around the house. He enjoyed his little chore "missions" that we sent him on.

My 16-year-old likes to be connected online 24/7. This is a problem when his phone is going off and interrupting his precious sleep. To combat this, we set bedtime limits that turn off his internet access from midnight to 8 in the morning. Now, he can sleep knowing that even if he were awake, he couldn't check his Snapchat.

Kids aren't the only ones who can benefit from limited screen time. If you find yourself mindlessly scrolling on your phone or just want to be more productive, you can use the Circle Home Plus to limit the time you spend on your devices and to block specific sites that tend to be time-drains for you. Facebook is now off-limits on my phone, which allows me to be more present around friends and family.

Cons to consider

Right now, the Circle app is only available on iOS and Android devices. So while we can monitor my son's Amazon Fire tablet and Acer Chromebook in the house via our Wi-Fi network, we're unable to download the app onto his devices and can't track his screen time away from home. Fortunately, he rarely uses these devices outside of our house, and when he does, he doesn't have internet access.

It can also be a bit cumbersome if you share a device with your child. My wife and I like to use our son's Chromebook to stream video on our projector. This causes a little bit of a hassle since the Chromebook's internet is disabled once his screen time runs out. To fix this, I add "reward" time, but it does delay and sometimes disrupt our viewing.

The bottom line

If you find you're losing your family to screens all too often, the Circle Home Plus is an effective tool for bringing them back to reality. I find the time limits are a reasonable way to get our 5-year-old to be more conscientious of how much time he spends online and of what he's doing. When his time runs out, he comes to me for entertainment, and we have some good father-son time.

I recommend buying the Home Plus with a one-year subscription before committing to the lifetime subscription so you can see if it's effective in your home and ensure that you'll use it. With its time limits, age-appropriate filters, location service, and an array of other premium features, I think it will facilitate a positive transformation in how your family interacts with the internet.

Pros: Let's you filter age-appropriate content, view usage history, set usage time limits, restrict when the internet can be used, pause the internet, custom filters, locate mobile devices, reward kids with extra time

Cons: App is only available on iOS and Android devices, hard to adjust limits and filters when different family members are using the same device

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• If you clicked into this post, you're probably considering treating Mom to a nice piece of jewelry — but you don't have to spend a lot to get her something she'll love.
• We rounded up 15 beautiful pieces we think Mom will love, covering all tastes and budgets. 
• If you need more inspiration, check out all of our Valentine's Day gift guides to find something just right.

There are a lot of great gifts you could treat Mom to this Valentine's Day. You could go the practical route and get her something you're sure she'll get plenty of use out of, like a nice French press to make her morning coffees or a versatile bag that can take her from the office to the gym and everywhere in between. But sometimes the greatest gifts don't serve any purpose other than pleasure. If you're looking for a gift that feels like a special treat, you can't go wrong with giving Mom a nice piece of jewelry. 

Beautifully crafted, just her style, and something she probably wouldn't splurge on for herself, a piece of jewelry is the perfect way to show Mom how much you appreciate her. And, these days, you don't have a spend a ton of money to get her something that sparkles. We rounded up some great jewelry finds Mom will love, covering a wide range of budget and tastes.

The 5 best jewelry gifts for mom:

1. A pair of sustainably-made studs from Soko
2. A dainty pendant from Mejuri
3. A symbolic Catbird ring
4. A colorful tennis bracelet from The Last Line
5. A simple pair of huggies from AUrate

A dainty gold band with diamonds

Diamonds Open Ring, $160, available at Mejuri

Stacked or worn on its own, this minimalist ring is perfect for everyday wear. With two small diamonds and the choice of either 14-karat rose, yellow, or white gold, you're sure to find one that's just her style.

A pair of heart-shaped huggers

Infinity Heart Huggie Earrings, $90, available at AUrate

There are so many ways to tell Mom you love her. These huggers, made from a series of cascading hearts, are a sweet way to say it. The price listed is for a vermeil (gold-plated) pair, but you can also opt for 14-karat or 18-karat gold versions.

A unique pair of studs

Horn Duara Stud Earrings, $48, available at Soko

If she's got a style all her own, she'll love these unique open-circle studs. They're made using traditional techniques by artisans in Kenya.

A simple gold bracelet

Lucy Williams Gold Flat Curb Chain Bracelet, $110, available at Missoma

This delicate vermeil chain is the perfect gift to say "thank you" to your mom while sticking with a classic.

A sculptural cuff

Tableau Cuff, $300, available at AUrate

Clean lines and a geometric design make for a mod addition to any look. Worn alone or stacked with other bracelets, they'll love this contemporary cuff. 

A colorful tennis bracelet

Mini Tennis Bracelet, from $350, available at The Last Line

Liven up her everyday outfits with a colorful bracelet. The 14-karat gold cable chain is lined with glittery gemstones — just pick out her birthstone and you have a beautiful, meaningful gift.

A fun pair of drop earrings

Amaranthus Drop Earrings, $48, available at BaubleBar

Beads and tassels make these drop earrings a unique pair she can throw on to turn up the dial up on any simple outfit. 

A pretty pendant necklace

Gorjana Compass Coin Pendant Necklace, $60, available at Nordstrom

When you don't know where you're going or what to do, Mom always guides you in the right direction. That makes this cute pendant necklace, made to look like an adjustable compass, a fitting gift. If you're not a fan of my cheesy messaging, this necklace is still a cute piece she can wear every day. 

A classic ring with her zodiac

Zodiac Ring, $124, available at Catbird

Astrological symbols give the traditional signet ring a modern twist. Each brass ring is engraved with a different zodiac sign's symbol — just choose hers and you have a unique, thoughtful gift.

A bold pendant

Strength Necklace, $80, available at Mejuri

For the strongest woman you know, get a cool vermeil necklace inspired by tarot cards. The funky pendant is placed on a dainty, thin chain, making it perfect for layering with chunky necklaces or shorter chains.

A sophisticated pair of coin earrings

Pearl Hoops, $60, available at Mejuri

Whether it's with a flowy summer dress or a T-shirt and jeans, these pearl earrings add instant elegance to every look.

A funky cuff

Dannijo Owen Bracelet, $195, available at Shopbop

A chunky cuff covered in chain links and silver medallions make this a one-of-a-kind piece she'll love to rock. The silver-plated brass adds an eclectic touch to any outfit.

A symbolic ring

Pas de Deux Ring, $410, available at Catbird

Mom's been there to hold your hand through it all. This ring — inspired by the 15th century Fede rings, which were commonly used as wedding bands — comprises two clasped hands, which are the ultimate signal of love, friendship, and togetherness.

A bracelet engraved with a personal message

Mama Bar Ring with Diamond, $165, available at Stone and Strand

The "mama" inscription on this bar ring takes it from plain to personal.  And, there's a small diamond on the edge for a little extra sparkle.

A rainbow necklace

Elisa Solomon Rainbow Opal Disc Necklace, $840, available at Catbird

This 18-karat necklace is dainty enough to wear every day, but full of unique stones that make it feel really special. A glimmering opal is surrounded by amethyst, blue sapphire, citrine, garnet, and other beautiful gems for a vibrant but dainty look.

• The N3 Cattle Company ranch is the largest piece of land for sale in California, according to its listing. The state may also be eyeing it as the site for a new public state park.
• According to The Wall Street Journal, the 50,500-acre ranch is bigger than the city of San Francisco.
• It includes 80 square miles of watersheds, creeks, diverse terrains, and wildlife, along with 200 miles of private roads.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

If you have $72 million, you can own what's believed to be the largest piece of land for sale in California — but its new owner could become the state of California itself.

The 50,500-acre ranch, known as the N3 Cattle Company ranch, was listed for $72 million for the first time in 85 years in July 2019. And just last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he wants legislative leaders to put $20 million from a one-time budget surplus toward a new public park in California. As the Los Angeles Times' Louis Sahagun reports, the governor declined to disclose where the new park would be, but Bay Area lawmakers have been pushing for the $20 million to go toward the N3 Ranch.

Financial commitments from non-profit conservation groups have already been secured, and if the $20 million gets approved quickly from the state, the funding for the ranch would be complete, creating one of the largest public parks in California. There's a matter of urgency, however — the listing has attracted national and global interest, with the property's listing agent telling the LA Times that it's been shown to 14 prospective buyers so far.

The N3 Cattle Company ranch stretches across four counties: Santa Clara County, Alameda County, San Joaquin County, and Stanislaus County. The Wall Street Journal reported in July 2019 that the ranch is larger than the city of San Francisco.

The property has been a working ranch for 85 years and is currently owned by fourth-generation ranchers, according to the listing. It includes 80 square miles of watersheds, creeks, diverse terrains, and wildlife, along with 200 miles of private roads.

There are hunting cabins scattered throughout the property along with a four-bedroom main house and four cabins for employees.

Take a look inside the ranch.

SEE ALSO: An LA estate that was featured in 'The Beverly Hillbillies' and was once the most expensive home for sale in the US just got a $50 million price cut — take a look at the mansion

DON'T MISS: A $34 million San Francisco mansion billed as a 'wellness home' has a sauna, yoga studio, and filtration system that changes all the air in the house every 2 hours. Take a look inside.

The N3 Cattle Company ranch is located in Livermore, California, east of Oakland and San Jose.

Source: California Outdoor Properties

It is the largest piece of land for sale in California, according to the listing.

Source: California Outdoor Properties

It spans 50,500 acres and stretches across four counties: Santa Clara County, Alameda County, San Joaquin County, and Stanislaus County.

Source: California Outdoor Properties

According to The Wall Street Journal, the property is larger than the city of San Francisco.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

It has been a working ranch for 85 years ...

Source: California Outdoor Properties

... and is currently owned by fourth-generation ranchers.

Source: California Outdoor Properties

The property includes 80 square miles of watersheds, creeks, diverse terrains, and wildlife.

Source: California Outdoor Properties

It also includes 200 miles of private roads.

Source: California Outdoor Properties

Along with hunting cabins, the property comes with a four-bedroom main house ...

Source: California Outdoor Properties

... as well as four additional cabins for employees.

Source: California Outdoor Properties

There is also a horse barn, hay barn, two shops, and sheds on the property, according to the listing.

Source: California Outdoor Properties

The ranch has five corrals ...

Source: California Outdoor Properties

... and can house up to 650 cow and calf pairs year-round, 1,500 cow and calf pairs seasonally, or 3,200 stockers seasonally.

Source: California Outdoor Properties

The property is currently on the market for $72 million.

Source: California Outdoor Properties

• Great news: Affordable gifts can be just as useful and thoughtful as expensive gifts. 
• Below are 38 presents that anyone will actually be excited to receive. You can get them all on Amazon and for less than $50. 
• If you're looking for more Valentine's Day gift ideas under $50, check out this guide of 50+ thoughtful gifts for her or 80+ gifts for him.

Your partner doesn't necessarily need or want an expensive gift. And it's a myth that a higher price tag equals a more thoughtful gift. It doesn't take more than $50 to pay homage to an interest of theirs or to improve day-to-day life by fixing the squeaky cupboard or replacing a beat-up coffee thermos with a much, much better one.

Thoughtful gifts don't need to be expensive. And they don't necessarily require an hour of your time in the trenches of Amazon search results. Below, I've rounded up 38 of the best finds on Amazon below — with all the perks of easy, fast shipping and saved payment information. 

The top 5 best gifts under $50 on Amazon:

1. A 3rd Generation Echo Dot
2. A variety pack of famous hot sauces made from community garden peppers
3. A JBL Clip 3  portable waterproof speaker
4. A WiFi-Enabled Plug-in for outlets
5. A Hydro Flask travel mug

Check out all 38 cool gifts under $50 on Amazon:

A media streamer that can turn a basic TV into a smart one

Roku Streaming Stick+, $42.87

Essentially, the Roku Streaming Stick+ is your standard media streaming stick, and can convert a basic TV into a smart one that can stream Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, and more. It's Alexa-enabled, too, so you can control it by voice.

Homemade breakfast made with a heart-shaped waffle maker

Dash Mini Waffle Maker Machine, $14.99

Get up early, and make them heart-shaped mini waffles for breakfast. The Dash Mini Maker is compact enough to keep for special occasions without cramping your kitchen, too.  

A wooden caddy tray for the world's most luxurious bath

Royal Craft Luxury Bathtub Caddy, $47.97

Few things are as luxurious as a long bath filled with plenty of activities and treats. This one is waterproof, slip-resistant, and designed to accommodate one or two bathers at once. 

A compilation of the love letters of great men

"Love Letters of Great Men", $13.95

If you find yourself at a loss for words, let the love letters of great men do the talking for you. This volume includes love letters written by Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, Napoleon Bonaparte, James Joyce, John Keats, Dylan Thomas, and more. 

A vacuum insulated stainless steel water bottle that people swear by

Hydro Flask 12 oz Travel Coffee Mug, $29.95

Hydro Flask is a cult favorite for their water bottles, and these vacuum insulated stainless steel mugs work just as well. It'll keep hot drinks hot for up to six hours, and cold drinks cold up to twenty-four hours.

An unfussy cookbook meant for hosting one person or many

"Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking" by Samin Nosrat, $20.98

"Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" is a New York Times bestseller and a James Beard Award winner for a reason. This book offers a great explanation of exactly why food tastes so good, breaking it down to four main elements.  

A powerful wireless charger for their desk

Anker Wireless Charger, $49.99

Get them a wireless charger that lets them charge their phone without having to plug it in or take off their phone case first. 

A durable, inexpensive Fire tablet

Fire 7 Tablet, $49.99

Amazon's Fire tablets are a relatively great deal for a tablet if you're not looking for anything super high-performance driven or luxe. For the average user, they're a good fit. It's Alexa-enabled, so you can ask for quick access to music and entertainment or messages and calling, and it has up to seven hours of battery life. 

You can shop the latest versions for a bit more money here.

An all-new Echo Dot

3rd Generation Echo Dot, $34.99 (originally $49.99)

The newest Echo Dot is a great gift for expert or amateur tech users. It has thousands of skills, but doesn't require much once it's set up. Alexa can control smart lights, outlets, TVs, and more to make life more seamless, and she can tell you the forecast, find and check recipes, and play music or set alarms and timers. For $35, you can order the new version with a built-in clock, but it won't be in stock until the end of January. 

A popular reusable shopping bag in a fun print

Baggu Standard Reusable Shopping Bag (3-pack), $36

Baggu bags are popular for a reason — they come in tons of fun prints and can fold down to pretty much nothing even though they can hold 50 pounds of stuff. If you're looking for another option, we also like Ecobags. 

A cheeky "I love you" mug

Olive Ewe Coffee Mug, $13.50

A subtle, aloof way to say the L-word — and in a puzzle they can decode even without the help of their first cup of coffee.

A candle that pays homage to their favorite place on Earth

Homesick Candles, available at Amazon, $24.67

Gift them a candle customized to smell like their beloved hometown, college town, or favorite getaway. There's also a dedicated option for "Love". 

One of the bestselling books of the year

"Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens, $9.59

One of the bestselling and most talked-about books of the year, "Where the Crawdads Sing" is an ode to the natural world and a heartbreaking coming-of-age story. It's set in a coastal town in North Carolina and follows a possible murder and the local suspect, the misunderstood Kya Clark, who's been known simply as "Marsh Girl" for years. 

A tough, wind-resistant umbrella they can rely upon

Repel Windproof Travel Umbrella, $22.95

Hear me out. It may seem boring, but everybody needs an umbrella, and this is way better than whatever version they bought the last time they veered into a CVS while it was raining. We think it's the best umbrella you can buy thanks to how well it resists wind and how long it lasts, and they'll find themselves thankful for it often. 

A portable and waterproof speaker

JBL Clip 3 Portable Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth Speaker, $49.95

This wireless Bluetooth speaker is waterproof, durable, and comes with a carabiner attached so it can be clipped for easy carrying. It has 10 hours of playtime and maintains sound quality even at high volumes. 

One of the year's most noteworthy books

"On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel" by Ocean Vuong, $17.29

Ocean Vuong is an American poet, and "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" is his much-anticipated debut novel. Published in 2019, it's a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read that delves into family history, addiction, violence, trauma, and compassion and tenderness. If they're a bookworm looking for the next bittersweet American classic, you may want to start here. Looking for other options? Amazon has a list of 2019 bestsellers, and a list of 100 books to read in a lifetime. 

A cast-iron skillet with almost 10,000 five-star reviews

Lodge 10.25-Inch Cast-Iron Skillet, $14.88

This 10.25-inch cast-iron skillet is one that became minorly famous online and garnered over 16,000 Amazon reviews. Lodge has been making cast iron cookware since 1896, so they've learned a thing or two about what makes a great kitchen tool. 

An electric bottle opener

Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener with Foil Cutter, $14.99

This slim device cuts foil and uncorks wine bottles seamlessly, then stows easily out of sight. It has to be charged, but it'll open 30 bottles per charge. 

Highly rated in-ear earbuds

Panasonic ErgoFit In-Ear Earbud Headphones, from $9.99

Whether for everyday use, the gym, as a backup, or just for travel when Bluetooth headphones won't connect to the in-flight entertainment, there are ample uses for really solid in-ear buds with a stereo plug. This pair has an extended cord and three sets of ear pads for the perfect fit.

A famous hot sauce made from peppers grown in over 30 community gardens in the Bronx

Small Axe Peppers Variety 3-Pack, $27.99

This all-natural, tangy hot sauce is best known for its part in the popular Youtube series "Hot Ones." It's made from peppers grown in community gardens across the US. 

Anthony Bourdain's best-selling culinary and travel memoir

"A Cook's Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines" by Anthony Bourdain, from $7.39

This is Anthony Bourdain's New York Times best-selling chronicle of traveling the world in search of the globe's greatest culinary adventures. From California to Cambodia, Bourdain spent much of his adult life searching for the perfect meal.

A cold brew coffee maker

Takeya Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker, $17.99 

This cold brew maker is as inexpensive as it is convenient, and it saves me hundreds of dollars per year. It easily fits into most refrigerator doors, is simple to use, and makes a good amount of cold brew at once. If they need more than one quart, there's also a two-quart option under $40. 

A powerful external battery

Portable 6000 mAh Charger, $32.99

It's not groundbreaking to give your partner a portable charger, but they'll find themselves grateful for it repeatedly. It's perfect for traveling and commuting, and as insurance for long days away from home. We rated this model by Jackery the best portable charger iPhone users can buy. It reportedly charges iPhones twice as fast as the original iPhone charger.

The cult-favorite clay mask that took over the internet

Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Facial & Body Mask, $7.99

The Aztec Clay Mask is one of those cult-favorite products of the internet that's driven from the obscure depths of Amazon to beauty vlogs, Youtube testimonials with over 4 million views, and even the Sephora beauty blog.  

It's been called "the world's most powerful facial," and it's also under $10. It can be mixed with water, but it works best with a little bit of apple cider vinegar. You can read a full review here.

A salt plank for cooking

Himalayan Salt Plate and Holder Set, $35.55

A salt block is a multipurpose tool. It's a stable crystal structure, which means it can hold a temperature very well. It can be chilled and used as a serving platter for sushi or heated over a grill or stovetop to cook flavorful veggies. Himalayan salt is more nuanced than table salt, and the amount of saltiness imparted varies with the type of food (moist foods absorb more salt, fatty foods repel it, etc.). It's also long-lasting and naturally antibacterial. 

A universal USB wall charger that fits four devices

Anker 4-Port USB Wall Charger with Foldable Plug, $25.99

Double the outlet space with this four-port USB wall charger. Its advanced charging capacity also means their tech will charge faster than average.

An Atlas Obscura calendar full of daily photos and tidbits about the world's strangest and coolest places or festivals

Atlas Obscura Page-A-Day 2020 Calendar, $7.49

The Atlas Obscura calendar is a fun, novel way to infuse each day with an anchor of appreciation and wonder for the world. There are hundreds of photos that celebrate the world's strangest and coolest places, festivals, and foods. Travelers and life-long learners are particularly good candidates for this one.

A milk frother so they can make their favorite coffee or hot chocolate drinks from home

PowerLix Milk Frother, $12.97

A milk frother is an unexpectedly convenient tool to have around the house, and it can make an otherwise normal cup of coffee or hot chocolate closer to what you'd buy at the cafe. With it, they can make lattes, cappuccinos, and frothy coffees every morning for less.

The best travel pillow we've found

Trtl Travel Pillow, $29.99

We know it sounds gimmicky, but these travel pillows from Trtl really do make a difference, which is why we've voted them the best travel pillows you can buy. It won't make the frequent traveler feel like they're in bed at home, but it will offer a better, more restful sleep on the move. There's a slightly more expensive version that's even better, too. 

A soap bar that's a great life hack for tough stains

The Laundress Wash & Stain Bar, $5.69

This is another early Insider Picks favorite because it's relatively cheap and works exceptionally well. The Laundress Wash & Stain Bar is one of the only things that can bring white clothes back from the brink of donation piles, as we've attested in our roundup of the best things we bought on Amazon under $25. 

A delicious gift basket of caramel, chocolate, and crunchy gourmet treats

Chocolate, Caramel and Crunch Grand Gift Basket, $36.50

For less than $40, you can gift gourmet chocolates and caramels already pre-wrapped in a keepsake basket. The set includes seasonal favorites like caramel corn, chocolate pretzels, and peanut brittle. 

A hair turban that will cut drying time in half

Aquis Original Microfiber Hair Turban, from $20.99

Aquis' cult-favorite hair towels have inspired a slew of rave reviews online, including one from our own team of product reviewers.

The towels are made from a proprietary fabric called Aquitex that's composed of ultra-fine fibers (finer than silk) that work to reduce the amount of friction the hair experiences while in its weakest state. It also prevents hygral fatigue — the stretching and swelling of wet hair that makes it vulnerable to frizz and damage — by cutting the hair's drying time by 50%.

A keychain that finds their keys for them

Tile Pro with Replaceable Battery, $25

Never let them lose their keys again. This new Tile keychain pairs with their smartphone so they'll always be able to locate them. Conversely, you can press the Tile button to locate your phone if it's lost, even if it's on silent mode. 

A charging case that protects and charges wireless devices on the go

Mophie Wireless Power Capsule External Battery Charger, $15.99 (originally $39.95)

This compact, travel-friendly case charges wearables like the Fitbit Flex, Beats by Dre, and JBL Wireless Earbuds on the go. The 1,4000 mAh rechargeable battery translates to about 60 hours of audio playback in wireless earbuds. 

Alexa-enabled smart plugs

Wemo Mini Smart WiFi-Enabled Plug, $19.98

These plugs turn your devices into smart tech. They help your giftee control their lights and appliances from a free app on their phone, or by voice using Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit. 

A hilarious card game

What Do You Meme? Party Game, $29.99

This hilarious popular card game brings together the funniest memes of the Internet with over 350 caption cards for funny combinations. 

A highly rated pump with universal wine stoppers to keep open bottles fresh for longer

The Original Vacu Vin Wine Saver with Two Vacuum Stoppers, $11.89

This hyper-popular pump and universal wine stopper set keeps open bottles of wine from prolonged exposure to the air, which is what causes the breakdown of its character and taste. This version makes a "click" sound when the user has managed to create an airtight seal, and has almost 3,000 five-star reviews.

A photo book from one of the most renowned wildlife photographers

"Polar Obsession" by Paul Nicklen, $34.24

Paul Nicklen is an acclaimed Canadian photographer, film-maker, and marine biologist known for his work in the Arctic. He's a frequent contributor to National Geographic and has won the BBC Wildlife Photographer award of the year as well as the prestigious World Press Photo award for photojournalism, and this coffee table book is a beautiful homage to polar landscapes. 

• Every month, online winery and wine club Winc sends you a box of wines (starting at $13 per bottle) that are personalized to your tastes and preferences. It offers a wide variety of wines, including red, white, rosé, sparkling, and vegan. 
• The process starts with a Palate Profile and continually adapts as you try and rate new bottles of wine. 
• The service makes learning about wine approachable and convenient. I used Winc to hone in on the specific types of wine I like and understand how to pair them with food. 
• Read more: The best wine subscriptions

One of the most popular wine clubs in the nation doesn't require you to flash receipts for all the vineyards you've visited in the past year. In fact, the less you know about wine, the more you'll probably enjoy Winc, an online winery and wine club that wants to make exploring wine simpler and more enjoyable.

Winc is a California-based winery co-founded by sommelier Brian Smith. It uses an online Palate Profile and your own ratings to recommend and ship the best wines for your tastes, so you don't spend an inordinate amount of time in the wine aisle deciphering labels and ultimately just choosing the one that looks the prettiest. There's no fee or commitment to join, and you can skip the month's shipment any time you want. 

Read more: The best wine subscriptions you can buy

Though I wouldn't call myself a complete amateur and I know generally what types of wine I like, I am also eons away from becoming that person at the party who casually swishes her glass and rattles off tasting notes (I am more often the person who gushes over the cheese and charcuterie paired with the wine, or the exact example above who judges a bottle by its packaging).

But I do enjoy popping a bottle open for special and casual occasions alike, so I thought I'd give Winc a try. 

The first step when joining Winc is to fill out your Palate Profile.

The short questionnaire asks things like how you like your coffee, and how much you like flavors such as citrus and mushrooms. 

Then, Winc offers a selection of wine bottles it thinks you should try. Winc works with vineyards and winemakers all over the world to source these bottles and also make its own varietals. You can read up on the details of each bottle — its tasting notes, ratings from other Winc members, its body and sweetness levels — before deciding whether to add it to your shipment. 

Each month's subscription includes three bottles of wine securely packed in a box 

Your monthly box must include a minimum of three bottles, but you can add as many additional bottles as you'd like. Shipping is $9 for orders of three bottles and free for any order larger than that. 

The bottles arrive securely packed in a box (that also has a carry handle for convenient transport), along with a fun A-Z guide of important wine and Winc terms. 

I don't usually love heavy, full-bodied wines, so I opted for lighter, medium-bodied bottles and a diverse variety of tasting notes. On your Winc profile, you can revisit the details of each wine and also figure out what types of food to pair it with. Winc provides a Food52 recipe for each bottle, a helpful touch that also appealed to my love of food. 

The 2018 Cape Route Chenin Blanc, with its light, dry, and fruity taste, was the perfect bottle to bring along for a snack-filled picnic in Central Park, while the 2017 Far + Wide Touriga Nacional (currently sold out), was a nice light red for a heartier lamb dinner at home. My other pick, the 2018 The Bluffer Valdiguié (currently sold out), turned out to be a little too tart and bright for my taste and that's okay because I was able to rate these bottles on my Winc profile so I could get better recommendations for my next box. 

In addition to a star rating, you can enter notes to refer back to later. 

The next time you visit the Wines page, your recommended bottles will float right to the top, making it easy to add them to your box. Other than the provided recommendations, feel free to browse the rest of Winc's wines, which include categories like Sparkling, Under $20, Vegan, and California. 

While the default shipping schedule of Winc is once monthly, it does offer a Ship Now feature, in case you have a party you want to be well-stocked for or just want to enjoy more wine. 

There's no need to be stuffy about or intimidated by wine — Winc's easy-to-use platform lets you get past your limited wine experience to fully enjoy a glass (or two, or three)

Its wine is also pretty affordable, starting at just $13 and maxing out around $45 per bottle. If you want to discover your next favorite wine without spending a lot of money or pulling your hair out over its complexities, there's no better than place than Winc. 

Join the conversation about this story »

• You don't need to spend a crazy amount of money or plan an extravagant gesture to show your wife you appreciate her. When it comes to gifting, putting a little extra thought into your gift goes a long way. 
• We made a list of 50 thoughtful gifts for your wife that speak to all different kinds of interests and cover all different budgets — so you can be sure to find something your wife will love.
• Looking for more gift ideas? Check out all of Insider Picks' Valentine's Day gift guides here.

Everyone loves to know that they're appreciated, especially around Valentine's Day, when gifting becomes commonplace. As our days become full of the realities of work, family, and all other aspects of our lives, it can be easy to forget to show our appreciation for the ones we love.

Of course, the best ways to show your appreciation for your loved ones can't be bought. Nothing can top showing your gratitude with patience, support, and love. When it comes to the tangible, though, a great gift can enhance the gratitude we show through our actions.

So, if you feel that your wife needs to be shown some extra appreciation this Valentine's Day, here are 50 gifts she'll love, from small, sweet treats to classy jewelry. 

The top 5 best gifts for your wife:

1. A fresh floral bouquet from The Bouqs Co.
2. A candy champagne toast from Sugarfina
3. A personalized bar necklace from Mejuri
4. A seasonal, limited-edition Otherland candle
5. A supersoft robe from Barefoot Dreams 

DON'T MISS: 51 creative and unexpected gifts for her that are all under $50

An exciting new read

Book of the Month Membership, $49.99/3 months, $89.99/6 months, $149.99/12 months, available at Book of the Month

For the wife that loves to read, give her the joy of getting lost in a book. Book of the Month curates some of the best new reads and has your pick delivered to your door as a hardcover each month. It's a great way to discover great new books and authors, plus if you sign up now you can get a free book.

A gift to satisfy her sweet tooth

Sugarfina Pop the Champagne Set, $48, available at Bloomingdale's

Treat your wife to some of the cutest sweet treats around. Sugarfina makes adorable gummies inspired by — and sometimes infused with — things like champagne and rosé. They're just as pretty to look at as they are delicious to eat. This set even comes with two champagne flutes you can use with some real bubbly or the included bubbly bears. 

A simple bar necklace

Horizontal Engravable Bar Necklace, $270, available at Mejuri

Jewelry is a classic gift and this simple bar necklace is timeless choice. Engrave it with a name or saying of up to 10 characters for some personalization. 

A supersoft bathrobe

Barefoot Dreams CozyChic Robe, $99, available at Nordstrom

This is everything you want and need in a robe — lightweight, soft, and warm without being heavy. Even though robes are meant to be worn after showering, while getting ready, or lounging, she'll wish she could wear this one more often — it's that comfortable.

Something small but sweet

Bees Knees Spicy Honey, $14, available at Uncommon Goods

This sweet and spicy honey will be a welcome addition to your kitchen. It's a thoughtful gift for an adventurous foodie who'll appreciate this hand-infused, locally made update to the classic sweetener.

A limited-edition candle inspired by seasonal scents

Winter Collection Candle, $36, available at Otherland

We love Otherland's seasonally inspired, limited-edition candles, and we're sure they will too. The "Gilded Holiday" collection includes a selection of wintry aromas like a musky Silk Pajamas with crystal ginger, bergamot zest, and spiced yuzu. 

Fancy olive oil that'll instantly elevate any dish

Alive Olive Oil, pre-order for $37, available at Brightland

If they spend a lot of time in the kitchen, they probably already know the merits of high-quality olive oil. A drizzle of Alive from Brightland adds a vibrant, zesty flavor to any dish, plus the beautiful bottle will look great on display in their kitchen. 

A Disney + subscription for her holiday movie marathon

Subscribe for $6.99/month or $69.99/year

Unlimited access to movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and 20th Century Fox make for a perfect holiday movie marathon.

Read everything there is to know about Disney+ over here. And if you need to give her some binge-spiration, here are all the new movies available to stream.

A cute and cozy pair of pajamas

Eberjey Gisele Short PJ Set, $98, available at Shopbop

A comfortable pajama set can make bedtime much better. Sometimes, though, it's hard to justify spending so much on an outfit you'll never wear outside of your house. Since they might not be something she would buy herself, but you know she'd enjoy them, treat her to a comfy and colorful pair.

A taste of Japan by way of yummy snacks

Bokksu Tasting Gift, $49.99, 1-month box, available at Bokksu

If they love exploring new cultures through food, they'll appreciate this curated box of gourmet Japanese snacks. In this Bokksu box, they can expect to find between 10 to 14 snacks, a tea pairing, and an in-depth guide that details every product included. 

A luxurious exfoliator to keep skin smooth

The Body Exfoliator, $30, available at Necessaire

Necessaire's clean beauty products come in beautiful, minimalist packaging that looks as good in their bathroom as it feels on their skin. This gentle exfoliator will help them slough off dry winter skin for good. 

A thoughtful piece of home decor

Hand Embroidered State Pillows, $196, available at Uncommon Goods

Give her some state pride with one of these beautiful pillows hand embroidered with each state's cities, towns, famous sites, cultural icons and more. Pick a state that means something to her like where she was born, went to college, or where you met. These vibrant pillows are so unique; they'll look great in your home and are definite conversation starters.

A delicate, personalized gold bracelet

Laline Jewelry Initial Bracelet, $22, available at Etsy

You can put up to ten initialed disks on this dainty gold chain. This means there are endless possibilities to how you can personalize this bracelet. The initials of kids, pets, or just the two of you are all thoughtful, personal takes on this delicate piece.

A socially conscious shirt

Everlane 100% Human Collection, $22-$55, available at Everlane

Show your wife you appreciate her with a product that supports gender equality. When you purchase any shirt in 100% Human Equality Now Collection, Everlane will donate $5 to Equality Now, an organization fighting to promote equal rights for women everywhere. Not only will she look great sporting this socially conscious message, but you can feel good about the fact that part of your purchase is going to a great cause.

An eye-catching print of her favorite city

City Prints by Carolyn Gavin, $40, available at Uncommon Goods

Nothing shows gratitude like giving your partner time to sit back and relax while you prepare them a delicious meal. Blue Apron meal kits make it fun (and much easier) to try your hand at more gourmet recipes — and they're perfectly portioned for two. 

A new skincare routine

Origins Our Best of the Best Set, $29, available at Sephora

Treat her to some pampering with this set of Origins bestsellers. With the mini sizes, she'll get to test out some of the brands beloved products to figure out what she actually likes. 

A beautiful bouquet of flowers

Floral Bouquets, from $39, available at The Bouqs Co.

There's so much to love about flowers: they're aesthetically pleasing, colorful, and emit lovely fragrances through your home. Surprise her with a pretty bouquet of her favorite types of flowers.

A cute, custom phone case

BaubleBar x Off My Case iPhone Case, $78, available at BaubleBar

A new phone case is always a fun little accessory update. Give her one that can be customized to say something that matters to her; think names, initials, favorite foods. You can get creative with what you want the case to say, as long as it fits within the 12 character maximum.

A portable printer

HP Sprocket Portable Photo Printer, $129.85, available at Amazon

If she's always documenting moments on her smartphone, she'll love having the opportunity to turn all of those memories into real prints. All she has to do is connect her phone to the printer with Bluetooth, then quickly print her favorites into physical prints she can hang up, frame, or gift to friends and family. 

A cute, custom gift box

Greetabl Gift Box, starting at $9, available at Greetabl

Greetabl is the spot for times when you want to give those "just because" kind of gifts. The box also functions as the greeting card, to which you can add your own personal photos. Then you can pick two small gifts from a group of curated items like Sugarfina gummies or sweet-smelling soap. It's a small gift with the opportunity to add a lot of personal touches.

A wine-tasting experience

1742 Wine Bar Wine Tasting for Two, $49, available at Groupon

Plan for a night full of good food and good wine with a tasting for two. Learn about how to identify different wines as you taste an array of three whites and three reds. It's a fun evening and you will hopefully both leave with some wine knowledge. Check out Groupon to find deals on wine tastings like this one somewhere near you.

A 'just because' toast

La Marca Prosecco, $14.99, available at Wine.com

The holidays are an opportune time to pop open a bottle of bubbly — you'll need it with all the family dinners, cleanup, and travel. This bottle is well-priced, and though it's not the fanciest gift on its own, it'll pair nicely with something else from this list. 

A relaxing massage

Check out spa deals near you on Groupon

A massage is a great escape from all the stresses of everyday life, giving her time to just unwind and relax. Give your spouse the gift of relaxation by booking her a massage. Check out Groupon to find deals on massages near you.

A fun art class for adults

Paint Boire Paint and Drink for Two, $36.50, available at Groupon

Test your artistic skills together at a paint-and-sip night. It's a fun way to spend some time together, drink some wine, and you get to leave with two new pieces of artwork. Check out Groupon for deals on a paint and sip night near you.

A super-hydrating sheet mask

Skin Laundry Hydrating Facial Sheet Mask, $10, available at Bloomingdale's

For only $10, this little luxury will make her feel like she's indulging in a spa experience. Simply leave this mask on for about 20 minutes to refresh and soften your skin. You might want to get two or three since she's probably going to like these— and you probably will too.

A fun read for a wine lover

"The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert" by Richard Betts, $14.99, available at Amazon

This book is a great gift for a wine connoisseur or someone who is trying to get there. Written by a master sommelier, it uses the scratch and sniff method to make understanding the basics of wine a little less intimidating and a lot more fun.

A sentimental map

Grafomap Custom Map, from $49, available at Grafomap

Make her a totally custom map of one of her favorite places. Pick your location, then get to customizing. Grafomap lets you choose your own colors, write your own labels, and zoom in or out, for a map that is 100% unique. 

A collection of your best memories

Snapfish Photo Book, from $19.99, available at Snapfish

Even though it has become so easy to scroll though old photos with your phone on Facebook and Instagram, there is something special about a tangible photo book that you can look at. These are nice to leave around the house, flip through every now and then, and be reminded of the memories that fill the pages. 

An old fashioned movie night

Movie Tickets, price dependent on location, available at Fandango

Sometimes it seems like Netflix, Hulu, and the multitude of other streaming services have made nights out to the movies obsolete. The ever-increasing prices definitely don't help either. If Netflix and your living room couch are your idea of movie night, consider changing it up and heading out to a theater for the real movie experience, complete with some buttery popcorn and candy to share.

Wine glasses for drinking outdoors

Outdoor Wine Glasses (set of 2), $22, available at Uncommon Goods

If she loves picnics, but also loves your nice glassware too much to bring it outside, these glasses make a great gift. They're balanced on acrylic stakes that can be placed in snow, sand, grass, and can even float in water. You can say goodbye to red Solo cups and finally drink out of a proper wine glass.

A handheld milk frother

Aerolatte Handheld Milk Frother, $19.99, available at Bed Bath & Beyond

You know how she takes her morning coffee, so why not make it a little easier to get a rich, frothy cappuccino at home? It's a little gadget that can make a huge difference for her morning ritual. 

A set of calming essential oil products

Sleep Comes Easy Set, $24, available at Uncommon Goods

Lavender, chamomile, and frankincense are revered for their calming properties. Give your partner all the tools she needs for a calm night with this lavender essentials kit. This set of mineral bath salts, mist, salve, and lotion, will wash any stress away and bring on major relaxation. 

A nostalgic trip down memory lane

Create Your Own Reel Viewer, $14.95-$29.95, available at Uncommon Goods

Dive head first into some nostalgia with a reel viewer like the ones you had as a child. Customize the reel with pictures of your favorite memories. It's a really fun way to reminisce about the past and is sure to get you and your partner feeling sentimental.

Coffee from around the world

World Explorer's Coffee Sampler, $32, available at Uncommon Goods

At the intersection of globetrotter and coffee connoisseur is this sample set. This box contains four unique coffees sourced from around the world, which vary depending on the season and other conditions. It's a great gift that'll make morning coffee a little more exciting.

A statement candle

Voluspa Japonica Gardenia Candle, $30, available at Nordstrom

This candle has a mix of gardenia, tuberose, and Tunisian clove fragrances. If you're not familiar with candle fragrances, all you need to know is that this will make a room smell delightful. Beyond the scent, the embossed glass jar is the final touch that makes this such a great gift.

Breakfast in bed

Wayfair Basics Wooden Breakfast Tray, $18.90, available at Wayfair

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I say it's best served in bed. Use this tray to give them their favorite breakfast treats without ever having to leave the room. This tray pairs best with a delicious, home-cooked meal and a lazy Sunday morning.

A refreshing body scrub

Kiehl's Gentle Exfoliating Body Scrub, $36, available at Kiehl's

This refreshing scrub is gentle and leaves skin smelling great and feeling soft. She'll thank you for this indulgent product that yields great results.

A cooking class to take together

Sur La Table Cooking Class, prices vary depending on your location, available at Sur La Table

Pick up some new cooking skills together at a cooking class. Sur la Table offers a wide array of cooking classes at their stores around the country, many of which have themes such as cooking for date night, knife skills, and more. It's a fun activity to share and one that you'll both benefit from. 

A modern twist on love letters

How Do I Love Thee From A-Z, $20, available at Uncommon Goods

Fill in the blanks about why you love your spouse. This little book holds 26 prompts, from A to Z, that let you express why you love and appreciate her. It is all bound together as a small book that she can have as a thoughtful keepsake forever.

A fresh new scent

Jo Malone London Basil & Neroli Cologne, $70-$140, available at Nordstrom

A scent from Jo Malone is a classic gift — and for good reason. The scents are unique, without being overpowering. This blend of floral neroli and earthy basil is fresh, light, and great for her everyday wear. 

A funky pair of socks

Jimmy Lion Mid-Calf Socks, $12, available at Jimmy Lion

If you're looking to put a smile on her face, gift her a pair of these funky socks. The crazy patterns and bright colors make getting dressed a lot more fun. 

A curated box of surprises

brēō box One-Time Gift Purchase, $159, available at brēō box

Brēō box is a service that makes curated boxes full of unique and actually useful items. The contents of the box are always different, centering around everyday essentials, fitness, health, and tech items — and they're always seasonal. If they love the first box, you can even gift them a subscription. 

A chance to find her new fragrance

Scentbird Subscription, from $14.95 a month, available at Scentbird

There are two kinds of people when it comes to fragrances — those who have their signature scent and stick to it, and those who always can't be pinned down to just one fragrance. If she's the latter, she'll love having the chance to try a new fragrance each month with Scentbird.

A practical toiletry bag

Hunter Toiletry Bag, $35-$75, available at Dagne Dover

She probably already has a few toiletry bags to hold her trinkets while she travels, but this one — with its multiple pockets, removable mesh pouches, and waterproof neoprene material — reigns supreme. 

A really nice apron

Five Two Ultimate Apron, $45, available at Food52

If one of her greatest joys is cooking, make sure she's suited up with some of the best cooking accessories around. This lightweight cotton apron has smart pockets to keep all the essentials at arm's reach, built-in potholders, and even comes in some really cute colors she'll actually want to wear.

A special pair of earrings

Zodiac Stud Earrings, $70, available at AUrate

You can't go wrong with getting her a pair of everyday earrings. These ones come in all different zodiac signs, which add just the right touch of personalization. If she's not into the signs, they're still a really nice, simple pair of studs.

A cookbook that'll inspire her next cheese plate

"Platters and Boards" by Shelly Westerhausen, $18.20, available at Amazon

She's already the hostess with the mostest, but that doesn't mean she won't appreciate some inspiration for how to make her famous cheese plates and charcuterie boards even better. This book is filled with plenty of party-ready spreads along with the perfect meat and drink pairings for every platter.

The comfiest sneakers she's ever worn

Women's Wool Runners, $95, available at Allbirds

Allbirds have reached cult-like status for their superior combination of comfort, style, and convenience. Each pair is made out of Merino Wool, which makes them super soft inside and out, plus they're machine washable so she can wear them wherever life takes her. 

A summery pair of sunglasses

Percey Sunglasses, from $95, available at Warby Parker

Treat her to a new pair of shades, just in time for sunny spring. This pair takes the classic tortoise and flecks it with pink for a fresh take. If pink isn't really her color, you can find plenty of other styles at Warby Parker.

A new pair of leggings for her favorite workout

High-Waist Alosoft Sheila Legging, $112, available at Alo Yoga

Great workout clothes can totally change the tone of a workout — look good, feel good, right? This pair of performance leggings is perfect for her yoga practice, and cute enough to wear around town after that too. If you want to complete the outfit, throw in a matching top. If you want to really go all out, buy her some passes to her favorite workout class. 

• Like other employees in the hospitality industry, cruise-ship workers are tasked with making guests as happy as possible.
• That means workers can't always be honest with passengers about their behavior or the realities of working on a cruise ship.
• Business Insider asked current and former cruise-ship workers what they wish they could tell passengers but can't.
• Sign up for Business Insider's transportation newsletter, Shifting Gears, to get more stories like this in your inbox.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Like other employees in the hospitality industry, cruise-ship workers are tasked with making guests as happy as possible.

That means workers can't always be honest with passengers about their behavior or the realities of working on a cruise ship, which can be a grueling experience.

Business Insider asked current and former cruise-ship workers what they wish they could tell passengers but can't. Seven responded with insights into their job or advice for passengers who might not think about the demands placed on workers. Each requested anonymity for fear of reprisal from their current or former employer.

Here are eight things current and former cruise-ship workers wish they could tell passengers but can't.

Have you worked on a cruise ship? Do you have a story to share? Email this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.

SEE ALSO: A former cruise ship HR manager reveals one thing that will get workers fired instantly: Sex with the wrong person

Don't ask annoying questions

A contractor who has worked for Norwegian Cruise Line said questions like "Where do you live?" and "Are you always on the ship?" are annoying.

Don't get too rowdy

"Most of the guests were genuinely nice people, but there were a few who took the 'being American' thing a little too far," a former Seabourn Cruise Line employee said. "They were raucous and got way to drunk each night, so it would have been nice to slap the privilege out of them, but unfortunately, we weren't allowed to strike the guests."

Be kind

It's important to have a good attitude toward cruise ship workers, a former Carnival Cruise Line bar waitress said.

"You never know how physically, emotionally, and mentally tired a crewmember can be," she said.

Tips are important

The former Carnival bar waitress said tips, on top of automatic gratuities included in drink purchases, made up a large percentage of her overall pay.

"Extra tips pretty much were my strongest source of income," she said.

Talk less, listen more

"Shut up and listen. Just listen," a former Carnival hostess said.

Crew members know the best places to go at ports

"Get to know a crew member and find out where the truly good places are to go when the ship pulls into port," a former Royal Caribbean employee said.

Workers can't control everything

During situations that frustrate some passengers but are out of workers' control, like a delayed arrival at a port due to traffic or inclement weather that forces passengers to remain on the ship, it would have been nice to be honest with passengers rather than having to coddle them, said a former cruise director for Holland America Line.

"You have to kind of bite your tongue," he said. "I wish you could be more honest with some of them."

Driving a ship isn't as hard as it looks

"Driving the ships isn't that hard," a former first officer for Royal Caribbean who now works for The World, a residential cruise ship, said. "On cruise ships mostly we have two officers on the bridge all the time but it is not really necessary."

The bridge is the area where the captain and officers control the ship's speed and direction.

• Read more:
• Gwyneth Paltrow and Celebrity Cruises are launching a wellness-themed 'Goop at Sea' trip
• Carnival cruises have banned 'offensive clothing' featuring 'nudity, profanity, or sexual innuendo'
• A former Royal Caribbean worker reveals the one question you should always ask cruise ship employees
• Cruise-ship workers reveal the grueling schedules they must keep while on the job

• Gaming routers include all the extra hardware and features you need to keep your ping (and lag) as low as possible while playing real-time multiplayer games online.

• NETGEAR's Nighthawk XR500 has gaming-specific network optimization features, an intuitive user experience, and all the bandwidth you need for a fair price — it's our overall best gaming router.

Nothing derails a gaming session like some hardcore lag, or a delay in time from when you press a button to when the corresponding action happens on-screen. Truly bad online lag sees your characters glitching throughout the game, teleporting them across the map and or forcing you to watch a practical slideshow of your match as attacks that are supposed to land simply aren't.

That's why you should consider investing in a gaming router. There are many standard routers out there which can handle gaming perfectly fine, but the ones we're talking about today have all the ingredients to maximize the potential of your network for online gaming.

An effective gaming router has multiple high-gain antennas, Gigabit speeds for both wireless and Ethernet connections, a fast chipset, extras like USB ports, network management tools such as traffic prioritization, and advanced wireless technologies, like beamforming (centering signals toward specific devices) and MU-MIMO (capacity for multiple data streams per connected device at once). Many of them strive to look the part, but aesthetics have no real bearing on performance.

Even if you're not a gamer, you'll probably want a gaming router. The quality of your connection is just as important for activities like 4K video streaming, video calls, and more. With more households with multiple people doing multiples of these activities simultaneously, these advanced routers give you enough power to handle all of that, and then some.

Here are the best gaming routers you can buy:

• Best gaming router overall: Netgear Nighthawk XR500
• Best cheap gaming router: TP-Link AC1900
• Best gaming router for speed: ASUS ROG RT-AC5300
• Best gaming router for custom firmware: Linksys WRT AC3200
• Best WiFi 6 gaming router: Netgear Nighthawk AX12

The best gaming router overall

The Netgear Nighthawk Pro XR500 offers blazing speed and all the gaming optimization essentials you need for a fair price.

Netgear's Nighthawk XR500 has everything you need for lag-free gaming. There's enough networking bandwidth to support a full household of data-hungry electronics and gaming consoles.

Simultaneous dual-band AC2600 WiFi — capable of speeds up to 2.6 gigabits per second — gives you two separate channels for networking, while MU-MIMO makes it possible for multiple devices to receive multiple streams of data simultaneously. Quality of Service and Beamforming+ support round out the gamer's list of essential technology to keep the ping low.

With external antennas supporting the efforts, the XR500 shouldn't have a problem spreading signal throughout most moderately-sized houses. Four Ethernet Gigabit ports are there for those who want to dodge the pitfalls of wireless altogether, and two USB 3.0 ports allow easy sharing of printers and storage devices across your entire network.

One of the biggest draws here is DumaOS, Netgear's gamer-centric firmware that includes neat features like geo-filtering to limit the distance of the servers you connect to. It also makes it incredibly easy to monitor your network performance and manage the devices connected to it.

The Nighthawk XR500 is widely considered a top-tier gaming router that doesn't totally devastate your bank account. Its balance of power, features, and value helped critics like Tom's Guide writer Brian Nadel score the router highly among its peers. "Netgear's Nighthawk XR500 Pro Gaming Router is among the fastest systems we've seen, and our top pick for gaming routers," he says.

Pros: Great throughput speed and range, diverse optimization options, DumaOS makes network management a breeze, dual USB 3.0 ports

Cons: Geo-filtering only works with certain games

The best cheap gaming router

For an awfully low price, the TP-Link Archer A9 offers the bare necessities for a smooth and stable connection.

You won't get the same power, speed, features, or even the edgy design other gaming routers have, but the TP-Link Archer A9 offers just enough to keep you from lag-induced defeat.

The A9 is an AC1900 router that has punches well above its nearly two-figure price tag. MU-MIMO, Beamforming, and dual-band performance up to 1.9 Gigabits will keep your packets from dropping and stream buffering to a minimum.

Easy to set up and use, TP-Link includes native Alexa support and If This Then That (IFTTT) integration for controlling and automating simpler network needs. A smartphone app picks up the rest of the load when managing settings like your QoS configuration, parental controls, and VPN.

There's more than enough room for your hardwired devices with four Gigabit LAN ports. It's a bit disappointing that the USB port is one the dated 2.0 spec, but at least it's there.

The TP-Link Archer A9 is one of the most popular routers at Amazon. Nearly 5,000 customers have chimed in with opinions about it, and there were enough positive ones to land it a 4.1-star average rating. Most customers love the easy setup, and the consensus is that its radios are powerful enough to reach all the corners of even a big family home.

Pros: Very affordable, acceptable speed and power, easy setup, smart home capabilities

Cons: Lacks USB 3.0

The best gaming router for speed

With next-generation Wi-Fi capabilities and a high bandwidth ceiling, the ASUS ROG GT-AC5300 will serve your home or small business for years to come.

PCMag calls the ASUS ROG GT-AC5300 "overkill" for most home users in its 4.5-star review, but serious gamers who want all the speed and optimization they can get should give it real consideration. This 4x4 tri-band router was conceived solely for the destruction of lag.

If you can't use Ethernet, the GT-AC5300 offers three different wireless bands working at the much more capable 1024-QAM spec to keep network congestion low. You get your standard cocktail of 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands supporting speeds up to 1 and 2.1 Gigabits, respectively. A third dedicated 5GHz band — also supporting up to 2.1 gigabits — is there for your most important connections.

Wireless signals are moved along with the help of eight dedicated antennas, as well as the latest wireless transmission technologies, like MU-MIMO and Beamforming. A 1.8GHz quad-core processor ensures it has enough power to handle all of this.

Of course, the best performance comes through Gigabit Ethernet, and the GT-AC5300 offers eight of those ports, two of which can be combined for 2-Gigabit performance. Two of the ports get automatic bandwidth priority over the others, allowing you to ensure your gaming consoles will always be in the express lane. Joined by them on the rear of the router are two USB 3.0 ports.

Being part of the Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand, ASUS has done a job and a half to help you fine-tune and optimize your network with ease. The "ROG Gaming Center" gives you browser- and app-based access to your dashboard that makes it easy to analyze and optimize traffic, manage QoS, use smart home automation capabilities, secure your network, and a whole lot more.

Pros: Tri-band 1024-QAM wireless, abundance of Ethernet, truly prioritizes gaming devices, great network management features

Cons: Can be costly, big footprint

The best gaming router for custom firmware

The Linksys WRT AC3200 keeps the classic nerd's brand and look alive with modern wireless capabilities managed via traditional methods.

Back in the early days of Wi-Fi, Linksys emerged as a pioneer who dared to help rid you of Internet Service Provider-controlled hardware. The WRT brand allows the technically savvy to replace its open-source firmware with any custom and compatible installation they want.

While many routers of today offer this functionality, the Linksys WRT AC3200 is still one of the best for the job. In fact, the most popular custom firmware distributions out there share namesakes with the thing, such as OpenWrt and DD-WRT.

The functional hardware bits should satisfy any gamer, including dual-band MU-MIMO wireless, four dedicated Ethernet ports, a USB 3.0 port, and even the unusual inclusion of a USB 2.0 and eSATA combo port. It doesn't have that attractive gamer aesthetic some of the other featured routers do, but it's what's on the inside that counts, and the WRT AC3200 houses everything you need under its unassuming shell.

Even if you don't need to load up custom firmware, the included dashboard makes it easy to manage your network. It comes complete with a smartphone app that allows you to prioritize devices, manage parental controls, setup guest access, and tinker with pretty much all parts of your network.

TechRadar rates the Linksys WRT AC3200 4 stars out of 5. Reviewer Matt Hanson loves the power and flexibility afforded here, though raw performance doesn't quite match some of the more specialized models. It's also pretty popular at Amazon, with scores of buyers agreeing with the critics' conclusions. Some of the early reviews there tell of nasty stability issues, but those have since been addressed with a series of firmware updates.

Pros: Perfect for custom firmware, eSATA and USB ports, tri-stream 5GHz band offers double bandwidth, easy setup for casual users

Cons: Looks like it belongs in an office

The best WiFi 6 gaming router

Some people need to stay ahead of the curve, and the Netgear Nighthawk AX12's Wi-Fi 6 capabilities ensure you won't fall behind.

You future proofers out there will want to pay attention to the Netgear Nighthawk AX12. This is one of the best Wi-Fi 6 routers on the market, and you'll want one in your home when the industry begins catching onto the tech. Wi-Fi 6 brings the fastest theoretical and real-world throughput speeds we've ever seen. The standard maximum is 9.6 Gigabits per second, up from the 3.5-Gigabit maximum of the previous generation.

Plus, Wi-Fi 6 will drastically improve the performance and reliability of Wi-Fi networks that have many devices connected to it. Improvements to MU-MIMO and other wireless technologies are making it possible for far more simultaneous data streams than previous implementations, so every device on your network will perform to its best potential.

Wi-Fi 6 adoption is growing slowly but steadily. In the meantime, the Nighthawk AX12 is fully backward compatible with all your current devices and you'll enjoy substantial improvements in general. It's rated for up to 6 Gigabits (1.2 Gigabits on 2.4GHz and 4.8 Gigabits for you 5GHz folks), has eight maximum range antennas, and a 2.2GHz quad-core processor. It's all secured by WPA3.

There are six Ethernet LAN ports in all on the device, two of which can be used in a combo state to improve file transfer speeds, and one of which supports speeds ranging all the way up to 5 Gigabits. Two USB 3.0 ports are included for network-connected devices.

Folks reviewing the router on Amazon are mostly pleased, though some feel they paid too much for something that wasn't a huge improvement over their existing routers. This response makes total sense when you consider Wi-Fi 6 benefits don't kick in unless the client devices support it too, many of which currently don't. Expect that to change within the next year.

Pros: Ready for Wi-Fi 6, insanely fast, easy setup with smartphone app, advanced ethernet options, backwards compatible with your existing devices

Cons: Expensive, looks like a spaceship

• January is commonly known as a month where many people file for divorce.
• The process, for many, can be costly.
• GOBankingRates rounded up the average divorce filing fees and attorneys' fees in all 50 US states.
• California is the most expensive state to file for divorce in, followed by Connecticut and Florida. The least expensive state to get a divorce in is North Dakota.
• The average cost of getting divorced varies from state to state, but the majority have averages hovering above $10,000.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Even though the divorce rate in the US overall is down, divorce filings see an uptick at the start of a new year — so much so that January has been unofficially dubbed "divorce month" in legal circles nationwide.

While there are many concerns to take into account when it comes to divorce, one significant concern is the financial burden accompanying it. The final cost is known to be staggering and is determined by a number of factors including where the divorce is filed and who is hired to handle it.

GOBankingRates analyzed data from DivorceWriter.com and Lawyers.com to determine the average divorce attorneys' fees and filing fees in all 50 states. California, perhaps unsurprisingly, is the most expensive state to file for divorce in, while North Dakota is the least expensive. Most states have a cost above $10,000.

Many states charge a flat fee, but for those that do not, GOBankingRates used the average of local divorce filing fees. The fees delineated below are basic — other factors like shared children or property can raise the total cost of a divorce. In addition to cost information, the latest available divorce rates for each state are included below; this information was sourced from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here is the average cost of divorce in each state, arranged in alphabetical order.

SEE ALSO: Here's the income you need to live comfortably in every state in the US

DON'T MISS: The 20 best restaurants in the world right now, according to millionaire private jet owners

Alabama

Average divorce filing fee: $225

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $9,900

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.7 divorces per 1,000 people

Alaska

Average divorce filing fee: $150

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $10,300

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.7 divorces per 1,000 people

Arizona

Average divorce filing fee: $256

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $10,300

State divorce rate in 2018: 3 divorces per 1,000 people

Arkansas

Average divorce filing fee: $150

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $8,800

State divorce rate in 2018: 4.1 divorces per 1,000 people

California

Average divorce filing fee: $435

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $13,800

State divorce rate in 2018: Data not available

Colorado

Average divorce filing fee: $230

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $11,400

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.3 divorces per 1,000 people

Connecticut

Average divorce filing fee: $360

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $12,200

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.9 divorces per 1,000 people

Delaware

Average divorce filing fee: $155

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $12,800

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.8 divorces per 1,000 people

Florida

Average divorce filing fee: $380

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $10,700

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.6 divorces per 1,000 people

Georgia

Average divorce filing fee: $200

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $11,600

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.5 divorces per 1,000 people

Hawaii

Average divorce filing fee: $240

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $9,200

State divorce rate in 2018: Data not available

Idaho

Average divorce filing fee: $207

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $8,800

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.8 divorces per 1,000 people

Illinois

Average divorce filing fee: $289

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $10,900

State divorce rate in 2018: 1.5 divorces per 1,000 people

Indiana

Average divorce filing fee: $153

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $9,000

State divorce rate in 2018: Data not available

Iowa

Average divorce filing fee: $185

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $9,300

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.2 divorces per 1,000 people

Kansas

Average divorce filing fee: $177

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $8,600

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.3 divorces per 1,000 people

Kentucky

Average divorce filing fee: $150

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $8,100

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.5 divorces per 1,000 people

Louisiana

Average divorce filing fee: $325

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $10,000

State divorce rate in 2018: 1.7 divorces per 1,000 people

Maine

Average divorce filing fee: $120

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $8,800

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.2 divorces per 1,000 people

Maryland

Average divorce filing fee: $165

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $11,000

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.4 divorces per 1,000 people

Massachusetts

Average divorce filing fee: $200

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $12,600

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.1 divorces per 1,000 people

Michigan

Average divorce filing fee: $203

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $10,200

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.8 divorces per 1,000 people

Minnesota

Average divorce filing fee: $405

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $9,000

State divorce rate in 2018: Data not available

Mississippi

Average divorce filing fee: $63

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $8,700

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.7 divorces per 1,000 people

Missouri

Average divorce filing fee: $170

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $10,600

State divorce rate in 2018: 3 divorces per 1,000 people

Montana

Average divorce filing fee: $238

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $6,600

State divorce rate in 2018: 3 divorces per 1,000 people

Nebraska

Average divorce filing fee: $158

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $8,200

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.9 divorces per 1,000 people

Nevada

Average divorce filing fee: $225

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $10,800

State divorce rate in 2018: 4.4 divorces per 1,000 people

New Hampshire

Average divorce filing fee: $251

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $9,700

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.1 divorces per 1,000 people

New Jersey

Average divorce filing fee: $300

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $12,300

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.7 divorces per 1,000 people

New Mexico

Average divorce filing fee: $238

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $6,600

State divorce rate in 2018: Data not available

New York

Average divorce filing fee: $210

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $13,500

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.8 divorces per 1,000 people

North Carolina

Average divorce filing fee: $230

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $10,300

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.1 divorces per 1,000 people

North Dakota

Average divorce filing fee: $80

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $8,200

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.6 divorces per 1,000 people

Ohio

Average divorce filing fee: $263

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $9,900

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.9 divorces per 1,000 people

Oklahoma

Average divorce filing fee: $213

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $9,800

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.8 divorces per 1,000 people

Oregon

Average divorce filing fee: $325

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $10,000

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.4 divorces per 1,000 people

Pennsylvania

Average divorce filing fee: $250

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $11,300

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.6 divorces per 1,000 people

Rhode Island

Average divorce filing fee: $160

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $10,400

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.9 divorces per 1,000 people

South Carolina

Average divorce filing fee: $150

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $10,000

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.5 divorces per 1,000 people

South Dakota

Average divorce filing fee: $95

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $8,600

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.6 divorces per 1,000 people

Tennessee

Average divorce filing fee: $264

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $9,900

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.5 divorces per 1,000 people

Texas

Average divorce filing fee: $300

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $12,400

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.6 divorces per 1,000 people

Utah

Average divorce filing fee: $320

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $10,400

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.8 divorces per 1,000 people

Vermont

Average divorce filing fee: $193

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $8,900

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.1 divorces per 1,000 people

Virginia

Average divorce filing fee: $150

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $11,500

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.1 divorces per 1,000 people

Washington

Average divorce filing fee: $314

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $10,600

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.3 divorces per 1,000 people

West Virginia

Average divorce filing fee: $160

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $8,200

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.3 divorces per 1,000 people

Wisconsin

Average divorce filing fee: $200

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $8,900

State divorce rate in 2018: 2.5 divorces per 1,000 people

Wyoming

Average divorce filing fee: $70

Average divorce attorneys' fees: $9,000

State divorce rate in 2018: 3.8 divorces per 1,000 people

• Simple, inexpensive, high-quality, and personal. Few jewelry stores offer these qualities in their wedding ring offerings and shopping experiences, but they're what many couples want, and what ultimately makes online company Holden stand out. 
• You can customize every aspect of your wedding ring on its site, and spend less than $200 for the final product to be produced and shipped to you.
• Finding the perfect ring shouldn't be as stressful as it is, which is why the founders created an easy-to-use online design studio and offer free sizing, shipping, and 14-day returns. 

It's all too easy to question how much you even want a wedding ring anymore after you've wearily walked into your sixth jewelry store of the day and confirmed that once again, it contains hovering salespeople, an overwhelming number of options, and price tags that make you think, "really?"

You shouldn't give up just yet because a new online startup called Holden, which sells high-quality customizable wedding rings starting at just $179, could be putting an end to this unnecessarily stressful search. 

Holden is not the first company, nor the first foray into jewelry for co-founders Simon Zhang and Andrew Lim. After graduating from Dartmouth, they founded MUJO, an online fashion jewelry brand, and met countless couples who couldn't find wedding bands they liked. Once they felt the frustration themselves while helping Lim's brother shop for a ring, it became clear that something needed to change.

By offering affordable, one-of-a-kind rings on a convenient online platform, Holden is a response to the expensive and overwhelming ordeal that wedding ring shopping has unfortunately become. 

Couples who are interested in its rings can start with the Ring Size Kit, which the company will send free of charge. Then, you can choose from eight different ring profiles and start designing your rings in the Holden Design Studio. The following features are all customizable:

• Metal: Silver Palladium, Yellow Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, or Platinum
• Karat: 14-karat or 18-karat
• Width: 1.5mm, 3mm, 4.5mm, or 6mm
• Finish: Matte or Mirror
• Optional Engraving: Up to 20 characters 

Read more: Online startup Vrai & Oro is challenging the traditional jewelry industry with conflict-free diamonds and custom engagement rings

The Domed, Square, and Triangle profiles are the most popular shapes, while the 14-karat Yellow and White Gold are the most popular metals, but don't feel pressured to follow the crowd — if you have alternative designs in mind, you can contact Holden directly to make your dream wedding ring a reality.  

It takes up to two weeks to produce the ring, which is crafted to order in New York City. The design is 3D printed, cast into conflict-free and recycled precious metals, and hand-polished before making its way to your doorstep. 

Traditional custom rings are usually pricey because of how time-intensive the design and production processes are, but Holden bypasses these hurdles by making the customer the designer and using efficient 3D printing technology. Free shipping and 14-day returns, complimentary resizing for life, and a limited lifetime warranty policy are other features that differentiate Holden from the typical jewelry shop. 

Lim says revenue has doubled month over month since the company launched in April 2018, and it's on track to generate annualized revenue in the millions by the end of 2018. As direct-to-consumer jewelry startups make their way into the mainstream, we don't see this growth slowing down any time soon. 

Design a wedding ring ($179+) at Holden here

Join the conversation about this story »

• Wildfires have been tearing through Australia since late July, damaging more than 3,000 homes and killing at least 28 people.
• Australians including Celeste Barber, the comedian who organized the largest fundraiser in Facebook's history for wildfire relief efforts, have criticized the country's billionaires for not donating more.
• The largest known gift from an Australian came from mining billionaire Andrew Forrest, who donated $48 million.
• Some billionaires have gotten creative with their gifts, even donating through bids on Russell Crowe's online auction for the hat he wore while cleaning his fire-damaged property in November.
• An estimated 25 million acres of Australia's brush have burned, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate and blanketing cities in dangerous smoke. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Some Australians are not impressed by how their country's wealthiest citizens have responded to the country's disastrous wildfires.

An estimated 25 million acres of Australia's brush have burned since September, killing at least 28 people, forcing hundreds of thousands of others to evacuate, and blanketing cities in dangerous smoke. 

Famous Aussie multimillionaires including Liam Hemsworth and Nicole Kidman have pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars to relief efforts, but some business figures have been slower to respond publicly, leading to outrage online.  The criticism on this front has largely been led by Australian comedian Celeste Barber, who led the largest Facebook fundraiser in the platform's history to benefit relief efforts.

Barber also called out the difference in billionaires' responses to the Australian fires and the Notre Dame fire in April 2019. Within hours of that incident, three French billionaires — who, it bears noting, are all significantly wealthier than anyone in Australia — had already pledged $565 million for restoration efforts, Business Insider's Katie Warren reported at the time.

Barber tweeted: "Hey billionaires, Notre Dame burning down sucked. I get it. Times that by a trillion and that's what's happening in Australia. Feel free to flick us a quick couple of million. You make it seem pretty easy."

The criticism hasn't been limited to Australian billionaires, however. Jeff Bezos was slammed on Twitter after announcing that Amazon would be donating $690,000 — roughly the amount of money he makes in five minutes — to the recovery efforts, Business Insider reported.

Here are the donations Australian billionaires made to recovery efforts, listed in chronological order. Business Insider will be updating this list as new donations are made.

SEE ALSO: Australia's fires are 46% bigger than last year's Brazilian Amazon blazes. There are at least 2 months of fire season to go.

DON'T MISS: How Meghan Markle and Prince Harry could earn enough money to become 'financially independent' of the crown — and why it likely won't include a return to the screen

Casino mogul James Packer was among the first Australian billionaires to donate, making two gifts totaling $3.45 million through his company and family foundation.

Total donation: $3.45 million ($5 million AU)

Net worth: $3 billion

Packer was one of the first billionaires to donate to the relief efforts, giving the New South Wales Rural Fire Service $690,000 ($1 million AU) in November, The Australian reported. Packer added an additional $2.76 million ($4 million AU) to his gift on January 6, only part of which will come from his personal foundation.

"Australians are digging deep to support each other in these tough times, it's truly inspiring," Packer said, according to The Australian. "My family and Crown are eager to do more and the best way we can help, is to significantly increase our donation."

Packer built his $3 billion fortune running the casino chain he inherited from his father, Crown Resorts, according to Forbes.

The cofounders of software company Atlassian, Michael Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, each donated $770,000.

Total donation: $770,000 each ($1.1 million AU)

Net worth: $9 billion each

Cannon-Brookes and Farquhar's first $70,000 donations were made through a charity auction for the hat Russell Crowe wore while cleaning his fire damaged property in November, Forbes reported. They subsequently promised to match the $700,000 donated by their company's charitable foundation, Forbes reported.

The pair built their multibillion-dollar fortunes as the cofounders and co-CEOs of collaboration software-maker Atlassian, according to Forbes.

On December 27, real estate billionaires John and Pauline Gandel donated $690,380 to a group of organizations involved in the relief efforts.

Total donation: $690,380 ($1 million AU)

Net worth: $3.8 billion (John Gandel)

The gift will be split between the Australian Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and St Vincent de Paul Society, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Pauline Gandel made in headlines last January when she criticized other ultra-wealthy Australians for not giving away more of their wealth while receiving an award on Australia Day in 2019, The Financial Review reported. "I hope to inspire others to be generous and improve our society," Pauline Gandel told The Financial Review.

John Gandel built the couple's $3.8 billion fortune running women's clothing retailer Sussan, but later pivoted to commercial real estate, according to Forbes. The billionaire is now part-owner of Melbourne megamall Chadstone.

On January 8, Gina Rinehart said she "privately" donated after being called out on Twitter.

Total donation: unspecified

Net worth: $15.6 billion

Barber called out Rinehart by name for not making a public donation. "Hey Gina Rinehart where the hell are you and all your money?! If you're in Hawaii on a family holiday I'm going to flip a f------- table," Barber tweeted.

Rinehart responded to the attack through a spokesperson, saying that she had made a private donation. "(Mrs. Rinehart) is most concerned that the true causes of this sad devastation are tackled, rather than missed in the rush to blame climate change," the spokesman said in a statement to The Daily Mail January 8 that also mentioned regulations on building dams and land clearing.

Rinehart, the executive chairman of iron miner Hancock Prospecting, has a $15.6 billion fortune and is the richest person in Australia, according to Forbes.

On January 9, Andrew Forrest made what is believed to be the largest private donation by an Australian to relief efforts.

Total donation: $48 million ($70 million AU)

Net worth: $8.9 billion

The Western Australian-based billionaire pledged to donate $70 million through his philanthropic organization, Minderoo Foundation, Business Insider Australia reported. 

The first round of funds, $10 million, will be spent immediately on disaster relief efforts, Business Insider Australia reported. The rest will be used to organize volunteers and fund future fire prevention efforts.

"We recognise that we don't have all the answers, but we want to understand what communities need and do our bit to help them now and as they regroup in the coming months," Forrest said, according to Business Insider Australia. 

Forrest built his fortune off Minara Resources, the mining company he founded in 1994, according to Forbes.

• In March 2018, I left New York to travel around the world as Business Insider's international correspondent. In total, in my life, I've traveled to 30-plus countries.
• While traveling I've made tons of dumb mistakes that I'd like to avoid in the future. That includes everything from getting pickpocketed in the Mexico City metro to getting tricked by a fake taxi. 
• Learn from my mistakes and save yourself some aggravation.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The idea that travel is an adventure is one of the oldest clichés in the book. But, it's a cliché because it's true. And, on adventures, things go wrong. Often.

I've made so many mistakes while on the road that it would be impossible for me to recount them all. I've worn the wrong footwear on hikes and ended up with blisters as big as my heel.  I've been pickpocketed not once, but twice. I've taken a metro in the wrong direction a dozen times. The mistakes never end.

But that's also what I love about travel: the constant sense of exploration, of trial and error, of sketching out new terrain on your mental map.

Below, I've collected as many of the mistakes as I can remember that I've made while traveling. There are a lot. Perhaps you'll learn from my mistakes and save yourself some aggravation. 

SEE ALSO: I traveled the world for 6 months, and here's the single best piece of advice I can give you for any trip you take

DON'T MISS: I've been traveling the world for 6 months, and I've found real life doesn't always live up to the hype. These are the most disappointing places I've been.

1. I forgot to print out my boarding pass before getting on a budget airline. I had to pay $34 to print out my boarding pass at airport check-in.

2. In Bali, I made the mistake of wearing flip-flops while driving a scooter bike. When my hand slipped on the throttle with my foot on the ground, it dragged and I ended up with a nasty cut.

3. On my last night in Tokyo, I decided it was a good idea to spend the night out drinking at an izakaya and singing karaoke. I woke up in a stupor, barely made my 8 a.m. flight, and was nauseous for the entire 13-hour flight to New York.

4. I was warned not to take Mexico City's metro during rush hour before arriving. When I got off my plane around 9:30 a.m. I knew I was pushing it, but decided to ride it anyways. The train was more packed than a zombie-apocalypse evacuation and I got my phone pick-pocketed.

5. It did not occur to me how warm the Dead Sea in Israel gets during the summer. When I visited in July, the water was as toasty as a hot tub. It was not enjoyable. Next time, I'll come in the winter.

6. In St. Petersburg, I made a mistake that prevented me from visiting The State Hermitage, the second largest art museum in the world: not buying tickets ahead of time. The line to buy tickets was three hours long.

7. In China, I made the mistake of visiting a tourist attraction that had gone viral on Facebook and Instagram: the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge, the longest and highest glass bridge in the world. It was a crowded, overpriced excuse to take selfies.

I visited the viral, 1,400-foot glass bridge in China — and it was a traveler's worst nightmare»

8. I visited Portugal's famous beaches in August, the month that most Portuguese take their holidays. That meant that I wasn't only fighting international tourists for beach real estate and hotel rooms, but domestic ones, too. Next time, I'll check a country's calendar before booking.

9. You can save a lot of money booking a multi-city airfare on sites like Skyscanner or Expedia. But, on a trip to Mexico, I booked flights that had only a two-hour layover between them. When my first plane was late and the customs line long, I missed my second flight. And because it wasn't with the same airline, I had to buy a new ticket for the second flight.

10. When visiting Croatia, I made sure to consult a cruise-ship calendar so I could visit Dubrovnik when fewer cruises were in port. It made visiting the oft-crowded destination quiet and relaxing. I forgot to do the same this summer when going to Mykonos, whose old town was choked with cruise-shippers on the days I visited.

11. Coming from New York, I often forget that most places don't have grocery stores open at all hours. I made that mistake while staying in a small town in Portugal and was left subsisting on potato chips for the night.

12. When taking the Sapsan bullet train in Russia, I accidentally booked my train ticket on a third-party website called RussianTrains.com, which charged me double the fare for "helping" me book. Next time, I'll make sure its the official site.

13. On long-haul flights, you are often offered free wine, beer, and alcohol, depending on the airline. I have made the mistake of drinking twice on 12-plus hour flights. Both times, I ended up with debilitating headaches halfway through. Skip the alcohol.

14. I take a ton of photos while traveling. During my six-month trip, I was backing photos up to a external hard-drive I had bought for a bargain. It broke and I lost everything. I skimped and paid the price. I bought two solid-state "tough" hard drives for the future.

15. When visiting Mount Hua, one of China's five sacred mountains, I assumed I would be able to use a credit card to purchase a ticket. Credit card use is not common in China and there were no ATMs at the mountain. Thankfully, a nice Chinese woman covered me for the ticket. Lesson: Know the cash, credit card, ATM situation wherever you go.

16. In Israel, I booked a guided tour to Jordan to see the ancient city of Petra through Egged Tours. The TripAdvisor reviews weren't for that specific tour, but rated the company as pretty good. I found out later that the Jordan tours were subcontracted through Fun Time Tours, which has the most hilariously awful reviews I ever seen. By the end of the trip, it was clear why. Make sure you read deeper than the first page of reviews.

17. When leaving a bar in Shanghai, I negotiated a price to my hotel with a taxi driver sitting outside. Big mistake. It cost double what it should have. Always make taxi drivers use the meter.

18. Bad Airbnbs are everywhere and their listings always look the same: amazing. Bright, clean photos and minimalist furniture. When you get there everything is cheap and from Ikea. After falling for it half a dozen times, I'm determined to dig deeper into the reviews to suss out the bad ones.

19. Forget about the late lunch in Spain. I made the mistake of not eating at lunchtime and then spent a fruitless, hungry afternoon wandering from restaurant to restaurant. All were closed for the siestas.

20. It may sound great to visit the Mediterranean in the summer, but think again. Sure, the weather was nice, but prices in July and August were double or triple what they are the rest of the year. And that's if you can even find a room or a spot on the beach. I'll be visiting during the "shoulder" season (May, June, September, October) next time.

21. One would think a light jacket is sufficient for visiting anywhere in early September. Maybe not the Arctic Circle in Sweden. I learned that the hard way, when I had to turn back on a mountain hike because it was too cold. The Swedes, of course, were in parkas. Dress properly.

22. When I visited Russia, I really wanted to explore the country's vast natural beauty. Navigating the country without a car, however, isn't easy. I hopped onto a multi-day tour only to find that the guide only spoke Russian. Make sure you ask about the language before booking.

23. In many South American cities, there are two kinds of taxis: official and unofficial. When visiting Buenos Aires, I made the mistake of taking an unofficial taxi. The driver had a rigged meter and drove me in circles.

24. With 21.7 million people, Beijing is a big, crowded place. Even worse if you are driving. I made the mistake of scheduling meetings and activities on opposite sides of the city. Needless to say, I was very late.

25. Time does not work the same in all cultures. In China, I learned this the hard way. A bus driver told me the last bus of the day was at "7 p.m., maybe." When I got there at 6:45 p.m., it had already left.

26. It's very easy to not drink enough water when traveling. Often, you don't know whether the water is potable and the beer is cheaper. After years of skimping on water bottles, I got religious about my intake on my most recent trip. I was much healthier and happier.