The red carpet is one big beauty ad

It’s only been 2019 for a couple of days, but it already feels like we’ve settled into the groove of it. 2018 feels hazy and far off; by next week I think we’ll all be talking about the previous year like an ex who moved halfway across the world. Still, we’re all the same people we were on Monday. Way back then, we published the latest installment of our new essay series, where we ask [our favorite writers]( to talk about the things they’ve bought that have the most value. This time, [the favorite writers in question were our own](: staffers at The Goods wrote mini-essays on everything from college football tickets ($240) to yeast ($1.39 for a pack of three), reflecting on their years through the lens of what they bought. We know [we can’t buy our way to happiness or to better lives](, but maybe this year we can resolve to follow in the footsteps of Rachel Sugar, who bought a second set of measuring spoons to mitigate the issue of constantly having to rewash her one set during a recipe. She wrote, tongue-in-cheekily, “instead of addressing [my] personal flaws with still more self-improvement, I solved them by handing over $13.95 to make the problem go away.” —[Alanna Okun](, deputy editor at The Goods Red carpet makeup doesn’t just happen. Brands pay big bucks for celebs to wear their products. [room design]( Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images/FilmMagic Lady Gaga famously wore [no makeup]( to her audition for [A Star Is Born](, but you can safely guess that she’ll be wearing plenty of it to the Golden Globes. Gaga is [nominated]( for Best Actress for her turn in the film, and she and her longtime makeup artist Sarah Tanno love a statement look. Another safe bet will be that makeup coming from Marc Jacobs Beauty — or at least the products that you hear about. Tanno is a “Marc Jacobs Beauty Global Artistry Ambassador.” This means that the brand pays her to use and publicize its products. (There are several other high profile makeup artists who hold this title as well, including Adele’s makeup artist, [Michael Ashton](.) She gives [interviews](with detailed product breakdowns and tags the brand frequently on her [Instagram](, where she has almost 180,000 followers. Ultimately, the red carpet is an ad — for the studios, for the celebrities, for the “who are you wearing” gowns that, sorry, you’ll probably never wear, and, yep, for the foundation and eyeshadow you might actually splurge on. As Connie Wang pointed out at [Refinery29](, the red carpet is “a money-making marketing event that benefits the fashion industry and the celebrities that profit from the whole spectacle.” [Read the rest of the story >>]( Habit-tracking apps are the latest self-improvement trend. But do they work? [habit apps and clipboard]( Sarah Lawrence for Vox Maybe a couple of mornings a week, I manage to be the person I most want to be: I rise when my alarm goes off. I go to the gym for a 6:30 spin class. I meditate. I take my vitamins. I make my bed and pack a lunch to take to work. And then I cross all of those items off in the [Productive]( app on my phone, getting the satisfying checklist rush that every Type A person knows all too well. Productive is an app that aims to help me form better habits, but my morning routine still isn’t quite routine — most of the time, my ideal morning isn’t happening. And right now, I’m not alone: Millions [of Americans are resolving to develop better habits](in the new year. But resolutions rarely stick. A study by the University of Scranton found that [just 40 percent of resolution-makers are still keeping their resolutions]( six months in. As with everything in the year 2019, there’s an app for that. A growing market of companies has emerged that claims to help you develop — and stick to — good habits. In the last few years, dozens of habit-formation apps have cropped up. Productive is the first such app I came across, but there are countless others: [Momentum](. [Habitica](. [Done](. [Coach.me](. [Habitshare](. [Habitbull](. [Today](. [Streaks](. There are so many that the website Lifehack [ranked 24 of the “best” options](. Most of the apps are ad-free, but charge their users for the ability to create more habits, for more premium features, or for access to personal habit coaches. [Much has been written]( about the [very modern obsession]( with the [quantified self:]( logging data about every part of our lives, such as our water intake, our daily steps, [our menstrual cycles](, our caloric consumption. But habit-formation apps are a slightly different breed: They’re aspirational. Habit-formation apps are less about distilling your life into a series of data points and more about becoming your ideal self: If you use their app, you too can become a person who practices good habits. You can become someone who exercises and meditates every day and always drinks eight glasses of water. But do these apps really work? Can they deliver on their promise to help you build better habits? Will an app really turn you into a person who gets up at 6:00 am and packs a healthy lunch every day? I asked some habit experts about whether these apps can really live up to their promises. [Read the rest of the story >>]( More good stuff to read today - [Why are fancy bathrooms all over Instagram?]( - [Awards season is here. Meet the company that makes some of the world’s most iconic statuettes and trophies.]( - [Rashida Tlaib’s thobe and Ilhan Omar’s hijab are making congressional history]( - [National parks are getting trashed amid the government shutdown]( - [Can Alexa and Facebook predict the end of your relationship?]( - [Apple is selling fewer iPhones than it would like]( Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving emails from Vox Media. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved.