gift guides

  • The Glow Up’s Guide to Giving: Better Late Than Never—and Yes, Gift Cards Can Be Glamorous, Too

    If you’re reading this, it’s not too late. Granted, with less than 48 hours until Christmas, you’re decidedly living on the edge when it comes to holiday shopping, but at this point, you have three options: brave the crowds at the mall (if your local one has survived) and try to score some last-minute finds;…

  • The Glow Up's Guide to Giving: It's the Little Things

    Call them stocking stuffers, Kwanzaa presents, or“just because” treats, but we all know that sometimes the best gifts come in little packages. And while we firmly believe in quality over quantity, there’s no reason you can’t give both this season (as those of us lucky enough to have fond memories of counting our presents as…

  • The Glow Up's Guide to Giving: Thinking Inside the Box

    By now, we’ve made it through Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and even Giving Tuesday; now, it’s “WTF Are We Gifting This Year Wednesday,” otherwise known as time to get our asses in gear for the next round of holidays, because shipping only gets more expensive the longer you wait. And as always, The Glow Up…

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    Revolution, Reparations, Revelry: The Root’s Black (AF) Gift Guide 2019

    The theme from last year’s Black AF Gift Guide was self-care; in 2017, it was about being woke. This year, we’re talking “Revolution, Reparations, and Revelry,” because we like alliteration, and because these three go together like greens, yams, and ham (turkey ham, if you don’t swill swine. If you don’t eat meat, please pass).…

  • 12 Days of Gifting, Day 8: For the Cool Kids

    Call them influencers, call them “blipsters,” call them unicorns or just call them millennials; all I know is they are younger and cooler than me, a slightly weary (but still cool) Gen-Xer. But as much as we may occasionally like to poke fun at our generational brethren, chances are you’ve got one on your list…

  • Don’t Sleep! Gifts for the Newly Woke on Black (AF) Friday

    Let’s just keep it real: The newly converted, whether they be Muslims or Masons, AKAs or vegans … can be totally exasperating when they see “the light.” In the case of the freshly woke, that light is noire, and it manifests in tried-and-true platitudes like, “Black is beautiful,” “Natural hair is fabulous” or “Resistance is…