Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 7 i Cosmopolitan Australia

I’ve never been a picky eater, nor a particularly choosy person. I’m always the first to try a weird menu item, suggest a new bar or eat my way around the world. But when it comes to dating? My friends would say I’m a Michelin-star “picky” – or, more diplomatically, I should “just keep an open mind”. But wow, it’s hard in 2025 – when gym guys care more about selfies than self-care, finance bros trade you the second a “better deal” comes along, and the footy lads reserve Saturday nights for loud sports bars (and Sunday hangovers for “the boys”). To be clear, I’m not expecting an astonishingly handsome Insta prince to whisk me away to the Maldives. (Although … would I go? Absolutely.) I just have a certain…

Growing up, beauty looked like … … something very natural and effortless. I grew up in Australia, spending time outdoors by the beach, so beauty to me has always been about healthy skin, minimal makeup and looking after yourself from the inside out. One beauty or wellness ritual I’ll never forgo is … … my daily marine collagen. It’s truly nonnegotiable for me — it’s simple but it makes such a difference to my skin, hair and nails. The only downside is more frequent trips to the nail salon! Someone who shaped my view on beauty was … … my mother. She always prioritised self-care and instilled in me that true beauty comes from how you look after yourself — eating well, staying hydrated and taking time for yourself. I’ve…

THE TANK Tank tops aren’t going anywhere, as evidenced by the catwalks and the high street. We love this ribbed one by Levi’s. THE BAGGY JEANS Our fashion editor’s advice? Shop for pre-loved jeans. There are millions of perfectly worn-in pairs already out there, like these dreamy old Dickies carpenter jeans from Depop. THE SMART TROUSER An elegant (but relaxed) white trouser will have ample mileage for years, and these Citizens of Humanity slacks are the perfect wide-leg cut. Pair them with a sporty ringer tee, gold jewellery and slides, or a blazer for the office. THE COMFY SANDAL You can’t go wrong with Birkenstock, Aeyde or Ancient Greek Sandals. A comfy-cute slide or buckle sandal is something you’ll reach for every spring. THE TRENCH Chandler Bing voice: could you…

Anchovies have long been something foodies either love, or love to hate. All of a sudden, the salty little fish has become the hors d'oeuvre du jour. Emerging as the hot new condiment to know, anchovy paste is making a play for pantry space this season. Thanks to its rich, salty and umami flavour, its power is in its versatility — from the ideal sourdough accoutrement to dialing up a classic puttanesca sauce — and it's already taking over tablescapes and TikTok feeds alike. With its heritage steeped in the 19th century Tuscan archipelago, where salted anchovies were diced and buffed to form a paste, anchovy paste has held up as a household staple. Here are three of our favourites to amp up your next dinner party. Talatta Anchovy Paste…

More than just a frosted excuse for a celebration, aesthetic cakes are entering the food art scene by way of whipped peaks and lavish layers. Dishing up big helpings of delight in each slice, bakers and food artists are shaping the cake revolution – from glossy ribbons to caramel spiked cream and impeccable icing, each tailoring their saccharine creations to suit the individual tastes of the client (see: Valentine Fodor for Chanel and Chris Yuille for Los Angeles-based farm, Flamingo Estate), to craft swoon-worthy cakes for any occasion. For Melbourne-based chef and food stylist Chris Yuille, the uptick in whimsical and stylised cakes takes its cues, in part, from art and the high-end hotel scene. “Art has been part of food for a long time. Look at Carême’s work in…

From Sonny Angels and Jellycats to Labubu (yes, it’s both singular and plural – like ”sheep”), toy-like collectables are having a major moment among adults. Once niche, these items are now everywhere, with grown-ups curating shelves of tiny toys and mystery-box figurines like works of art. On social media, it’s often framed as self-care – a playful way to reconnect with childhood joy. But when collectors are becoming stuck on a hamster wheel of trends, and big brands are cashing in on the hype, it begs the question: who’s really reaping the rewards? The term “inner child” has been floating around For You Pages for a while now. The phrase is a psychological metaphor, typically referring to the part of one’s self that was shaped by early emotions and experiences.…

Looking for, finding and nurturing love – or, honestly, any kind of romantic intimacy – can be arduous for anyone at any time. But for transgender people in America right now, the hurdles have become near stratospheric. Since January, nearly every US state has introduced at least one piece of anti-trans legislation – collectively, 700-plus bills have targeted everything from education and healthcare, to marriage to legal status, as personal safeties and freedoms of expression remain under attack. It’s a fraught terrain in which to date, hook up, DTR, fall in love – or hold on to romance with everything you have. And yet, there’s still plenty to celebrate. Namely, the resilience, hope, wisdom and joy of the trans community as its members go about navigating every aspect of love…

Search “birth control” on TikTok, and you’ll be met with more than 130,000 videos, many of them about quitting hormonal contraception. In some, people share how doing so drastically improved their lives (“I finally feel like myself again!”), but in a significant number of posts on TikTok and beyond, others deliver a warning. They tell stories of day-to-days thrown into disarray, of mood swings, fatigue, acne, hair loss or irregular periods. Unbeknown to them – and to the majority of people considering, using or stopping hormonal birth control – this kind of experience has a name. Post–birth control syndrome, or PBCS, affects an estimated one in five women. It covers what happens when someone goes off hormonal birth control (any form but most commonly the pill) and suffers one or…

The beauty market is a saturated one, filled with scroll-stopping launches, endless inspo and trends that move faster than you can say ”BeautyTok”. Cutting through the noise? That takes something really special. Enter: the Cosmo Beauty Awards. This year, we’re spotlighting the very best in skincare, haircare, makeup, bodycare and fragrance — produced (and beloved) by homegrown heroes and global icons alike. An expert judging panel from across the beauty industry, as well as Cosmo’s own editors, will test, swatch and weigh in. Winners will be revealed in October, so you’ll have plenty of time to update your wishlist ahead of gifting season. Here’s where you come in: our Readers’ Choice categories are open for voting, and we want to hear what you’re loving. Got a Holy Grail product? A…

If the last time you went to the movies you were convinced you’d somehow fallen into a kind of relentless time loop, you’re probably not the only one. In fact, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the entertainment world has simply travelled back through time, defying all metaphysical norms. At least, that seems to be the only way to explain why everything is a remake, a prequel or a sequel right now. Film and TV reboots are nothing new – but then, nothing new is the perfect summary for movie releases of late. There was Wicked, adapted from stage to screen, as well as Gladiator II and Mufasa: The Lion King. Then there’s I Know What You Did Last Summer (a sequel to the 1997 thriller), out now – plus…

Just as Hong Kong is split between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, so too is its wellness industry shaped by a similar duality. Earlier this year, I returned to the Asian financial hub at the invitation of Rosewood Hotels and Swire Properties – two local hospitality giants eager to showcase their latest spa and wellness offerings. They couldn’t have picked a man less qualified. What follows is a firsthand account of my brief journey into Hong Kong’s high-end, hotel-powered wellness scene: one redefining itself through a mix of pampering and problem solving. We begin at The Upper House – a sleek, residential-style property in the thick of Hong Kong Island, widely regarded as one of Asia’s best hotels. Notably, it’s achieved this without purpose-built spa facilities. Instead, it offers Wellness…

There’s an alternate universe where Madison Beer was a household name at 13 years old. Where, while her peers took on their first babysitting jobs, she headlined a worldwide stadium tour. Where she became every bit the “female Justin Bieber” she was told she’d be after Justin shared Madison’s YouTube cover of Etta James’s At Last in 2012 and his then-manager Scooter Braun signed her. Where the fairy tale she’d been thrown into played out instantly to its most epic happy ending. In our current reality, Madison Beer is not a household name – despite ticking every box of the internet-age playbook for a breakout pop sensation: having tens of millions of social media followers, selling out concert venues and earning two Grammy nominations. Instead, she exists in a nebulous…

A young girl watches her mother roast a boy’s body, slick with fat like a rump steak. It sizzles in the pan, before she gently peels the skin off and tears into the juicy flesh. Plate licked clean, the rest of his carcass winds up in the freezer, preserved for when she’s next ravenous. No, we haven’t just woken you up from a nightmare. Instead, it’s a borrowed scene from Lucy Rose’s The Lamb, just one of the radical new novels in the growing genre of femgore literature. In the past few years, while much of the market has been dominated (thanks in part to BookTok) by fast-paced swoon-worthy romcoms (looking at you, Emily Henry), a new literary phenomenon is emerging. Known informally as femgore, the genre is a subsection…