As of this week, we are officially in spring. Warm weather, blooming flowers, spring vacations, music festivals… you know, all of that sh*t.
And just like with every season, it also means brand new drinks at Starbucks. To capture the magic of the season, Starbucks has turned to lavender — the mood-boosting relaxing perennial flower that smells as delicious as it looks — for its drink inspiration. Four new lavender-inspired drinks have joined the menu, including the Lavender Creme Frappuccino, Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha, Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte, and for early morning drinkers and fans of hot beverages, the Lavender Oatmilk Latte.
We picked up all four for a taste test and ranked them all so you’d know which are worth the money and which are better off skipping. Let’s dive in.
4. Lavender Creme Frappuccino
Dane Rivera
Tasting Notes & Thoughts:
Highly perfumed and floral to the point of being off-putting. The Creme Frap is made with milk rather than a coffee extract, which emphasizes the sweetness more strongly, and I think it just doesn’t work with this flavor.
It’s almost stomach-turningly sweet. I could only take about four sips before taping out completely.
The Bottom Line:
Too sweet and artificially flowery.
3. Lavender Oatmilk Latte
Dane Rivera
Tasting Notes & Thoughts:
The Lavender Oatmilk Latte has the opposite problem of the Creme Frappuccino. The sweet flowery flavor is way too nuanced here, emphasizing Starbucks’ blonde espresso which is a bit blunt and overly bitter. The flavor here sits on the tongue it tastes a bit one note: burnt.
The oat milk doesn’t help much either, it gives the drink a sort of oily mouthfeel.
The Bottom Line:
Bitter and burnt tasting, the lavender is far too faint here.
2. Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha
Dane Rivera
Tasting Notes & Thoughts:
If you think I’m some impossible-to-please Goldilocks, I’m not, I promise, I just felt like those first two drinks failed to implement the lavender appealingly.
However, the Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha is perfectly balanced. The mellow, grassy, malty quality of the matcha green tea is complemented by the dark flower sweetness of the lavender. It’s equal parts earthy and lavender. I love this one.
The Bottom Line:
The lavender compliments the malty quality of the matcha latte perfectly.
1. Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte
Dane Rivera
Tasting Notes & Thoughts:
Like the matcha latte, the lavender and espresso make for a great combination of flavors. I’m getting some earthy nuttiness and a hint of natural sweetness that is elevated by the sweet lavender syrup, with a nice toasty finish. The oat milk helps to emphasize the nuttiness of the espresso, everything about this drink just works.
The only off-putting thing about it is the color. This straight-up looks like gutter water, it has this off-putting grey color to it. If you’re someone who is affected by the visual quality of a drink you might have a problem with this, but other than that I think this is near perfect.
The Bottom Line:
This is a top-five Starbucks iced latte. The Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte is worth a trip to the Starbucks drive-thru and I hope it finds a permanent place on the menu.
In fact, Steve is still bringing comfort to millions, and his latest video on TikTok is a perfect example of how. In a one-minute TikTok, he says only a handful of words, but people are finding themselves tearing up if not outright bawling by the end of it.
What he does is actually very simple, yet the effect is profound. “Hey, just checking in,” he says. “Tell me, what’s goin’ on?” And then he just looks and listens almost entirely in silence, occasionally nodding along. And if you actually go through the exercise of sharing what’s going on with you, even just in your own mind, the compassionate listening he demonstrates feels surprisingly powerful.
If you didn’t watch Blue’s Clues, this may have felt weird or awkward, but Steve asking questions and then pausing for kids to answer was a hallmark of the show. The kids who grew up watching it are now in the Big Adult Things stage of life, navigating relationships, careers, finances, mental health challenges and more, and it can sometimes feel like too much. So similarly to Elmo’s viral check-in on X, having a familiar and compassionate listening ear opened the floodgates.
“Not me crying the instant he asked,” wrote one person.
“Not me sitting in bed at almost 3 a.m. in tears because Steve from Blue’s Clues shows up on my fyp asking what’s going on? The one thing we have left that is pure from our childhood,” wrote another.
“I just cried for over 5 minutes straight,” shared another. “I just realized no one has asked me how I’m doing in such a long time. I can’t stop crying.”
“I couldn’t even get out a word all I did was cry, lol” shared another.
Many people shared that the Nickelodeon documentary had rocked their world and found comfort in Steve being Steve.
“After the Nickelodeon documentary, Steve, all I need is Blue’s Clues to save whatever is left of this childhood I once had,” wrote one commenter.
“Thank you for being one of the GOOD parts of Nickelodeon, Steve,” wrote another.
“Steve checking up on the grown-up kids he left behind is another level of full circle moment,” shared another.
“After the Nickelodeon thing we need our Steve now more than ever,” agreed another.
And some commenters actually shared the things they are going through, showing why so many people need this kind of check-in:
“Life keeps handing me lemons and I’m not sure how many more I can turn into lemonade. I’m tired, Steve.”
“Too much is happening all at once Steve, and idk if I’m getting through it but it’s always good to hear from you.”
“I lost my mom in January and I’m pregnant with my son…I’m lonely, Steve. I just miss my mom.”
“I want to get sober but it’s so hard. :(“
“I could use a hug, honestly.”
Hopefully, Steve’s video helped some people realize they really do need someone to talk to so they can seek a therapeutic channel. Thank you, Steve, for giving so many grown-ups the cathartic childhood cry they desperately needed.
Graduations can be emotional no matter if it’s preschool, high school or college. Something about watching a loved one close one chapter to open a new one just does something to you. But sometimes people have a few more challenges getting across the stage that make it feel even sweeter.
One new mom, Kisha Rose Woodhouse, who goes by @kiisha.rose on TikTok, became pregnant and gave birth while finishing up her college degree. Clearly, determined to finish, Woodhouse walked across the stage at graduation with her baby on her hip. But that wasn’t what got people all choked up while seeing her video, it was Woodhouse’s partner who stood alone in the auditorium.
The man was visibly filled with pride from Woodhouse’s accomplishments when he began doing the Tautoko, also known as the haka. Immediately the auditorium fell silent as the man’s words and sharp movements filled the air. Seeing him perform such an emotional dance alone to honor his partner is enough to get just about anyone’s eyes to water.
Woodhouse was visibly overcome with emotion when she heard her partner start the traditional Maori dance. While originally the haka was performed as a war dance, it has become a dance performed for major occasions, celebrations and funerals.
“Honestly that moment felt so surreal, it was completely unexpected and the way he expressed himself through his haka really summed up the respect and love we had for each other throughout all the challenges we faced to finally get me up on the stage and earn my diploma. And on that note, our son came with me as he deserved the diploma just as much as I did (he did attend every class while being in my tummy!),” Woodhouse tells Upworthy.
With everything the couple has been through up until that moment, it’s no wonder they were both emotional. Their emotions and love can be felt through the video and it seems like just about everyone has something in their eye.
“I will never not cry when I see the haka. I think it’s inside us as humans to know that outward display of passion, emotion and strength moves our souls. Imagine releasing that energy in celebration, in mourning or in the face of fear. You would never know what it meant to not face your emotions,” one person writes.
“Performing haka alone, for her and their son, ALONE, in front of thousands. This is an existential form of love,” another says.
“Whoa, that haka gave me goose bumps. You could hear a pin drop. Definitely felt the wairua [soul] in that one. Well done mama bear ka pai [good]. Good on you, someone writes, complete with heart emojis.
One commenter had a front row seat, “I was there graduating that day too and this made my eyes water! So beautiful.”
It’s nearly impossible to watch someone perform the haka without something getting into both of your eyes as you feel their passion move through you. If you’ve never seen the haka performed, you may want to grab a tissue because this is one of the most beautiful acts of love people get to witness.
The United States is the second most expensive country in the world to give birth, after Japan. In Japan, it costs around $61,000 to have a vaginal delivery, although those costs can be offset by government health insurance.
In the U.S., it costs around $14,000 to have a child without insurance, although there are a lot of factors that affect the price, including where you give birth, the type of insurance you carry and if there are any complications.
While $14,000 is a lot of money for most people, Hanna Castle from the Columbus, Ohio, area received a $4 million hospital bill after having quadruplets and that didn’t even include the delivery. All 4 of the children needed to spend time in the NICU for lengths between 64 and 147 days.
Castle explained the costs in a video that has been seen nearly 8 million times.
That hurt 🤣 #Quadruplets #nicu #america #healthcare
The 4 children, Atlas, Dominic, Magnolia and Morgan, were all born at 28 weeks via Cesarean section and were treated at separate NICUs. According to Investopedia, a stay in the NICU can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $20,000 a day in the United States.
The smallest child of the 4, Atlas, weighed just 1.5 pounds but had the shortest stay in the NICU of 64 days. His total bill came to $714,747.15. Next was Magnolia who stayed 74 days at a cost of $728,625.56. Morgan stayed 86 days for $976,415.69 and Dominic stayed the longest, 147 days, for $1,626139.55.
All in all, the total bill for the NICU for the Castle Quads was $4,045,927.95.
Commenters on the video couldn’t believe how anyone could pay such a massive bill. “To put this in perspective, it would take $500 a month for 675 years to pay this off,” Gouda wrote.
The good news for the Castle family was that Medicaid of Ohio picked up the entire tab. Knowing that the babies would need extensive care after being born, the couple quit their jobs to qualify for financial assistance. “At 16 weeks pregnant, I decided to quit my job to get some of that assistance because there was no other way,” Castle told Good Morning America.
“I moved my mom in with us to kind of help financially for the first year and see how the kids were going to be,” she added. In Ohio, adults with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level and children with a household income of 211% of the poverty level can qualify for Medicaid.
In a recent Facebook post, Castle discussed the tough challenges of being the parent of multiples in America.
“You can believe that you’ll have 1 full-term child, but every pregnancy is different. A lot of us do not believe in terminating healthy children because of finances. Things happen. No one wants to live off of government assistance just to be able to survive and frankly there’s a lot of shame behind it,” she wrote. “But other countries don’t even have to worry about that. Do they truly think that a 1-time tax credit per year is enough to get us to keep having children in this economy? With the type of medical bills we rack up here? With the lack of financial medical assistance we have here?”
What a week for GloRilla. The Memphis rapper was already flying high on the viral success of her latest single “Yeah, Glo!” but she was also recently added to Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour. What better time to announce a new full-length project?
That’s exactly what she did, telling fans on social media she’s dropping her second mixtape, EhhThang EhhThang, to capitalize on the wave of goodwill pushing her forward.
The tape will be Glo’s first solo project since her 2022 EP, Anyways, Life’s Great and first full-length solo since 2019’s Most Likely Up Next.
EhhThang EhhThang is due on April 5 and is the latest in a string of releases from women rappers that has been debunking Joe Budden’s doomsaying over the “girl rap wave.” Just this past Friday, Flo Milli and Tierra Whack both released new albums, while artists like Latto, Ice Spice, Sexyy Red, and Cardi B have been dropping new singles that have fans on social media buzzing. His argument may have revolved more around the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but with GloRilla climbing said chart and an opportunity for several women to impact next week’s albums chart, it doesn’t seem like women’s dominance over hip-hop is going away anytime soon.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. After a couple of jam-packed weeks, we’re back with a more modest list of drops. If you’re an Adidas or New Balance fan, I’m sorry but this isn’t your week — Nike is dominating once again, snagging most of the spots on our list.
This week we’re highlighting some new Dunks, Air Maxes, and the Jordan 1, 9, and 14. So if you love the classics or you’re a Jordan head, you’ll find a lot to love here.
For the non-Nike heads, we’ve got a new collaboration between Puma and the beloved anime series One Piece, and the latest drop from MSCHF. It’s a short list, but a strong one — so without further ado let’s dive into the best drops of the week.
Nike SB Dunk Low Pure Platinum and Vivid Purple (Rayssa)
Teenage Brazilian pro skating prodigy Rayssa Leal has teamed up with Nike for a special take on a skatewear classic. The SB Dunk Rayssa features debossed details throughout the upper, a signature embroidered logo near the heel, beaded smiley face lace details, and a colorway that combines muted tones with a bright splash of purple.
It’s a great first entry in what we hope is an extensive collaboration between Nike and Rayssa.
The Nike SB Dunk Low Pure Platinum and Vivid Purple is out now for a retail price of $125. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
At this point, MSCHF is less an art-prank brand that drops social media stunt products, and more an avant-garde sneaker house. Their drops continually garner headlines and, while their designs are unique and out there, they’re also kind of dope if you have the rizz to pull ‘em off.
Case in point the 2×4, MSCHF’s take on the workwear trend that is taking over footwear. The sneaker looks like a classic work boot, only the heavy gum tread extends from the sole to the entire body of the shoe. The 2×4 features a full lined gum rubber build with a leather ankle cuff and tread diamond eyelets.
The sneaker looks kind of ridiculous on its own, but then when you see Spike Lee rocking a pair in the promotional material — it kind of works! Props to MSCHF for keeping things endlessly interesting.
The MSCHF 2×4 is out now for a retail price of $400. Pick up a pair at MSCHF and be sure to size down one size as the shoe runs large.
After a brief drought of drops, the Air Jordan 14 is back, and it’s looking great in this new Flint Grey colorway. This rendition of the 14 features a monochromatic suede upper with metallic silver details above a white midsole.
Rounding out the design are fuzzy suede overlays which help to add a nice textural element to the build.
The Air Jordan 14 Flint Grey is out now for a retail price of $210. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
NikeNike
Nike Air Jordan 1 Low OG x Trophy Room Sail and Varsity Red
If you missed last week’s Jordan x Trophy Room drop you have a second chance to cop the collaboration this Thursday. The Trophy Room AJ 1 is essentially a classic Chicago colorway with a few elevated details like premium materials, shiny leather panels, Trophy Room branding, and a gold wing logo at the heel.
It’s a victory lap for one of the greatest Jordan colorways of all time.
The Nike Air Jordan 1 Low OG x Trophy Room Sail and Varsity Red is set to drop on March 21st at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $140. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.
Hardcore Dunk fans will recognize this week’s Plum rendition of the sneaker. This rare colorway was originally released in 2001 as part of the Ugly Duckling pack and hasn’t seen a refresh since 2011, so if you’re a hardcore Dunk enthusiast this is probably going to be your favorite release of the week.
The Plum features an all-suede upper with barn red accents at the branding, outsole, Swoosh, and laces. So don’t hesitate to pick this up as soon as you can before Nike hides it in the vault for another decade.
The Nike Dunk Low Plum is set to drop on March 21st at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $115. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.
In Celebration of Air Max Day Nike is bringing back the Air Max 1 ’86 Royal Blue. What separates the ’86 from the stock Air Max 1 is the bigger airbag window which gives the sneaker a different vibe.
The Royal Blue features a clean mix of blue, white and grey tones riding on a crispy white midsole which helps show off that big Air Bag in all its glory.
The Nike Air Max 1 ’86 Royal Blue is set to drop on March 22nd at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $150. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Powder Blue Jordan 9 is back! The sneaker features a leather upper, pull-lacing system, jagged midsole, and a simple combination of blue, white, and black tones.
The Powder Blue is a testament to how effective a simple three-color design can be.
The Nike Air Jordan 9 Powder Blue is set to drop on March 23rd at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $210. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.
PUMA is linking up with the beloved anime series One Piece for a special collection that, honestly, is kind of all over the place. The collaboration utilizes the Puma Suede silhouette and features four sneakers that celebrate sort of random aspects of the series. The four sneakers, dubbed “Blackbeard Teech,” “Suede II,” “Straw Hat Luffy,” and “Buggy,” sort of point to the characters that share the same name (not sure what’s going on with Suede II), but not in a way that is easy to recognize.
The sneaker features a suede build with hairy suede overlays, a co-branded tongue, and some embossed graphics. Each sneaker is released in a special East Blue map box. It’s a sloppy collaboration conceptually, but it looks great so we’re willing to give it a pass.
It seems like it would’ve been easier to model the four sneakers off the four most popular members of the Straw Hat crew (Luffy, Nami, Roronoa Zoro, and of course, Tony Tony Chopper) but Puma is gonna Puma!
The PUMA x ONE PIECE Suede is set to drop on March 22nd at 9:00 PM PDT for a retail price of $85. Pick up a pair via the Puma app.
PumaPumaPumaPuma
Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.
The NBA’s attempt at creating a pathway to professional basketball for high school prospects is coming to an end. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the league plans on shutting down its G League Ignite team, which launched in 2020 and provided elite talent an opportunity to get compensated to play basketball without needing to go to college.
“I think given that that’s happened, I think we are in the process of reassessing Team Ignite,” Adam Silver said at All-Star Weekend about how NIL rules have impacted the need for the Ignite team. “Because now some of those same players who didn’t want to be one-and-done players because they felt it was unfair and they wanted the ability not just to earn a living playing basketball but to do commercial deals that weren’t available to them at college, to hire professional agents, an opportunity that wasn’t available to them at college, they now — all of those same opportunities have become available to them.”
Silver admitted at the time that he was unsure of what the team’s future would be, and that the idea of creating the team was to fill “a hole in the marketplace.”
Things have not gone especially well for the team this year despite having some highly-regarded talents in Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland. Currently, the Ignite are 6-20. The program has, however, been able to do what it sent out to do, as it has sent a number of players to the NBA. Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Isaiah Todd, Dyson Daniels, MarJon Beauchamp, Jaden Hardy, Scoot Henderson, Leonard Miller, Sidy Cissoko, and Mojave King have all been drafted, while Daishen Nix and Michael Foster Jr. also made it to the league.
It’s very easy to tell a fake Taylor Swift fan from a real fan. First of all, real fans hate the term “swiftie” so let’s get that out there right off the bat. When a celebrity says they love “Bad Blood” or “Blank Space,” odds are good they are just a casual listener. There is nothing wrong with that! But the real fans are the ones who can name a non-single track at the drop of a hat, and that’s why Paul Rudd is a Real Fan, unlike hater Robert Downey Jr.
While promoting his latest flick Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Rudd was asked by MTV about his favorite Swift songs, and he did not disappoint.
“I really like ‘Mastermind,’ I sing a lot [to] that one,” he said, referring to the final song off of 2022’s Midnights. He continued listing some favorites, “‘Cruel Summer,’ like everybody else,” he said, before adding in a Lover deep cut (and underappreciated synth-pop jam), “The Archer,” and “August.” He quipped, “I’m just going through the A’s now.” He is Ant-Man, after all.
Rudd also expressed love for Swift earlier this month on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, where he, a lifelong Chiefs fan, gushed about younger fans watching the team due to Swift’s relationship with future game show host Travis Kelce.
“This whole thing is very exciting I think. I see those stories about dads and daughters…watching the game together, and I get all choked up watching it. I have a daughter, she’s into it. And she loves Taylor Swift,” he said. “I went to [The Eras Tour] and it was so incredible,” he added. Anyone who disagrees, according to Joy Behar, should immediately seek therapy.
I have long harbored an uncomfirmed belief that Lil Yachty internalized all the criticism he received at the beginning of his career and has been quietly getting private vengeance on all the old heads who used to pick on him for subverting their expectations of rap as a genre.
In any case, he seems to have been on a mission the past few years to prove that he can dominate practically any subgenre of rap while lyrically hanging with luminaries like Drake and J. Cole.
The next subgenre on his hitlist is UK drill. “It’s Us” with rising star Nemzzz crosses that one off his checklist, while also highlighting his recent goal of using his platform to give younger artists the support his elders never gave him. Yachty certainly seems to be deadset on giving a leg up, collaborating with Gus Dapperton on Lyrical Lemonade’s recent album and lending his pen to relative unknowns like DONTKALLMELUXXY — all while continuing to push the boundaries of being considered just a “hip-hop” artist by teaming up with Faye Webster, James Blake, and Fred Again..
Nemzzz, meanwhile, just got one of his biggest co-signs yet after releasing his mixtapeDo Not Disturb last week. The 17-year-old Briton’s star continues to rise stateside after solidifying himself as one to watch back home.
Watch Lil Yachty and Nemzzz’s “It’s Us” video above.
Two years ago, Wendy’s decided to mix up its menu by swapping out its vanilla Frosty for strawberry for a limited time. That doesn’t sound like a big deal, but the fast food chain went 53 years before finally dropping a strawberry flavor — and considering strawberry is one of the three most popular milkshake flavors, you have to admit… it’s kind of strange.
Since then Wendy’s has continued to experiment, dropping a Pumpkin Spice, and Peppermint Frosty. These have all been delicious, but Wendy’s may have just dropped its greatest Frosty flavor to date this week. We’re talking about the Orange Dreamsicle Frosty.
The flavor is inspired by the classic creamsicle ice cream pop (you may know it as the 50/50 bar) which is a combination of orange and creamy vanilla. It’s a dessert that attempts to be equal parts refreshing and sweet. It’s a simple concept, but I’ve tasted all manner of different sweet treats that try to capture this flavor and fail. So how did Wendy’s do?
Read on to find out!
Orange Dreamsicle Frosty
Dane Rivera
Tasting Notes & Thoughts:
What jumped out to me on my initial taste test of the Orange Dreamsicle Frosty is how well-balanced it is. A light and delicate sweet orange flavor hit the palate first, before creamy vanilla flavors took over, with a refreshing light and tangy finish. It’s not quite as heavy on the orange as a traditional creamsicle, and it’s better for it.
Because this is a Frosty we’re dealing with and not a traditional milkshake, the thickness is ultra-dense and luxurious and keeps its consistency for at least a half-hour before it starts to break down and get watery.
In terms of where it stands compared to the other Frosty flavors, I’d put this at the top. The flavor is an obvious improvement over the neutral flavor of the vanilla Frosty and has a better aftertaste and overall flavor profile than the chocolate.
The Bottom Line:
Not only is the Orange Dreamsicle a delicious Frosty, but it may be the best flavor of the dessert treat ever.
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I’M DROPPING A MIXTAPE
Yeah Glo 
🩷
