Monica Dias

I'm an NJ-based freelance writer specializing in the luxury lifestyle niche. Scroll down to learn more about me and my work.

Medium •

4 Things to Consider Before Using BNPL Services

4 Things to Consider Before Using BNPL Services

Buy Now Pay Later (also known as BNPL) is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways for consumers to buy things online.

The concept itself is not new — retailers have been issuing point-of-sale loans, which break down consumers’ purchases into smaller payments to be made in installments, since at least the Great Depression. But it was only in the past few years, with the advent of big BNPL tech companies like Afterpay, Affirm, and Klarna, tha
VUE magazine •

The Avenue: Where Luxury Meets the American Dream

“‘American Dream’ means that anything is possible,” said Ken Downing, the Chief Creative Director at American Dream – a fitting unofficial motto for the second largest mall in the United States.

Located just a stone’s throw away from Manhattan, in East Rutherford, NJ, American Dream is a fantastical place. A behemoth of a retail and entertainment complex, it contains 450 retail shops, 21 full-service restaurants, and more than 100 eateries, as well as an indoor NHL ice rink, an indoor ski slope
CIVILIAN MAGAZINE •

It’s Where He Is Going To Be

It’s Where He Is Going To Be

“Fans re-quote me now and again,” Ricky Whittle says. “I know where I’m going to be. It’s not where I want to be, it’s where I’m going to be, and this is just a step until I get there. I have no doubt that I’ll ever get there.” This sense of certainty has long been an integral part of the charismatic British actor’s personality. “It’s this kind of strange confidence that I’ve always had in life,” the 37-year-old American Gods star matter-of-factly says, expressing h
CIVILIAN MAGAZINE •

Constructing Expectations: La Politique des Auteur

Every work of art speaks to some part of its creator. Sometimes, that is intentional – the artist intends to say something and send a message out into the world through their work; other times, that message is almost accidental, the product of subconscious drives that the artist may not be totally aware of. It’s clear that Nasri – talented producer, prolific lyricist, passionate musician and self-entitled “fire starter” in the recording studio – thoroughly considers what he wants to say with his
CIVILIAN MAGAZINE •

CBD – the Rising Star of the Beauty Market

CBD – the Rising Star of the Beauty Market

Anyone who has ever spent five minutes on Instagram has surely noticed that beautiful, glowing skin, and natural, organic beauty products are the world’s new beauty obsessions.

Spurned in large part by a demographic shift in the personal-care industry as well as by a rise in demand for organic and natural products, the demand for skin-care and beauty products has soared, and the market has skyrocketed around the world. In fact, in 2015, the global ski
CIVILIAN MAGAZINE •

The Unsung Heroes of the Fashion Industry – And of Our Outfits

The Unsung Heroes of the Fashion Industry – And of Our Outfits

The New York Fashion Week 2019 has come and gone. For one week, the world’s most famous, most talented and most in-demand fashion brands and designers, as well as the industry’s top models, hairdressers, makeup artists, journalists, retailers and fashionistas, all gathered together in the Big Apple for nine days of shows wherein new Fall/Winter collections were displayed and new fashion trends were set. Also, Lil’ Kim closed out THE
The Daily Targum •

Animal rights group silently protests outside Rutgers dining hall

Anonymous for the Voiceless, an international animal rights and vegan outreach organization, staged a demonstration on the sidewalk in front of the College Avenue Student Center on Saturday, Nov. 3, where it protested the mistreatment and exploitation of animals.

At the demonstration, a group of people dressed in black and wearing the “Anonymous,” or “Guy Fawkes” mask, stood in a cube formation — the Cube of Truth — while holding signs and flat screen TVs displaying formerly hidden footage of v
The Daily Targum •

Rumored Rutgers, Princeton partnership has long legacy

Rutgers President Robert L. Barchi announced that he and his team have been working with their counterparts at Princeton University to explore further opportunities for collaboration in his on Sept. 21.

Barchi and his research vice presidents have been meeting with Princeton President Chris Eisgruber to discuss collaborations between the two colleges that are mutually rewarding, he said.

One example of an ongoing collaboration between Rutgers and Princeton is the Rutgers Cancer Institute of Ne
The Daily Targum •

Rutgers receives $1.4 M. grant for Alzheimer's, elder abuse research

Rutgers’ Institute of Health, Healthcare Policy and Aging Research School of Aging has received approximately $1.4 million in federal grants.

Earlier this month, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Bob Menendez announced in a joint press release that the University would receive additional funding to “research and develop strategies to protect vulnerable older Americans.”

Funding will be directed toward protection of elders with debilitating diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, or those