• A recent study found that Hulu is the dominant streaming service when it comes to television.
• Netflix isn't far behind, but Hulu has the most shows and offers the most "quality" shows at the best value, according to the study.

Despite Netflix's efforts to bombard its subscribers with content — it wants to have 1,000 original shows and movies by year's end — a new study suggests it's not the leading streaming service in quality television.

According to the study from online-streaming guide Reelgood, that designation goes to Hulu. Reelgood examined which streaming service out of five — Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO, and Showtime — offered the most television shows, and then broke it down to which offers the most "quality" television for what users pay.

Reelgood found that Hulu's full television catalog offers the most shows at around 1,800. So it leads in quantity, but what about quality?

The study defined a "quality" show as being in the top 20,000 most popular titles on Reelgood, along with having a 6.5 score or higher with a minimum of 300 votes on IMDb. It went a step further, too, and characterized a high-quality show as the same, but with an IMDB score of at least 8. 

It found that Hulu has both the most quality and high-quality shows. Hulu easily came out on top with nearly 800 quality shows compared to Netflix's 500, but it barely edged out Netflix in the latter category.

Reelgood also looked at what service provides the most quality television at the best value for subscribers. 

Hulu costs $12 a month while Netflix costs $10.99. But according to the study, subscribers get the most bang for their buck with Hulu when looking at the total number of shows available for each dollar spent.

When it comes to quality and high-quality shows for the best value, Hulu wins the former, while Hulu and Netflix tie for the latter. 

So while Netflix isn't exactly out of the race, Hulu comes out on top in the end. There is a clear loser, though, as was the case with Reelgood's film study: Showtime came in last in each area of the study.

SEE ALSO: Netflix and Amazon are neck-and-neck in offering the best value to film buffs

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NOW WATCH: A top movie actor reveals how he learns different accents

Job-hunting site Comparably, which allows employees to anonymously review and rate their employers, has sifted through its 5 million+ employee reviews to come up with its annual list of the best paying large companies.

Comparably currently tracks about 10,000 companies, it says.

In order to qualify for this list, Comparably limited the list to companies  which had more than 500 employees and had at least 50 ratings from employees between September 12, 2017 and September 12, 2018.

In order to rank these companies, Comparably considered both pay and how satisfied employees said they were with their pay.

The result is this list of the 50 best paying big companies, according to employees:

SEE ALSO: 70-hour weeks and 'WTF' emails: 42 employees reveal the frenzy of working at Tesla under the 'cult' of Elon Musk

No. 50: Kaiser Permanente, $119,529

Headquarters: Oakland, California

Median salary: $119,529

Highest paid department median salary: IT, $152,951

Kaiser Permanente is the national health care provider that pioneered the HMO. 

A Kaiser Permanente employee says, “I have no complaints here, it’s one of the best reasons to work for this company. Salary is above average for the work, regular annual raises and bonus, and the pension.”

No 49: Procter & Gamble, $121,845

Headquarters: Cincinnati

Median salary: $121,845

Highest paid department median salary: Marketing, $148,938

Procter & Gamble manufacturers consumer goods.

A Procter & Gamble employee says, “P&G is a great company to work for, provides very generous benefits and compensation. The ability to buy additional vacation hours up to the six-week mark is hands down the coolest part.”

No. 48: Verizon, $122,603

Headquarters: Basking Ridge, New Jersey 

Median salary: $122,603

Highest paid department median salary: Sales, $160,771

Verizon Wireless is a telecommunications company.

A Verizon employee says, “We get paid well for what we do. We have a high base pay, profit sharing, and potential for short term incentives and monetary bonuses. The annual bonus is the best part. In my 17 years here, the company has never reneged on it.”

Job-hunting site Comparably, which allows employees to anonymously review and rate their employers, has sifted through its 5 million+ employee reviews to create its annual list of the best paying small companies.

Comparably currently tracks about 10,000 companies, it says.

In order to qualify for this list, Comparably limited the list to companies that had fewer than 500 employees and had at least 15 ratings from employees between September 12, 2017 and September 12, 2018.

In order to rank these companies, Comparably considered both pay and at how satisfied employees said they were with their pay.

The result is this list of the best paying small companies, according to employees.

SEE ALSO: The CEO of $4 billion McAfee explains how to know when to cut your losses on a project and change course

No 25: AgileCraft, $105,884

Headquarters: Austin, TX

Median salary: $105,884

AgileCraft offers project management software.

An AgileCraft employee says, “The best part of our compensation is the total package of salary, bonus, stock and benefits.”

No 24: Wibbitz, $105,755

Headquarters: New York, New York

Median salary: $105,755

Wibbitz is a video creation and editing platform.

A Wibbitz employee says, “Besides my above market salary, Wibbitz provides great benefits including healthcare, commuter, 401K and stock options.”

No 23: Billtrust, $108,706

Headquarters: Fountain Valley, California 

Median salary: $108,706

Billtrust offers cloud-based accounting and financial services software.

A Billtrust employee says, “I think it's really the total package. Stock options, great healthcare, a quality 401K match, and good pay. There isn't one thing that makes me say, ‘Yea, it is a good compensation package, buuuttttt....' Billtrust takes care of its employees.”

• As part of an ongoing taste-test series, INSIDER tried mac and cheese from four different fast-food restaurants.
• We tested the offerings from Popeyes, Panera Bread, Boston Market, and KFC.
• Popeyes was the winner.

Eaten as a side or as an entrée, mac and cheese is a classic comfort food that both kids and adults enjoy. If you want a bowl of cheesy goodness on the go, various fast-food chains offer a take on this simple but satisfying dish.

To determine where to get the best fast-food mac and cheese, INSIDER went to four restaurants as part of an ongoing taste-test series. We’ve previously tried everything from fried chicken and mashed potatoes to chocolate chip cookies and coffee.

Here’s what we sampled:

• Popeyes
• Panera Bread
• Boston Market
• KFC

To stay consistent, we ordered the smallest portion available at each restaurant (called “small,” “regular,” or “individual”).

Keep scrolling to see who won.

Popeyes had the cheapest option.

The fried chicken may be the main event at Popeyes, but the chain is also known for its signature side dishes, which range from biscuits to red beans and rice.

Popeyes’ mac and cheese, made with classic elbow noodles, was the cheapest option we tried: a regular portion cost $1.99. Although the sauce was on the salty side, with a taste reminiscent of American cheese squares, it was pleasantly creamy and slightly tangy. The pasta itself could have been a little chewier, but it wasn’t overcooked.

Panera Bread offered the most generous portion ― but it was also the priciest.   

Panera’s mac and cheese is so popular that copycat recipes abound on the internet. Boasting a savory, sharp cheddar flavor and an appealing pale yellow color, its thick sauce had a similar consistency to a cream-based soup (after all, one of the chain’s signature dishes is its broccoli cheddar soup). The noodles, mini pasta shells cooked al dente, were evenly coated by the sauce, in our opinion.

Despite its rich flavor and authentic taste, this pasta dish’s price was less attractive. At $5.19 for a (generously-sized) small portion, which also includes your choice of kettle chips, bread, or an apple, in our opinion Panera’s take isn’t the most wallet-friendly option if you’re looking for a habitual mac and cheese fix.

The mac and cheese from Boston Market tasted like the boxed kind.

For $2.59, Boston Market’s individual size was on the skimpier side. The sauce, which appeared bright orange, tasted similar to the powdered variety that comes with boxed mac and cheese. It wasn’t bad, but in our opinion it clung to the pasta in uneven globs. The noodles themselves, which had a semi-soft consistency, were the best part ― Boston Market gets props for using corkscrew-shaped rotini pasta instead of macaroni.

KFC’s was the second-cheapest, but it didn't taste natural.

KFC’s individual mac and cheese, which cost $2.29, was the second-cheapest option after Popeyes’. However, the sauce had an artificial, buttery flavor ― like eating straight margarine. A milder sauce would have also balanced out the toughness of the elbow noodles, in our opinion. Overall, the consistency of this mac and cheese was similar to rice pudding.

Although it was a close call, Popeyes was the winner with a price that couldn’t be beaten.

At nearly one-third of the price of Panera’s mac and cheese, Popeyes’ was a steal ― especially considering that the chain’s regular portion appeared to be larger than the individual sizes from Boston Market and KFC.

Panera Bread was the runner-up.

Panera’s mac and cheese tasted the most authentic, but it’s not the best option for those on a budget.

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

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NOW WATCH: Medical breakthroughs we will see in the next 50 years

• Nordstrom is increasingly leaning on its off-price concept, Nordstrom Rack, for growth.
• These discount stores now outnumber its full-price locations. Nordstrom operates 239 Rack stores and 122 full-line stores in the US and Canada.
• TJ Maxx, meanwhile, has reported strong same-store sales numbers for several years using a similar discount model.
• We compared the shopping experience at a Nordstrom Rack and a TJ Maxx to find out which off-price store is better. 

Off-price shopping is on-trend.

TJ Maxx is a shining example of what is working in today's brick-and-mortar shopping environment. The US's largest off-price chain has reported strong same-store sales numbers for several years while department stores look on enviously, reporting weaker sales and being forced to close locations.

Rather than lose out to the off-price channel, some department stores are working on creating their own versions — for example, Macy's is doubling down on its Backstage concept.

But Nordstrom's off-price offshoot, Nordstrom Rack, predates TJ Maxx by three years. It was launched in 1973 in the basement of one of its full-price stores in Seattle, selling its clearance clothing. In recent years, Rack has become one of the biggest areas of growth for the company, and these stores now outnumber Nordstrom's full-price locations.

After putting Macy's off-price concept to the test in June, we decided to see how Nordstrom Rack fared in comparison to TJ Maxx. Here's what we found:

SEE ALSO: We compared shopping at TJ Maxx and the new kind of store Macy's launched to compete, and the winner was clear

We headed to a Nordstrom Rack in Manhattan's Union Square on a sunny afternoon in July.

Much like TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack sells designer brands at a 30-70% discount.

The layout of the store felt a lot like a TJ Maxx ...

... as did the accessories section. Cheaper jewelry hung from racks, and more-expensive pieces were locked in a cabinet.

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• President Donald Trump said soybean prices have gone up.
• They have fallen to near decade lows since his trade war with China began.
• China has turned to South American countries to replace US soybeans. 
• Soybean stocks are approaching record levels. 
• Watch soybeans trade in real time here.

President Donald Trump claims US soybeans have largely held up against his trade war with China. But tariffs have pushed prices to lows not seen since 2008. 

"And soybeans are going up, and things are going up," he said at a press conference in New York on Wednesday. "And we’ve had very little hurt, from what I’ve done. In fact, the markets have gone up, and the farmers are going to do great."

In reality, soybean prices have fallen more than 12% since China placed a 25% import tax on the legume to retaliate against the Trump administration. That country is the largest-soybean customer in the world, accounting for more than half of global imports in 2017. 

"There's a lot of concern about the future," Gary Schnitkey, a farm management specialist and University of Illinois professor, said. "Because [soybean farmers] are going to see much lower prices as a result of tariffs."

Also on Wednesday, Trump said China has started buying US soybeans again. But officials in Beijing have been strategizing to minimize reliance on US soybeans since the start of the trade war. China has swapped much of its demand to South America and away from the US, which is now seeing record levels of soybean stocks. 

"At this juncture of deepening trade tensions, it is unlikely that private traders in China would seek to buy US origin soybeans," JPMorgan analysts said in a recent research note. 

In July, the Trump administration unveiled $12 billion in emergency aid to farmers who risked suffering financial losses from its trade policies. Soybean farmers are poised to get a large portion of the aid from the controversial plan. 

"The soybean is not just some small thing in the background," Torsten Sløk, chief international economist at Deutsche Bank, said.

"It's actually something that is pretty important overall for what the agricultural sector is doing and in terms of where revenue is coming from. That's why we're watching very carefully whether soybean prices go up or down."

With no clear end ito the trade war in sight, analysts say there's little chance of soybean prices recovering anytime soon. Beijing cancelled high-level trade talks planned for this week after another round of Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports took effect. And the longer tariffs are in place, the more difficult regaining market share could be. 

"Even under a best-case scenario, ie, cease of the trade war, it will be difficult to fully recover the prior extent of China’s soybean import demand in our view," JPMorgan wrote. 

SEE ALSO: Oil approaches $82 as Iran sanctions continue to drive supply fears

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NOW WATCH: Why horseshoe crab blood is so expensive

It’s hard to deny that Americans love their deep fried food, large portion sizes, and fast-food chains. But what’s normal to those in the US, might be strange to other people around the world. Because of this, we’re diving deeper to find out what foods Americans eat that Australians don’t.

I'm an American who lived in Australia for several months, so to learn more, I asked my Australian friends and dug through some Quora threads to find out what foods Americans eat that Australians would never touch.

It's worth noting that every person has their personal food preferences, but these are just some of the most popular opinions I came across. 

Spray can cheese is not a common thing in Australia.

Spray can cheese, where you press a nozzle and squirt out an orange substance, is not common in Australia. In fact, Australians INSIDER spoke to seemed repulsed by it.

"It has an unnatural consistency. Also, why is it orange?" Jack from Queensland told INSIDER.

Well, that would be the canola oil that keeps cheese in a can from solidifying and the apocarotenal that gives it a yellow-orange pigment.

Cheese slices look fake to many Australians.

While we’re on the topic of cheese — Australians (along with some Americans) refer to pre-packaged cheese slices as "plastic cheese." But in the US, it's a staple for sandwiches and burgers.

"When I watch food shows that take place in America all I can think about is, why does your cheese look fake?" Jacquie from Queensland told INSIDER.

"Our signature yellow and orange cheese really freaks Australians out," said Quora user Brian Collins in this thread.  

Twinkies are a strange concept to some Australians.

"I hear that Twinkies can survive a nuclear war. That’s alarming," replied Jack when we asked his thoughts on Twinkies.

But this cream-filled sponge cake with a "never-ending expiration date" is a beloved food item since 1930 in America. Oh, and they do actually expire, for what it's worth. 

• Megyn Kelly weighed in on Christine Blasey Ford's testimony during "Today" show coverage of Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination hearing on Thursday.
• Kelly said Ford's recollections to the Senate Judiciary Committee were "emotional" and could prove "deeply problematic" for Kavanaugh.
• "If she's an actress, she's really good," Kelly said.

Megyn Kelly seems to find Christine Blasey Ford's testimony compelling.

The NBC News anchor was part of a panel covering the psychology professor's appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, as Ford recollected the alleged 1982 sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

When the committee took its first break of the morning, Kelly weighed in on Ford, saying she found one part of her story especially moving.

"The moment that will stay with me was when she described having a memory of being in that room, and looking over at Mark Judge, and having eye contact with him, and asking herself 'Will he save me?' And he didn't. It was emotional," Kelly said.

"Look if she's an actress, she's really good,' Kelly later added. "The alternative is she's telling the truth and it's deeply problematic for [Kavanaugh]."

Ford has alleged that a "stumbling drunk" 17-year-old Kavanaugh pinned her down, put his hand over her mouth, and groped her while his friend watched at a high school party.

Kavanaugh is expected to respond to Ford's allegations to the committee later on Thursday.

Read Business Insider's full coverage of the Ford-Kavanaugh hearing:

• Watch live updates of the Ford-Kavanaugh hearing here
• 'I am terrified': Ford details her sexual-assault allegation in gut-wrenching opening statement
• 'I will not be intimidated into withdrawing': Kavanaugh defiant in prepared remarks for Senate hearing
• Ford says the strongest memory she has of Kavanaugh's alleged sexual assault was 'the uproarious laughter'
• Ford says she decided to come forward after reporters were sitting outside of her house and showing up in her classroom where she taught
• Here is the polygraph test Ford took following her sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh
• Meet Mark Judge, Kavanaugh's high-school friend and the other man who's becoming central to the allegations
• Here are all the allegations against Kavanaugh
• How the Ford-Kavanaugh hearing compares to the 1991 Anita Hill hearing
• Meet Rachel Mitchell, the woman questioning Ford about her Kavanaugh allegations
• Meet Brett Kavanaugh, 'the Forrest Gump of Republican politics'

SEE ALSO: Fox News host Chris Wallace on Christine Ford testimony: 'This is a disaster for the Republicans'

DON'T MISS: Christine Blasey Ford says she decided to come forward after reporters were sitting outside of her house and showing up in her classroom where she taught

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Inside the Trump 'MAGA' hat factory

Week 4 of the NFL season is here, and Microsoft's Cortana is back to make picks in a head-to-head showdown with Elo.

We took a look at two popular systems used to pick NFL games: Cortana, Microsoft's digital assistant, and Elo, the modeling system used by Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight. In both cases, the computers are picking outright winners and not against the spread. However, each gives a likelihood of a team's winning, which, in theory, could help measure the strength of certain lines.

Cortana won the regular season matchup last season, going 162-78 (68%) overall, and 111-38 (75%) over the last ten weeks (we did not track Week 17 because of the wonky nature of the final week). Elo was not far behind, going 154-86 (64%) overall.

Cortana is off to a strong start in 2018, going 19-12-1 the last two weeks. Elo has struggled, going 15-16-1.

Here are the picks for Week 4, with each model's percent chance of winning in parentheses. Point spreads are just for reference, via Vegas Insider as of Thursday morning.

Thursday Night Football

• Minnesota at Los Angeles Rams (-7) — RAMS (Elo 65%; Cortana 73%)

Sunday afternoon games — early window

• Cincinnati at Atlanta (-5) — FALCONS (Elo 68%; Cortana 60%)
• Tampa Bay at Chicago (-3) — BEARS (Elo 53%; Cortana 55%)
• Detroit at Dallas (-3) — COWBOYS (Elo 62%; Cortana 64%)
• Buffalo at Green Bay (-10) — PACKERS (Elo 53%; Cortana 67%)
• Philadelphia (-3) at Tennessee — EAGLES (Elo 60%; Cortana 58%)
• Houston at Indianapolis (-1.5) — COLTS (Elo 67%; Cortana 53%)
• Miami at New England (-6.5) — PATRIOTS (Elo 70%; Cortana 67%)
• New York Jets at Jacksonville (-7.5) — JAGUARS (Elo 74%; Cortana 70%)

Sunday afternoon games — late window

• Cleveland at Oakland (-3) — RAIDERS (Elo 71%; Cortana 57%)
• Seattle (-3) at Arizona — SEAHAWKS (Elo 57%; Cortana 67%)
• New Orleans (-3.5) at New York Giants — SAINTS (Elo 65%; Cortana 57%)
• San Francisco at Los Angeles Chargers (-10.5) — CHARGERS (Elo 68%; Cortana 67%)

• Travelers are now allowed to pack marijuana along with their other travel essentials when flying out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). 
• A statement published on the official website of LAX reads, "In accordance with Proposition 64, the Los Angeles Airport Police Department will allow passengers to travel through LAX with up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and eight grams of concentrated marijuana." 
• While the Federal government still considers marijuana illegal, the sale and recreational consumption of the drug has been legalized in California and eight other states. 

In a policy that would have seemed unheard of only a few years ago, travelers are now allowed to pack marijuana along with their other travel essentials when flying out of Los Angeles International Airport. 

Airport police say they will not arrest or stop you if they find marijuana, colloquially known as weed or pot, in your carry-on travel bags. 

The official website of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) released their new marijuana policy that in-part states, "In accordance with Proposition 64, the Los Angeles Airport Police Department will allow passengers to travel through LAX with up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and eight grams of concentrated marijuana." 

Proposition 64, was a referendum passed by California and made effective January 1, 2018. 

According to NBC 4 Los Angeles, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) can still refuse people entry to board flights if they find amounts of marijuana the federal government considers illegal in travelers carry-on bags, but police will not confiscate it unless it exceeds the one-ounce legal limit amount in the state of California. 

This issue is mainly about jurisdiction, as the new LAX security policy is not applicable to other states or countries where marijuana is not yet legalized, like Texas or Singapore. 

While the Federal government still considers marijuana illegal, the sale and recreational consumption of the drug has been legalized in California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, D.C., Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts.  

Some took to Twitter to comment on the new LAX policy:

SEE ALSO: 20 crazy things people have tried to smuggle past the TSA at airports

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NOW WATCH: This trike is made to look like a semitruck

• Snap shares hit a record low on Friday.
• Shares have been under pressure since the social-media company warned on August 7 that its number of daily active users fell for the first time.
• The user drop could cause "a negative flywheel" for Snap, and weigh on the company's other strategies, a Jefferies analysts said.
• Watch Snap trade in real time here.

Snap shares slide to their lowest level on record Friday, touching $8.43 apiece.

The social-media company has been under pressure since releasing its second-quarter results on August. While the company beat sales and profits estimates, its number of daily active users fell 2% from the first quarter to 188 million, its first-ever decline. Wall Street analysts were expecting that number to increase to 193 million.

Jefferies analysts Brent Thill and Brian Fitzgerald recently warned that the user drop is a huge problem for Snap as its survival as a social-media platform depends on the need for users to have multiple friends using it. That means if users turn to other platforms such Instagram, it could cause "a negative flywheel" for Snap, and weigh on the company's other strategies, they added.

The app maker has been constantly introducing new features, but that has been unable to lift shares. On Monday, the company introduced a new feature called Visual Search, which will allow users to point the app's camera at shoes, jackets, and other products to find the item on Amazon and buy it. Shares fell 2% that day. 

And earlier this month, Snap introduced two new styles of its Spectacles camera glasses, nicknamed Nico and Veronica, which look more like standard sunglasses and look more fashionable than previous versions of the Spectacles, which first launched in 2016. But shares dropped 4% following the news.

Snap have tumbled 43% this year. 

Now read:

• 'We didn't learn anything' — Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller says the next financial crisis could be worse than the last, and lays out how it might happen
• Facebook's targeting users with ads using data they provided for security reasons — and it shows why the company still can't be trusted on privacy
• HOWARD MARKS: Here's where we'll find 'ground zero' of the next financial crisis

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: An aerospace company reintroduced its precision helicopter with two crossing motors

• Amazon's hiring process isn't just about candidates interacting with hiring managers.
• VP of worldwide people operations Ardine Williams told Business Insider that each interview panel also includes a person known as a "bar-raiser."
• The bar-raiser's purpose is to hold the panel accountable and ensure that all candidates are a good cultural fit for Amazon.

If you want to land a job at Amazon, it's not enough to impress the hiring manager.

There's a whole interview panel you have to go through in order to land the gig. And it's also important for you to impress one person in particular: the bar-raiser.

According to Amazon VP of Worldwide People Operations Ardine Williams, who delivered the keynote speech at Glassdoor Recruit on Thursday, the bar-raiser's primary function is to hold the rest of the board accountable during the hiring process.

"One of our hiring principles is that anyone we bring in should raise the bar on our internal performance," Williams told Business Insider. "Which means that we're looking for someone who's better than half of the people that currently working here at that level."

So the bar-riser acts as a "neutral third party" on the board, meaning that they're not in the hiring manager's chain-of-command. Williams added that, in many cases, the bar-raiser will trump the hiring manager when it comes time to make a final decision about a candidate.

So how does an Amazon employee become a bar-raiser? According to Williams, an employee first has to conduct a large number of interviews.

It's not just about quantity, though. Any prospective bar-raiser must adhere to Amazon's core principle of being "right, a lot." The employee's votes on various interview panels must align with the outcome of the hire. A bar-raiser must typically vote in favor of candidates that are hired, or vote to pass on candidates that don't receive an offer.

All novice bar-raisers are also trained by more seasoned bar-raisers before they take on the role.

Ultimately, Williams said that the bar-raiser's purpose is to inject "tension in the system" to ensure that the hiring board takes actions in keeping with Amazon's core principles. She added that the bar-raiser is especially crucial when a team is particularly eager to fill an open seat.

"It's the person who reminds us to, 'ready aim, fire,'" Williams said.

SEE ALSO: An Amazon exec explains why working at the tech giant is like 'walking on a tightrope' — and why that's a good thing

DON'T MISS: Chick-fil-A, Amazon, Tesla, and Wegmans top the list of most-liked companies — employees explain why they have such a cult following

SEE ALSO: Amazon and Apple don't provide employees with free lunches — here's where their employees go to eat instead

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Jeff Bezos on breaking up and regulating Amazon

• From September 26 to October 5, Sephora will be giving away a different free sample product each day to online shoppers.
• To get a free product, you must be enrolled in the brand's Beauty Insider rewards program and spend $25 or more.
• The free trial-size makeup products are kept a mystery until the day that they are available.
• Compared to regular Beauty Insider perks, this promotion makes it easier and cheaper to get trial-size products.
• Normally, Beauty Insider loyalty members must wait until they have spent at least $100 so they have enough points to redeem free mini products from the store's Rewards Bazaar.

It just became a lot easier to get free makeup at Sephora this week.

From September 26 to October 5, Sephora is holding a 10-day sale — named the "Mystery 10"— that gives online shoppers a free, trial-size product with any $25 purchase.

There are, however, two catches. First, the free sample products are kept a mystery until the day that they are available. Secondly, shoppers must be a member of the Sephora Beauty Insider rewards program to get a free product. 

Members of the Beauty Insider program are split into three tiers — Insider, VIB, and Rouge members— based on how much money they spend. Generally, Rouge members receive the most perks, followed by VIB members, and then Insiders. This promotion, however, works the same for all members.

The first few days of the sale included trial-size products from Drunk Elephant, Make Up Forever, and Gucci

On September 28, the third day of the sale, customers are treated to more than just free products. For today only, those who purchase fragrances from Sephora can earn three points per dollar, rather than the usual single point for Beauty Insiders, 1.5 points for VIB members, and 1.5 points for Rouge members. 

Sephora shared minimal details about the remaining days of the sale

The products that will be available for the rest of the promotion are technically a mystery. But, as pictured below, Sephora has provided hints for each day of the sale, which you might be able to figure out.

For example, the hint for the promotion on September 29 reveals that the free sample product will feature 24-carat gold. While multiple products at Sephora use real gold, FARSÀLI's Rose Gold Elixir is one of the only products that contain 24 carats.

If you're not that interested in makeup, don't worry. The hints for the final days of the promotion suggest one of the products will "protect strands" while another "detoxes with zinc and copper," so you'll likely find hair and skin-care items as well.

The promotion makes it easier and quicker to get free products 

Even the most loyal Sephora shoppers know how difficult it can be to redeem free products from the Rewards Bazaar. Generally, Beauty Insiders need a total of 100 points — the equivalent of spending $100 — before they can earn even the smallest reward. 

The "Mystery 10" promotion may not allow you to choose your free trial item — as you would if shopping the Rewards Bazaar with points — but it does allow you to get products for much less money. Rather than spending $100 over time, you need only make a single $25 purchase to receive a product similar to those generally offered to Beauty Insiders.

The sale runs until October 5, so keep checking here to see which products will be made available each day.

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

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NOW WATCH: Ray Dalio says the economy looks like 1937 and a downturn is coming in about two years

Welcome to Finance Insider, Business Insider's summary of the top stories of the past 24 hours. Sign up here to get the best of Business Insider delivered direct to your inbox.

Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller says the next financial crisis could be worse than the last

Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller — who formerly managed money for George Soros, ran his own hedge fund, and now oversees a family office — says conditions are ripe for a financial crisis that could put the last one to shame.

In an exclusive interview conducted by RealVision.com and seen by Business Insider, Druckenmiller discusses what he thinks will likely cause the next meltdown.

Druckenmiller also weighs in on a wide range of other topics, including the influence of passive investing, the Federal Reserve, the trade war, and various investment philosophies.

Slack is planning to go public in 2019

Slack is planning to go public in 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported and a person familiar with the matter confirmed to Business Insider.

The initial public offering is scheduled to take place by fall 2019 and could value Slack at about $7 billion, The Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the company's plans.

A representative for Slack said the company does not comment on "rumors and speculation."

In 2017, Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield told Bloomberg that an IPO was still a long way off. The company in August closed a $427 million funding round, led by Dragoneer Investment Group and General Atlantic, that valued it at more than $7 billion.

Elon Musk reportedly blew up a settlement with the SEC at the eleventh hour

Elon Musk agreed on a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), but walked away from the deal at the eleventh hour last week.

That's according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, which said the SEC was on the brink of filing the settlement, only for Musk to blow it up at the last minute.

CNBC reported on Friday that the proposed settlement would have barred Musk from being the chairman of Tesla's board of directors for two years, forced Tesla to add two new independent directors to the board, and required Musk and Tesla to pay a fine. Musk wouldn't accept the deal because he believed that doing so "would not be truthful to himself," according to CNBC.

That chain of events led to the SEC announcing on Thursday that it was suing Musk on charges he made "false and misleading statements" in tweets claiming he could take the company private.

In markets news

• HOWARD MARKS: Here's where we'll find 'ground zero' of the next financial crisis

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Stanley Druckenmiller has just about had it with historically low interest rates.

In his mind, they've infected financial markets and led to exorbitant pockets of debt all around the world. More than anything, he's worried about the reckoning that's bound to transpire as global central banks make borrowing more expensive.

The billionaire investor said as much during a recent interview with RealVision.com seen by Business Insider. The chat was conducted by Kiril Sokoloff, the chairman and founder of 13D Global Strategy & Research, and a market legend in his own right.

The former lead manager of George Soros' Quantum Fund, Druckenmiller later oversaw $12 billion as chairman and president of Duquesne Capital Management. He now manages his own wealth as a family office.

The crux of Druckenmiller's argument is that, after a decade of easy lending, investors worldwide will be shaken to their core by tighter monetary conditions. Once the endless supply of cheap money that's flooded global markets starts to dry up, all bets will be off, and a market collapse will be in order.

SUBSCRIBE HERE TO READ OUR STORY: 'We didn't learn anything' — Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller says the next financial crisis could be worse than the last, and lays out how it might happen

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• Amazon unveiled its Amazon 4-star concept on Thursday. It's a store that only sells items ranked four stars or above on its website by customers' reviews.
• Apart from the ratings aspect, the store is almost exactly the same as Amazon Books.
• That is especially evident in how Amazon describes the two kinds of stores in a virtually identical way on its website. 
• The lack of differentiation between 4-star and Books reveals there may only be so many ways to innovate the in-store shopping experience.

Amazon's new store opened as a surprise in New York City on Thursday.

Called Amazon 4-star, the new concept will only stock items that customers have rated four stars or above, on average. That means it will include only the best of the best; Amazon says the current product assortment averages 4.4 stars.

The store essentially uses the same format as the brand's Amazon Books store, which has expanded to 17 locations. This time, though, Amazon is selling items from all categories, including toys and games, home and kitchen, and yes, books. Amazon 4-star uses the same style of displaying customer reviews as Amazon Books and the same cashless checkout process.

Apart from the rating aspect, and the expanded categories like home and kitchen, the stores are essentially the same.

That's even evident on Amazon's own online page describing how its physical stores are different and what they sell. According to the page's graphic, Amazon 4-star sells merchandise, devices, and books. Amazon Books? That store sells books, devices, and merchandise.

The lack of differentiation between the two stores shows there may only be so many ways to innovate the in-store shopping experience. Instead of being a fully new store experience, 4-star is more iterative, expanding the concept for a wider audience.

With its new rating requirement, it also is bringing Amazon's famously large and overwhelming online experience into the real world.

SEE ALSO: Analysts and experts are zeroing in on where they think Amazon's HQ2 will be

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• The SEC sued Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday, saying he made "false and misleading" statements in August about possibly taking Tesla private.
• Former SEC senior counsel Thomas Gorman told Business Insider he disagreed with the agency's decision.
• While Musk's statements weren't smart from a business perspective, that doesn't necessarily mean he committed fraud, Gorman said.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said on Thursday in a lawsuit that Tesla CEO Elon Musk broke federal securities laws when he made what the agency called "false and misleading" statements in August about possibly taking Tesla private. But a former SEC lawyer told Business Insider he disagrees with the agency's assessment.

Thomas Gorman, a partner at the law firm Dorsey & Whitney and former SEC senior counsel, said Musk's statements, which he made on Twitter, weren't smart from a business perspective, but that doesn't necessarily mean Musk committed fraud.

"There's a significant difference between bringing a law enforcement action, charging someone with fraud, and saying, 'This is not really a great way to do your business,'" Gorman said.

At issue is whether Musk had a reasonable basis for saying he had "funding secured" for a deal to take Tesla private at $420 per share, as he said in an August 7 tweet.

The SEC's lawsuit claims Musk said a representative from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund had shown interest in taking Tesla private, but that Musk had never discussed any of the specific terms he described on Twitter with the Saudi fund or any other potential backers before making them public. Those terms included the proposed $420 share price and an option for all existing Tesla shareholders to remain with the company after it went private.

But Gorman said the Saudi fund's reported interest in a take-private deal was enough to make Musk's statements legal, if ill-advised. And the SEC's current allegations that Musk hadn't ironed out the details don't change that, Gorman said.

"There's a reasonable basis for what he said," Gorman said of Musk's tweets.

(Have a Tesla news tip? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.)

Winning its case against Musk would be a significant victory for the SEC, as it would send a message to other companies about the agency's ability and willingness to punish illegal activity, Gorman said. Prevailing in a high-profile case can give the agency a larger impact than its resources would otherwise allow. 

"It's the equivalent of having the cop on the street corner," Gorman said. "They can't stand on every street corner. They can't stand in the lobby of every company in America. But if they bring high-profile cases, everybody sees them, and if they win, that sends a message."

But Gorman said he doesn't believe the SEC brought its case against Musk as a means of self-promotion. While he said disagrees with the agency's decision, Gorman added that he believes the agency was confident it had enough evidence to sue Musk.

"I'm not questioning their motive. I just disagree with their judgment here," he said.

Read more about the SEC's lawsuit against Elon Musk:

• A Tesla without Elon Musk as CEO is a good thing: Gene Munster
• Elon Musk reportedly blew up a settlement with the SEC at the eleventh hour
• A former SEC chairman outlined the worst case scenario for Elon Musk now that the SEC has sued him
• Azealia Banks wants to work with Grimes to create the soundtrack to Elon Musk's SEC 'funding secured' investigation
• Tesla once looked like it could ride out the summer — but now the SEC wants to ban Elon Musk from being a CEO
• The SEC alleges that Elon Musk's $420 price point was a weed reference to amuse his girlfriend

SEE ALSO: 'Lawsuit secured': Here's what Wall Street is saying about the SEC's lawsuit against Elon Musk

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NOW WATCH: There are a set of wheels the let you drive side to side

The Apple Watch is packed with useful features, and WatchOS 5 has only made the lineup more impressive.  Here are the top 11 tips and tricks you should know. Have you ever wanted to rotate your watch's orientation, use your watch as a camera remote, or display your apps as a list instead of a grid? Here are the top Apple Watch features you might not know. Following is a transcript of the video.

It’s easy to find your phone by tapping this button in the control center. But if you’re hard of hearing, holding it will also make the flash go off.

Take a screenshot by pressing both buttons at once. It will show up in the Photos app on your phone. Make sure General - Enable Screenshots is checked

Flip the entire screen around. This is great for lefties. Just go to General - Watch Orientation. Choose “Right Wrist.” You can also change the side of the crown. If you want to wear the watch upside down

Display apps as a list instead of a grid. Tap the crown to bring up all the icons. Then force press and choose “List View.”

The watch has a nightstand mode. To enable it, go to General - Nightstand Mode. Turn the watch sideways while it’s on the charger. The screen will rotate and show the date and time. 

Use the crown to control your phone’s volume. Just go into “Now Playing” and rotate the crown up or down

Use the watch as a camera remote. Open the camera app on the watch. Tap anywhere to change the focus. Force press to bring up options like flash and the selfie camera. You can snap a photo immediately, or use the 3-second timer

Incoming call and can’t find your phone? Rotate the crown up. Tap “Answer on iPhone” and the caller will be placed on hold. Giving you time to find your phone.

It’s hard to text on the watch. But you can make your own custom auto-replies.  In the app, go to My Watch - Messages - Default Replies. Scroll down to add your own.  They’ll appear in the watch’s messaging app.

Rearrange the control center. This is new in WatchOS 5. Swipe up to bring up the control center. Choose “Edit” to rearrange the icons. Press the crown or swipe down when you’re done.

Change the app layout. Go to My Watch - App Layout, and move around the icons. 

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• "Free Solo" directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin recount what led to them agreeing to film Alex Honnold's attempt to solo climb El Capitan.
• The filmmakers also explain why filming what was going on in Honnold's life on the ground was just as important as his climb.

For Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and her husband Jimmy Chin, the idea of doing a documentary on rock climber Alex Honnold was more intriguing to them because of how he is on the ground than when he's thousands of feet above it during a climb.

Before Honnold became known the world over for his incredible free solo climbs (mountain climbing without ropes or other protective equipment), he was a kid who was incredibly intelligent but also scared of everything: people, physical contact, even vegetables. But that same kid blossomed into a young man who fights his fears by climbing mountains.

“It was the potential of being a story that spoke to a lot of people and could inspire,” Vasarhelyi told Business Insider about her original interest in doing a movie on Honnold.

But Honnold had another idea. He wanted them to shoot him soloing up the 3,000 foot high El Capitan wall in Yosemite National Park.

“He said, ‘If we’re to make a film, the only film-worthy thing in my life is doing this,” Vasarhelyi recalled.

Chin has filmed Honnold soloing for 10 years. He knew Honnold had the skill to pull off the climb. But he also knew how crazy it was to even attempt it. It would be a four-hour climb, at least. Every single step would need to be perfect. His level of concentration needed to be super sharp throughout the entire climb because his next move could be his last.

Could Chin say El Cap is the Super Bowl of soloing?

“It’s beyond the Super Bowl,” he said. “The mental capacity to do that is unlike any athletic achievement I’ve seen, whether it’s extreme sports or professional sports of Olympic sports. You have to play the perfect game for four hours. You throw an interception in the Super Bowl, compared to this, it’s not really a big deal.”

With that danger in mind, Vasarhelyi and Chin told Honnold they had to think about if they wanted to proceed. And they thought about it — for months. Could they go forward with doing a movie that could end with their friend falling to his death?

They say the moment that really pushed them to finally agree to film the attempt was a chat Chin had three years ago with author and avid climber Jon Krakauer, one of the survivors of the disastrous 1996 expedition to Mount Everest and the man who wrote "Into the Wild" and "Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman." Who better to get advice from?

Chin told Krakauer he and Vasarhelyi were considering doing a movie on Honnold and his soloing of El Cap. The author simply replied: “Holy s--t.”

"He was quiet for a while," Chin said. "And we walked for a little bit further, and I asked if it’s even okay for us to do this. He was like well, 'Is he going to do it whether you film it or not?' And I said yes. And he said, 'Are you one of the best people to do this?' And I said yes. And he said, 'If this is one of the greatest athletic achievements of all time, shouldn't it be captured?' And I was like 'Yes.' We kind of went from there."

With Vasarhelyi and Chin on board, they set out for Yosemite to make “Free Solo” (in theaters Friday). For months they filmed Honnold’s day-long training sessions on El Cap and his humble existence off the mountain living in a van.

Chin and his team of mountain climbers/cameramen used huge 4k cameras to capture Honnold on the wall, which he said is unheard of when filming climbing because of the weight of the equipment. But he and Vasarhelyi wanted “Free Solo” to be more than just a highlight video. They wanted to go a step further, not just visually, but emotionally. And that’s what Vasarhelyi was doing on the ground, trying to peel back the layers of the complex Honnold.

“It was basically a conversation that kept going for a year and a half,” Vasarhelyi said about creating a verite feel to the movie.

As “Free Solo” makes very clear, Honnold is not an open person. His life is completely focused on climbing and everything else comes second, including opening up to Vasarhelyi. But a fascinating thing happened during the filming process: He found a girlfriend who could tolerate his lifestyle.

Sanni McCandless is the complete opposite of Honnold. A big personality and not afraid to challenge Honnold, the relationship between the two is an interesting subplot in “Free Solo,” as the driven climber begins to let his guard down (the two go climbing one time and a mistake by the inexperienced McCandless leads to Honnold falling and injuring himself before the El Cap climb; in another scene, the two look for a house in Las Vegas).

Then there’s the lead-up to the climb itself. At one point in the movie, Honnold starts his solo climb of El Cap but then dramatically stops and climbs back down to the ground. From that point on, it’s unclear not only if Honnold will attempt the climb again but if he still wants Chin and Vasarhelyi there to film it.

“In our minds we’re not allowed to push him one way or the other,” Chin said. “But I would like to think he understood the amount of passion and heart that this whole crew was putting into it.”

“But Alex responded in an honest way,” Vasarhelyi added. “Which was, ‘I have to be stronger and better.’”

It all culminates in a dramatic conclusion where the filmmakers capture the dramatics on the ground between Honnold and McCandless as well as Honnold’s historic trek.

Audiences are already dazzled by “Free Solo.” It won the people’s choice award at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, which inevitably thrust it into the race for the best documentary Oscar. But as much as Vasarhelyi and Chin love how audiences have reacted to the movie so far, the standout for them is how Honnold sees it.

“He says he has the opposite experience from the audiences,” Chin said. “Everybody loves the love story and him as a fascinating documentary character and then are cringing during the climb. He loves the climbing footage and cringes during everything else.”

SEE ALSO: The director of Robert Redford's final movie describes the pressure and joy of closing out an icon's career

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