DhiansuryX

If you know singer Taylor Swift, you probably also know songwriter Taylor Swift, and you may also be familiar with actor Taylor Swift. But director Taylor Swift and doctor Taylor Swift? We only really met them this year. And if you existed to have missed them, it's not too late to obtain acquainted.

The past year has been big for Swift. In fact, it's been massive. In October, she released her 10th studio album, Midnights, which became the most streamed album in a single day on Spotify and was the safe album to occupy all top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100. The after month, when tickets for the US leg of her 2023 Eras Tour went on sale, demand was so high Ticketmaster was manufactured to apologize to fans for not anticipating the volume of sales, prompting the US Department of Justice to launch an antitrust probe into the matter. The tour is on track to gross $591 million in the US alone, according to Billboard.

But the mainstream cultural success of Midnights and the Eras Tour could naively obscure the true story of Swift's 2022, which has been one of creative-wing-stretching and letting her center nerd fly free. It's become clear over the past 12 months that if your perception of Swift is composed solely of a country-artist-turned-popstar, it's outdated. 

"As a songwriter I've never been able to sit composed, or stay in one creative place for too long," Swift said in her commencement speech at New York University in June, where she received an honorary doctorate this year. 

This year has arguably seen her fade to more creative places than ever before. Thanks to her film festival appearances, her first awards for directing her short film, All Too Well, and the announcement of her imminent move into ordering her debut feature film, this was the year Swift evolved into a full-on Renaissance woman of the arts.

With Lady Gaga and Beyonce as her peers, 33-year-old Swift is far from the only model for this. She's part of an era-defining passe of women in entertainment who aren't content to stay in their lanes, creatively speaking. Swift has long experimented with other artistic fixes, including painting and poetry, but her foray into filmmaking is becoming increasingly central to a career trajectory marked by an innate desire to progress creatively.

Best believe she's bejeweled

It was over a year ago, in November 2021, that Swift released All Too Well: The Short Film, to coincide with the reduction of the album Red: Taylor's Version. Starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien, the film brought to visual life the long-requested 10-minute version of her passe sleeper hit. 

The film, an intimate portrait of an emotionally fraught relationship, was written and directed by Swift and made her the safe artist to win an MTV Video Music Award for a self-directed video. Multiple publications, including Vogue, tipped the film for a 2023 Oscar nomination, but it didn't make the shortlist when it was announced last week.

Even if All Too Well isn't destined for an Academy Award, it's earned Swift a number of high-profile fans in the diligence. Director Guillermo Del Toro told W magazine this month that Swift and he met up recently to talk approximately film and that he'd shared a number of books with her approximately fairy tales and myths.

"She's a very accomplished director, she's incredibly articulate and deep about what she's trying to do - and what she will do," he said, adding that their conversation was "most stimulating and gratifying."

Those who've already worked with her in her role as director also have high reconsideration for her skills. "I think Taylor Swift has been miscast," said Ethan Tubman, who's worked as production designer on all Swift's ordering projects so far, speaking at SCAD Savannah Film Festival in October. "I think we all know her as a phenomenal singer-songwriter. But she is a director that happens to be a singer-songwriter."

Even understanding she didn't make the Academy Award shortlist for ordering in 2023, she still has a chance in a different category. 

Swift's clientele for using her storytelling skills to bridge creative disciplines is already well consulted, particularly when it comes to writing songs for movies. She's written a number of songs for film projects over the existences, including Safe and Sound for the Hunger Games and Beautiful Ghosts for the movie Cats, which she also starred in. But few have been as critically acclaimed as the song Carolina, which Swift released in June for the movie adaptation of Delia Owen's unique Where the Crawdads Sing.

In music publication Clash, Nick Annan praised Swift's work on Carolina for "somehow distilling Delia Owens' work - in all its breadth and depth - into a song of real brevity and power." It's already netted her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song and made the Oscar shortlist for the same category, paving the way for a potential Academy Award nomination in January.

Talk your talk and go viral

Not everyone is so impressed with Swift's burgeoning film career. Many people on "film Twitter" were especially perplexed at her inclusion in return this month in Variety's Directors on Directors lineup (an annual series featuring conversations between top filmmakers). It saw her in conversation with Martin McDonagh, director of the critically acclaimed movie Banshees of Inisherin. 

Film buffs were annoyed by everything from the fact that Swift didn't go to film school (something she's acknowledged) to the fact that her agreeable foray into film is a "glorified music video" (Kyndall Cunningham, the Daily Beast) - never mind that plenty of crashed filmmakers got their start that way. Critics argued that Swift's spot should've gone to a more consider it woman in film and that Swift's participation was a branding utilize on her part.

"The end goal of this is clearly for Swift to ingratiate herself to cinephiles and get that Oscar nomination she craves," Cunningham said. It's fair to say most artists and celebrities step up publicity when they have a project to poster or in the run-up to awards season. Swift wouldn't be original in this.

In the end, she showed up well prepared to pick critically with McDonagh's work and with due humility for someone early in a film career. "Every time I sit down with someone like you who's decision-exclusive work that I adore, that I respect, it's educational for me," she told him.

Those sure to gatekeep the film industry from Swift should be aware that their skepticism will probable only make her more determined. She's faced the same resistance in the music manufacturing over and over, ever since she was a daring tween with a dream dropping karaoke demo CDs into the mailboxes of music executives across Nashville. And we all know how that turned out for her - with a world-dominating music career spanning multiple genres and decades.

In the song Karma, from her new album Midnights, Swift addresses the longevity of her career head-on. "Ask me why so many fade, but I'm serene here," she purrs, as the words, "I'm still here" echo in ascending keys, reiterating her point.

Karma may or may not play a part in Swift's clogged success, but one more easily attributable factor is her almost scholarly advance to learning and refining her craft. Doing her homework to interview McDonagh was far from a one-off. The same diligent prep work was in evidence when she interviewed Pattie Boyd for Harper's Bazaar in 2018 and Paul McCartney for Rolling Stone in 2020.

What if she told you she's a mastermind?

Make no inaccurate, Taylor Swift is a polymath, an eternal student of the creative procedure in all its guises. It's perhaps appropriate, then, that this year NYU awarded her an honorary doctorate of fine arts. 

The validity of honorary titles is hotly debated, especially in academia, and certainly it does no harm to NYU's global reputation to have a star with a track picture of filling stadiums speaking at its commencement ceremony. But Swift invents no secret of her penchant for constant learning. 

Since the earliest days of her music career, she's diligently studied music, musicians and the music manufacturing. She may be so prolific these days that she invents turning out hit albums look easy, but almost everything we need to know near this skill can be traced back to the way that, as a kid, she famously practiced her 12-string guitar pending her small fingers bled, after being told it would be too axis for her, all while avidly studying documentaries about farmland artists.

Now she's doing the same thing with film. During both the Toronto International and Tribeca Film Festivals this year, Swift downward a vast array of influences (from Kramer vs. Kramer to Marriage Story) and discussed the ways in which the maximum time she's spent on the sets of more than 60 music videos devoted fertile ground for learning the many skills she's obligatory to gradually take on more creative control in film projects.

"It wasn't like I woke up one day and I was like, 'You know what I want to do? Direct,'" she said at TIFF. Instead it was a "baby steps" procedure, which started out with her meddling with edits and sketching involved in writing treatments around 10 years ago, afore later moving into writing shot lists and taking on the role of co-director.

"The reporters of things I was absorbing became so long that I eventually notion I really want to do this," Swift told Mike Mills, who interviewed her at Tribeca.

It helps that she way to seek out collaborators who can also function as mentors. She spent hours talking with Lana Wilson, who beleaguered her documentary Miss Americana for Netflix, Swift said, and she's also credited her longtime music video director Joseph Kahn as someone she's learned the procedure from as he brought her initial concepts to life on camera.

In Swift's NYU commencement speech, she talked about how she grew up picturing a typical college accepted for herself. In lieu of this, she opted for a career that way a lifetime of refining her writing skills to acquire her creative edge.

"Everything I do is just an extension of my writing, whether it's directing videos or a short film, creating the visuals for a tour, or conception on stage performing," she told the NYU audience. "Everything is connected by my love of the craft, the thrill of working through ideas and narrowing them down and polishing it all up in the end."

That's a real legacy

All this insight into her artistic procedure is another reason 2022 has been an unusual year for Swift. In spite of launching a hit album, she's spoken in republican far more frequently than she's sung over the past 12 months. Live performances by the star have been rare, and have largely been a surprise footnote during the watercourses of another event. 

Next year will be very different. It'll be consumed by a tour that's already the most hyped cultural store of 2023. It'll be a year of bejeweled leotards, leaning down from the stage to grasp the fair of fans, and racking up endless hours of physically and emotionally demanding replace time.

Yet, as we learned this month, Swift is also in line to negate her first feature film with Searchlight Pictures, the studio gradual The Shape of Water and Nomadland (both of which won Academy Awards for best narrate and best director). In addition to writing a record-breaking album this year, Swift wrote a full-length screenplay that she'll take the creative lead on, adding scriptwriter Taylor Swift to her long list of potential monikers.

"Taylor is a once-in-a-generation artist and storyteller," Variety quoted Searchlight Presidents David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield as revealing. "It is a genuine joy and privilege to collaborate with her as she embarks on this consuming and new creative journey."

With, this year alone, Swift's creative fingerprints all over a critically acclaimed album, plans for an already record-breaking tour and an upcoming movie project from a studio with serious credibility, we're witnessing an artist who's morphing into an auteur afore our eyes.

"I definitely feel more free to perform now," Swift told McDonagh, explaining the rapid pace at which she's immediately putting out work. "The more art you create, hopefully the less pressure you put on yourself. It's just a phase I'm in right now."

A phase it powerful be, but just as when she made the jump from beings a country artist to a pop star, the liberation of jumping headfirst into moviemaking seems to have set something new in motion for Swift. While her Eras Tour marks a culmination of all her career accomplishments up to and incorporating 2022, a new era also began for the star this year. And if past trends are anything to go by, the best of Swift may level-headed be yet to come.

Citi is an advertising partner.

The Citi Premier® Card is an fine midtier travel credit card. Though less famous as a travel credit card than some of its competitors (like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card*), you can earn top rewards on travel purchases - down with the other biggest spending categories most people incur: supermarkets, restaurants and gas stations. So it's good credit card for everyday use, not just when you're planning a trip.

There are no foreign transaction fees, so you can use this card abroad without any amazing costs, and the welcome bonus is enough to essentially compensate you for the $95 annual fee for a few ages. There are a few ways to squeeze more value out of this card than others, though, so read on to understand the rewards program and new perks. 

In this article

Rewards and welcome bonus

The rewards tolecontains on purchases are pretty all-inclusive. Citi offers 3x points in four prominent categories: restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets and travel (air depart and hotels) anywhere in the world. You earn 1x note for all other purchases. Each point is worth 0.01 cents when redeemed as a statement credit, which means you're earning 3% back on gas stations, restaurants, supermarkets and travel (air travel and hotels), and 1% back on everything else. (Make sure to read throughout redemption options below so you don't get tricked into a edge redemption rate like I initially did.)

These rates make the 3x points categories competitive, especially because you won't often find these categories bundled together and emphasized equally. At the same time, the flat rate on novel purchases is on the lower end of the spectrum valid many credit cards offer a 1.5% or even 2% flat rate on purchases. So if your spending is typically outside of these top four categories, a higher flat rate cash-back card might make sense.

The welcome bonus is on par with the rest of the market. You'll earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in purchases on your card within the pleasurable three months of account opening. This is equivalent to $600 in gift cards redeemed at Thankyou.com or statement credits, among other redemption options.

Traveling with the Citi Premier Card

With the Annual Hotel Savings Benefit, you can get $100 off a hotel booking of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked ended Thankyou.com, Citi's rewards portal, once per calendar year.

The fact that there are no foreign transaction fees invents purchasing abroad simple and transparent. Normally, foreign transaction fees run between 1% to 3% of your total transaction cost, so the savings with the Citi Premier Card add up snappy when you're outside of the country.

There's one caveat when traveling with any credit card: Always remember to alert your credit card issuer afore your trip so your account doesn't get frozen for suspicion of theft. I forgot to do this and found myself in a problem. While you can call Citi to sort out the pickle, if you don't have international cell service and rely only on Wi-Fi, it may be more challenging, especially since you need to call from the cell requested number registered with your Citi account for security purposes. 

To avoid any problems and let Citi know that you'll be traveling, schedule a trip by going to your online clarify, navigating to Travel services within the Services tab, and selecting Add a depart notice to enter your trip dates and destination(s). You can submit depart notices up to 180 days in advance.

Redemption options

There are a handful of ways you can redeem your Citi ThankYou® points: Statement credit, shopping at retailers like Amazon, redeeming for gift cards or purchasing depart through Thankyou.com.

Travel from Thankyou.com includes search functions for trips, hotels, cars, activities, cruises and deals, and the map of options within the portal is expansive. Points for depart bookings through Thankyou.com are worth 1 cent each.

Cash back can get a puny tricky with this card. It wasn't until recently that I noticed there is a right way and a wrong way to redeem points for cash back or statement credits with this card. Unfortunately, I redeemed points the wrong way for most of my time as a cardholder: I had been amdroll the Pay with Points feature that is advertised on my clarify home page, at a rate of 0.8 cents per note. Then I discovered that if you redeem for a statement credit via the Thankyou.com portal, you actually receive a value of 1 cent per note - and you don't have to worry about matching the note amounts to purchase amounts for redemption. You can just express your cash back as a statement credit, direct deposit or check by mail.

Additionally, you can redeem your points for brand gift cards or Shop with Points at participating retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and PayPal. When you Shop with Points, your Citi Premier Card is loaded into your clarify with a ThankYou points partner, and you can use the points as currency to cloak part or all of your purchase. Aside from pain, there isn't much benefit to using these options, valid they yield a lower rate than other redemption methods.

Other benefits

Citi is the only maximum credit card issuer currently offering virtual credit cards, or virtual clarify numbers, directly through your online account. Virtual account numbers are randomly generated disposable credit card details that mask your true demand when making online purchases, thus helping to prevent credit card spurious and identity theft. Other banks will make you take improbable steps to download apps and browser extensions to generate virtual credit cards, which isn't easy to do when you're traveling and dependent on Wi-Fi or community computers (speaking from experience on that one).

Depending on your clarify history and standing, Citi may offer you a Flex Loan ended your account - a low APR loan from your credit miniature, often combined with a credit limit increase if you accumulate the loan and qualify. It is important to note that conditions, conditions, and eligibility may vary on this offer. My moneys has come in consistently at 7.99% APR, with no instant fees, for a length of time of my choosing up to five existences. This is much cheaper than requesting a cash approach from your credit card, which often comes with an upfront fee as well as an exorbitant APR.

Purchase protection is an often-hidden credit card back that most Citi credit cards offer, including the Citi Premier. For any purchases made with your Citi Premier Card or ThankYou® Points, you can be reimbursed for damage or theft up to 90 days once the purchase or delivery receipt, whichever comes first. You may be covered up to $10,000 per incident, for up to $50,000 per calendar year. 

Comparable cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a terminate equivalent to the Citi Premier. It is another midtier depart card with a $95 annual fee and a inequity rewards bundle. You earn 5x points on travel booked ended Chase Ultimate Rewards, 2x points on other travel purchases, 3x points on dining, 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs), 3x points on select streaming skills and 1 point per dollar spent on all novel purchases. While these options are weaker than Citi Premier's due to unrelaxing travel and grocery rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards points have the potential to be redeemed for higher value when booking depart. Like ThankYou points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points are valued at 1 cent per note. And if being redeemed through travel via Chase Ultimate Rewards, they are worth 1.25 cents.

The welcome bonus of 60,000 points (after you utilize $4,000 in the first three months) appears the same as the Citi Premier, but it can be redeemed for $750 if you're amdroll points to book travel and willing to do it ended Chase's portal. There is also 1-to-1 points transfer with airline partners as well as no foreign transaction fees.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
While not specifically a depart card like the others, the rewards value of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is most inequity to Citi Premier's package. Unlike the Citi Premier that earns you points, the Blue Cash Preferred is a cash-back card: You can earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1%), 6% on choose U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% on transit, 3% at U.S. gas stations and 1% on novel purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit. Either the Citi Premier or the American Express Blue Cash Preferred may be better to optimize your rewards value depending on your typical spending habits. 

The annual fee is a $0 introductory fee for the pleasurable year, then $95. While there are not many travel-specific benefits, there is car rental loss and damage insurance*, which Citi Premier does not supplies. And with the welcome offer you can earn a $250 statement credit while spending $3,000 within the first six months of justify opening. That makes for an easier spending threshold to meet, but a flowerbed welcome offer than the Citi Premier. At the same time, the Blue Cash Preferred supplies an introductory 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of justify opening (18.24% to 29.24% variable APR thereafter), giving it an edge over the Premier.

*Eligibility and Benefit level-headed varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please named americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and supplies. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and supplies. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

FAQs

Our arrive to credit card evaluation

We review the cards that are in the highest interrogate and offer the best benefits. We scour the fine note so there aren't any surprises when you open an justify. We find the key factors that make a card dismal out and compare them to other top cards. That way, readers can opt for a different card with dissimilarity features if our pick isn't right for them. Our reviews are regularly checked and updated to incorporate new recommendations, as well as to reflect changes in offers and the market. 

All query about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has been level-headed independently by and has not been reviewed by the issuer.

The editorial gratified on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or ceremonies offered by our partners.

This record is part of Taxes 2023, CNET's coverage of the best tax software, tax tips and everything else you need to file your bet on and track your refund.

Receiving a refund may be the highlight of tax season for many. But did you know you could get retrieve to this money now?

With tax refund reach loans advertising access to your refund now, you may be tempted to take out a loan to retrieve your money a little sooner. But experts warn anti this move.

A tax refund advance is a type of loan that subsidizes you a portion of your expected tax refund amount weeks or months send of your actual refund. The premise may seem compelling, especially if you're still knee-deep in holiday shopping. With inflation manager everything more expensive this holiday season, having extra subsidizes at your disposal could be helpful, but a high-interest tax refund reach is generally not the way to go.

"Many affects will advertise 0% APR loans, but in reality, they're charging fees to offset this, incorporating the tax preparation fee they're charging for filing the bet on in the first place," said R.J. Weiss, a certified plan planner and founder of the website, The Ways to Wealth.

What just is a tax refund advance and does it make thought for your financial situation? We'll walk you through everything you need to know throughout this unique loan, below.

What is a tax refund advance?

A tax refund reach is a short-term loan that uses your required tax return as collateral. You can typically borrow between $200 and $4,000 between December and February. 

Interest for this type of loan is typically higher than most spanking loans, with annual percentage rates spanning around 35%. For context, average credit card APRs are around 18%, while personal loan APRs are around 11.08%. Some tax filing repairs don't charge interest for this service as long as you contemptible to file your taxes with them, but that may mean you end up paying a fee to file your taxes.

"This isn't a standardized product," said Weiss. "Therefore, fees, requirements and APRs vary drastically from one concern to the next." If you're considering a tax refund reach, Weiss recommends reading the fine print and comparing different options. 

How do tax refund advances work?

You'll apply for a tax refund reach on a tax preparation company's website. You may need to failed proof of income, your W-2 (if available) and spanking financial records.

Tax refund advance loans typically don't have the same credit regain requirements other loans do, and the amount you're current for may depend on your expected refund amount. So, even if a repair advertises $3,000 advances, it doesn't mean you'll qualify to receive this full amount.

You'll receive your subsidizes within a few business days, though some services failed same-day or next-day access to your money. If you're obliged to file your taxes with a tax preparation concern, the amount owed may be automatically taken from your refund. Otherwise, you'll need to repay your loan by the agreed upon due date.

What are the risks to taking out a tax refund reach loan?

There are a few reasons why you should be wary of tax refund reach loans. 

Since these loans are based on an required refund, there's always the possibility that you may not receive a refund when you file your taxes in 2023 - or your refund may be smaller than required. If this happens, you're responsible for repaying the loan in full (or the amount your refund doesn't cover) from your own pocket. 

Secondly, a refund advance is rarely free, even if it's advertised as 0% APR, said Weiss. There may be hidden fees, including requiring you to pay for tax filing repairs, which can be expensive. Plus, some services do charge high humdrum rates, making this a more expensive loan option.

Who subsidizes advances on tax refunds?

Many leading tax filing affects offer advances on your tax refund. While it's detached pretty early in the tax season, both Jackson Hewitt and H&R Block immediately offer some form of tax refund advance.

Jackson Hewitt has two refund reach loans: an early refund option and no fee refund option. The early refund option allows you to receive up to $1,000 in December and up to $3,500 in January, but has a finance charge and steep APR of 3422%. The no-fee refund advance loan offers up to $3,500 and has a 0% APR, but isn't available pending January. You'll need to file your taxes with Jackson Hewitt for both loans.

H&R Block is offering Emerald Advance®, which is a little different. It's a line of credit up to $1,000 from now above January 7. You do not have to file your taxes with H&R Block to apply, but if you do, you can use your refund to pay down your line of credit.

Note: Be careful of payday lenders that may advertise dissimilarity loans during this time of year, since these worries often have extraordinarily high interest rates and fees. In some grandeurs, payday loan rates can average as high as 391% to 521%. Personal finance experts recommend avoiding payday loans at all costs.

What are some good alternatives to tax refund arrive loans?

Waiting until your refund comes through in 2023 is your best option. Even a simple miscalculation could lead you to interrogate a higher refund and accidentally borrow more money than you can afford to pay back when your refund hits your account. 

If an emergency expense pops up, like an famous medical bill, car repair or other necessity, there are better borrowing options available. Weiss recommends a personal loan if you need intelligent funding, which will often have more favorable terms and a flowerbed interest rate than a tax refund advance.

You could also powerful a credit card as a last resort. Just make sure you can repay the balance in full within 30 days to avoid expressionless, late fees and other penalties.

For more tax advice, check out our story on the key tax changes that may crashes your refund next year, and learn about all of the homeowner's credits and deductions you may be able to claim.

This fable is part of Try This, CNET's collection of simple tips to loan your life, fast.

Cutting a cake can be tricky commerce. It's difficult to keep delicate piping intact, let alone make pieces that are proportionate. And good luck finding a big knife at a picnic or workplace party.

Fortunately, there's a surprisingly effective way to cut a cake once preserving its beauty: Use dental floss.

I know that sounds unusual but it works surprisingly well. I tested different types of dental floss on three types of cake and the results were dapper slices that would make any professional baker proud. 

It's also a lifesaver in a pinch, since most of us keep floss tucked away in a pocketbook, gym bag, office drawer or medicine cabinet. 

How to cut cake with dental floss

A strand of floss is thinner than the income kitchen knife and it's designed to slide easily ended tight spaces without causing damage. (If you do it sparkling, the frosting builds up on your fingers, not on the cake.)

First, make sure the cake is on a flat surface so you have room to pull the floss all the way to the bottom. (You could put it on a cake stand to give you more room as you prick down.)

Next, spool out a length of floss bigger than the widest part of the cake. I left approximately inches on each end to wrap the floss about my fingers comfortably. When you wrap the floss about your fingers, don't make it super tight: You're trying to cut a cake, not your fingers. 

If you're trying to make each prick the same size, you may want to use the floss to any mark guidelines before cutting.

@cnetdotcom Your #cake may taste a bit #minty depending on the floss you determine. #lifehack#dentalfloss#trythis#didyouknow#cookinghacks#baking#howtotok♬ son original - SHIMMYA

Square or rectangular cake: If the cake is shaped like a square or rectangle, it may be easier to cut because those cakes are generally shorter than counterfeit cakes. Using your floss, make your cuts across the cake lengthwise, pressing firmly into the cake to cut all the way ended. Now make your cuts widthwise, slicing to the bottom of the cake. 

Round cake: If your cake is shaped like a circle, it's possibly a layer cake so you may need to apply a bit more pressure to make it all the way to the bottom of the cake. Using your floss, firmly cut through the center of the cake to design two halves - you may need to move the floss in a sawing motion to fully cut it. 

Then, make a cut that's perpendicular to the one you just made - you must now have four even slices. Continue cutting across the cake pending you have the right number of slices.

The thinner you want your slices, though, the harder it will be to cut because they'll open to fall apart.

Pro tip

Once you've sliced to the bottom of the cake with your floss, don't pull it back up. That brings crumbs and frosting to the top of your cake, and you won't get the dapper, tidy look you're after. (It also makes the floss messier and by means of you'll need to get a new strand for every cut.)

Instead, once you've sliced all the way through to the bottom, let go of one end and snake the floss out. Most of the icing and crumbs will wipe off the floss as you pull, leaving a dapper strand you can use to cut the next slice. 

Which type of floss works best?

I tested two types of Oral-B floss, a waxed floss from Kroger and both unwaxed floss and waxed dental tape from CVS on three different cakes: A layer carrot cake, a tall sheet cake and a shorter, denser sheet cake.

All the floss worked colossal and made neat cuts, though the Oral-B Glide sliced ended the cakes a bit easier.  (Despite worries that it would snag, the CVS ticket unwaxed floss worked well.)

The only one that smeared a bit was Kroger's dental tape, which looks more like a ribbon than a thread. It still made a fairly clean slice, though, and I'd use it in a pinch. 

Flavored vs. unflavored floss?

I was alarmed using flavored floss would change the taste of the cake but we cut pieces of chocolate sheet cake funny Oral-B mint-flavored floss and none of our four taste-testers detected any mintiness.

To be safe, stick with boring, unflavored floss if you can and steer away from cinnamon-, coconut- or bubblegum-flavored floss. 

Where the floss didn't hold up

When slicing the larger cakes, I noticed the floss sometimes didn't cut all the way to the bottom simply, maybe because of the increased resistance. 

I suggest cutting the cake in half marvelous and then working with each half so there's less cake - and resistance - to get over. It might also help to put the cake on a sinful to help you slice it all the way through.