It might not feel like it after cup number five on a dismal Monday afternoon, but it turns out that tea might be crucial to living a long, healthy life.
That’s according to new research by the aptly named Tea Advisory Panel (TAP), based on more than 40 studies undertaken on the apparently manifold benefits of being a regular drinker of the nations favorite hot pick-me-up.
First of all, it’ll do wonders for your heart. It’s suggested that four to five cups of black or green tea a day improves cardiovascular function, lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Not a bad tip for a country where cardiovascular disease kills 150,000 people a year, which works out as 26% of all deaths.
And that’s not the whole story.
Both black and green tea significantly reduce levels of the LDL cholesterol associated with cardiovascular risk, with those at highest risk seeing the greatest reduction.
One12-week study concluded that three cups of black tea lowered levels of dangerous triglycerides by 35.8%, and the ratio of unhealthy LDL cholesterol to protective HDL cholesterol improved by 16.6%. Green tea appears to have the most potent cholesterol-lowering power, delivering significant reductions in both LDL and total cholesterol levels.
It’s also a boon for that pesky, YouTube blasted concentration span that keeps getting you into so much workplace trouble, with several of the studies showing that regular tea drinkers experience increased cognitive function and less of a pronounced decline in old age.
One Dutch study from 2011 found that black tea drinkers had significantly enhanced accuracy in attention tests, and higher self-reported alertness in comparison to those that were given a placebo beverage.
The authors concluded: ‘Being the second most widely consumed beverage in the world after water, tea is a relevant contributor to our daily cognitive functioning’.
That’s not to mention it’s apparent benefits in keeping a healthier mouth- with tea acting as a natural source of fluoride, perfect for keeping teeth solid and breath fresh.
Who’d have thought a casual, unthinking cuppa could have these many pluses?
(Picture: Getty Images/Caiaimage)
It’s not just the result of one flimsy report, says TAP’s Dr Chris Etheridge, a co-author of the review.
‘There has been a large body of anecdotal and observational evidence suggesting tea protects against heart disease, but our review of the latest studies and trials confirms there is a clear benefit’.
People often keep memoirs to honour loved ones who have passed away.
ne woman wanted to honour her mother’s life and decided to keep an unusual memento; she decided to keep locks of her deceased mother’s hair.
And now she needs help from someone who’s willing to make a dress out of it.
The 61-year-old, from Bristol, has launched an appeal to find a factory capable of creating the dress.
(Picture: Sewport)
The woman, who wants to remain unnamed, says she’d been collecting her mother’s hair for four years before she died, and has set aside around £15,000 for the dress to be made.
The woman posted the request on fashion manufacturing marketplace Sewport last week, but due to the unusual nature of her request, has been unable to find a manufacturer or seamstress to work with her.
She’d been collecting the hair since her mum fell ill in 2014 and didn’t initially know what to do with it until recently.
The request states that the manufacturer who takes the job will need to recreate the ballroom-style dress, with the sleeves, neckline, bottom trim and bodice decorated with the hair.
She would like the dress to be as ‘authentic’ as possible and has sketched out what she would like it to look like.
The daughter has said that £15,000 has been put aside for the creation of the dress, as she knows it’s ‘weird’.
She would like the dress completed before next August – one year on from her mother’s death.
It states that she wants the outfit to replicate her mother’s wedding dress from 1953 and also stated that she has ‘one full box’ of hair, which she hopes will be enough.
‘Obviously it’s not every day we get requests like this through, and despite having more than 500 manufacturers on site, no one’s shown any interest in carrying out the work yet,’ said Boris Hodakel, Sewport founder.
‘The lady, who has asked to remain anonymous, is just looking for someone to help her create a final memento of her mother.
‘Our goal is to give everyone, from professional designers to students, the chance to create exactly what they have envisioned – even if it is a dress made of hair.’
When all the limited edition high street faves start to roll out in earnest.
And nothing screams ‘festive’ with quite such force as this new offering from Vienetta, a chocolate and orange number in a big tub for just £2 a pop.
Though we should stress that this is very much a limited edition offer, and there’s no word on exactly how long we’ll be treated to this new combo on the ASDA shelves.
If it sounds like your sort of thing, then it might be wise to stockpile some in the old freezer .
But that isn’t all, you’ll be gratified to hear.
There’s also a new mint flavour set to premier, at the even lower cost of £1. And you’ll be able to pick the mini-treats up at retailers across the high street at Iceland.
It’s a pretty good time for fans of novelty frozen treats, with another strawberry and vanilla edition also in the mix.
Or, as Iceland put it themselves: ‘Strawberry and vanilla flavour ice cream ripple dessert with chocolate flavoured layers’.
Sounds decent, right? £1.50 for an entire box, so you could pick them up from the supermarket without breaking the bank.
There’s 13 per cent alcohol shot through the creamy mix, so there’s potential to save yourself a few quid in round money with this tub of pure, chocolatey goodness.
The Fenty Beauty founder is often seen on the red carpet or literally anywhere with the most dazzling looks.
And because she is a person of the people, she has shared many a tip on how to recreate her fierceness.
The singer has put together a ‘gothic chic’ look for her weekly Tutorial Tuesday With Rihanna videos on YouTube and it includes some pretty bold lipstick.
Though RiRi would probably wear this on a casual day out and rock it, you could wear it as part of your Halloween makeup if you wanted.
(Picture: Fenty Beauty By Rihanna)
‘Today is all about this lip and this flyliner’ she says in the video, using the dark coloured Uninvited which comes as part of the Stunna lip paint range.
‘I’m really excited to show you guys how black this black is. You know I love black lips, but it only works if it’s not sheer.’
Applying the highly pigmented gloss on her bottom lip, she points out that she doesn’t need to keep dipping into the pot to get more of the liquid.
(Picture: Fenty Beauty By Rihanna)
And to create a flirty cat eye, you can change the way you press down on the wand to create the look you want, she says.
‘I’m just going to do a slight, little cat-eye, starting really, really, really thin in the inner corner and gradually getting slightly slightly wider.
‘The tip of this brush controls everything, ifyou want to go thin you just create like really light tension on the brush. If you want to go thicker, just press into the brush slightly. If you want to go even thicker, you press more, then you let it go.’
To complete it, use the CLF Killawatt highlighter in the inner corners of your eyes to add a pop. ‘It adds drama without doing the most’ she explains.
The brand’s CEO, Stacy Panagakis said: ‘Its special because we’re taking a walk down memory lane to 2009 and celebrating our iconic Unicorn Lipsticks in our original and unforgettable purple holographic packaging.’
Launching online tomorrow, the whimsically designed 10th birthday collection includes five original and seven new Unicorn Lipsticks (£16.50), complete with sparkling purple packaging.
Lime Crime lipsticks are well-known for being pretty out there, with their offering of unconventional shades.
So if you want your lips to make a statement, their birthday collection doesn’t disappoint. And although it may be a little early – they’d be a seriously gorgeous stocking stuffer.
(Picture: Lime Crime)
To mark the occasion there’s also the Birthday Shadow Palette (£40), which features Lime Crime’s favourite colours of the rainbow, in four finishes including matte and glitter.
And what’s a birthday party without a little sparkle? That’s what the new Diamond Dew (£18) glitter eyeshadow pot, aptly named Confetti is for.
If that’s not enough to tempt you, there’s also a Birthday Party Brush Set (£35) and a pink metallic Birthday Makeup Case (£34.50). And all of Lime Crime’s colours are 100% vegan and cruelty-free.
Lime Crime’s limited edition birthday collection will be available online at Lookfantastic from 25th October.
But it’s not just her clothes people are interested in.
After she made a banana bread for of an engagement in New South Wales, Australia, everyone is looking for her recipe.
Waitrose revealed that recipe searches for banana bread on their website increased by 52% since Meghan served up hers.
Meghan didn’t reveal the exact ingredients she used but according to the Daily Mail, it contained chocolate chips and ginger.
To recreate her recipe, you could just try adding crystallized ginger and chocolate chips to your standard recipe.
Waitrose said that searches for this spiced loaf, which includes ginger but not chocolate, are up 137%.
Pre-made banana loaf cake sales are also on the rise, with sales up 65% versus the same time last year and the supermarket’s loaf tins are up 10% on the previous week.
(Picture: Daily Mail Australia)
Zoe Simons, Senior Innovation Development Chef at Waitrose, shares her tips for making a banana loaf, saying: ‘I always use over ripe bananas when making my banana loaf cakes, when their skins have turned dark brown they taste even sweeter.
‘I blitz them in the food processor to make a paste, put in a container and pop them in the freezer so they are ready whenever I want to make one.
‘Toasted pecans and caramel make tasty additions to banana bread, and if its for a special occasion I’ll make a miso caramel to swirl through the mixture.
‘The umami flavour works really well with the sweetness of the caramel and the banana bread – I find white miso works best.’
It’s not the first time the Duchess of Sussex has shown her love for cooking.
Before she met Harry, she ran a lifestyle blog called The Tig, where she regularly posted recipes.
And she wrote a foreword for a cookbook to raise funds for Grenfell Tower.
The book includes recipes includes a variety of recipes from women helping in the Hubb Community Kitchen and Meghan’s own recipe for green chilli and avocado dip.
An ice-cold Slush Puppie conjures up memories of childhood.
There’s nothing quite like a sugar rush and a bright blue tongue.
And now you can relive those happy times in the comfort of your own home.
Earlier this year the drinks company announced that they would sell the drinks in pouches – and they are finally available at Tesco.
The pouches are available in sour cherry, blue raspberry and strawberry and each pouch contains just 95 calories.
You can pick them up in a multipack of three 250ml pouches for just £3.
(Picture: Slush Puppie)
Once frozen, you can crush to get your preferred level of slushiness.
The range is suitable for vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs and is made with real fruit juice from concentrate – containing no added sugar and no artificial flavours.
Richard Benjamin, of Manchester Drinks who make the pouches, said:‘The Slush Puppie brand has been around for decades and remains hugely popular for all ages.
‘With the Slush Puppie drink traditionally having only been available through the dispenser machine format in venues such as cinemas and bowling alleys, the new pouch allows fans to take the great taste of Slush Puppie home with them to freeze and enjoy whenever they are ready. And because the Slush Puppie pouch contains no added sugar, parents can feel good about treating their children to one.
‘We are delighted to have launched the pouch so that people can enjoy this nostalgic, convenient slush drink wherever and whenever they choose.’
A young couple survived for a month only eating food that otherwise would have been thrown away, in a bid to highlight just how much food is being wasted in the UK.
Sophie and Paul Collins decided to challenge themselves to see if they could make it a month without spending any money on food.
The couple, who run the blog Vegan On Board, asked friends and family for food they were planning to throw away. They also ate food that was past its sell-by date and foraged for fruit from trees.
They want other families to work harder to waste less food (Picture: SWNS)
A study by the Waste & Resources Action Programme, found that the average UK family is wasting nearly £750 by wasting food. The figures show that families throw away almost en entire, edible meal, every day.
Sophie and Paul saved around £400 over their four-week experiment – now they’re encouraging others to challenge themselves to limit their food waste.
‘For the first week, we struggled getting enough to eat and it was hard to put a proper meal together,’ explains Sophie.
‘But then we started to find ways to access more of the food that is being wasted locally.’
Paul and Sophie say it’s a great way to save money and help the planet (Picture: SWNS)
Her husband Paul found that once they got into the swing of it, they had more than enough to last them the month.
‘We did a lot of foraging like collecting apples as some people have boxes outside their houses – that was mostly fruit because most people have fruit trees,’ says Paul.
‘We also asked families to look in their cupboards for what they won’t have used for years. We ended up with this big hall of food and we lived off it.
‘I guess the thing that really started us off is that we are big fans of sustainability. I would really like to see a change for the better.
‘It is amazing how much you can find.’
According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption gets wasted every year – approximately 1.3 billion tons.
The FAO also found that in the UK alone, 8.4 million people struggle to afford a meal.
(Picture: SWNS)
Sophie and Paul think living more sustainably, and being careful about what we waste, could make a big difference for hundreds of families.
The couple are now planning on trying to hit their target of £1,000 by hosting a fundraising feast for friends and supporters.
‘The challenge has made us more creative with the food we eat,’ says Paul.
‘We now know so many great ways to use stale bread – French toast, breaded mushrooms, garlic croutons – that we will never throw it away again.’
The couple hope their food waste challenge, will also inspire others to hold supermarkets and suppliers accountable for the waste they produce.
We love a gin and tonic – but it’s not exactly the most colourful drink.
If you fancy brightening up your G&T, Bombay Sapphire has launched a range of edible paint.
The paint is currently available at five bars but is set to be rolled out nationwide in the coming months.
You can try it at Duck & Waffle, London, Mr Fogg’s House of Botanicals in Fitzrovia, London; Scout in Hackney, London; Panda and Sons in Edinburgh and Tariff & Dale in Manchester.
(Picture: Bombay Sapphire)
The collection launches with a ‘Blue Edition’ paint colour but more colours are being developed.
Devised in partnership with award-winning bartender and Duck & Waffle’s Head of Cocktail Development Rich Woods, the drink is created by painting a stroke of the coloured liquid down the side of your glass before the alcohol and mixer are added, allowing the colour and flavours to infuse as you drink.
Renaud de Bosredon, Bombay Sapphire Brand Ambassador, says: ‘We’re super excited to launch the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Paint Collection and bring it to gin lovers across the country.
(Picture: Bombay Sapphire)
‘We want people to have fun and be creative with the way they enjoy this iconic serve. Each essence has been carefully designed to complement our botanicals, showcasing the perfectly balanced flavour profile of Bombay Sapphire, and providing the ideal canvas for creative cocktails.’
The collection launches with a ‘Blue Edition’ paint colour but more colours are being developed.
I’ve been labelled too sensitive since I was first able to talk.
It didn’t matter to the adults I knew that children don’t have fully formed frontal lobes (the rational bit of the brain), I was still ordered ‘don’t cry!’ or ‘don’t be a baby!’
It seemed certain emotions made some people uncomfortable and showing them meant being shamed, dismissed or branded ‘too much.’
Feelings made me a liability as an adult too, I discovered.
‘Don’t let them know they’ve hurt you,’ people would suggest. When my eyes looked dangerously watery at work I was counselled, ‘Never cry in a newsroom.’
I’m talented, I’m strong, I’m courageous, but I also feel deeply, and for some people that makes me a melodramatic, high maintenance, wet blanket.
Felicity is proud to be called a snowflake (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)
Alongside these terms, there’s now a relatively new label that’s thrown around to patronise people who express their feelings: ‘snowflake.’
It’s a derogatory term used to silence anyone who is supposedly not resilient enough, easily offended, or foolishly thinks they are special.
Alongside this insult I’ve been told on social media that I’m ‘emotionally vulnerable,’ a ‘lefty’ (I’m pretty centrist), a member of the ‘useless generation,’ a millennial (that’s true), that I think I’m the centre of the universe and that I’m trying to push my emotions on other people or control them with my feelings.
Faced with this criticism in the past, I might have retreated into myself thinking I was wrong, broken or too fragile. But now I know being sensitive and allowing yourself to feel and express those feelings is one of the bravest things you can do.
I used to barely feel anything. Around six years ago, faced with a few traumatic experiences that hot footed themselves one after another, I shut down my emotions.
I lived a numb life, where the closest I got to intimacy was an interesting power play and relationships felt like a game of chess.
She believes that people who call others snowflakes are actually sensitive themselves (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)
In the end I got myself a therapist, and began a long path of unravelling where I’d closed the shutters round my heart.
I’ve worked hard to be in touch with my emotions; to move through the most painful and uncomfortable of sensations – grief, anger, hurt, jealousy – and been rewarded with an increased capacity for their opposites – joy, love, trust, intimacy.
So I’m happy to be called a snowflake because I know it means I’m doing something right.
Labelling someone in this way is a bit irrational though. Of course people are provoked by headlines, most headlines are designed to emotionally provoke.
Some pundits go out to offend then act surprised when people are offended. Said people are then called snowflakes.
The thing about people who are offended by snowflakes is that in labelling others as emotional or out of control, they also out themselves as struggling in the same way.
In fact they are such sensitive people, that not only do they have difficulty permitting their own feelings, but other people’s too.
Being a snowflake helps Felicity empathise with others (Picture: Susannah Ireland/Metro.co.uk)
Some say being emotional is unprofessional – that there’s no space in the workplace for ‘special snowflakes’.
In some jobs or situations that might be true but, in my experience, emotions don’t respect a 9-5 working schedule.
Sure you can repress them, shove them down and wait until the end of the day, by which time you’re chock full and overwhelmed, ready to snap at anyone close by, or needing to numb your feelings in whatever unhealthy way possible (think food, drink, drugs).
Maybe you have to hide alone, isolate yourself until the storm passes, even call in sick so you don’t ‘shame’ yourself by being emotional in front of your colleagues.
However, we can’t learn how to process and share our emotions usefully unless we allow them.
That might look messy at first, but in my opinion it’s preferable to us all living in robotic denial of our emotional vulnerability during the working week and taking it out on our kids or partners when we get home.
There are brilliant things about being a snowflake. I can feel other people’s moods, even if they don’t obviously display them, which helps me understand, empathise and find a way to connect with people, whether they are high or low.
I pick up when something is off or when someone is lying, and I know I can trust myself – I’ve worked with my own feelings enough to rely on them as my own special spidey sense.
The best thing about owning this label though, is that I’ve given myself full permission to be human.
And because of that, I can let others be human too – sometimes resentful, sometimes joyful, sometimes making mistakes and sometimes labelling others through their own fear.
And if that’s where they are right now, I can meet them there with love, because I’ve been there too.
Labels is an exclusive series that hears from individuals who have been labelled – whether that be by society, a job title, or a diagnosis. Throughout the project, writers will share how having these words ascribed to them shaped their identity — positively or negatively — and what the label means to them.
If we believed every sex myth we heard in high school, none of us would ever be brave enough to actually do the deed.
From immaculate conceptions to rainbow kisses, schoolyard chats about sex were anything but vanilla, and often the myths included grotesque injuries or fatalities.
While we know our bodies a bit better now, some of these odd stories never really leave our psyche.
From a story about a woman getting pregnant after masturbating with a lobster tail, to the old legend about the dangers of stimulating your anus with a pool filter, there are tales that are likely still being discussed in the playground and that no one really ever thought to tell us the status of.
That’s where Getting Freaky comes in. We’re going to debunk these weird tales – or in some cases bunk them.
In the first superfreaky instalment, we’ll be looking at vaginal embolisms.
It all starts in the playground of my school, when a boy wearing Joop cologne and a lot of Superdrug’s own wet-look gel regaled us all with the story of a woman who died after the person going down on her blew into her vagina.
Although it seemed wholly implausible, the most any of us had had done to us was an over-the-knickers finger in somebody’s back bedroom, so who were we to tell?
Was doing this de rigeur during cunnilingus, and was it as dangerous as the young yarnspinner said?
The answer – and please sit down for this – is that you actually can die from this.
Despite the fact it’s not a common occurrence, there have been incidences where someone has blown into their partner’s vagina, and the air bubble has created an embolism, which can then lead to a heart attack, stroke, or respiratory failure.
An embolism is when a bubble of air enters the bloodstream, and you’re more susceptible if you have an injury or tear in the area or are pregnant.
These can happen in a number of ways, and many are purported to be due to at-home attempted abortions, although there have been some cases of it happening during sex.
The cause of death was ruled as an embolism, and it was found that the piston-like motion had caused air to become trapped in the vagina, find its way into the bloodstream due to a possible tear in the placenta, and cause cardiac arrest.
The Postgrad Medical Journal also reported in 1998 that a UK Department of Health enquiry had found three cases of death by embolism during sexual intercourse and one case of death by embolism during oral sex.
The Academic Emergency Medicine Journal told of a similar case of a pregnant woman after her husband had insufflated a large amount of air into her vagina,
That said, it’s a very small risk, and not something that’s going to happen with a light blow to the vulva or vigorous sex session.
We got in contact with a number of gynaecologists in the UK, and not one was able to speak on the issue since they’d had no personal experience of it. So it really is something of an anomaly.
If you are genuinely worried, bear in mind that risk factors like pregnancy or vaginal injury play a large part, as do positions (for example the knee-chest, which is like doggy-style but you put your bum in the air and place your chest on your needs).
But on the whole it’s more about full-on pushing of air into the vagina while creating a kind of seal to stop the air escaping, which doesn’t tend to be common practice during cunnilingus.
If this kind of stimulation is what does it for you, though, you should ask your partner to go easy and gently use air on your vulva or just at the opening of your vagina.
Also, if you’re engaging in fisting or penetration with a large item, exercise caution.
Vaginal insufflation is a thing that doesn’t just extend to sexual practices, either. Some alternative therapy companies sell products for ‘ozone therapy’ whereby gases are pumped into the vagina via a douche-like mechanism.
The companies claim that the therapy can help with myriad health problems, and that there’s no risk in using their products.
While it’s certainly not likely that you’ll suffer an embolism, it’s possible, and you should speak to your GP before starting any alternative therapies.
Mum-of-two Anne Osborne has been eating nothing but fruit for the last 27 years.
She is 52, keeps fit, and is now raising her children on the same raw diet.
Even for Christmas, Anne, from Queensland, Australia, eats just eight dates and half a melon and says she never goes hungry.
When going out to eat, she takes her own food with her, eating a portion of melon as a starter, main and dessert.
And the fruit festival director insists her diet is not boring.
(Picture: PA Real Life)
Anne typically starts her day with a mango or half a melon for breakfast (150-200 calories approximately), before snacking on four bananas mid-morning (400 cals), lunching on an avocado (400 cals appx) and eating two mangos for dinner (300 cals appx).
‘What could be better than gorgeous fruit?’ said Anne.
‘I feel healthy and energetic on this diet. I love being a fruitarian. I believe we are all frugivores – animals that thrive mostly on raw fruit, succulent fruit-like vegetables, roots, shoots, nuts and seeds – and it makes total sense to me to only eat fruit.
‘When you first transfer over to a fruit diet you don’t feel full in the same way as you do when eating regular food, but it has to be sustainable and now I don’t feel the hunger.’
(Picture: PA Real Life)
Anne, who became a vegan in 1991, spends $200 (around £110) a week on her fruit supply.
She insists that the fruits have to be good quality and that nibbling on them in social occasions is not an issue for her.
To wash down the fruit, Anne, who does not consume alcohol, only drinks juiced oranges or still water, saving sparkling water for special occasions, like a birthday or Christmas toast.
‘If you want to follow a fruit only diet, it has to be good stuff, be that organic, or foraged and grown in good quality soil.
‘I have never found social situations to be an issue.
‘If I’m going to a restaurant, I will either order ahead and make sure I have a fruit platter, or I’ll take my own fruit and ask them to bring it out on a plate when everyone else is eating.
‘My boys never had any interest in sweets growing up but, at the age of 14, they both decided to move on and eat more than fruit.
‘Getting the NHS-recommended 2,000 calories a day on a fruit diet isn’t that hard,’ she said.
‘An avocado is 400 calories, so eating two of those means you are already on 800 calories and bananas have 100 calories each. I’ve never followed this diet to lose weight. It makes me feel good, and that’s the most important thing.’
If you are thinking of a fruit-based diet, consult with a dietician as it can have its risks.
Dietitian Sarah Elder said: ‘Fruit can contain high levels of water and for fruitarians to meet their energy needs it is likely they will have to eat a large volume of fruit to ensure their weight is within a healthy Body Mass Index.
‘Even with weight in this range, it is likely that people who eat only fruit will be deficient in protein, fats, iron, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin Bs and iodine.
‘The high levels of sugar and fibre can also cause digestion difficulties including wind bloating and loose stools.’
New data from Public Health England has revealed that 400 young adults are being diagnised with chlamydia and gonorrhoea each day in the UK.
That’s equivalent to one every four minutes.
Last year, there were 144,000 diagnoses among those aged 15 to 24, which highlighted the importance of sex education and STI testing.
People in this age group account for 63% of chlamydia diagnoses and 37% of gonorrhoea diagnoses, with gonorrhoea in particular seeing a 22% increase from the previous year.
PHE have started a campaign in response to the findings, signing up Made in Chelsea’s Sam Thompson as a spokesperson.
He’s gone to schools across the country to let young people know that condoms are available free to under-25s, and that STIs are often symptomless, to to get checked regularly regardless.
Dr Hamish Mohammed, Consultant STI Scientist at Public Health England, said:
‘Young people are more likely to be diagnosed with an STI than people aged 25 and older. STIs present a real threat to young people, and without using condoms, young people are putting themselves and their partners at risk of getting an STI.’
How to prevent the spread of STIs
First and foremost, always use a condom. Those under 25 can find out where to get hold of free ones here.
Get tested regularly. That means at least yearly (even if you only have one long-term partner), or every three months if you have sex with multiple partners.
Keep an eye on any changes – such as unusual discharge or pain in your genitals. While some STIs show no symptoms, others will present themselves.
If you feel you may be at risk of HIV, speak to your GP about being prescribed PrEP, which you take daily to lessen the chances of contracting the infection.
You can find out where your local sexual health support services are here.
Freddie Mercury of Queen photographed in Chicago. (Photo: Paul Natkin/WireImage)
I had very little awareness of Freddie Mercury during his life, save for once reading the liner notes to my mum’s cassette of A Kind Of Magic when I was about eight, and deciding an advert for 1989’s The Miracle was ‘too loud’.
But within months of his death I was a fully paid up member of the Official International Queen Fan Club.
And my first purchase, a baseball cap and T-shirt, meant you could tell this from a distance of over 50 yards. I was lost in a world of badges, posters and picture discs.
At times it was too much for my young mind to bear. On buying a limited edition gold CD of the News Of The World album on my 12th birthday, I burst into tears in HMV.
By the age of 14 I had created the jewel in the crown: a Queen decorated D.T. folder that took over eight hours to cut, arrange and glue. It not only served as a fitting tribute to the band, but also helped keep girls I fancied at a safe distance, something I credit for having kept me glandular fever-free to this day.
No, girls didn’t want to know why I’d superimposed a photo of Freddie taken in February 1989 over a photo of the remaining members of the band from the cover of 1995’s Made In Heaven (to serve as a representation of his approval of the posthumous release). They were much more interested in a kid called Dean who would steal them trainers from Footlocker (which is illegal), sell them cannabis his brother had grown (which is also illegal) and finger them at parties (which, in fairness to Dean, is legally a grey area).
I admit it, I’m in love with a dead man. A man untainted by Twitter spats about virtue signalling, Facebook rants about Trump, Insta stories about his fitness regime or any of the insipid white noise social media has to offer.
He gave the world nothing more than his work, and for me, the passion for that work grows the further away it gets. My relationship with him began with loss, and loss will continue to define it. I never met him, never saw him live, never queued at a stage door for his autograph, and I never will.
But for just over two hours last week I got to spend some time with him thanks to a quite extraordinary performance by actor Rami Malek in the new film, Bohemian Rhapsody.
Brian May, Rami Malek and Roger Taylor at the Bohemian Rhapsody premiere (Photo by Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImage)
I know people who met Freddie Mercury, and I will demand they tell the anecdote again and again and again until I’m asked to leave, but part of me never quite believes them, part of me can’t quite get my head round the fact he existed at all. It’s like I dreamt him.
There are videos on YouTube of course, but what if they’re all in on this Truman Show deception too? A bizarre prank to make a 36 year old man believe in Freddie Mercury.
Rami Malek must have studied such footage as meticulously as I did growing up in the 1990s.
Malek’s Mercury is superb, indeed it’s almost as good as mine (once, on a holiday to France, I made my friends watch me mime Freddie’s movements in the video for These Are The Days Of Our Lives…twice…back to back. And I could do it now, from memory, any time, any place… just cover my travel).
With a character who’s movements on stage are so iconic, it would have been easy to descended into tribute act parody, but not here, and I suspect the reason is he started small, before attempting the fist pumps and mic stand histrionics we all know so well.
Freddie Mercury had big teeth, and lots of them (four more than you or I), he was very conscious of them and had a subtle habit of covering them in interviews by pulling his top lip down over them. As soon as I saw this tic in the trailer for Bohemian Rhapsody, I knew there was a chance it would all be all right in the end.
Years of experience have given me some trepidation with any post-Freddie Queen project, from the Queen soundtracked CD ROM game Queen: The eYe (‘boring and sh*t’ – PC Gamer) to the record breaking musical We Will Rock You, which baffled me as much when I saw its final London show as it did when I’d seen the opening night some 12 years earlier.
But in a Soho screening last week, as Brian May’s version of the 20th Century Fox theme bounced around the sound system, a shiver ran down my spine, a shiver which actually remained throughout the film.
I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced a shiver running down your spine for over two hours, it’s one of the most unsettling feelings I’ve ever experienced.
It was what it must be like to have the object of your affections lean in for a first kiss, or pass Brad Pitt on the escalator, or realising you’ve got all five lottery numbers, with one to go, if there was a way of making those moments last for 135 minutes.
How on earth Gwilym Lee managed to replicate Brian May’s speaking voice quite so accurately will remain a mystery, it’s just as uncanny as the matching of Mercury’s vocals to Malek’s performance. Sorry, Adam Lambert, but only Freddie can do Freddie, so thank God it’s been left to him.
Until last week I thought, ‘I bet they gloss over Deacon’. I mean, he’s got more lines in the film than I think exist of him in interview, but what struck me most, more than anything else in the film, was how Joseph Mazello got John Deacon’s smile!
It’s slightly flat, and goes down at the sides. I thought only I knew that! Mazello absolutely inhabits Deacon’s innocent, slightly terrified slightly bewildered sensitivity, and also, the ‘dad at a wedding reception’ part sway, part stamp, part dance he did onstage.
There’s a feeling that will be a familiar to anyone who’s ever experienced obsessive fandom. It’s the thrill you get when you realise someone else cares about something small as much as you do: a misprint on a rare vinyl, a demo version of a B-side, a bootleg.
I know every person on earth can sing along to Bohemian Rhapsody, but have they sought out the piano at Rockfield Studios that it was recorded on?
Do they know how many times Kenny Everett played the white label copy on his Capitol Radio Show?
Have they spent 30 years dreaming of owning the limited edition blue vinyl that was given away to EMI bigwigs in 1978?
Understandably not, but I felt that thrill watching someone else nail John Deacon’s smile.
There was a time when smoking was considered by some to be the height of cool.
Audrey Hepburn with a cocktail cigarette on fifth avenue was an elegant sight, but that was all before we fully knew the dangers of the habit.
Now that smokers have to head outside for their nicotine fix, and with big, scary warning signs on all the packets, that allure has definitely worn off.
This is certainly the case for daters, as a new survey has revealed 50% of people would swipe left on someone who smokes.
The stats – from a survey of over 2000 adults by e-liquid company Vapemate – also showed that more than a quarter of those surveyed have ended or considered ending a relationship because of their partner’s smoking habit.
If the thought of being dumped or rejected completely for smoking doesn’t already put you off, the fact that 18% of respondents said that they or a partner have experienced an inability to perform in the bedroom because of smoking.
With #Stoptober nearly coming to an end, it might be time to say goodbye to cigarettes entirely if you want to be a Casanova.
We all know that smoking can yellow teeth and make wrinkles more prominent, but it’s a pretty worrying statistic that 51% of those asked said that someone is significantly less attractive with a cigarette in their hand, and even more had seen someone close to them lose their looks because of their smoking habit.
The NHS have been promoting their Stoptober efforts, and you can take a test on their site to work out which form of help is best for you.
You can also get the Stoptober app, where you can track how much you’ve saved by not buying cigarettes and see all the progress you’re making.
Many people are using e-cigarettes to kick the habit, but you can also go for patches, inhalers, lozenges, or gum to cut down and quit for good.
With the weather like it is currently – and given the news it essentially makes you a dating pariah – you’ll never want to set foot in a damp, smelly smoking area again.
There’s nothing quite like a long hot soak at the end of a day.
With your favourite bubble baths, a few candles and gentle music, it’s incredibly relaxing.
But a study has shown that it’s not just a chance to chill – a bath could actually be more effective at treating depression than exercise.
Scientists at the University of Freiburg, Germany, asked 45 people with depression to take a 30 minute soak in a warm bath every day for eight weeks.
This was followed by 20 minutes of relaxing, wrapped in blankets and a hot water bottle.
(Picture: Steve Cole/Getty Images)
The group were then given a depression scale to describe their mood, which showed that on average, the mental wellbeing of the group improved by six points.
Although exercise is usually recommended to help treat depression, this study showed that those who took a warm bath, scored three points better in the scale than those who were asked to do 45 minutes of aerobic exercise a week.
The theory is that as a warm bath helps to increase your core body temperature, it can strengthen and synchronise your body clock or circadian rhythms.
In depressed people, this rhythm can be disrupted or delayed by several hours.
So reach for the essential oils, find a time to relax and run a bath that is slighting hotter than your body temperature – between 40C and 45C is perfect.
The London underground is an iconic part of the capital’s infrastructure, ferrying rowdy partygoers and knackered commuters alike to their destinations.
Despite this, TFL may not seem like the most fashionable company, with their zany carpet-decked seats and scuffed floors, but Adidas Originals have decided to collab with them on a new range of trainers.
It’s to celebrates 15 years of the Oyster, and apparently ‘takes its inspiration from the past, present and future to celebrate the heritage and unity of London’s creators.;
The collection includes three pairs inspired by the lines running under the city, each in a different style and colourway.
The first – Temper Run – have got a bit of the dad-trainer about them, with grey and white outer, primary-coloured detailing and an ‘mind the gap’ logo.
(Picture: Adidas)
The Adidas Originals ZX 500 RM is more muted, and was created as an homage to the disused stations on the tube network, featuring a hidden london roundel on the tongue.
(Picture: Adidas)
Then we have the Continental 80s, which are inspired by the Metropolitan Line, which was the first one to ever open.
(Picture: Adidas)
The ‘Oyster Club’ collection is pretty cool anyway if you’re a sneakerhead, but has a certain pull for those of us who don’t normally set an alarm to get a new pair of trainers, too.
Each pair has an RRP of £80, but comes with an Oyster card pre-loaded with £80, essentially making them totally free as long as you’d use the travelcard anyway.
On top of that, you get an Adidas Originals Oyster wallet, which is totally unique to this release.
If you were extra sneaky (or sneakery, even) you could potentially even sell the kicks on at a later date, as collectors tend to pay for special pairs like these.
The main catch is that there are only 1,500 available, and you do have to get them in person in London at one of two locations.
The drop is on Saturday 21 October, and the trainers can be purchased at the Adidas stores on Fouberts Place and Hanbury Street.
As is customary with any limited editions like this, there will likely be people queuing up ahead of time, so if you really want to get your hands on some it might be worth getting the night tube there and camping out.
Boots have launched an entire beauty range dedicated to your favourite wizard.
You can pick everything from specially designed hand creams, nail sets and eye palettes in fan favorite house colours, to wand-inspired brush sets and lip balms and eye mask in the form of magical creatures.
The full Harry Potter cosmetic gift collection will be available at over 400 Boots locations across the UK and Ireland.
It will launch into stores from 29 October and boots.com from 27 October.
Let’s take a look at the range:
Harry Potter Fizzer Bath Bombs (£6)
Available in Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Golden Snitch and Cauldron packaging
(Picture: Boots)
(Picture: Boots)
(Picture: Boots)
(Picture: Boots)
(Picture: Boots)
(Picture: Boots)
Harry Potter Lip Balm (£6)
Available in Hedwig, Scabbers and Crookshanks packaging
(Picture: Boots)
(Picture: Boots)
(Picture: Boots)
Harry Potter Hand Cream (£10)
Available in Hedwig and Hogwarts House Hand Cream
(Picture: Boots)
Harry Potter Cosmetic Purse (£10)
Available in Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw
(Picture: Boots)
(Picture: Boots)
(Picture: Boots)
(Picture: Boots)
Harry Potter eye shadow palette (£12.50)
Available in Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw
(Picture: Boots)
(Picture: Boots)
(Picture: Boots)
Harry Potter eye mask (£6)
Available in Hedwig, Luna Lovegood and Harry Potter
(Picture: Boots)
(Picture: Boots)
(Picture: Boots)
Harry Potter swish and flick cosmetic brushes (£20)
(Picture: Boots)
Harry Potter nail polish
Available in house colours (£12.50) or unicorn (£16)
We all love a festive glass of mulled wine but Lidl has launched something that give it a run for its money.
The supermarket has released a plum and cinnamon gin liqueur, just in time for the Christmas period.
The liqueur is infused with the flavour of rich plums, spiced with ginger, nutmeg and clove and finished with the delicate sweetness of cinnamon – perfect for cosy winter drinks with friends and only costs £11.99.
It costs £11.99 and will be available in store this weekend.
(Picture: Lidl)
Paul McQuade, Head of Buying for Spirits at Lidl UK: ‘In the last 12 months our premium Hortus Gin Liqueurs have continued to grow in popularity.
‘We have expanded the Hortus range, offering our customers a wide range of new and exciting Gins and Gin Liqueurs.
‘The newest addition of the premium Hortus Spiced Plum and Cinnamon Gin Liqueur is perfect for the winter season, especially when served hot.’
Who wouldn’t want to receive a beauty product every.single.day in the run up to Christmas?
And the 2018 Liberty London Advent Calendar is testament to their growing popularity, as it has become the fastest selling, and most successful product in the company’s 147 year history.
(Picture: Getty Images for Liberty London)
In fact, the beauty advent calendar was so highly anticipated, it saw Liberty fans searching online for the product as early as 1 January this year – over 10 months before launch.
Not to mention, yesterday over 400 hundred customers queued around the block for the in-store launch, with half of stock selling out online before the doors opened.
And it seems its bougie £195 price tag hasn’t deterred shoppers. But it’s not surprising, as the advent stars several Liberty London iconic beauty emporium favourites, including Diptyque, Hair by Sam McKnight, Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown. And it’s worth over £600.
Liberty London Beauty Advent Calendar 2018 (Picture: Liberty London)
The calendar, which takes the Liberty London team an entire year to create, is also beautifully designed, with the daily advent drawers featuring the new AW18 Liberty print, Juno Feather.
And the outside of the calendar features a seasonal illustration of the iconic facade of the shop, that’s just as instagrammable as the real thing.
We’re already looking forward to seeing what’s behind the doors of Liberty London’s beauty advent calendar for 2019.
The Beauty Advent Calendar (£195) is available exclusively at Liberty London and from Libertylondon.com.
Inside the Liberty London Beauty Advent Calendar 2018
Votary Super Seed Facial Cream 50ml
Hourglass Caution Mascara 3.5g
REN Clean Skincare Perfect Canvas 30ml
Malin + Goetz Mini Eucalyptus Deodorant 28g
Omorovicza Illuminating Moisturiser 30ml
Byredo Byredo Blanche Hair Perfume 30ml
Lixirskin Electrogel Cleanser 50ml
Dr Sebagh Serum Repair 30ml
Trish McEvoy Instant Eye Lift Jumbo
Surratt Baton Rouge Quaintrelle
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel 50ml
Aromatherapy Associates Clear Mind Rollerball 10ml
Skin Laundry Wrinkle Release Sheet Mask
Le Labo Another 13 EDP 15ml
Diptyque Figuier Candle 70g
Susanne Kaufmann De-Stress Body Oil 30ml
QMS Hand Care 30ml
Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream 30ml
Bobbi Brown Crystal Lip Gloss
Davines Oi Milk 50ml
Pixi Glow Tonic 100ml
Sam McKnight Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist 50ml
Aurelia Probiotic Skincare Revitalise and Brighten Eye Dew 10ml
