How you can live like a royal with a stay in a National Trust castle
Forget Paris – your next romantic weekend break is in Surrey
You may have never even heard of Wotton before.
Why this fashion brand is encouraging men to read more books by womenThe tiny village near Dorking in Surrey is all of just 8.6 square miles big.
Aside from a restaurant nearby, there’s only really De Vere… Read the full story
Having more sex will make you better at your job
Attention anyone who hates their job: stop wasting time checking Facebook and counting down the hours until you can return to your cosy bed. Just pop home and have sex instead.
WIN: the ultimate Mother’s Day gift, an overnight stay, cocktails and dinnerA new study has found that people who have active, healthy sex lives tend to like their jobs much, much better. And they tend to be more productive. Hooray.
Researchers from Oregon State University looked at the work and sex lives of 159 married employees… Read the full story
12 reasons to love a good library
As a child, one of the highlights of my week was when my mum took me to the local library.
10-year-old writes letter to principal on why she'll be observing 'A Day Without A Woman'I remember the feeling of excitement I would get on hearing the sound of the librarian stamping the inside cover (yes, I am that old) of my carefully chosen books.
And these days, libraries are even more exciting. You can now borrow CDs, DVDs, use the computer or take part in fun events.
Here are some… Read the full story
Fitness blogger provides yet more proof of the power of a flattering pose
In case you needed yet another reminder that the super fit bodies you see on Instagram are helped in no small part by expert lighting and a flattering pose, Australian fitness blogger Madalin Giorgetta is here to prove, once again, that a flattering angle is pretty powerful.
WIN: the ultimate Mother’s Day gift, an overnight stay, cocktails and dinnerMadalin posted two side-by-side bikini photos on her Instagram: one with bad posture, and one with her body flexed.
Why? To show that she doesn’t always look like the posed… Read the full story
Would you eat this ‘Very British pie’? Restaurant offers full English breakfast wrapped in pastry
Do you ever feel like a fry-up, but don’t have time to make one? Fear not – now you can eat a full English breakfast wrapped in pastry.
Stella McCartney unveils super luxe 'skin free skin' at Paris Fashion WeekTo celebrate British Pie Week, which runs from 6 – 12 March, Oxford-based restaurant group House of Jacob have created a pie with a twist – by putting… Read the full story
Raw meat cakes are a birthday trend in Japan and they look simultaneously amazing and horrifying
If regular fondant icing birthday cakes no longer hit your celebratory spot, then you might want to pop over to Japan.
They’re proving that birthday cakes don’t have to come laden with sugar and jam.
It's time to stop projecting your racial insecurities on to people of colourNo. Instead they come draped in slices of beef and bacon.
Behold: the rise of meat cakes.
We’re not talking about crappy meat either. These cakes are made from luxury cuts of raw steak, pork or fish piled up and turned into all kinds of beautiful shapes.
Tuna sashimi roses
10-year-old writes letter to principal on why she’ll be observing ‘A Day Without A Woman’
You’re never too young to fight for your rights and stand up for equality, as this impressive 10-year-old has shown.
8 March is International Women’s Day, and the theme for 2017 is Be Bold for Change.
Why this fashion brand is encouraging men to read more books by womenThere are numerous events, celebrations and campaigns taking place including A Day Without A Woman, which aims to recognise the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to society while receiving lower wages and experiencing gender inequality.
How to take part in a Day Without A Woman
Anyone can join by making March 8th a day without a woman in the following ways:
- Take the day off, from paid and unpaid work
- Avoid shopping for one day (with exceptions for… Read the full story
Why this fashion brand is encouraging men to read more books by women
As John Waters once said: ‘If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t f*** ’em.’
Truer words have never been spoken.
WIN: the ultimate Mother’s Day gift, an overnight stay, cocktails and dinnerBut personally, I’d like to add an addendum to that rule: if they don’t have any books written by women, don’t f*** ’em either.
In an age in which there is so much brilliant literature written by women, it’s unforgivable for anyone to exclusively be reading men.
Not just because they’re missing… Read the full story
If Gigi Hadid has taught us anything, it’s that we’re too sensitive towards cultural appropriation
Go to any festival in this country, and you’ll be confronted by hoards of white, middle-class youth rocking bindis and faux-Kente-printed shirts.
The vast majority have probably never been near Ghana or India. I doubt they’re clocked on to black history or Pan-Africanism or are well versed in Hinduism.
Here's how long your HIIT work out should really lastBut does that matter? Well, increasing numbers (online at least) would probably say yes.
Take the most recent debate involving Gigi Hadid, who this month has appeared on the front… Read the full story
Stella McCartney unveils super luxe ‘skin free skin’ at Paris Fashion Week
Watching Stella McCartney’s show at Paris Fashion Week, you could be forgiven for thinking that the designer had abandoned her ethics.
WIN: the ultimate Mother’s Day gift, an overnight stay, cocktails and dinnerThe famously cruelty-free designer filled her runway with models wearing designs in what seemed to be luxurious leather.
Anyone who knows even a tiny bit about fashion knows that Stella McCartney takes an ethical standpoint on in the inclusion of leather and fur in her collections, which has meant that in the past, her lines have not included these types of textiles.
Here’s how long your HIIT work out should really last
HIIT workouts can be like hell on earth.
10 minutes in, you start to wonder if you might throw up and whether you’ll ever be able to lift your arms above your head again. And that’s just after the bloody warm up.
Why this fashion brand is encouraging men to read more books by womenWill the pain ever end? Will you ever be allowed to stop burpee-ing and squatting and lifting?
Fortunately, the point of high-intensity training is that’s it’s hard but… Read the full story
Krispy Kreme is launching a special Mother’s Day box of doughnuts
Flowers? A card? So overdone.
If you’re really committed to celebrating Mother’s Day, the obvious answer is doughnuts. It’s always doughnuts.
WIN: the ultimate Mother’s Day gift, an overnight stay, cocktails and dinnerYes, you could make an effort and actually make your mum some doughnuts to show her how much you appreciate her, but let’s be real: we’re all incredibly lazy and can’t quite be bothered.
So rejoice, because Krispy Kreme has stepped up to offer us the Mother’s Day specific doughnuts we’ve been waiting for.
Did we previously… Read the full story
Meet the adorable couple who match outfits every day
Get ready to feel bad about you and your partner’s couple style.
WIN: the ultimate Mother’s Day gift, an overnight stay, cocktails and dinnerThis couple, who have been married for 37 years, have found themselves Insta-famous, with over 84,000 followers who can’t get enough of their matchy-matchy antics and passion for gingham.
The couple’s Instagram is Bon_Pon511, Bon meaning wife and Pon meaning husband. They’ve been running the account for just 13 weeks, which makes their popularity even more amazing.
The couple live in Japan, but their fans are worldwide, and with this… Read the full story
8 of the worst jobs to get stuck with as a school volunteer
I’ve been the parent of school age children for 17 years now, and have maintained my sanity by adopting a very strict policy when it comes to volunteering at school.
Don’t.
Things you said you were going to do as a parent and never didIt has worked well for me. I’ve chosen schools based on proximity, so that my kids can walk there by themselves from as young an age as possible, and when I have had to step onto a playground I’ve adopted a stern ‘do not approach me’ look, which has ensured I’ve… Read the full story
People are calling Saint Laurent’s latest ad out for being ‘degradingly’ sexist
Fashion brands are no strangers to provocative advertising.
After all, sex sells. And when it comes to shifting overpriced garments, persuading people that they might stand a chance of bedding a hottie if they wear certain clothes is a clear marketing win.
What is a cereal dispenser and should I use one?We all know that and most of us have just come to accept that that is how fashion branding works. How else did American Apparel get away with it for so long?
But Parisians have finally found their limit for sexually suggestive advertising.
Just in time for International Women’s Day, Saint Laurent’s latest offering features a couple… Read the full story
This is how you lead a STEM revolution
It’s a sad fact that even in 2017, many industries are still suffering from a gender disparity in the workforce.
The latest figures show that the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (known as STEM) industries are still dominated by men. According to a report from Fortune, women only hold 23% of STEM roles worldwide, but thanks to organisations like the Stemettes the opportunities for women in these fields are steadily increasing.
This dating app prevents people from sending and receiving unsolicited d*ck picsA neuroscientist thinks fast food companies should be selling their products in plain packaging
Would you still want a McDonald’s if it came in plain brown packaging, rather than in a jazzy red box?
WIN: the ultimate Mother’s Day gift, an overnight stay, cocktails and dinnerAccording to Cambridge University neuroscientist Wolfram Schultz, no, you would not. And that’s why he’s urging us to sell junk food in plain, unexciting packaging to help us all be a little healthier.
Professor Schultz says that the way fatty and sugary food is packaged triggers signals in the brain that obese people can’t resist. Brightly coloured wrapping makes unhealthy products look more appealing, leading us to buy more and eat more as a… Read the full story
What is a cereal dispenser and should I use one?
There’s nothing better than waking up to a bowl of your favourite cereal.
However, one of the most frustrating things in the world is shaking a cereal box to discover you’ve been left with a teaspoon worth of cereal, and a load of powder.
What is… Read the full storyFinally, a dating app that prevents people from sending and receiving unsolicited nude photos
Online dating apps are great, but let’s face it, there’s always one guy who has to ruin it by sending out an unsolicited dick pic before they’ve asked your name.
This dating app prevents people from sending and… Read the full story