The campaign sees her collaborate with photographers to showcase her ‘flaw’ and challenge accepted standards of beauty.
ScarJo, is that you? (Picture: MANDATORY BYLINE Kris Mayeshiro)
Billiot is calling for other people with birthmarks to get involved with her project.
She said: ‘When I was younger, the birthmark was hard for me to deal with. It was part of feeling vulnerable.
‘I experienced a lot of verbal bullying and name calling. Sometimes it even got physical.
‘We moved around a lot so I had to explain over and over again when a child asked what it was.
‘I realised the bullying had lot to do with the unknown.
‘In the end, the moving helped. I got sick of answering the same questions and stood up in front of class and I introduced myself.
‘After that, stares stopped and it helped me accept it more.
‘Now it’s part of who I am, and I don’t see myself without it anymore.’
Billiot’s birthmark is called a ‘port-wine stain’, a condition that occurs when an area of skin gets an insufficient supply of nerve fibres.
Turning a birthmark into art. (Picture: MANDATORY BYLINE Kris Mayeshiro)
The lack of nerve fibres causes small blood vessels to keep expanding, allowing a greater amount of blood to flow into the blood vessels and making a ‘stain’ or discolouration form on the skin.
As an adult, Billiot is owning her birthmark and opening up the conversation around what it means to have a physical ‘flaw’.
Hopefully her campaign emboldens others who have experienced bullying around their ‘imperfections’ to embrace themselves and feel beautiful.
If you’re the proud owner of this cheap Ikea table, you may want to hold on to it for as long as possible – because an auction house seems to think it’ll be worth thousands in just over a decade.
The Lövet, which was created by one of Sweden’s most successful designers Gillis Lundgren, was originally launched in 1953 and was an incredibly popular product until the store decided to stop making it.
But earlier this year they announced they were re-releasing it, calling it the Lövbacken, as part of its ‘Re-imagined Classics’ collection, which marked the brand’s 75th anniversary.
Mr Ludgren was Ikea’s fourth employee and also designed the Billy Bookcase. It’s said that he sparked the flat-pack revolution with this table as he couldn’t fit a working design into his car. He sawed off the legs and, hey presto, flat-pack was born.
The quirky table originally retails at just £45, but experts at Swedish auction firm Barnebys think it could cost thousands in the future.
(Picture: IKEA)
Identifying the product as a future classic, they think that by 2030, the table could be worth anywhere between £1,000 and £1,800.
By 2040, they reckon it could sell for anywhere between a staggering £3,000 to £5,000.
What’s even more shocking is that the table has already actually sold for thousands, despite selling for £45 in store.
The auction house’s co-founder, Pontus Silfverstople, wrote on the Barnebys blog: ‘Selling for thousands at some of Sweden’s leading auction houses, the LÖVBACKEN has become a collectible for the most discerning of furniture experts, I wouldn’t be surprised if the development in its value would look like this in the future.’
The second installment of the Re-imagined Classics collection is set to launch in October. It’ll include retro products such as 70s and 80s designs including the Klippan sofa, which has been revamped for 2018.
A banker who bought a historic tower for £425,000 is selling it for £2 million just twelve months later – despite £3 million of taxpayers’ money having been spent on the restorations.
42-year-old Christian Tym bought Hadlow Castle, in Tonbridge, Kent, last August, and promised to allow tours to run throughout the year in exchange for the grant from Historic England and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
However, he hasn’t actually allowed a single visitor wander around the Grade-I listed tower.
The tower cost £3 million to restore, and that money was only granted on the condition that it be accessible to the public for just 28 days a year.
People should’ve been able to visit the property used as a lookout in World War II but the castle’s estate agents Strutt & Parker claims Christian hasn’t shown anybody around the tower since it was bought last year.
(Picture: High Level Photography/SWNS.com)
Before Christian owned the property, a community action group fought to get the tower restored after it was severely damaged in the Great Storm of 1987.
Locals formed the The Save Hadlow Tower Action Group, and poured £50,000 of their own cash into the building, raised through fundraising projects, which topped up cash from Heritage England and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The one-of-a-kind, 175ft gothic tower was built in 1830, but fell derelict before being rescued by the artist Bernard Hailstone.
Hadlow Tower was bought by The Vivat Trust £1 after a compulsory purchase order by the borough council in 2011.
Campaigners financed and staffed a visitor centre on the ground floor, and from 2013 it was open to the public weekly in summer.
Restoration on the castle was completed in February 2013 and it was shortlisted for the 2014 Kent Design Awards.
(Picture: High Level Photography/SWNS.com)
(Picture: High Level Photography/SWNS.com)
(Picture: High Level Photography/SWNS.com)
(Picture: High Level Photography/SWNS.com)
Known locally as ‘May’s Folly, the tower then received a multi-million-pound restoration and later rented out as a holiday home for nearly £2,000-a-week.
In 2016, the then tower owners went into liquidation and Hadlow Tower was put on the market for offers over £1 million.
It was sold to Christian in 2017, who is married with four sons, who said he was attracted by ‘the novelty factor’ but paid significantly less than the asking price.
Campaigners reported that 700 people visited the castle in 2017 – with the numbers dwindling in 2018 to zero.
The Heritage Lottery Fund said it expected Christian to report to it in August with evidence of his compliance – but Christian has been unable to comment on this.
Currently, the castle is listed as containing a media room, castle drawing room and four bedrooms.
(Picture: High Level Photography/SWNS.com)
(Picture: High Level Photography/SWNS.com)
(Picture: High Level Photography/SWNS.com)
It also comes with almost three-and-a-half acres of grounds and a lift to all floors.
The tower had been reportedly advertised on swingers website Club Aphrodite – inviting ’25 couples or 50 singles’ for some ‘Gothic castle folly’.
It said: ‘Enjoy threesomes, foursomes and moresomes in the intriguing candlelit rooms created for the fulfilment of the eccentric, original owner’s medieval, baryonic fantasies.’
Emma Holmes, 40, had a burst appendix when she was 16 which damaged her reproductive organs.
So it came as a surprise when the former teacher from Redcar, North Yorkshire, became pregnant in 2009.
Unfortunately though, she began bleeding heavily and was quickly diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy where the embryo is fertilised outside the womb.
Emma had to have keyhole surgery and have her fallopian tube removed meaning the pregnancy could not be saved.
She said that her parents were wonderful during the time and it was her mum who’d initially spotted the hair loss.
‘Mum looked over at me one day and noticed that there was hair all over my shoulders and on my jumper.
‘I thought it seemed odd but didn’t think too much about it. Then I got into bath and that’s when I realised that something was terribly wrong.
‘It was utterly terrifying. My hair was just coming out in handfuls and I couldn’t stop it.’
(Picture: PA Real Life/ Emma Holmes)
Though Emma now works as a cosmetic tattooist to help others cope with hair loss, it took her a long time to accept her condition.
‘When my hair started falling out I didn’t go out of the house for weeks and weeks,’ she said.
Emma stopped working and only left the house to visit the doctors to try to find out what was happening to her.
Blood tests were taken, but no definite answer could be given about why her hair had fallen out so dramatically and in such a short space of time.
‘I never really got an answer,’ said Emma.
‘The doctors just said that it was probably to do with a sudden change in my hormone levels after they removed my fallopian tube. Knowing that didn’t make it any better though.’
(Picture: PA Real Life/ Emma Holmes)
Emma began wearing a wig to cover her head and had her eyebrows inked on after stumbling across cosmetic tattooing.
‘The tattoo was terrible and I cried and cried afterward, thinking to myself, “I could do a better job than this”.’
Retiring from her job as teacher for good, Emma enrolled on a six-month training course to become a tattoo technician in 2011 at the Finishing Touches school in West Sussex.
‘For a woman, losing your hair is absolutely terrible. I know what you go through and it’s horrible, so now I want to help other people who are trying to deal with this as much as I can.’
(Picture: PA Real Life/ Emma Holmes)
Eating a fully organic diet and having scalp injections which push a steroid under the skin promoting hair growth, Emma’s hair has even started to grow back, albeit very finely.
She no longer requires a wig and she says that now, after all those years of anguish, she finally feels comfortable in her own skin again.
She has treated thousands of people who come to her for a range of reasons but who, like her, want something to help restore their self-esteem.
‘I tell people who come to me for treatment, “you will survive this”. I hate the saying “time is the best healer”, but it’s really true – things do get better.’
Anesthesiologist Andi Traynor, 45, was on her first official date with Max Montgomery, 56, when he collapsed on the beach.
The couple had been paddleboarding when Max suddenly felt a burning sensation in his chest.
After leaving the water, Max became exhausted and crumpled to the group.
Andi reacted quickly, turning Max over and searching for his pulse.
When she couldn’t find it, she immediately began to perform CPR on her date, with the help of passers by.
Max credits his date with saving his life. (Picture: Max Montgomery / SWNS.com)
Within seven minutes, an ambulance had arrived and stretchered Max off the beach. He was revived using a defibrillator en route to Dominican Hospital, Santa Cruz.
Max had suffered a heart attack and he had a number of blockages of his coronary artery.
Andi said: ‘I checked for a pulse and I didn’t feel a pulse. I thought he was dead.’
In all likelihood, her quick reaction saved Max’s life.
Performing CPR kept Max’s brain alive and ensured that he sustained no lasting damage from being without a heartbeat for 17 minutes.
After six defibrillator shocks, Max’s heart started beating again, but he credits his recovery to Andi’s swift actions:
It was certainly a dramatic first kiss. (Picture: Max Montgomery / SWNS.com)
‘I ran 10.4 miles the night before — I had no idea I was gonna have a heart attack,’ Max said.
‘Luckily I was with someone who knew CPR. Without it, I’m not here.
‘That first kiss being CPR was obviously very magical because here I am and I’m very grateful that I’m able to experience further kisses.’
The whole incident was caught on camera by a nearby photographer who was recording the behaviour of migrating birds.
Andi and Max have decided to share the story of their first kiss in the hope of saving lives.
Max said: ‘Anything can happen at any time to anyone.
‘We’ve helped start bringing this short 5-10 minute lifesaving instructions to teach people who to give CPR, to call 911, how to get an AED (automated external defibrillator) device.’
The couple have set up a website to help people access CPR dummies and defibrillators.
Andi and Max are still together and are hopefully sharing many more kisses, just ones that don’t end up in the emergency room.
Five-week-old Pua was born with two noses (Picture: SWNS)
An adorable border collie puppy was born with two noses.
Five-week-old Pua, named after the pig in Disney film Moana, has to be bottle fed every two hours as he can’t suckle due to his noses.
The blue merle collie, who was born to mum Willow and has two brothers and four sisters, has been rapidly socialised due to the amount of human contact he has had.
Jessica Wheatley, 45, bred Willow as she loves having puppies in the house in Gonshall, Surrey.
The mother-of-four takes turns getting up in the night with eldest daughter Katie, 16, to feed Pua with a bottle.
Jessica said: ‘I’ve been breeding puppies for 14 years and I’ve never seen one like this before.
‘I’m a hobby breeder and a stay-at-home mum, so I can look after them.
‘I’ve been bottle feeding Pua daily every two hours, which means setting a lot of alarms.
Jessica says she noticed as soon as Pua was born that his nose was deformed (Picture: SWNS)
‘I do everything that I can for my puppies.
‘It is very important to me that they are healthy and their temperament is good.’
Jessica said that she noticed as soon as Pua was born that his nose was deformed. But within an hour of the birth, she was able to pick him up and check him over.
She said: ‘It was just a little line between his nostrils.
‘As I checked it, it became more obvious.
‘His nose was pink but now there is black pigment coming through.’
She described the deformity as ‘like a hair lip’, with a cleft between his teeth.
‘There’s a cleft in his top jaw and teeth and the teeth are growing towards each other,’ Jessica said.
‘He’s too small for operations at the moment.’
Pua will have some of his teeth removed when he is old enough (Picture: SWNS)
When Pua is old enough he will need to have a minor operation to remove some teeth.
Unusually, the deformity is considered desirable in some cultures, with some breeds including Double-Nosed Andean Tiger Hounds designed to have two noses.
Jessica added: ‘The people at the vets said they had seen cleft palates but nothing like the nose before.
‘It is not very common.’
While researching the condition, Jessica discovered that there were a couple of breeds of dog which also have two noses.
‘People thought they made better hunters,’ she said.
(Picture: SWNS)
The family are unsure as to whether they will keep Pua (Picture: SWNS)
‘It is ridiculous but if you look back hundreds of years that’s what people thought.’
The family, including Jessica’s husband Gavin, 48, are unsure whether they will be able to keep Pua, and hope he finds a loving owner.
They already have three dogs – Belle, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, her daughter Frais, a Cavalier – poodle cross, as well as border collie Willow.
Jessica added: ‘If we can’t find an excellent home for Pua, we’ll have to keep him.
‘He’s healthy but he’s going to need some procedures.
‘They could operate to fix his lip and nose together but that’s purely cosmetic and a couple of things he needs which are necessary.
‘The puppies are lovely and I adore breeding, and seeing them go off to new homes, knowing that they’re bringing joy to someone else.’
Don’t get me wrong – I have found some of the marketing that has accompanied the Natural Cycles app intensely irksome.
From the initial press release promising women the chance to allow their bodies to go ‘hormone-free’ (not possible, we are full of the blighters) to the denigration of the pill through emphasising a link with depression, the company’s use of evidence and science may leave something to be desired.
The ASA said Natural Cycles claim to be a highly effective form of contraception, coupled with the suggestion that it was a clinically tested alternative to birth control, could be misleading to women.
Within much of the discussion around unwanted pregnancies in women using these apps, there has been more than a whiff of the suggestion that silly women seeking to control their fertility with their phone have got their comeuppance.
Certainly we are seeing more women present with unplanned pregnancy as a result of using fertility apps, of which Natural Cycles is not the only one.
But that isn’t surprising, as more women are using the method, and every method has a failure rate.
The fact is Natural Cycles can be used in place of other established birth control methods, and my guess would be women understand that a method that needs their input is unlikely to be as effective as one of the fit and forget methods that requires nothing from them.
Indeed the efficacy rate with typical use of Natural Cycles from the existing research (i.e. how most women use it – so taking into account that some women will not use it exactly in accordance with instructions) is in the region of 92-93%, which means seven or eight women every year using it will get pregnant.
This is in keeping with the pill, patch and vaginal ring, all methods we consider to be very effective and a good option for women seeking to prevent pregnancies.
Given this, the conclusion by the ASA that Natural Cycles has an efficacy rate comparable with barrier methods (male and female condoms) which have a typical use efficacy of 82% and 79% respectively, seems unfounded.
Granted, the Natural Cycles app requires considerably more input from women than many other forms, with the need to regularly take and record ones temperature in the morning.
If you are someone who, like me, has a hard enough time finding a clean pair of tights and a hairbrush in the morning, this may not be for the method for you.
In addition, it also means you must abstain from sex during your fertile period, or use other methods – which effectively means you are using the least reliable methods at the time you are most likely to get pregnant.
But guess what: women can understand this.
No method of contraception is perfect.
IUDs and implants may be the most effective, but they are not for all women – the bleeding that can accompany them, the fact that insertion is invasive and leaves women reliant on healthcare professionals for removal, means they are not everyone’s cup of tea.
Pills and patches also have side effects, and for some women the need to remember the daily dose can be a problem.
The fact is Natural Cycles can be used in place of other established birth control methods, and my guess would be women understand that a method that needs their input is unlikely to be as effective as one of the fit and forget methods that requires nothing from them.
It matters that women have evidence based information on which to make their own reproductive choices – all the way from the contraception they use to prevent a pregnancy to how they feed their newborn baby – and all too often we see examples of poor risk communication, or evidence conveyed in a deliberately misleading way in order to persuade women to make certain choices.
No one should overstate the evidence, but that cuts both ways – and for many women Natural Cycles will help them feel in charge of their fertility and afford them an effective way of avoiding unwanted pregnancy.
You can find out more about the British Pregnancy Advisory Service here.
She chose not to turn the udder cheek (Picture: Triangle News)
A vegan woman visiting a cafe was left bemused after a waitress served her oat milk in a jug with udders.
Jane Thurnell-Read had ordered a coffee and asked for the dairy alternative, but ended up being given a cow-themed glass.
She took to her social media to express her surprise, writing: ‘Having coffee with a friend, my oat milk came in this jug! Waitress oblivious!’
But not everyone was supportive of Jane’s post.
Some vegans even ended up berating her for it – with one saying: ‘Kicking off about sh*t like this is why people hate us.’
‘Udderly unacceptable’? (Picture: Jane Thurnell-Read / Facebook)
Another person said: ‘Chill it’s just a jug at least they had oat milk!’.
A former waitress wrote: ‘The waitress probably has better things to worry about than whether your milk jug looks like boobs, like waiting all the tables…the kitchen hurrying her…getting everyone’s drinks…working 11 hour shifts…having to deal with complaints and never getting a tip.
‘I am a celiac and vegan….have been waitressing for 10 years or so and never known anyone to be a dick.’
However, there were some supportive comments.
One person even thought the cafe had given Jane the jug on purpose.
She wasn’t angry but udders were (Picture: Jane Thurnell-Read / Facebook)
They said: ‘I work in hospitality and in every single place I have worked, they would do this thinking they were funny.
‘Most hospitality places ridicule vegans and see us as a nuisance, even if, and especially if they cater for us.’
Jane had gone for coffee with a friend at Sara’s Petite Cuisine in Topsham, Devon, when she was handed the jug.
Her post kicked off a massive debate about whether the jug was insensitive or whether it would actually help non-vegans to think about where their milk comes from – with the udders on the jug being a constant reminder.
Jane says that despite the debate, she wasn’t ‘outraged’ when she made the post – ‘just amused’.
Well at least no cows were harmed in the making of the jug (Picture: Jane Thurnell-Read / Facebook)
She said: ‘I don’t think they were taking the piss (do people really have the time to specially buy a milk jug to upset vegans?)
‘I think it was done unthinkingly. No cows were harmed in the production of the jug and maybe it will make someone who gets their cow’s milk in it think about the origins of it.’
Sara’s Petite Cuisine was founded by cake designer and pastry chef Sara Felix in 2017 and is already one of Topsham’s most popular cafes.
She said no-one had complained about their vegan milk being served in an udder jug, adding: ‘I didn’t know about it.’
Mia Aflalo, 5, from Tel Aviv, Israel, has hair unlike other children her age.
Her volumised locks have caught the attention of Instagrammers who can’t get over her sophisticated ‘dos.
She often poses for the camera with sleek hairstyles and glamorous outfits.
The youngster now has a following of nearly 50,000 and despite her growing popularity, many have expressed concerns over her use, they say, of hair extensions and exposing someone to fame at such a young age.
(Picture: CEN/@miaaflalo/Instagram)
She’s been captured wearing gowns, jewellery and fancy dresses.
And she’s not as much of a diva as one might expect at her age, said her stylist Sagi Dahari who said Mia is very easy to work with and does not complain or argue, preferring to wait patiently and smile at everyone.
But many have commented on the social media page saying it’s inappropriate for her to be thrust into the limelight.
‘You should stop exposing her to the world and start protecting her,’ one comment read.
‘It’s not just the friends you want to impress who go on Instagram, there are bad people everywhere. You are endangering her life as well as her present and future mental health.’
And they were not alone in their concern.
(Picture: CEN/@miaaflalo/Instagram)
‘Exploiting her at such a young age is wrong,’ said another.
‘Let her be a kid, play around and get dirty not used as your personal doll.’
Others worried about the use of products in her hair:
‘She looks super cute, love her hair, but I’m just wondering if you’re using a hot iron and spray in her hair,’ another wrote.
‘Won’t it ruin her hair growth and possibly give her hair loss issues when she’s older?’
(Picture: miaaflalo/Instagram)
A few came to Mia and her parents’ defence though.
One woman wrote: ‘I hardly think this child cares how she looks for random strangers on the internet. She most likely feels beautiful and confident, as she is!’
‘None of this is any of our business, she’s not our child so these comments and opinions don’t matter so until she becomes your child, shut up.’
A new mum walked down the aisle as a bridesmaid at her sister-in-law’s wedding just 12 hours after giving birth to her daughter.
26-year-old Rachael Glaister gave birth to her daughter Rose at 11.50pm on 17 August before a mad dash to be able to walk down the aisle with her adorable newborn at noon the following day.
Rachael and her husband Jason, 28, didn’t know if they would have made the wedding when the first-time mum went into labour on Friday morning, a week after Rose’s due date.
Rachael said: ‘Everyone was panicking and thinking we wouldn’t be there, but the staff in the delivery suite were brilliant, they got me ready and made sure the baby was okay.
‘It meant the world for me to be there, Leanne is my sister-in-law and I wouldn’t have missed her wedding for the world.’
The couple and their baby girl were able to take part in the celebrations of Leanne and her new-husband Sean’s special day and for Rose to meet all the family for the first time in the extra special celebration.
Jason, from Workington, Cumbria, said: ‘It was really emotional to see Rachael coming down the aisle holding our baby at my sister’s wedding.
(Picture: News and Star / SWNS.com)
‘My mum only met Rose 15 minutes before the ceremony.
‘We’d only had an hour sleep the night before, but we weren’t tired because of the buzz.
‘I had to rush home and get everything for Rachael to do her hair and make-up and everything for the baby and rush back to hospital so we could get ready.
‘I didn’t even know how to fold the pram, I had to look it up on Youtube.’
Now Jason and Rachael, who have been married for just over a year, are looking forward to spending time as a family with baby Rose.
Rachael said: ‘Rose was really good at the wedding, she didn’t make a sound and everyone made a fuss of us.
‘We don’t want the maternity unity to close down, I can’t explain how much we appreciated their help, they really went above and beyond.’
Missguided is selling some super cheap duplicates of some very expensive designer shoes.
The high street fashion retailer’s Red Studded Trim Court Heels look just like Valentino’s Garavani Rockstud pumps – except there’s a £660 price difference.
The Valentino pumps, made in Italy, are described as a ‘sexy and stylish shoe’. They’re made using red leather and feature an ankle strap with a side buckle fastening emblazoned with gold-tone studs, a pointed toe, a branded insole and a high stiletto heel.
Missguided’s dupes use a red patent finish and have a 4.5-inch heel.
Much like the designer pair, they’re red and pink in colour and feature the gold studded straps.
You can now get your favourite food delivered whenever you fancy it.
Maybe you’ve been out dancing, played a marathon session of World Of Warcraft or just finished a late shift.
It’s 5am and even the kebab shop round the corner is shut.
Thanks to Uber Eats, you don’t have to settle for fridge leftovers or go hungry.
The food delivery service will now be feeding peckish Londoners 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Uber Eats are expanding their services in response to rising consumer demand for late night food delivery options, and pledge to deliver all orders in 30 minutes or less no matter where you are in London.
We’re surprised by the ’30 minute’ claim as well after many users ‘gamed’ the system for free food but we have checked with Uber Eats and a spokesperson says the pledge is back at all times (though hasn’t appeared on our apps yet).
More than 200 restaurants are involved in the new initative, including McDonald’s, Subway, Chicken Cottage, German Doner Kebab, Tinseltown, Sam’s Chicken, Wok to Walk and Maroush,
According to Uber Eats, they decided to make their app available 24/7 because orders between 12am and 4am had increased by a massive 385% over the past few months.
It seems that London is always hungry.
Toussaint Wattinne, the UK’s general manager, said: ‘At Uber Eats we want to offer our customers food delivery whenever it suits them, whether that’s breakfast in bed on a Saturday morning or a late night burger after a night on the town.
‘From the classic British late-night-staples such as kebabs or fried chicken, to a decadent grilled steak or a household favourite like McDonald’s, we’re thrilled to be satisfying Londoners’ late night hunger pangs with our new 24/7 service.’
Late night opening hours in general are good for businesses and the night-time economy adds £26bn to London’s economy every year.
A confectioner is selling what it says is the world’s biggest gummy sweet – a giant hot dog that weighs as much as a child and contains 38,000 calories.
With the average adult woman consuming 2,000 calories a day, the sweet works out as 19 days worth of calories.
The sweet, which is flavoured in all sorts of ways, weighs 33lbs (2.4 stone or 15kg).
The bun is made from orange gummy while the ‘sausage’ is cherry flavoured, topped with a mango flavoured ‘mustard’.
The sweet has a shelf life of 12 months – giving people enough time to work through it.
However, you’re best off getting a group together to attempt to finish it – especially as it costs $149.99 (£120).
The sweets are handmade exclusively in North Carolina by Derek Lawson – who is known as ‘The Gummy Bear Guy’.
Currently, it’s available to buy from Vat19, but it’s currently sold out.
(Picture: Vat19.com)
Jamie Salvatori, owner of Vat19.com said: ‘It’s an amazing spectacle.
‘Who wouldn’t want this at a party or barbecue?
‘It’s great for sharing and obviously a conversion piece of massive proportions.
‘Weighing 33 lbs, I wouldn’t recommend anyone try to eat the entire confection in one sitting, but it does come in resealable packaging for subsequent snacking sessions.’
(Picture: Vat19.com)
The site also sells other huge gummies – including an enormous pizza slice and an almost life-size version of a gummy snake.
The gummy python weighs 26 pounds, is nearly eight feet long and can be wrapped around your neck just like the real thing before you start to tuck in.
The site’s gigantic gummy pizza slice contains over 8,500g of sugar and has an orange-flavoured crust, strawberry-banana cheese, mango-flavoured peppers, and pepperoni slices that taste of cherry.
And a Coca Cola bottle ninety times the size of its real-life counterpart consists of over 1,000 calories and is available for just £10.
How well do you know these driving anthems from the 90s? (Picture: PA)
Oh, the 90s. Iconic fashion and banging tunes that are still on our playlists today. Nothing gets a party started quite like the Five Megamix.
The 90s are back on trend in a huge way, with the fashion creeping back in too – though not sure we want the cycling shorts back. Some of our favourite bands have taken the hint and are getting back together – and no, we don’t just mean on Celebrity Big Brother.
All Saints are back, Liam Gallagher has called on his brother Noel to reform Oasis and the Spice Girls are looking to sort out some form of reunion. If we’re honest, when has music really been better?
The 90s gave us tunes to cruise to like Gangsta’s Paradise, Barbie Girl – and who can forget What Is Love?
Take our test to see how much you love these 90s driving anthems.
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Get that certain 'je ne sais quoi' with Renault Clio Iconic
Fashion isn't the only 90s trend you need because the Renault Clio Iconic is even better than before, with rear parking sensors, air conditioning and 7” Touchscreen Navigation System. (You couldn’t get that in the 90s.)
No more fishing around for your keys, as there’s a hands-free card. That extra Va Va Voom that Renault CLIOs are known for.
Renault’s iconic 90s’ hatchback is known for its cheeky personality and effortless French style.
With added modern technology and sexy finish, CLIO has got even more style - which will make you want to show it off in the city.
Well, the joke’s on them (the naysayers) because now you can get paid just for eating the green stuff.
You might not be paid enough to save for a house but eating avocado for money beats doing it for free.
Researchers from a bunch of U.S universities are offering participants in a study $300 (£233) just to consume one avocado a day. Not bad, right?
Loma Linda University, Penn State University, Tufts University and the University of California are testing 1,000 volunteers to see if eating one whole avocado helps to lose weight.
The fruits tend to be high in monosaturated fats, which have been linked to a reduction in cholesterol and a lowered risk of cancer and heart disease.
Two groups will be tested – one will be eating one avocado a day while the control group will eat two or fewer per month during the same period – to see which group loses the most weight around their middles.
(Picture: Getty)
‘The study will examine whether eating one avocado per day reduces visceral adipose fat in the abdomen,’ said Joan Sabaté, from the Center for Nutrition, Lifestyle and Disease Prevention at the Loma Linda University.
The project requires that you are 25 or older, and are willing to either eat one avocado per day for six months or eat only two avocados per month for the same period.
You also have to measure at least 40 inches around the waist if you’re a man or measure at least 35 inches around the waist if you’re female.
Selected participants will get a free MRI and health screening by a university clinician and will be asked to attend a monthly meeting with a dietician.
After the experiment, participants in both groups will be paid $300 (£233) each. And don’t worry if you fall in the control group, you’ll still be sent home with 24 free avocados, so you won’t be missing out.
Nearly quarter (22%) of all 14 year old girls have self-harmed, according to research from the Children’s Society.
Almost one in four girls are using self-harm as a way to cope with stress, anxiety and depression.
Self-harm carries a lot of stigma, and for this reason, it’s a problem that often stays hidden.
It can be difficult to know what to do or say when someone you love is intentionally harming themselves, but it’s important not to ignore the issue.
We’ve created a list of things that adults should know when faced with a young person struggling with self-harm, in partnership with the mental health charity Young Minds.
Self-harm isn’t just cutting yourself
It can be cutting the skin, but the self-harm can involve other things too.
They include pulling out hair, hitting, biting, burning, banging your head against a wall, inserting objects into the body or taking overdoses.
The NHS also classes excessive exercise, starving yourself, binge-eating and abusing alcohol and drugs as self-harm.
It’s a coping strategy
Self-harm is often something people do in order to help them cope with a bigger issue.
It could be body image problems, bullying, worries about sexuality, gender stereotyping, sexual abuse, problems at home or feelings of anxiety or depression.
For the self-harming to stop, either the underlying issue needs to be addressed or the person self-harming needs to be presented with effective alternative coping strategies.
Shame isn’t helpful
You should never, ever try to make someone feel embarrassed or guilty about self-harming.
There’s already a lot of stigma around self-harm, and shaming someone for doing it might make their self-harming worse or force them to be more secretive about it.
Ignoring the problem doesn’t help
Self-harm isn’t something that goes away on its own.
Brushing it under the carpet and pretending that it isn’t happening doesn’t help anyone.
In the short term, the person self-harming might have injuries that need immediate medical attention. Getting help for self-harm injuries should never be delayed.
Don’t take it personally
If your child is self-harming, it doesn’t mean that you’re a bad parent.
Self-harm could be linked to problems at home, but it could also have nothing to do with you at all.
Making the self-harm about you and your parenting is counterproductive and could make your child feel guilty and ashamed.
Reasons why people self-harm according to the mental health charity YoungMinds:
To reduce tension
To manage extreme emotional upset
To provide a feeling of physical pain to distract from emotional pain
To express emotions such as hurt, anger or frustration
To regain control over feelings or problems
To punish themselves or others
It can be hard to stop
Self-harm can provide relief from overwhelming negative emotions.
It can also make you feel as though you’re in control of a small part of your life, something that’s important if it seems like the rest of your life is out of control.
For these reasons (and many others), it can be difficult to give up self-harm as a coping strategy.
Although you might not understand why someone would want to keep injuring themselves, it’s important to be patient with your loved one.
It helps to have someone to talk to
It’s vital that children and young people have someone they can talk to about why they’re self-harming.
It can be an incredibly lonely issue to struggle with.
However, if you’re going to broach the subject with your child, do so gently.
An angry confrontation about self-harm isn’t going to help anyone.
Be kind, reassuring and take the conversation slowly.
Emma Saddleton, Parents Helpline Manager at YoungMinds, told Metro.co.uk: ‘It’s really important that young people who are struggling with self-harm are able to talk to someone they trust about how they’re feeling.
‘That could be a friend, a family member, a teacher, a doctor, a counsellor or a helpline like The Mix or Childline.
‘Talking about what you’re going through can be incredibly difficult, but can make a real difference.
‘We know that adults who learn that a child in their family is self-harming don’t always know how best to handle the situation.
‘Sometimes parents who call our helpline feel shocked, upset, guilty or ashamed to discover that their child is self-harming.
‘We advise them to seek support for themselves, to unpick what they do and don’t know, avoid asking lot of questions and think about any underlying and contributing triggers and pressures.
‘Even if you feel overwhelmed by what’s happening, it’s important to show your child that you’re not ashamed, and that you’re on their side and that they can talk to you.’
If you’re worried about a child who’s self-harming, you can call the YoungMinds Parents’ Helpline on 0808 802 5544 or visit the YoungMinds website.
Kimberel has identified as an elf since connecting with the elves in Lord of the Rings (Picture: Kimberel Eventide / MDWfeatures)
Meet YouTuber and spiritual teacher Kimberel Eventide, a woman who identifies as an elf send to earth to help humans in spiritual matters.
The 36-year-old says she’s a Pleiadian starseed, also known as an Otherskinm meaning she’s a person who has connections to other lives on other planets in order to be born on earth and help humanity.
She had been working in the spiritual realm for eight years before she found her identity as an elf. Kimberel was working as a spiritual teacher when she read and watched Lord of the Rings, and found that she had a deep connection to the elves created by J. R. R. Tolkien.
Since discovering that connection, Kimberel spends as much time as she can dressing like a High Elf, wearing silk and velvet dresses along with elf ears and cuffs.
Being an elf is about more than just pointy ears. Kimberel makes sure she spends as much time in nature as she can, and has dedicated herself to helping humans transform into high elves like her.
She believes she was put on earth to help other humans become high elves (Picture: Kimberel Eventide / MDWfeatures)
‘I ultimately believe in Oneness and that we are all from the Prime Source of the whole Universe that is the Universal Mind, but I think what really describes me best on earth now in this physical body is that I am a Pleiadian starseed,’ says Kimberel.
‘Usually starseeds are creating blogs, writing books, on YouTube, making Facebook and social media sites to push higher consciousness and wisdom to the forefront of human minds in today’s world.
‘You will never find a starseed just simply living a “normal” human life-we have human ascension and transformation on our mind constantly.
‘I am also known as an Otherkin, a person who identifies with something else besides being just a human. As many of you can already tell, our perceptions of being human is changing and expanding to include different genders, identities, and now Otherkins.
‘I am more specifically an Elvenkin, a person who identifies with Elves & the Fae in general within the Otherkin community.’
Kimberel’s ‘Projectelvenstar’, involves recording videos for her YouTube channel, High Elven Wisdom, and offering personal Skype sessions to people ready to become elves.
Her mission involves recording YouTube videos about her spirituality and offering personal Skype sessions (Picture: Kimberel Eventide / MDWfeatures)
‘I offer guidance to other Otherkins, and starseed souls who feel they resonate with something other than being human and how to cope with being in this world,’ she explains.
‘I have a mission inspired by the Pleiadian “elves” and I call it Projectelvenstar. It’s specifically to help humans transform themselves into High Elves – ears are optional but can become a by-product of becoming extrasensory and hearing better over time.
‘Regardless of ears, I believe humans can act, think and become as wise as the elves of Lord of the Rings did in the Third Age. It is a growing up of humanity in a natural way that I am after.
‘I want humanity to grow up organically and move forwards into a brighter age of experience that lives peacefully with nature and has advanced technology for all to experience.
‘This is my major mission, to guide humanity into the higher dimensions of both perception and experience.’
Kimberel is lucky to have a supportive group of family and friends who understand her identity as an elf. She describes her husband, who identifies as human, as the Aragorn to her Arwen, despite him not understanding her mission.
‘He loves and supports me in this project,’ says Kimberel. ‘He does not understand it and does not watch many of my videos, but he knows who I am and loves me for it.
The work is tough, but Kimberel’s hope for the future of humanity keeps her going (Picture: Kimberel Eventide / MDWfeatures)
‘I get no resistance from him except when my filming cuts into our time together.
‘That is the balance I am trying to achieve – helping the world reach High Elven consciousness and at the same time trying to have a family with him.’
Being an elf and pushing humans towards a greater sense of consciousness is hard work. Kimberel has found her new life challenging, but pushes through with the belief that she was called to do this important work.
‘I was called to it,’ she says. ‘I have always resonated with the Elves of Lord of the Rings, ever since reading the books and watching the movies I felt I belonged in Rivendell or Lothlorien and not with other humans at all.
‘One of my spirit guides was a Pleiadian woman who looked much like Galadriel in Lord of the Rings, and I received messages from my intuition to say it was time to bring the Elven personality into reality, more than cosplay and just in fantasy.
‘It was time to show that humans could become just like the High Elves of Tolkien’s stories and in doing so would be evolving closer to what the Pleiadians are as beings today, into our future.
‘My personal journey has been a very exciting one and difficult at the same time. I have always wanted to help humans reach a higher potential within.
‘After observing reality TV and the way humanity behaves in general towards one another, I have always felt like there was another way of living that could speak to the higher ideals within the High Elves of Tolkien.
‘It has been difficult because coming out to the world as an Elvenkin as I get ridicule from less open-minded types. My channel gets both negative and positive comments.
‘It has also been difficult because I am a medium or a channeler for messages from the Pleiadians, some of whom are inner earth beings.
‘I feel as weary as the Elves of Lord of the Rings did in the Third Age when they were all leaving Middle Earth to sail to the Undying Lands. When my own time comes to leave this earth, I will be happy and at peace to rest.
‘My soul feels weary from seeing humans slowly, very slowly, move towards the society I believe they can have where everyone behaves like the High Elves. I am both patient and impatient at the same time, and it often causes a deep sorrow and burden within me.
‘But I help others because I am part of this story and this is the role I choose to play throughout it. I have had a difficult childhood, but I love my life now and would not change it for anything. I want to teach others how to overcome all of their problems as I did.’
Kimberel wants to reassure people that they don’t have to dress as elves or throw on some pointy ears to become more elven. Being an elf is open to all.
‘One of my main messages throughout my channel is for humans to not think that they could become more Elven-like because they don’t look like the Elves of Tolkien or the Pleiaidans superficially – as tall, fair, and graceful Elfin beings,’ she says.
‘Elves can be any colour of skin, from any country, and have any past background story. It is about the mind and the heart you have that makes you more Elven-like.
‘If you love nature, animals, the faeries, and also are a strong warrior of higher consciousness, then you will always be an Elven soul or can transform yourself into an Elf in the near future.’
We’ll make the obvious not-that-funny joke and suggest she got plenty of practice as Rachel Zane on the show, Suits.
But really, acting as a paralegal then a lawyer isn’t what gave the Duchess of Sussex a mastery of tailoring. Her off-duty style has long included sharp tuxedos, casual short suits, and suiting-inspired dresses. She’s always been great at mixing traditionally masculine elements with all the usual feminine stuff.
She proved that by wearing a short tuxedo inspired dress to a performance of Hamilton, that managed to be sharp and smart while also effortlessly cool.
That’s definitely not the first time Meghan’s nailed suiting and made us all want to rock a blazer, though. We’ve listed her best suiting looks below.
The Tuxedo Dress
(Picture: Dan Charity – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Come on, she looks incredible.
An unexpected length (since becoming an official royal Meghan has been all about below-the-knee), the perfect tailored fit, a sleek updo, and a box clutch all combine to make Meghan’s black tuxedo dress, designed by Judith & Charles, a winning look.
The Navy Suit
(Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Worn to the Endeavour Fund Awards ceremony in February (yep, pre-wedding), Meghan managed to take what could have been boring and stuffy and turn it into a look that made us all consider swapping an LBD for a LNS (little navy suit, obvs).
Again, that’s all down to the little details. Meghan’s had her Alexander McQueen suit tailored to nip in at the waist so the jacket doesn’t swamp her frame, while a pussybow blouse and Jimmy Choo heels stops the outfit from feeling too business-y.
The Black Suit
(Picture: PAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images)
Worn in Dublin in July, Meghan showed everyone that tying the knot with Prince Harry doesn’t mean she’ll give up her signature style.
Again, note the shoes, the ankle-grazing length on the trousers, and the simple white top. That’s how you turn a suit into elegant daywear.
The Blazer + Dress
(Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Meghan’s passion for suiting doesn’t just apply to full-on tuxes. She’ll also mix traditional tailoring with the dresses you’d expect of a duchess.
One of her favourite fashion moves is popping a blazer on top of a casual dress to make it a touch smarter.
At the Commonwealth Youth Forum, she shrobed a Camilla and Marc blazer over a striped Altuzarra dress, while at the Invictus Games a bold green Self Portrait dress was toned down with a McQueen jacket.
(Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
The Short Suit
(Picture: Josiah Kamau/BuzzFoto via Getty Images)
Pre-Harry, Meghan was a big fan of the short suit, wearing it on red carpets and for chatshow appearances.
It’s pretty unlikely we’ll see Meghan wearing another short suit now she’s a royal (we don’t think the Queen would approve), but we can always look back at photos and learn her ways of making tailoring feel fun.
(Picture: Ray Tamarra/GC Images)
Every outfit on Suits
(Picture: Shane Mahood/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
We don’t think Meghan’s Suits wardrobe technically counts as her best suiting moments, as she was in character and being styled.
But hey, we’d feel a bit silly leaving out the years she spent wearing skirt suits and tailored dresses as Rachel Zane.
Again, these aren’t looks we’re likely to see now Meghan’s a duchess, but they’re an excellent place to look for suiting inspiration.
You might be told to never skip breakfast but according to a new study, delaying your morning meal might be the answer to losing weight.
Eating dinner earlier may also be helpful if you want to shift a few pounds, said researchers at the The University of Surrey.
They found that having brekkie 90 minutes later than normal and having an early dinner can help to reduce body fat.
And the best part? You don’t need to munch on a celery stick for your meals to see a difference.
Participants were asked to be on ‘time-restricted feeding’ patterns, a form of intermittent fasting, for 10 weeks.
Researchers investigated the impact of changing meal times on dietary intake, body composition and blood risk markers for diabetes and heart disease.
There were two groups in the study – those who ate their breakfast 90 minutes later than usual and had their dinner 90 minutes earlier, and a control group who kept their meal times the same as usual.
Participants were also required to provide blood samples and submit diet diaries before and during the project and complete feedback immediately after the study.
The study gave people freedom to eat what they wanted (Picture: Getty)
They had total freedom with the foods they ate, so researchers were able to asses whether this type of diet was easy to follow in everyday life.
The University of Surrey research team found that those who changed their mealtimes lost on average more than twice as much body fat as those who ate their meals as normal.
Although there were no restrictions on what the participants could eat, the researchers found that those who changed their mealtimes ate less food overall than the control group.
Eating at timely intervals made respondents eat less due to either a lack of appetite, eating opportunities, and cutting back on snacking, especially in the evenings, they reported.
The pilot data is still pretty small so but researchers are looking to do larger studies to see if time-restricted feeding has broad health benefits.
Study leader Dr Jonathan Johnston said: ‘Although this study is small, it has provided us with invaluable insight into how slight alterations to our meal times can have benefits for our bodies.
‘Reduction in body fat lessens our chances of developing obesity and related diseases, so is vital in improving our overall health.
‘However, as we have seen with these participants, fasting diets are difficult to follow and may not always be compatible with family and social life.
‘We therefore need to make sure they are flexible and conducive to real life, as the potential benefits of such diets are clear to see.
‘We are now going to use these preliminary findings to design larger, more comprehensive studies of time-restricted feeding”.
