Disneyland is the stuff of dreams. And now those who are lucky enough to experience it will have a wide range of dining options.
Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Florida is now catering to vegans as it launches a plant-based pamphlet showing off all its latest additions to the menu.
The menu boasts vegan alternatives to Sloppy Joes, hamburgers, and introduces the ‘Southwest cheeseburger’.
Lucky customers can choose from a range of animal-free mains and desserts which are highlighted in the pamphlet in green.
The leaflet covers all the areas of the park which have establishments that serve the stuff, including Fantasyland, Liberty Square, Tomorrowland, and more.
So whichever part of the massive dreamland you’re on, you can eat up between continuing your journey.
The move from Disneyland Magic Kingdom comes after animal rights charity PETA named it the most vegan-friendly amusement park.
Across the park, there are many meat, egg, and dairy-free options and all popcorn and pretzels in every corner is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
One of the areas, Adventureland, has vegan items such as Perkins Thai noodles, Shiriki noodle salad, and curried vegetable crew stew.
The vegan Sloppy Joe will be made with a tomato-based sauce and mustard slaw.
One of the desserts you’ll find available is the Peter Pan Float – a frozen key lime dish with Sprite.
The handy guide also informs customers whether the restaurant is a quick service (QSR), table service (TSR) and if the food is for breakfast (B), lunch (L), or dinner (D).
Visitors can pick the pamphlet in any of the kiosks.
So rejoice, vegans and those who are into delicious ethical food, there are more reasons to visit Disneyland.
Easter is almost here and you’ve probably about 50% creme egg by now.
If you fancy a change, there’s a new egg in town associated with the Cadbury name.
James Cadbury is the great-great-great grandson of John Cadbury, who established the famous chocolate brand in 1824.
As the firm grew, it was taken over by bigger firms and the Cadbury family haven’t been involved with chocolate making for years.
That is until James set up his own chocolate company Love Cocoa in July 2016.
Love Coca specialises in ethical, sustainable ingredients and premium chocolate products.
And this year, for Easter, they are taking on a Cadbury classic – the creme egg.
Instead Love Cocoa is selling Dream Eggs, featuring passionfruit and mango, salted caramel, nutty praline and even a gin flavour. That’s right – you can get an egg filled with creme that tastes like your favourite tipple.
They are slightly pricier than a creme egg, costing £25 for four but they are certainly more luxurious.
The eggs have a hand-painted speckled shell with a double ganache ‘yolk and white’ made from organic ingredients.
James Cadbury, Love Cocoa founder explains: ‘With the 100-year anniversary of the Cadbury Creme Egg on the horizon, and with Easter being one of my favourite times of year, I wanted to create a luxury, ethical offering to tantalise the British public’s taste buds. I’m delighted to launch the Dream Eggs just in time for Easter.’
The eggs are available online and are limited so get in quick if you want to have your hands on some for Easter.
Most brides usually have a vision of how they want their weddings to look.
One bride who planned for ‘extremely feminine designs/decorations’ wanted all of her leading ladies to look the part.
So when one of the bridesmaids cut off her long luscious hair into a pixie, the bride was not happy.
The story was shared on Reddit by the bridesmaid who said that she understood the stresses of a wedding and that the bride was not usually demanding.
But she couldn’t figure out where the bride was coming from in this instance.
She was especially shocked as she had cut and donated her hair to cancer and alopecia patients and couldn’t see what the big deal was.
‘This feels like a weird and petty argument, but maybe I’m just suffering from selfish tunnel vision?’ she asked on the subreddit.
The sister-in-law wrote that it was an all-out wedding that was meticulously planned. She added that the bride had been very kind and not at all like a bridezilla.
‘But she has been definitely picky and strict (she deserves to, it’s her wedding),’ she wrote.
‘I’ve been growing my hair for years and got tired of it. Yesterday, I went from hair down past my butt and had it cut into a short cut, like a pixie.
‘I cut so much of it because I donated to an organisation called Wigs For Kids, they make wigs for free for children with cancer and alopecia.
‘Overall, I donated 48 inches of hair. I absolutely love it, the hair stylist said it was perfect for my face shape, my fiancé loves it, it’s been such a confidence booster.’
But when she posted an image of the new look on her Instagram plus the chopped off locks, she got a text message from the bride saying she should have asked before making such a dramatic change.
The bride added that the short hair will stand out from the rest of the other girls who all have long hair and that she should’ve just waited before making the chop.
‘I literally didn’t know how to respond,’ added the bridesmaid.
‘I’ve never been in a wedding before and I’ve never been married – is this normal? Should I have asked her before making such a dramatic physical appearance change?’
But luckily it all worked out in the end as the bridesmaid updated the post to say she had a frank discussion with her sister-in-law who apologised and said she was having a bad day.
They are all set now with their ultra-feminine wedding which will also accommodate different hairstyles.
For one glorious moment it’s spring! The sun is out! It’s getting warmer!
But then comes the inevitable, the moment were you think ‘am getting a cold?’ and realise that no, it’s not a cold. Your hayfever is back.
According to the NHS, hay fever symptoms include:
sneezing and coughing
a runny or blocked nose
itchy, red or watery eyes
itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
loss of smell
pain around your temples and forehead
headache
earache
feeling tired
Lovely, right?
So a hay fever injection to prevent symptoms, sounds almost too good to be true.
The jab works by injecting kenalog into the body, which reduces the body’s inflammatory and allergic reactions. It was prescribed on the NHS until around ten years ago, but is no longer prescribed.
Medical opinions on the efficacy of kenalog are split. Amena Warner, head of Clinical Services for Allergy UK, spoke out against the treatment saying: ‘In some people it will work well. The danger is, if you inject it you can’t remove it from your body. It is an injection of a steroid. Side-effects can be horrific and have been linked to osteoporosis.’
However Dr Seth Rankin, who founded London Doctor’s Clinic said: ‘In a nutshell – the injection is faster and more convenient than the tablets, but if you’re unlucky enough to suffer side effects, you’ll be stuck with them for longer.
‘To be clear, many of the more severe side effects of steroids come from the use of very high doses over a long period of time.
‘The hay fever injection contains a relatively low dose and carries a much lower risk of adverse side effects.’
We send our tester, a 38-year-old hay fever sufferer, off to have the jab last spring at the London Doctor’s Clinic (fully aware that some people don’t react well to kenalog injections), and then had him keep tabs on his symptoms through the spring and summer.
Here’s what he had to say:
‘I have suffered from apocalyptic hay fever since I was a child, and, while it’s never going to kill me, it is a tremendous inconvenience. I’ve never sat an exam on a decent night’s sleep. I’ve had to give outdoor events a miss because at its worst, I can barely see or speak.
‘I have spent a fortune on pills, eyedrops, and tissues. I can also tell you that sneezing while driving around a roundabout is terrifying.
‘The jab, however, gave me the first symptom-free summer I have ever had and is the only treatment I have ever come across that completely eliminates the problem. I cannot recommend it enough, and I wish it was available on the NHS, because I am sure it would work out cheaper than the prescriptions.
‘As a result of the jab, I don’t have to carry tissues everywhere, I don’t have to appear in meetings with red eyes and a running nose, I can have a decent night’s sleep, and I can enjoy the summer outside like everyone else. It’s a life-changer for hay fever sufferers, and there are more and more of us every year, because some people are now developing it in later life.’
The NHS says that the best way to manage your hay fever is to:
put Vaseline around your nostrils to trap pollen
wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting into your eyes
shower and change your clothes after you’ve been outside to wash pollen off
stay indoors whenever possible
keep windows and doors shut as much as possible
vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth
buy a pollen filter for the air vents in your car and a vacuum cleaner with a special HEPA filter
Tara-Brigitte Bhavnani, a Royal Ballet dancer has found a beautiful way to chart her pregnancy.
The 36-year-old, who has has been dancing with the Royal Opera House ballet company for 17 years, wanted to combine her art with the birth of her daughter.
Tara-Brigitte, originally from Canada but now living in London, filmed a time-lapse video of herself doing a twirl on her toes every week since her ten-week scan.
Wearing the same dress and shoes in each clip, she pieced together each video and sped them up, to make it look like one continuous performance.
The video, which she shared on her Youtube channel, shows her baby bump growing with every other turn, and on the last twirl, she has baby Chloé in her arms.
It has been watched over 12 million times.
‘To combine [dancing] with my pregnancy in such a special way felt perfect,’ said Tara-Brigitte.
‘I also thought it would be a lovely video for my child to look back on. Some weeks when I felt sick I really didn’t feel like it, but I did it anyway.
‘Sometimes I didn’t feel like putting on the dress and shoes but the show must go on! I guess that’s part of the dancer mentality.
‘It was my little show every week and I’m delighted with how it turned out.’
The mum-to-be is quite the esteemed dancer too: she studied at Canada’s National Ballet School before working at the Paris Opera Ballet School.
She joined the Royal Ballet and has appeared in more than 2,000 performances.
Tara-Brigitte – who can do up to eight shows a week at her busiest – found out she was pregnant during rehearsals.
‘I started retching,’ she said. ‘Everyone was like “what’s going on”.
‘Thankfully it was just a rehearsal and there wasn’t an audience. I told my director I was pregnant and he was very, very understanding.’
Tara-Brigette kept dancing on stage for a few more weeks while pregnant before taking a break. She said some people can do it for longer but it depends on the individual.
‘Everyone is different. Some people stop as soon as they find out because they are worried something bad might happen.
‘I didn’t go back to the stage, but I continued to maintain my level, of fitness to a certain degree. I would come in and do regular ballet classes and that kept me in shape.
‘It would have been a shock to my body personally if I had completely stopped.’
Her final performance that went into the timelapse was filmed just two days before baby Chloe was born.
Tara-Brigitte added she was very proud of how it came out.
With baby Chloe now a year old, Tara-Brigette is back at work.
A nine-year-old girl accidentally cut off her own fringe, leaving her resembling Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber – and she’ll be forever haunted by the mishap, as her mum purhcased her school photo just days later.
Megan Wharry decided to trim her own fringe before her school picture, after her mum, 28-year-old Gemma Martins, left her alone for a few minutes.
Gemma decided to purchase her daughter’s school photo just two days after cutting herself a new fringe, in a bid to embarrass her later down the line – and is now sharing the hilarious viral pictures for the first time.
Gemma, from Larne, Northern Ireland, said: ‘I’d just got her hair cut into a nice bob with a fringe, all ready for her only second ever school photo.
‘I left her watching TV, whilst I headed for a quick shower.
‘But unbeknown to me, there were a pair of scissors on the draining board, and Megan wasn’t as big of a fan of the fringe as it was.
‘I didn’t say anything when I saw her, I couldn’t – all I saw was the hair around her and I knew there was no way I could fix it.
‘We had a fancy family meal and everyone just found it hilarious – we had to just let it grow out but I was cringing inside.’
The mortified mum planned the perfect revenge for her daughter however and decided to purchase her mortifying school photo.
Hilariously, Megan had perfected the Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber haircut without even knowing who he was.
Gemma, a care assistant, said: ‘I’m redecorating at the moment and I know which photo is going to be pride of place.
‘I’ve got all of her school photos over the years, and they’ll all be hung on the wall, ready for all visitors to see.
‘It’s most certainly one that will make an appearance at her 18th birthday.’
Megan said: ‘I’m so shocked and embarrassed that I did it, it was naughty and I still can’t believe it – the photo is awful.’
Finding the perfect red lipstick needn’t be a hard task.
A red lipstick can be your secret weapon as it can erase a sleepless night, disguise a hangover and act as a suit of armour in stressful situations.
It has been an iconic beauty staple for centuries, from the Ancient Egyptians who used crushed bugs to paint their pouts, to Marilyn Monroe who is renowned for her signature red lip.
But finding the right shade for you is very important, as not every shade works for everyone.
Finding your perfect shade is all down to your skin undertone. To discover your undertone simply flip your wrists and take a look at your veins. If your veins look blue or purple then you have a cool undertone, while if you have more green veins then you have a warm undertone.
Better yet, if you can’t determine whether they’re blue or green, then the chances are you have a neutral undertone, meaning you can pull of any shade of red lipstick – lucky you.
So you discovered your skin undertone, now what?
We spoke to MAC Senior Artist Debbie Finnegan, who explained: ‘As a general rule if you are a warm skin tone this is seen to have pink undertones and sometimes is described as rosy or English rose then a blue toned red will work well.’
‘If you have a cool skin tone which has yellow under tones and is often described as golden or olive, then an orange based red will look great on you,’ she added.
If you’ve ever wanted a red lip as perfect as Marilyn Monroe’s, check out our guide below.
MAC Cosmetics Retro Matte Lipstick in Ruby Woo is arguably the most famous blue toned red lipstick in the world.
All it takes is one swipe of this insanely bold matte shade to saturate the lips in vivid long-lasting colour.
Celeb fans include Rihanna, who was so obsessed with Ruby Woo that she partnered with MAC to create her own limited-edition version called Riri Woo in 2013.
For something a little less intimidating, Debbie Finnegan suggests trying MAC Cosmetics Powder Kiss Lipstick in Lasting Passion.
The cool red has a semi-matte finish, which feels more like a lip balm, than a dry, powdery lipstick, thanks to its formulation of moisture coated powder pigments.
If you have a cool skin tone, Debbie Finnegan recommends MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lip in Quite the Standout: ‘It’s wonderfully intense and a very long lasting formula,’ she said.
The bright orange red, applies evenly without a streak in sight and the pigment stays put.
It’s the perfect match for cool toned liquid lipstick fiends.
Debbie Finnegan said: ‘An alternative is MAC Powder Kiss in Mandarin O, it still packs a punch in the colour stakes but the texture is quiet and velvety.’
The soft focus lipstick doesn’t dry your lips out and will leave you wanting to wear red lipstick everyday.
This poppy hued lipstick from Charlotte Tilbury has a rich color payoff and a square-angled tip that is designed to mimic a lip brush for precise application.
Despite being matte, it never feels dry and the coloured bullet is wrapped up into her signature rose-gold tube.
It’s so beautiful no beauty junkie will be able to resist.
When we found out that Bear Grylls inspired Easter eggs were coming out, we expected that there would be some sort of insects and bugs involved.
And they are – his limited edition range of chocolate eggs are encrusted with crickets, Buffalo worms and mealworms, adding ‘a real crunch to every bite’.
But he’s also giving the people what they didn’t ask for – Bear has even put his own DNA into it.
That’s right, you could be munching on insect-infused choccies with what Bear has called ‘adventurous ingredients’ – just say spit, mate.
The survival expert has teamed up with independent chocolatier Prudence Straite ofFood is Art to bring you the weird creation.
But it’s not easy to get your hands on a bit of Bear saliva, oh no.
The DNA-ridden egg will be hidden in a massive hunt as part of The Bear Grylls Adventure – an event taking place in Birmingham.
Only the winner of the egg hunt will be able to take home the choc incorporated with spit taken from a mouth swab.
The first 50 participants of the hunt who crack the code hidden in each egg will win an exclusive chocolate egg, but only one of them contains the DNA of the TV presenter.
In his announcement, Bear said he hopes the egg will bring positivity and energy to the winner.
‘The Bear Grylls Adventure experience is all about escaping the ordinary to achieve something epic and sometimes putting your survival skills to the test involves eating what’s out of the ordinary too,’ he said.
‘I hope that those who complete the Easter Egg Hunt and crack the code feel empowered and enjoy their tasty treat.’
If for whatever reason, you are interested in winning it, you can take part in the event taking place 19-22 April.
Anyway, we’re off to eat some chocolate eggs, sans saliva.
Maintaining a well-rounded, effective fitness regime can be really difficult when you have a busy lifestyle.
Somehow we are meant to be doing cardio, strength, conditioning, stretching, high intensity intervals, low intensity intervals, yoga, plyometrics – and any other buzzwords that the fitness industry decides to throw at us this month.
It can be hard to decide what you should be doing, and the sheer range of options of how to workout and stay fit can feel overwhelming.
But one way to make this endless list of fitness categories less daunting is to do two of them at once.
Rather than trying to spend hours every week doing different kinds of fitness, more people are opting for two-in-one classes – killing two birds with one stone. It can work you harder in half the time – and we like the sound of that.
What is a two-in-one fitness class?
It’s a simple concept – any class that combines two separate fitness disciplines in to a single class. That could be running and weight training, Pilates and HIIT, yoga and dance.
It is about being more efficient with your time, yes, but the combination of different kinds of exercise can also optimise your workout and push you harder – often making the class more effective.
The most popular two-in-one classes combine cardio – usually involving intervals on a treadmill or rowing machine – with strength and conditioning moves using weights or body weight exercises like burpees.
The point is to elevate your heart rate while also engaging as many different muscle-groups in the body.
One benefit of these kind of classes is the relative freedom of movement. By mixing up treadmill work with floor-based exercises, you are making sure that your body isn’t moving only on a linear path – switching between disciplines makes your fitness naturally more functional.
‘For me, two-in-one workouts help to break up the intensity of a fitness class because they’re broken down into manageable chunks,’ Fitness blogger Emma tells Metro.co.uk.
‘You might be sprinting or powering through challenging rolling hills on a treadmill, but before you have time to think, it’s over and you’re on to the next thing.
‘My favourite class combo has always been resistance or weights combined with the treadmill – there are great classes at studios like Sweat It and 1Rebel.
‘As an avid runner, I love a burst of cardio but the strength section pushes me to build on my upper or lower body and core stability, which is something I probably wouldn’t do as effectively if I was hitting the gym on my own.’
What are the benefits of two-in-one classes?
Our bodies are built to do many things, so our training regimes should definitely reflect that.
As much as we might want to go to the same, safe spinning class every week, doing the same thing over and over will ultimately limit how far you can progress.
If we don’t vary our workouts then we risk plateauing – hitting a point where we will stop improving, stop getting any fitter and stop seeing results. Not ideal.
This is because our bodies adapt to recover quicker so after a few months of doing the same thing, you won’t feel the same burn in your muscles.
‘Two-in-one fitness classes allow your body to work in different ways preventing you from a plateau as you keep your body guessing,’ Jamie, lead HIIT instructor at Another_Space tells Metro.co.uk.
‘Throughout the workout, you will use a variety of different muscles in a shorter period of time. Increasing the intensity of the workout will increase your heart rate so you will burn more calories, shed fat and build strength.
Research has shown that variety is a key component in encouraging people to keep going to the gym. One study of gym-goers in Florida found that the group with the highest retention had a regime that included diversity and spontaneity.
The best thing about the two-in-one dual classes is that you have inbuilt variety in every session.
The minute you start getting bored of sprinting on the treadmill, it’s time to jump off and start lifting weights. Not allowing your brain to get bored is really important when it comes to motivation.
Additionally, you might also learn a new skill. Whether it’s boxing or barre or TRX – lots of these two-in-one classes feature at least one exercise that requires some technical skill. Once you’ve been going a few weeks, you will probably find that you’re floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee.
Two-in-one classes are perfect for people who crave variety but don’t have the time to fit in hundreds of different classes every week.
‘ROX is high-calorie-burning and guarantees a full-body workout,’ explains Joe Ridley, health and fitness Manager at DW Fitness First Cottons
‘Combining two of the most popular training methods – running and boxing – a ROX session is a boxing-inspired workout with a bootcamp feel and HIIT training style.
‘HIIT classes burn 9% more fat and are overall 17% more effective than standard aerobic or steady state training so ROX goers should expect to see fitness results.
‘ROX focuses on boxing technique while also providing cardio intervals that will make participants seriously sweat and have them burning calories long after the class is over.
‘The mix of running and boxing gives the feel of two workouts in one and allows participants to explore or develop a new fitness discipline (boxing) and to improve stamina with the running side of the workout.’
Toning strength exercises with high-energy punchbag work, these interval classes are either 35 minutes or 45 minutes, and you will definitely be dripping in sweat by the end of it.
‘Boxing is a full body workout, requiring a huge amount of strength. It works your upper body, lower body and engages your core,’ explains Jamie from Another_Space.
‘The combination of muscle building and strength training with bouts of cardio results in better body composition.
‘Your metabolism is also spiked by this training, but EPOC – commonly referred to as afterburn – keeps that spike for up to 24 hours after training. This means you continue to burn more calories than usual – therefore maximising the fat-burning effect of the training.’
‘Blend classes are so effective for getting a total body workout as it gives you a perfect mix of toning the muscles whilst strength conditioning in the same class,’ says Sarah Gorman, Davina McCall’s personal trainer and creative director at SPN.
‘Our box and barre class for example activates the muscles, compounds them, then strengthens at the same time. You get a dynamic cardio heart rate increase with the boxing element and then a toning LIIT section with the barre.
‘It’s important though that the mix is blended so that the body doesn’t know what’s coming next. You need a seamless flow between the exercises so that you get all the juicy benefits without a jarring chop and change.
‘The two-in-one class is one of our most popular especially for people who are time poor but want to get the most from their workouts.’
This is actually a three-in-one class based on three key pillars: run, condition and move.
You start off on the Technogym’s SkillMills – which are essentially treadmills with a slightly curved belt that you power with your own legs. Like a hamster wheel.
The second part of the class is comprised of kettlebell exercises and moves on the TRX. Each class uses this section to target a specific area of the body, and it will be different each time.
The final section is move – which includes lots body weight exercises getting you up and down off the floor with burpees and press-ups and lunges.
This class is a unique blend of a 30-minute powerful ride, followed by yoga and mat-based Pilates. It targets cardio health, balance in strength, and flexibility.
We particularly like this class because of the combination of high and low intensity. Finishing off a heart-pumping workout with something soothing like yoga or Pilates is the perfect way to recover is kinder to your body than just going home and collapsing in front of the TV.
We are always on the hunt for ways we can incorporate a gentler approach to fitness into our workout regimes – and this feels like the perfect compromise.
I may not be male, perma-tanned or a veteran of daytime TV, but one thing I do have in common with Richard Madeley is that I no longer wear underwear.
I, too, have discovered the benefits of floating free and allowing one’s delicate parts to nestle without the added constriction of knickers, panties or thong.
My commando days have gradually increased as I’ve got older from every now and again to practically every day.
I’m not sure if this is due to a ‘devil may care’ attitude or just the freedom I feel without the added layer, but somewhere along the line I have let my need for knickers go.
It’s now a standing joke with my partner that if I whisper in his ear that I am wearing panties, he gets excited as opposed to the other way around.
Not wearing knickers is brilliant. It takes away one less thing to think about and it certainly reduces the washing pile.
For me, keeping my nether regions clean is an act of religion. Without underwear I can wear what I want. There are no knicker lines or tight elastic digging into my thighs.
I can just be me and it may actually be healthier. After all, our vaginas are their own perfectly balanced micro-environment. With a good old sluice every day and air circulating, I can’t see a reason to wear panties anymore.
The only time I consider them a necessity is if I’m wearing a skirt on an exceptionally windy day (nature’s up-skirting, if you will) or of course, if my gynaecological cycle prevents me and I need something to – well, keep everything in place.
So, is there a difference in me choosing to ‘go commando’ as opposed to Mr Madeley?
The female equivalent is ‘free-buffing’ which only makes me think of polishing a table as opposed to being panty-less and even that phrase has its own air of ‘frissant’.
Well, for a start the phrase itself is very male. Google the word and you’re likely to end up looking at a group of Royal Marine Commandos, a military regiment that only accepted women for training last year.
The female equivalent is ‘free-buffing’ which only makes me think of polishing a table as opposed to being panty-less and even that phrase has its own air of ‘frissant’.
If a man knew I wasn’t wearing knickers, it may be read as a sexual invitation, but for a man? Well it’s kind of – brave and (dare I say it) ballsy?
I guess it’s par for the course that there are double standards going on here. For men, not wearing underwear is an act of bravado. For women, the association is with sluttery.
By not covering up our modesty we must be ‘up for it’ and ready to whip off our clothing at any given point to have sex.
I admire Richard for announcing his decision to fly free on national television, but I also felt that the reaction to his news was over the top. There is no law that says we have to wear underwear. He’s not running around the streets with his dangly bits on show.
So why are people so taken aback at his personal choice? In many ways, I see the logic of undies for men: genitals must get in the way sometimes and holding them to task in a cotton sack does seem logical.
I can appreciate that not wearing anything underneath trousers must feel not only liberating, but also very natural. Perhaps if men had been forced to wear skirts, it might be different.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a knicker hater. I love lingerie and underwear and I still wear them on occasion. But my use is now so infrequent that even finding a pair to wear these days is tricky.
When I mention this to female friends their reactions have ranged from disgusted: ‘How could you – eeurrggh’ to: ‘Wow – I hadn’t even thought of doing that’ and everything in-between.
As a woman, there are a lot of practical reasons to wear knickers but wearing them just becomes a habit that we can easily break ourselves out of.
So back to Mr Madeley, my distant commando comrade in arms. Have you single-handedly liberated the men of Britain? Unlikely. But with the future so uncertain, perhaps it really is time to throw caution (and panties) to the wind.
Let it all hang out inside your clothing. I mean, who is going to know? It can be our little secret.
We’ve all heard the Carlsberg slogan ‘it’s probably the best beer in the world’ – except now the Danish brand admits that it’s not.
With the rise in craft beers, there’s a lot more choice out there and now they admit they just can’t keep up.
Their new campaign says quite simply it is probably not the best beer in the world, and instead they are just trying to make the current drink better – by completely rebrewing.
They’ve changed the hops, barley and entire recipe to produce a different beer.
Before launching the new ads, they’ve taken the brave move of promoting tweets that say it tastes terrible.
One tweet said it was like ‘drinking the bath water your nan died in’.
But today they launched their campaign by promising honesty from now on and said that by acknowledging the ‘truth’ about the quality of the beer, they want people to reappraise the beer.
The new advert reads: ‘Probably not the best beer in the world. So we changed it.
‘Once true, but today? Probably not.
‘Somewhere along the line, we lost our way. We focused on brewing quantity, not quality.
‘We became one of the cheapest, not the best.
‘So, there was only one thing for it.
‘We had to create a better beer. A new Carlsberg, that’s been completely rebrewed from head to hop.
‘The result? A prefectly balanced Danish Pilsner with a crisper, fuller flavour than before. Finally, a beer that lives up to its promise? Probably.’
Initial research indicates that 59% of UK lager drinkers prefer the taste of the new crisper, Carlsberg Danish Pilsner over the current UK No.1 mainstream lager.
‘Drinker’s interest in mainstream lager has waned because, though the world has moved on, the mainstream category hasn’t,’ says Carlsberg UK’s VP marketing, Liam Newton.
‘At Carlsberg UK, we lost our way. We focused on brewing quantity, not quality; we became one of the cheapest, not the best.
‘In order to live up to our promise of being ‘probably the best beer in the world’, we had to start again. We’ve completely rebrewed Carlsberg from head to hop.’
They’ve also rebranded the packaging and glassware to try to improve the overall experience of drinking Carlsberg.
‘We’ve returned to a path of pursuing better in every way inspired by the legacy of our founder J.C. Jacobsen,’ says Lynsey Woods, Director of Marketing at Carlsberg UK.
‘We have upgraded every touchpoint of our brand and launched our innovative ‘Snap Pack’ multipacks to enable us to deliver a reduction in plastic of up to 50% from brewery to store.
‘These were significant undertakings, but the biggest challenge is letting UK drinkers know we have changed and getting them to fall back in love with Carlsberg again.’
The lime mesh unitard features a high neck design, a scoop back, a bodycon fit and a ‘tight cut to the body’. Which is pretty obvious.
The product description reads: ‘Inspired by vintage prints and cuts, Motel are renowned for creating well-crafted pieces in an eclectic mix of designs. Embracing the feminine silhouette; look out for statement party dresses in bold prints, with heavy embellishment and feminine detailing.’
The model pairs it with a black bralette and high waist underwear below the unitard, but you could go with green if you’re wanting to draw less attention.
One Twitter user spotted the unitard, and shared it online captioning it ‘Asos, what the hell’
In other bizarre ASOS fashion news, the fashion retailer is selling what looks like a dress which looks like it’s been made out of bubble wrap for £68.
The Jaded London all over sequin mesh beach dress, which, much like the neon unitard is see-through, is on offer for £68 online.
On the website, it explains: ‘Inspired by global street-style from East London to LA and New York, super-cool streetwear label Jaded London provides your fix of pretty prints and techno fabrics.
‘If Beyonce’s done it head-to-toe then you know you’re onto a good thing.’
Honestly, £68 for a dress that looks like it’s been made out of bubble wrap is a lot. We might as well just make our own.
Have you ever seen a sheep wearing a bra? Well, you’re about to.
Meet ‘Bra Bra Black Sheep’ – a sheep that wears a DD-cup bra to help give her extra support.
Barbara the sheep has a very droopy udder and struggles to feed her twin lambs, so her shepherd, David Cross, 50, and his wife Kathryn, 48, at Barnards Farm in Wymondham, Norwich, came up with a solution from their neighbour’s underwear drawer.
Kathryn, who also manages Centre Paws Norfolk, said: ‘The ewe is an older girl, perfectly fit and healthy but when her udder bagged up with milk it was nearly dragging on the ground.
‘A droopy undercarriage is one of those things that happens when you get on in years.
‘When she had her twin lambs they couldn’t get to the teats.
‘David was joking that she needed a bra for support.
‘Our neighbour happened to be round at the time and said she was just throwing out an old one if he wanted it – it was a 44DD and was actually a perfect fit.’
Kathryn said David, both from Wymondham, Norfolk thought the bra could be re-purposed as a ‘boulder holder’ to help Barbara with support and her little lambs Buddy and Blossom to feed.
She added: ‘David cut two well-positioned holes for the teats to poke through, the straps went round the legs and it fastened up on her back.
‘The lambs were a bit unsure to start with but with a bit of guidance they soon got the hang of it and are now thriving.
‘The ewe was totally unphased by the whole experience.’
Kathryn says this is the first time David has ever had to put a bra onto a sheep – but ‘it worked so well it might come in handy again another day.’
She added: ‘David has been shepherding for many years and puts his heart and soul into ensuring his small flock is happy, healthy and well looked after, but this is the first time he’s put a sheep in a bra.
‘He’s just really happy that it had the best outcome for mum and babies.
‘Just shows how you have to be a bit creative and resourceful in farming.’
You need tonnes of willpower and normally a helping hand in the form of nicotine patches or gum.
A new study has discovered a novel way to help beat cravings – and it doesn’t involve any medication.
According to the research, simply breathing in pleasant odours – including chocolate, vanilla and peppermint – could decrease the urge to smoke a cigarette.
The study, conducted at The University of Pittsburgh, found that smokers, who weren’t even trying to quit, saw the intensity of their cravings fall by 23% when they were able to breathe in the smell of their favourite scent.
That compared to a 14% drop in people who were given tobacco to sniff or a neutral smell.
‘New interventions are urgently needed to help the millions who wish to quit but are unable,’ explained Dr Michael Sayette, lead author of the study.
‘Even with nicotine replacement, relapse is common.
‘Using pleasant odours to disrupt smoking routines would offer a distinct and novel method for reducing cravings, and our results to this end are promising.
Around half of the people who try to quit will relapse within a fortnight, said the researchers. Only 4% of people who tried to quit by going cold turkey have managed to successfully give up after a year.
In the study, 232 smokers smelled and rated a number of different pleasant odours, as well as an unpleasant odour, tobacco from their preferred cigarettes, and one blank odour.
The results suggest that these smells can have a positive effect on an individual’s ability to give up smoking, although the scientists admit that the reason for this effect remains unclear.
Dr Sayette also noted that additional research needs to be done to see if this strategy could prove useful alone or in combination with other approaches for quitting.
We’ve all used our phone camera to try to see what’s going on with bits of the body you can’t see.
Is that a spot on the back of your neck, for example?
But one woman got a bit of a shock when she tried to find the source of her abdominal pain and pressure by turning her phone camera on her vagina – and seeing a baby’s head.
Charlotte Dubard had no idea she was pregnant – never mind about to give birth.
Her partner was so shocked to find her with a baby, he accused her of finding it in the street.
The waitress says she didn’t even think about pregnancy – despite suddenly craving sugar and gaining around 11lbs in weight.
She continued having her periods as normal.
But on 29 January, she felt a series of sudden abdominal pains so decided to investigate with her iPhone camera.
She took a video and was stunned to see her baby’s hair sprouting out when she looked downstairs.
The graduate – who was a size eight to ten throughout her secret pregnancy – allowed instinct to take over as she gave birth in the bath.
Baby Elias was born at a healthy 6lbs 8oz.
Brave Charlotte underwent the excruciating experience all alone and without the aid of painkillers.
She then found a pair of nail scissors to slice her umbilical cord before ringing boyfriend Miguel Angel, 28, telling him he needed to come home urgently.
He dashed back from his job at Pret-a-Manger to the couple’s flat they share in Bow, east London.
But she said: ‘When Miguel came home, he screamed “Oh my god you found a baby in the street!”
‘I started bawling and said “This is ours.”
‘He was in shock.
‘Neither of us could believe it was ours.
‘It was the most mysterious thing, I obviously gained a little bit of weight but nowhere near enough to make me think I could be pregnant.
‘In hindsight, I was craving a lot of sugar and I did also have a problem with my leg which meant I had to be off work for a week.
‘The doctor said that was probably the pressure from the baby.
‘One evening, I started to get cramps but they were really quite mild – milder than my usual period pains.
‘Then the next day they continued and they kept coming and going in waves which I now realise were my contractions.’
Elias was taken to hospital and placed in intensive care to make sure he was ok.
Charlotte said: ‘It was only once we got to the hospital that I really registered what had happened.
‘I was so traumatised from the birth I had barely registered Elias at all.
‘But then when we were waiting for the doctor, Miguel said “Look he has your nose” and that’s when I suddenly realised he was ours.’
Charlotte, a waitress at Somerset House, continued to drink, smoke and work 14 hour shifts throughout her pregnancy because she had no idea about her baby.
She also took the contraceptive pill and said her periods continued as normal.
Though she said she was usually very careful at taking the contraceptive pill, she recalled two occasions when she forgot to take it around the time Elias was presumably conceived.
She said: ‘I call him my miracle baby because he is so healthy after all I put him through.
‘Also, so many things could have gone wrong with me giving birth alone but it all went remarkably smoothly.
‘The midwives even asked me how I knew where to cut the umbilical cord because if I had done it wrong it could have been so dangerous.
‘I have no idea how I knew exactly what to do, I guess instinct took over.’
Although happy to meet her baby, Charlotte wasn’t sure how to tell her mum.
She said: ‘I actually didn’t tell her right away because she was working and I knew she wouldn’t be able to finish her shift if I told her.
‘I waited until the next day and she was so shocked.’
Charlotte and Pret A Manger worker Miguel met on dating app Happn in London just under three years ago.
The student couple planned to move to the US but are now staying put.
She credits her family for making the transition into motherhood so easily.
She said: ‘My family have been so supportive, they’re very strict Catholics and they see Elias as a miracle.
‘My grandmother says he is a little angel.”
While rare, symptomless pregnancies are a recognised phenomenon.
Back in 2016, the Royal College of Midwives estimated they accounted for around one in 2,500 cases in the UK.
This translates as 320 cases each year of women not knowing they were pregnant.
Charlotte’s mother has set up a GoFundMe account to help with the unexpected costs of suddenly becoming parents.
More and more of us are renting homes, rather than buying them.
Mostly because damp one bedroom flats now cost fifty million pounds and all millennial buy seventeen avocados a day*.
*Not completely true.
In repsonse to our increased renting, the government are bringing in measures which might make life a little more fair, getting rid of the ‘no fault eviction’, where a landlord can turf you out of the house because they want to sell, or don’t like the colour of your curtains, with just eight weeks notice.
In order to illustrate why this is such an important move, we asked people to share their worst ever eviction stories.
Julie
I once lived in a house share where all the other tenants were given a week to leave except me. As the only non immigrant I was allowed to stay.
Beck
Our landlord told us we should move out because we kept complaining about the chronic mold and damp. He claimed we ‘shouldn’t live in an old house’ if we didn’t want damp, because ‘all Victorian houses have it.’
Hayley
My estate agent forgot to ask me if I wanted to renew my contract until the last day of the 2mth notice period… They emailed me at 330pm and when I hadn’t replied by 5pm that day, they put an eviction notice through my door at 5.03pm.
Allie
One of my previous landlords upped the rent and evicted us. She said it was because she wanted to redo the property (which we had been waiting for for years) but had to increase the rent by £300 a month per person, raising it from £550 to £850.
She gave us a month to decide or to move out, and when we finally did, she tried to trick us by not returning our deposits. I had to pretend I had hired a lawyer to get her to admit she was lying and give us the money
Lindsey
Our ceiling so damp you could put your finger through it and kitchen roof was literal plastic sheeting that didn’t meet the mouldy black walls – when we asked for it to be fixed suddenly the landlord was selling up… moved one street over so saw the ‘to let’ sign go up after.
Ellena
An old landlord wanted to sell the flat I was living in, but didn’t want to give us notice until she’d found a buyer, and she wanted to show potential buyers around. She took umbrage when we wouldn’t and gave her our notice, because we didn’t want to live insecurely.
Then she tried to keep a third of each of our deposits (3) so she could redecorate (her words!!) Turns out she hadn’t put them in a deposit protection scheme, which is illegal- she quickly gave the rest back rather than risk being sued for up to 3 times the deposit amount.
Katja
I was evicted because I wouldn’t hang up net curtains. Apparently it was in the contract.
Dot
After only 6 weeks, having paid deposit + 3 months in advance, bailiffs arrived to repossess as landlord hadn’t been paying mortgage.
Caroline
My landlady approved us getting a dog, then the freeholder freaked out about the dog, and the landlady evicted us, despite having said she ‘loved dogs’.
What is it about hotels that turns us into thieves? Oh yeah, the toiletries.
Well, the state of California sees your thieving ways and is attempting to ban all mini toiletries available at their hotels.
Though most bottles of shampoo, conditioner and other bathroom bits are usually complimentary, Californian establishments want to stop making them available.
This is in an attempt to reduce their use of plastic as most bottles of the stuff are made of it.
So, while you might love getting your money’s worth by stocking up, you can probably appreciate the goal of reducing plastic waste.
The decision was made after a Bill was passed by members of the California State Assembly who voted in favour of the Assembly Bill 1162.
Don’t worry though, it doesn’t mean that you’ll suddenly need to lug around a bunch of bathroom essentials from home, as these joints will most likely offer ‘bulk’ dispensers.
The Bill said all ‘lodgings establishments’ meaning hotels, motels, resorts, bed and breakfasts and holiday apartments will stop offering small plastic bottles holding 340ml or under of product in rooms or public spaces.
Buying bulk items would mean several guests can use the same dispensers without hotels having to replenish it.
‘The amount of plastic produced is increasing exponentially, and we must consider all options to reduce this pollution from entering our waste streams,’ said Assembly Member Ask Kalra.
‘While it may not appear to be a problem on an individual level, small plastic bottles that are less than 12 ounces represent a sizeable amount of waste collectively that the state must address.’
It’s now up to California’s governor Gavin Newsom to decide whether the ban should be made into law.
If so, it could mean establishments face hefty fines of up to $2,000 (£1,526) if they’re guilty of breaking the law more than once.
Though the decision may only affect California for now, Marriot hotels which operate worldwide, has already stopped mini bottles in favour of bulk dispensers.
RIP free toiletries. But hey, it’s all for a good cause.
Period poverty affects the whole world. Women who get their periods don’t always have sanitary products to manage them so have to resort to other means.
Even in the UK, which is relatively richer than other parts of the world, 40% of girls are thought to have been forced to use toilet roll because they couldn’t afford sanitary products.
In other parts of the globe, the situation is dire.
Poor women and girls have to use animal skins, rags, and cow patties to accommodate their flow. One woman from Uganda said she digs a hole in the ground and sits on it to drain the blood.
Some of those menstruating don’t even have access to basic necessities like clean water and toilets.
So charity Water Aid has put together a photo gallery to show the methods these women are using to give us an idea of the reality of period poverty.
The charity reported that one in nine people don’t have clean water close to home and one in three don’t have a decent toilet of their own.
As part of the gallery, WaterAid spoke to some of these women who revealed what methods they use.
Limpo, a 22-year-old from Zambia uses dried up cow dung. She cuts them into small patties and wraps a cloth over them.
‘I do not put the cow patties directly on my skin, I wrap it in a cloth and place it nicely to capture the flow without staining other clothes,’ she said.
‘I like this method because cow patties soak up a lot of blood before they are completely soaked. I go about doing all sorts of things without any trouble.
‘Once soaked, I carefully dispose of it privately. I usually dig a small hole in the ground and bury it. In our culture, it is not allowed that men see such things.’
Lepera Joyce from Uganda said she uses an animal skin ‘menstruation skirt’.
She said: ‘Once I bought a pack of sanitary pads from the shop but I did not like them because if one has heavy blood flow she can use more than three pads in a day yet they are expensive.
‘Also they are small, they do not absorb all blood, yet the goatskin skirt works for the whole day.’
Similarly, Sangita, from Nepal, makes her own sanitary pads.
‘Readymade pads are costly and if you do not dispose of them properly it will pollute the environment,’ she said.
‘In a municipality like ours where there is no plan for managing solid waste, these sorts of pads can contaminate our water source as well if not disposed of properly. So looking at the wider impact, homemade pads are safer.’
But if materials are being reused or washed with unclean water and are therefore unhygienic, they pose health risks.
WaterAid said all women should have access to a clean and safe sanitary product of their choice.
They are urging governments to take action against period poverty.
‘WaterAid is calling on governments worldwide to prioritise appropriate sanitation, clean water, and good hygiene in schools, homes, and workplaces, and access to sanitary products to all, to ensure that women are not excluded from society once a month as a result of a natural process.’
A young mum has called a £3.99 moisturiser a ‘miracle’ after her five-month-old son’s agonising eczema almost cleared up in just days.
Demi-Jo Morgan, 26, was desperately searching for ways to ease little Arthur’s ‘angry’ condition, which left him bleeding, weeping and scratching relentlessly.
The condition left the his skin red and scaly with huge patches on his stomach, back and arms.
Demi-Jo spent months speaking with doctors and was prescribed creams including Aveeno and Emulsiderm but nothing seemed to work.
Then, mother-of-two Demi-Jo was recommended the £3.99 Childs Farm Baby Moisturiser and decided to give it a go.
Arthur’s eczema cleared up ‘significantly’ within days.
Demi-Jo, from Leeds, West Yorks, said: ‘There has been a significant transformation, it’s gone from being red, angry and scaly to hardly any redness. It has cleared up massively.
‘It’s a huge relief because there is nothing worse than seeing your child in pain.
‘I’m shocked at how well it has worked so far. I would recommend it to anyone, it has been life-changing.’
Demi-Jo, who is looking to start a children’s nursing university course in September, applies the moisturiser three to four times daily.
Arthur’s eczema is thought to have been caused by a cow’s milk protein allergy which is common in young babies.
Little Arthur spent hours of his young life in doctors’ offices because the condition was affecting his quality of life.
Despite being prescribed a range of creams, his symptoms remained.
Eventually, desperate for anything that would help, Demi-Jo decided to try a bottle of Childs Farm Baby Moisturiser from her local Boots store which her auntie recommended.
The dermatologist-approved cream contains active ingredients grapefruit, shea butter and tea tree oil, which are soft, natural products suitable for children used to keep skin moisturised and prevent irritation.
Happy with the cream’s results, Demi-Jo took to Facebook to share Arthur’s amazing transformation.
She said: ‘He is covered head to toe in eczema and has been for a few months. It was red, scaly and he kept scratching.
‘He was bleeding and weeping. He had big patches on his stomach, back, arms.
‘I took him to doctors and they gave me some creams and bath stuff for him.
‘Another doctor diagnosed him with a cow’s milk protein allergy and he gave me some different cream that didn’t seem to make any difference.
‘I thought I would give Childs Farm a go and started it on Monday this week.
‘He still has eczema on parts of his body but it’s nowhere near as red and angry as it was before. He isn’t scratching as much either.
‘My whole family suffer from eczema but Arthur’s was particularly bad.’
Hamish the tiny kitten was bought into The Arlington Welfare League Kitten Academy in Virginia, U.S, at just four weeks old.
The wee kitty weighed a mere five ounces and was the size of a tennis ball, while his siblings, who were rescued with him, weighed well over a pound.
Not only was little Hamish underweight, he was missing hair on his tail and had a bloated belly that needed medical attention.
The Academy enlisted the help of licensed veterinary technician Ellen Carozza, who now looks after Hammy.
After three days, Hamish found his purr and continues to grow every day.
He is settling in with Ellen who takes him to work so she can provide around the clock care.
Ellen has been charting his progress on Instagram where she has shared images grooming him.
‘Kittens thrive on comfort and care, and that includes grooming by the person providing care,’ she wrote.
‘Grooming is part of their emotional care, not just their physical needs. Just like a person who doesn’t feel well, getting a bath or a shower is welcoming and feels good.
‘So if you are caring for kittens, no matter how many make sure you take the extra time to bathe them. You’ll be amazed at how much better they thrive.’
Ellen uses a toothbrush to groom Hamish.
He is still so small and fragile, so he needs to sleep in an incubator to regulate his body temperature when he naps.
When she takes him to work, Ellen has to put him in a towel before putting Hamish into her pocket.
The two love spending time together and already Hamish is growing into a confident little cat.
He’ll be much bigger than a tennis ball in no time.