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The £2 buy that brightens up your garden & ‘works wonders' keeping flies out as mum urges people to ‘forget' DIY hacks

The £2 buy that brightens up your garden & ‘works wonders' keeping flies out as mum urges people to ‘forget' DIY hacks

The Irish Sun5 days ago
WITH summer in full force and Brits enjoying glorious weather, many homeowners may have noticed more flies appearing in their garden and houses.
This is because this is the time of year that pesky bugs love the most, as the warmer, brighter days boost their energy levels.
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The genius solution was recently shared on TikTok by mum-of-three Jaimie Elmo
Credit: TIKTOK/theelmosworlds
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The disco ball should be placed somewhere bright and sunny to capture and reflect the light
Credit: TIKTOK/theelmosworlds
The start of summer also marks the start of their mating season and they can all emerge at once to begin reproducing.
Not to mention, there is also increased food availability with BBQs and picnics, meaning they are often on the search for a tasty snack.
So it's no wonder that
Online, there are what feels like dozens of different hacks - from using basil, a viral
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However, if you've given these a shot but with no worthwhile results, there's another remedy.
The best part? Not only is it effective and wallet-friendly but will also brighten up your outdoor space in seconds.
The genius solution was recently shared on TikTok by mum-of-three Jaimie Elmo, who also urged people to ''forget'' other DIY hacks.
According to the savvy mother, whose username is @
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Most read in Fabulous
Pest control expert, Juan C. Rezk, explained that this method can be ''effective'' because flies mostly rely on light and reflection for navigation.
''Their sense of direction may be affected by the reflections cast everywhere by a spinning disco ball in direct sunshine,'' he told
The 2C method which stops flies plaguing your home and ruining your BBQ
''It doesn't harm them, but if it irritates them enough, they may avoid the area.''
For best results, the disco ball - available for just £2 on
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According to Juan, using a disco ball to get rid of gnats and flies works best outside, on decks, patios, and barns.
Why do flies come out in summer?
Flies are present all year round, but all of a sudden when summer comes, they are just EVERYWHERE!
The main contributing factors are the breeding cycle of flies and the soaring temperatures.
Insects are cold blooded and in summer, when their body temperature rises from the external heat, they become more active.
The hotter weather also let's them seek out cool moist spots, like inside your home, to escape from the sweltering heat and to lay their eggs.
House Fly eggs take around 20 hours to hatch, but when the temperature rises above 37 degrees, can hatch within 8 hours!
In extreme hot weather the eggs can mature from larvae to adult fly in as little as four days.
The average lifespan of a housefly is 21 days, so each female can lay up to 900 eggs during the summer months!
''To truly reflect, it requires direct sunlight or a powerful light source,'' he explained.
''Inside is not worth it though. Flies just ignore the scatter effect because most interior lighting isn't intense enough to produce it.''
While this remedy won't work well on cloudy days, a disco ball is a fun way to add flair to your
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Sharing the hack - which is ideal if you want to keep your garden chemical-free - Jaimie said in the caption: ''Forget the water and pennies in a Ziploc trick. This has been working wonders.''
'I love how it looks'
Since being uploaded, the informative video - one that's sure to help millions of frustrated people - has won almost 920k views.
As over 28k people gave it a like, more than 170 flooded to comments where one joked: ''It puts the flies into a panic at the disco.''
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Another also swore by this wallet-friendly solution, writing: ''I did this too & it actually works and also I love how it looks.''
Read more on the Irish Sun
Someone else chimed in: ''I hung 6 on my back deck, and I'm so obsessed with the look.
''It helped us with the birds that pooped on our deck, but now that I think about it.. flies are way less than past years!!''
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I'm frugal with my money but live a luxury life – I still manage to shop at M&S but using a simple hack
I'm frugal with my money but live a luxury life – I still manage to shop at M&S but using a simple hack

The Irish Sun

time12 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

I'm frugal with my money but live a luxury life – I still manage to shop at M&S but using a simple hack

WE all love a bit of luxury, but let's be real, our wallets don't always agree. WIth the cost of living still high in the UK, many families will be struggling to make ends meet. Advertisement 2 Monica is frugal with my money but still lives a luxury life Credit: tiktok/@themonicaway However, there are lots of ways to get financial freedom. Enter Monica, who is known as ' She revealed her top tips on how she lives a lavish life without breaking the bank. In her recent TikTok video, which has gained 31.9k views after two days of being posted, Monica shared her top five "frugal things I do to live a luxurious lifestyle," proving that high-end living is more about smart choices than endless spending. Advertisement READ MORE ON MONEY SAVING Monica kicks off her tips with a bold move that might make your hairdresser gasp: DIY hair trims. For regular trims and maintaining layers and fringes, she grabs the scissors herself in the comfort of her home. The ultimate luxury for her? Not having to leave the house. She still gets an annual professional trim, but her at-home snips save her "a couple of hundred pounds a year." Advertisement Most read in Fabulous Next up, Monica champions what she believes is the ultimate luxury in life: your health. For her, "health is wealth," and that means prioritising high-quality food. I bought huge swimming pool in Aldi Ireland at bargain price - it's perfect for heatwave and best money I've ever spent Her secret weapon? Marks and Spencer. She debunks the myth that M&S is always pricier, noting their basic range is comparable to budget supermarkets. Advertisement The real game-changer, though, is their "yellow sticker sales." Monica has even cracked the code for her local store, finding mass reductions between 5:30 and 6:00 PM and on Saturday mornings. High quality food This allows her to enjoy "high quality, high grade food, finding bargains and on a budget." For those of us who love a chic workout, Monica has a "little bit cheeky" trick: ClassPass free trials. Advertisement If you're looking to try a new bougie workout class, she advises taking advantage of their trials, like a current offer for "14 days of credits" for just one pound. The key? Just make sure to set a reminder in your calendar to cancel the trial so that you don't get charged. Boujee meetups She loves using this for "boujee" meetups with friends, enjoying a free Pilates class before heading out for a smoothie or breakfast. Monica's passion for secondhand fashion is no secret, and she's got a brilliant Vinted hack. Advertisement Instead of withdrawing the money she makes from selling clothes, she keeps it in her Vinted account. This becomes her "spend allowance for buying new clothing," which she says feels "a little bit like free money." This ingenious method not only motivates her to declutter and sell items she no longer wears, but also helps her "fine tune what you have in your wardrobe," creating a truly luxurious feeling of curated style and space. Home decor Finally, Monica advises against mass-produced home decor. Advertisement She finds the quality lacking and prefers to seek out unique, more special pieces. Her go-to spots are charity shops, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, and eBay for "secondhand or antique" finds. She emphasises that you don't need to spend a fortune to find high-quality antique items, and that your home will look "so much more luxurious if you have unique pieces that really demonstrate your personality and your style." 2 Monica revealed how she still manages to shop at M&S Credit: tiktok/@themonicaway Advertisement Monica's video gained 38 comments, as many people rushed to share their thoughts. One wrote: 'Love this can't believe you cut your own hair though.' 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Clodagh Finn: The ‘We Do Not Care' club is striking a powerful chord with menopausal women
Clodagh Finn: The ‘We Do Not Care' club is striking a powerful chord with menopausal women

Irish Examiner

timea day ago

  • Irish Examiner

Clodagh Finn: The ‘We Do Not Care' club is striking a powerful chord with menopausal women

Melani Sanders, the American influencer and founder of the We Do Not Care club, made me want to coin a new phrase after spending a few joyous hours in her perimenopausal company courtesy of Instagram. 'Whoop-scrolling' perhaps, because that is what I did when I binge-watched her list the myriad nonsenses that burrow their way in the heads of so many women. Her message, blunt and beautiful, is this: There is no need to put yourself under pressure trying to please everybody. Indeed, anybody. And for women on the verge of menopause or already in it, nothing is mandatory but survival. Unpainted toenails. We do not care. Separating laundry. We do not care. Bikini line. We do not care. Cellulite in short shorts. We do not care. 'Legs is legs.' And a favourite, hoovering behind things. 'We do not care how long it's been since we pulled out the stove and refrigerator to clean behind them. We do not use behind them. If we can't see it, we ain't cleaning it.' Can you flaw the logic in that? Melani Sanders, a 45-year-old mother of three living in West Palm Beach, Florida, was already well-known on social media, but she was catapulted into the stratosphere in May when one of her posts struck a deep chord with women of a certain age everywhere. One bone-tired day, after shopping, she caught sight of herself in the car mirror. Instead of self-flagellating for the untamed hair and the too-small sports bra she saw reflected back at her, she took out her phone and recorded a video of herself saying this: 'We about to start a perimenopause and menopause club, OK? And it's gonna be called the 'We Do Not Care' club… let me tell you what that means,' she said, explaining how it did not matter a jot that she had left the house wearing a poorly fitting bra or that she hadn't used hair product. She finished with this glorious exhortation: 'Let's all talk about what we don't care about today.' She unleashed a tsunami. Here are a few sample waves: 'We do not care that we defrosted food to make for dinner tonight. Now that tonight is here, we are tired and will be ordering.' 'We do not care if we snore. We are asleep.' 'We do not care if our 20 something rolls their eyes when we ask them to fix our phones, we taught you how to use that bathroom.' 'We do not care that we grunt when we stand up and say 'oof' when we sit down. This is the sound of caring leaving our bodies.' Whoop-scroll for yourself and see if you agree with the 2.5m people, at last count, now following Melani Sanders on Instagram and TikTok, adding their voices to an ever-lengthening list of things that simply do not matter when you are faced with the symptoms of menopause. Here are two recent examples that made me laugh in recognition: 'We do not care if the underwire is hanging out of our bra. Any support is better than none/ We do not care if we wear leggings every day. Jeans hurt our stomach.' What is clear in all of it, though, is that far from not caring, Melani Sanders and her followers care deeply about carving out a collective space where they can be filter-less and real. While the We Do Not Care club is hilarious, it is also deadly serious. It shows what can happen when one straight-talking woman gives a voice to the many who have, for so long, felt silenced in a world that hid, and much worse, minimised the impact of menopause. Now, by stark but welcome contrast, it seems to be the topic of the moment. There is good and bad in that. The upside is that women such as Sanders can deadpan on social media and build a global community in weeks. Can an Irish branch of the We Do Not Care club be far behind? Though, the joyous confluence of humour and community has probably already worked its silent magic here because the beauty of it all is that you can cheer — and whoop — from the sidelines. The downside, however, is that whenever an issue is highlighted, the moneymakers and the brand-pushers spot an opportunity and swoop in. It is hardly surprising, then, to see that Melani has already been offered a series of commercial partnerships. More power to her if she can monetise her message which, for now at least, remains undiluted. Money and medicine, though, are a more problematic mix. We have been far too quick to medicalise what is essentially a natural phase in a woman's life. That is not to say drugs and therapies are unwelcome. Bring on anything that helps, but all research — and we need much more of it focused on women's health — must be informed by the experiences of those it is purporting to help. If the We Do Not Care club's moment in the viral sun tells us anything, it is that women are far more interested in their health than they are in trying to conform to the manufactured idea of beauty. Sanders is particularly good at calling out the latter. She's spit-out-your-tea funny on opting out of the battle to keep body hair under control. I was going to write the word 'unwanted' before body hair in that sentence, but that just shows how deep the conditioning goes. That, however, is very recent. The ancient Egyptians and the Romans may well have plucked and depilated, but the idea that under-arm and leg hair are unsightly is a mere century old. A vintage advert for the Milady Decolletée Gillette razor. We can pin the blame for that particular insecurity on the fashion industry, which shortened skirts and sleeves in the early 1900s, and razor company Gillette which developed the Milady Decolletée in 1915 to shame women into thinking those previously unexposed parts of the body could only be presented to the world if they were smooth and hairless. For the three centuries before that, nobody was offended by leg or underarm hair. 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My nan is 77 but doesn't look it – she swears by her boiling water hack & a £10 No7 buy for beautiful smooth skin
My nan is 77 but doesn't look it – she swears by her boiling water hack & a £10 No7 buy for beautiful smooth skin

The Irish Sun

timea day ago

  • The Irish Sun

My nan is 77 but doesn't look it – she swears by her boiling water hack & a £10 No7 buy for beautiful smooth skin

A GRANDMOTHER has revealed her top tips and favourite products for beautiful and smooth skin. So if you're on a mission to wave goodbye to wrinkles, you've come to the right place and will need to listen up. 8 A 77-year-old has revealed her morning and night-time routine for glowing skin Credit: Tiktok/@amyfyffe_ 8 Margaret Fyffe left viewers stunned by her ageless complexion, so if you want to be wrinkle-free, you'll need to take notes Credit: Tiktok/@amyfyffe_ 8 Margaret washes her face and then uses a No7 Toner Credit: Tiktok/@amyfyffe_ 8 She then applies this No7 Night Serum Credit: Tiktok/@amyfyffe_ According to one nanny, a boiling water hack is key if you want a glowing complexion. And Not only this, but Margaret Fyffe, 77, also swears by No7 products. Posting on social media, Amy Fyffe shared a clip alongside her gorgeous nanny, as she asked her relative: 'What's the biggest thing for good skin?' To this, Margaret then shared the habits she lives by as she confirmed: 'I don't smoke and I don't drink.' Read more skincare stories Following on from this, Margaret then revealed what she uses on her To kick off her night-time routine, Margaret got candid on her boiling water hack, as she shared: 'I boil my water in the kettle and then I put it in the basin, let it cool and then I put in my face cloth and then I'll give my face a wee clean.' Following this, Margaret uses the She expressed: 'Then I get my toner and I just put a little drop on cotton wool…They get soaked in boiling water as well.' Most read in Fabulous After applying her toner, which retails at £9.95, Margaret then goes in with the Following this, she uses the I hated my wrinkled skin, so I spent £4k to have the top layer taken off, people can't believe I'm the same person To finish off her night-time routine, Margaret uses the Then, when she wakes up in the morning, Margaret explained: 'I do the same again with the basin and the cloth and then I get my How to reverse ageing in just 2 weeks, according to royal go-to nutritionist LONDON -based Gabriela Peacock, who has helped the likes of Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie prepare for their weddings. She told Fabulous: 'The science is evident that we all have the power to make simple life changing alterations to better our future selves - no matter what genetic hand we might have been dealt with. 'The reality is, we all sometimes indulge in unhealthy eating habits like processed foods, smoking cigarettes, drinking too much alcohol, inhaling city pollutants, and even drinking water from plastic bottles – none of this is good for us. 'All this does is promote the ageing process, but we all have the potential to change this.' It may be hard, but try to keep away from sugary carbohydrates, because they feed chronic inflammation, which is one of the worst enemies of reversing ageing. Now only will you end up putting on weight if you consume them regularly, but your energy and hormonal levels will be affected and this will influence how you look and feel. Whatever your age or state of health, it's never too late to reverse how quickly you are ageing and embrace the energy and vigour of a younger you. Antioxidants, such as vitamins A, C, and E, are essential in neutralising free radicals—the culprits behind premature ageing. Integrating a spectrum of colourful fruits and vegetables into your diet provides a potent source of antioxidants. Omega-3 fatty acids, abundant in fatty fish like salmon and flaxseeds, are vital for maintaining skin elasticity and hydration. Omega-3s act as nourishment for your skin, locking in moisture and diminishing fine lines and wrinkles. Collagen, a structural protein dwindling with age, can be replenished through collagen-rich foods like bone broth and lean protein sources. It's only two steps in the morning for Margaret, as following this, the Following this, Amy recognised: 'So you're sticking with the brand, that's good - means your skin won't react.' In response, Margaret beamed: 'I like No7.' 8 Margaret also uses No7 Retinol before bed Credit: Tiktok/@amyfyffe_ 8 Just before she goes to sleep, she lathers her face in No7 Night Cream Credit: Tiktok/@amyfyffe_ Beauty fans beam Amy's TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ Skincare fans were impressed with Margaret's advice and raced to the comments to praise her She's some woman, probably spent £1m on No7 products TikTok user One person said: 'I love this, she's so cute.' Another added: 'Your nanny looks so beautiful and young.' A third commented: 'Looking gorgeous.' Meanwhile, someone else gasped: 'She's some woman, probably spent £1m on No7 products.' In response, Amy wrote back and laughed: 'Accurate.' Top 40 beauty tips that have been handed down from generations 1. Never go to bed in make up 2. Moisturise daily 3. Don't pick at your spots, to avoid scarring 4. Get enough sleep to prevent tired-looking skin 5. When it comes to make-up, less is more 6. Trim your hair regularly to prevent split ends 7. Don't forget to moisturise your neck and décolletage 8. Drink a big glass of water each morning to cleanse and rehydrate 9. Gently pat your face dry with a towel instead of rubbing to avoid irritation 10. Avoid using too much heat on your hair to prevent damage 11. Remove makeup gently, especially around the eyes 12. Use a lip balm to keep your lips soft and prevent chapping 13. Put cucumbers on eyes to help reduce puffiness 14. Choose a foundation that matches your neck to avoid a mismatched face 15. Wash your face in cold water after cleansing to close pores. 16. Rinsing hair in cold water to increase the shine 17. Wear sunscreen/SPF protection every day, no matter the weather 18. Use a cold spoon to reduce under-eye puffiness 19. Use petroleum jelly to tame brows and moisturise lips 20. Test skincare products on a small patch of skin before using them all over your face 21. Never spend longer than 30 minutes in direct sunlight 22. Exfoliate your skin regularly to remove dead skin cells 23. Wear gloves on hands and socks on feet after putting cream on overnight 24. Wear brown mascara for a less harsh look 25. Apply blush to the apples of your cheeks for a natural glow 26. Wash hair in beer to make in shiny 27. Invest in a good quality eye cream 28. Keep your makeup brushes clean to avoid breakouts 29. Apply eye cream to reduce puffiness and dark circles 30. Apply a heat protectant before using styling tools on your hair 31. Brush your hair 100 strokes per day 32. Head massages for hair growth 33. Deep condition your hair weekly to keep it healthy and shiny 34. Wrap hair in a warm towel to enhance a hair treatment 35. Use a silk pillowcase to reduce hair frizz and skin wrinkles 36. Use a facial mask once a week for deep cleansing 37. Use a gentle, non-comedogenic cleanser to prevent clogged pores 38. Exfoliate your lips using your toothbrush 39. Use mayonnaise as a hair conditioner 40. Use a primer before applying foundation for a smoother finish And not long after Amy posted the clip, she shared a follow-up video and confirmed: 'So about a week or two ago, I posted a video of my nanny doing her 'So when I posted that TikTok, No7 [saw] it, they commented on it, told me to get in touch with them and basically, they've sent out some goodies for not only me, but for my nanny as well.' After Margaret opened up her PR parcel, clearly overjoyed with her goodies, she beamed: 'Hello No7, I want to thank you so much for the lovely gifts you give me. 'I'm really, really happy. Thank you.' Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club 8 In the morning, she will use a No7 Day Cream Credit: Tiktok/@amyfyffe_ 8 Social media users gushed over Margaret's "beautiful" skin Credit: Tiktok/@amyfyffe_

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