Eight beauty-editor-approved buys – including the new Glossier perfume and a posh make-up brush
I'VE fully embraced spring this month - winter dragged on for far too long, so as soon as the clocks went back, my heavy knits and chunky boots got packed away.
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These are my top picks of the month
Credit: SUPPLIED
Even when the weather isn't playing ball,
, has helped keep my spring spirit alive.
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The fragrance has notes of apricot and cashmere
Credit: GLOSSIER
Glossier You Fleur, £70 for 50ml EDP
It has a saltiness that immediately transports you to the beach, with fruity apricot and the comforting, warm woody, cashmere notes of the original Glossier You - I've been wearing it daily, and can still smell it on my clothes in the laundry basket!
I'm a big believer in a pick-and-mix beauty routine - every brand has products it does really well, and others that are a bit of a flop, so I wouldn't recommend a multi-step routine from the same brand before, but the latest launch from Irish brand Sculpted By Aimee has turned that on its head.
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Brighten and awaken tired eyes
Credit: SCULPTED BY AIMEE
Sculpted By Aimee Brighten Up Energising Eye Cream, £26
READ MORE IN BEAUTY
There's not a single dud in the three-product strong Glow Collection -
has a cooling metal applicator that has been a godsend for my hayfever-riddled eyes and a super-lightweight consistency that feels instantly soothing on delicate undereye skin.
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This serum stars calming niacinamide
Credit: SCULPTED BY AIMEE
Sculpted By Aimee LiquidGlo Brightening Essence, £24
is packed with my favourite skincare ingredient - niacinamide, which is an all-rounder that helps balance oil production, calm inflammation and reduce texture - in a water-like formula that's virtually weightless on skin and doesn't leave behind any sticky residue, so you can layer it with pretty much anything.
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Clear and brighten your complexion
Credit: SCULPTED BY AIMEE
Most read in Fabulous
Finally, the star of the show,
, is the only vitamin C serum I've ever managed to use consistently.
I often find they're greasy, and pretty much every one I've tried has caused my skin to break out, but it's been a month and my skin is looking better than ever - the only thing it's added is more glow!
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This serum tackles numerous skin concerns
Credit: THE INKEY LIST
The I
nkey List Exosome Hydro-Glow Complex, £20
I've also been using
, morning and night since it launched at the start of the month.
Founders Mark Curry and Colette Laxton told me it's the jack of all trades (and master of them too!) so will improve pretty much every skin concern, and make the rest of the products in my routine also work harder.
I'm no scientist, so I can't confirm if that's true, but given the current state of my skin, I'm inclined to agree with them.
Again, glow is a major focus, but as someone who usually runs from the word given my oily, spot-prone complexion, I'm happy to report the serum feels like silk without any sign of oiliness.
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The new gen of mineral sunscreen is impressive
Credit: ULTRA VIOLETTE
Ultra Violette Future Fluid SPF50+ Superlight Mineral Skinscreen, £38
SPF is always the last step in my morning routine - if you're not already wearing it daily, let the recent sunny weather persuade you otherwise - and
has unexpectedly become my go-to.
I say unexpectedly, as it's made from mineral sunscreen filters, which I thought I hated (they're often thick and oily) but this new gen is super-fluid, and absorbs almost instantly, so it doesn't interfere with my make-up.
The White Lotus' Aimee Lou Wood reveals her exact make-up routine to get that signature glow and opens up on 'drawing attention' to her gap tooth
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I've been wearing this SPF50 instead of foundation
Credit: SUPERGOOP!
Supergoop! Protec(Tint) Daily SPF Tint SPF50, £40
For days when I'm not wearing a full face of glam, I've been using
, in place of foundation, thanks to the buildable coverage.
It blends easily, so it's not at all patchy which can be a problem with some skin tints - plus, it has a slightly thicker, more hydrating consistency that leaves my skin feeling moisturised all day.
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These brushes feature easy-grip handles and feather-soft bristles
Credit: VICTORIA BECKHAM BEAUTY
Victoria Beckham Beauty The Brush Collection, from £30
, is the launch that has wowed me the most this month - inspired by calligraphy tools, the walnut handles are shaped to fit perfectly in your hand, and the bristles are densely packed to pick up pigment, while feeling feather-soft.
To get the best value for money, I'd buy the double-ended versions first, but a word of warning: once you've bought one, you're going to want more, so it might be worth buying the Custom Brush Set, which is fully customisable - you have to pick at least three of the nine-strong collection to save 10%. Who doesn't love a discount?!
How To Save Money On Beauty Buys
IF your purse is feeling tighter than ever before and you're looking to save cash on your make-up routine, have you ever thought of trying out beauty dupes?
Here are five of the best recommended beauty buys that are almost identical to the posh versions, but at a fraction of the price.
FACE BASE
If you can't afford Charlotte Tilbury's £52 Magic Cream, why not try a
TONE IT UP
If Drunk Elephant's £62 Protini Cream is out of your price range, you'll need to check out
TINTING IT
With Fenty's game-changer skin tint costing £29, a popular supermarket's affordable alternative might just be the thing for you.
GET COVERED
At £29 for a Tarte concealer, the new Primark dupe is much more affordable at just £3.50.
SPRAY YAY
For those wanting to smell fresh without the price tag,
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The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
‘You'll upstage the bride' people fume as wedding guest shows off very revealing dress that's ‘way too fancy'
A FASHIONISTA has come under fire after showing off her wedding guest outfit that trolls insist will ''upstage the bride''. Wedding season has well and truly arrived, which means many people have been taking to social media to share their stylish frocks and gowns. 1 People have accused this wedding guest of 'upstaging the bride' with this dress Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk But one woman has left people demanding she changes her outfit for a close pal's garden wedding. The dress code detailed in the digital invite asked guests to "get just a little bit fancy" with chinos listed as an option for men and "dress/skirts" for female attendees. From this brief, the woman opted for a sleeveless floor length silver satin dress with a deep plunging V-neck. And even she seems unsure about her choice, after sharing a picture of her final look in the Alongside the snap, she wrote: "Is this too intense to wear as a guest It's at a garden venue inspired by the French countryside. "I'm concerned this is a bit too much for the venue/garden vibes.. and potentially even a little too close to white? "The bride is a close family friend but I don't want to bother her when she has so much on her mind. "Bridesmaids are wearing burgundy red. Please help me out here; suitable attire or too much?" Most read in Fabulous Her post quickly racked up almost 1,000 comments with plenty of fashion fans having their say. Not only did people warn her that it was "too revealing" and would take attention away from the bride, but others claimed its colour broke a basic rule because it looked near-white. Frankie Bridge slammed by fans again for SHEER wedding guest dress that's 'too much' and will 'upstage the bridge' Wearing ivory as a wedding guest is often considered a cardinal sin and the ultimate insult to the bride. One person said: "Too close to white and it looks too good. You'll show up the bride! Don't wear it to a wedding!" A second wrote: "So you want to wear a wedding dress to somebody else's fairly casual wedding…I think you already know the answer…" A third fumed "no, you'll upstage the bride" while someone claimed: "Too revealing for a will be on you not the bride." "Nope it's to fancy for what the invite says and also it looks like you're the bride", chimed in a fifth. Wedding Guest Outfit Etiquette If you're struggling to decided on a dress to see you through wedding season, here's a few rules on what not to wear so you don't get in trouble. Folklore says that wearing red at a wedding means you slept with the groom. Casual attire like jeans and flip flops should always be avoided. Any colour that could be picked up as white or cream - even if it's not. Most would agree that your cleavage needs to be covered. Wearing white is a massive no-no if you're not the bride. And a sixth echoed: "I definitely thought you were asking if it was too plungy to wear as a bride... then realised you're a guest." Others, however, jumped in to support the wedding guest and urged her to wear the show-stopping frock. One said: "Am I the only one saying the dress is fine for the dress code instructions? Lol." "I'd wear this gown; it's beautiful and you look beautiful in it", another insisted. A third agreed: "It's gorgeous. Not white. Wear it. Always better to be too dressed up than too dressed down." Meanwhile, a fourth wrote: "I don't think it matters if it's more casual or not. Just wear it if you like it and don't care what ppl thing if you feel beautiful or sexy in it. It looks amazing on you." Celebs aren't exempt from making fashion faux pas at weddings either. When Dani Dyer wed footballer Jarrod Bowen last week, guest and fellow Love Islander Georgia Steel was slated for wearing what looked like a revealing white dress to her pal's big day. After Georgia posted a snap on TikTok of the lace-trimmed Miss Circle number she wore, the trolls came out in force, bashing her for picking what was in fact a 'soft beige' dress. 'Wearing white to a wedding?' questioned one, while another waded in with: 'Way too bridal for a wedding.' And Georgia isn't alone. Two months ago, White Lotus actress She chose a cleavage-baring corset-style dress from V Chapman in a very pale blue. Read more on the Irish Sun Fans thought the colour was an issue. Comments included: 'That is not an appropriate shade of blue for a wedding' and 'The number one [rule] of a wedding is don't wear anything close to white.'
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
I tested budget slushie makers against £350 Ninja gadget – a £10 high street dupe is just as good & the kids'll love it
WHEN the sun comes out, so do the pleas from kids for ice creams, slushies and sugary summer treats. With school holidays around the corner and temperatures finally set to climb, frozen drinks become a household essential. Advertisement 9 The Sun's Lynsey Hope puts slushie makers to the test while Fabulous Food Editor Kirsty Spence has two great recipes Credit: Oliver Dixon But after concerns over Enter Ninja's Slushi. The sleek, high-end gadget went viral, with foodie influencers around the world showing off their bar-quality frozen cocktails and perfectly textured slushies. The hashtag #ninjaslushie has already racked up more than 15,000 TikTok videos. Advertisement read more on fabulous It has launched in the UK just in time for the sunshine. But at nearly £350, this machine is anything but cheap. So, is it worth the hype, or can budget-friendly versions deliver the chill for less? Lynsey Hope puts them to the test while Fabulous Food Editor Kirsty Spence has two great recipes. NINJA SLUSHIE FROZEN DRINKS MAKER, £349.99, THE first thing that hits you is the price – and then the size. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous Exclusive This is a huge appliance and even getting it out of the box was a mission. 9 The Ninja Slushie Maker is huge but easy to use Credit: Oliver Dixon But it is very easy to use. Just add your ingredients to the plastic vessel and choose what type of drink you would like on the control panel. Mum shares genius hack to make slushies for your kids in seconds Unlike other slushie makers, this one doesn't need ice. The compressor in the machine cools the ingredients as it churns away. Advertisement Once your drink is ready, it will keep it cold for up to 12 hours. You do have to keep it running, though, and it is not silent. I was very impressed with the drinks that came out. The texture of the frozen cocktail was restaurant or bar quality, although you do have to select the right temperature. Even simple tropical fruit juice and cola came out as a perfect slushy for kids. Advertisement The recipe booklet was really helpful to get you started. Any drinks you add to the machine do need at least 5g of sugar per 100ml. If you want to make diet drinks you must add erythritol – a sweetener – which you can buy online or at supermarkets. It is £3.35 for 250g at Tesco. You also need lemon juice and salt but the instructions in the manual are easy to follow. Advertisement I loved it. The only downside is the size. You need a decent bit of counter space if you want it out all the time and as it is so big, it is hard to store. The main drinks vessel was also quite hard to clean by hand but it can go in the dishwasher. Rating: 4/5 CHILLFACTOR SLUSHY MAKER, £9.99, IF you only need a single serving, this is a great option and especially fun for kids. But it does require a bit of prep. Advertisement You have to put the cup in the freezer for eight to ten hours before you want to make your slushie. 9 Chillfactor slushie cup is especially fun for kids Credit: Oliver Dixon Then simply add a chilled drink of your choice until the cup becomes two-thirds full, screw the lid on and squeeze the cup. It was pretty easy to do, although my younger daughter did need a bit of help with this step as some of the liquid spilled over the top. Advertisement But this simple process freezes your drink into a thick, slushie texture in about a minute. The children were amazed by how easy it was and loved that they could do it themselves. 9 The cup freezes your drink into a thick, slushie texture in about a minute Credit: Oliver Dixon They thought they were getting a cafe-quality slushy at home and yet I could make it healthier, with fruit options and less sugar. Advertisement You cannot put the cup in the dishwasher, although it is easy to wash by hand. You really need to keep it in the freezer so it is always ready to go when you need it. I found it took up quite a lot of freezer space. The serving size is also limited. But if you don't want a bulky appliance and want something cheap, this is a fun and wallet-friendly alternative. Advertisement Rating: 4/5 LIVIVO ELECTRIC ICE CRUSHER, £39.99, MARGARITAS came out watery and the cola slushies were flat after adding a can of it and some ice. The steel blades did a great job of chopping up the ice. 9 The Livivo ice crusher didn't blend the drink too well Credit: Oliver Dixon Advertisement But the ice and liquid didn't really blend properly when I poured it out of the machine. It only took a minute, but I'd rather wait a bit longer and get something drinkable. None of it can go in the dishwasher, either, and it was a right faff to wash by hand. While quick and relatively compact to store, it is also very noisy to use. Advertisement It probably made around four small cups in one go. For nearly £40, I did not think much of it. Rating: 3/5 SLUSH PUPPIE SLUSHY MACHINE, £34.99, I ALWAYS wanted this as a child and now in my forties, I was still pretty excited to try it out. Advertisement Sadly, my childhood dreams were crushed and I was left disappointed. 9 The Slush Puppy slushie maker was nothing like you would get from a machine in a cafe Credit: Oliver Dixon All the slushies that came out of this were very watery and didn't have the blended, icy texture I had been hoping for. It was nothing like you would get from a machine in a cafe, or what I remember as a kid. Advertisement And it was pretty noisy to use, although it only took a minute or two to prepare as the plastic mixer quickly ground through the ice. There are two settings so you can have the ice fine or coarse. Both were too runny, leaving large uneven chunks in the drinks. It was easy to clean and relatively compact to store, especially compared to the Ninja. Advertisement Rating: 2/5 ANDREW JAMES ICE CRUSHER SLUSH MACHINE, £32.99, HERE is a super-quick and convenient way to make an icy drink. All you have to do is add ice to the compartment at the top and this is then crushed into the liquid in the main blending container at the simple press of a button. 9 The Andrew James slushie maker is cheap and simple but very average Credit: Oliver Dixon Advertisement Quick and easy to do but the quality of the drink wasn't a patch on those from the Ninja. They were on the watery side and lacked the thick, slushie-like texture. I tried adding shaved ice afterwards but it didn't blend in very well and spoilt my enjoyment. The kids still liked it. Having a slushie at home was a real winner, even though it wasn't perfectly blended. Advertisement Simple, wallet-friendly but very average. Rating: 3/5 LYNSEY'S VERDICT: IT'S A DRAW MOST of us don't have £350 to spend on a whopping great machine, or a place to store it. So while the Ninja was brilliant, the ChillFactor cup is fun for the kids and costs less than a tenner. Advertisement 9 Find out where Lynsey thinks you should spend your money Credit: Oliver Dixon It would make a great gift if you have lots of parties over the summer and it comes in a lovely range of colours. If the Ninja was cheaper it would definitely be a winner. But I had to knock a point off because it is so bulky and takes up so much room in my already jam-packed kitchen. Advertisement The bonus is that it can also make cocktails and frappes for the grown-ups, which would be difficult with the ChillFactor cup. If you spend a lot on these overall, it might be a worthy investment. Two iced coffees a week at £4 a go would cost you £416, so it might save money if you spend a lot on iced drinks out and about. But if all you are after is a bit of fun on a hot day, the ChillFactor is a brilliant and affordable option. Advertisement FROSE 9 A Forse mixes Sparkling Rosé, Martini Fiero, and lemon juice Credit: Paragon Brands Serves 1 YOU NEED: 60ml Martini Sparkling Rosé 15ml Martini Fiero 30ml water 30ml sugar syrup 30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice METHOD : Add the ingredients to the slushie machine until blended. Advertisement Garnish the drink with a dried grapefruit slice. Pina colada Serves 1 YOU NEED: 50ml Bacardi coconut rum 37.5ml Coco Real 37.5ml pineapple juice METHOD : Combine all ingredients in the machine and blend. Advertisement Serve in a highball glass, garnished with a pineapple wedge plus a 'cherry flag' – a cherry and orange slice on a cocktail stick. Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
Irish Post
3 hours ago
- Irish Post
Birmingham's Balti, blinders and Irish backbone
MY eyes started to bulge, beads of sweat began to drip from my brow — I realised that my nascent journey through Birmingham's cultural chicane was about to hit the wall when I started to taste a bowl of fiery Hot and Sour Soup ( Suan La Tang ) at a lively Chinatown restaurant. Sichuan peppercorns seemed to be gouging dents in my tongue deeper than West Midlands potholes. And the accompanying fried rice, with its semi-volcanic red chilli paste, was failing to douse the flames. Luckily, I was saved soon after when a very welcome Guinness helped to soothe the pain at the Queen's Arms, a friendly and traditional Art Nouveau pub in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter. Another pint followed and, quite soon, normal service was (almost) restored, Well, at least I was able to talk again. Such risks are at the heart of any trip into a metropolis which is a melting pot (literally) of so many of the world's cultures and cuisines, from Irish and Caribbean to Chinese and an abundance of South Asian. The previous day, I had voyaged into the heart of the city, along with my partner and photographer Sue Mountjoy, on a hired narrowboat in which we had tucked into our own version of the Birmingham Balti, cooked previously and frozen at home. James with the Wren tied up in the heart of Birmingham Our onboard meal was based on a recipe from Shababs, one of the city's original Balti houses that refined the legendary Pakistani curry, named after its wok-shaped cooking pan, the Balti, meaning bucket in Hindi and created locally in the 1970s. It was a delightful mix of spices, but our cooking skills hardly matched those of the local aficionados who, despite so much competition from burgers, desserts, pizzas and gastro pubs, can still be found across a city which served 20,000 Balti meals a week in the boom decades between 1990 and 2010. Of course, our four-day journey along the Worcester and Birmingham Canal was as much a relaxing wander through idyllic spring countryside as an exploration of the history of the waterway itself and the countless Irish labourers who sweated, bled and died carving its 22-mile route from Alvechurch Marina to Birmingham's historic Gas Street Basin. During the golden age of canals – a relatively short period, from 1760 to 1800 – it is not known how many Irishmen flocked to regions like the West Midlands, the epicentre of the network with 160 miles of canals (more waterways than Venice, it's claimed), most of which still survive, having come through the eras of the railways, roads and now enjoying a halcyon period of leisure use. Many of these men hid their identities and remain unrecorded by history, suspicious of often aggressive authorities and locals who accused them of taking their jobs by undercutting their already meagre wages. James tries out his onboard Balti curry Yet they came in their thousands, many to handle the harvests of the great English and Scottish estates, before switching to the canals for the better pay for the punishing work of digging 20 tons of earth a day, living amid the disease and violence of nearby shanty towns, where beer and brawling were the key distractions. It was hard not to think of their sacrifices when we faced our first and only real challenge, the seemingly endless and gloomy depths of the Wast Hill Tunnel, which is over a mile and a half long and took us over 35 minutes to pass through with just our boat headlight as our guide. It took the navvies three brutally hard and very dangerous years to dig by hand and build the brickwork (from 1794-97). I wondered how many had died there and had been the legendary 'heavy diggers' of Connemara or the 'tunnel tigers' from Donegal – both had a reputation as hard workers and, even today, have renowned skills in construction, particularly subterranean work. Wast Hill proved passable safely with steel-eyed concentration and, once through, gave me a light-headed sense of achievement when that light emerged and we savoured the warmth and birdsong at the end of its shiveringly dank depths. Even so, our cruise – with not a single ancient lock to negotiate - was ideal for a beginner and for boaters who prefer a gentle cruise through a tapestry of rolling Worcestershire countryside dotted with ancient waterside cottages and elegant grey herons who stared at us intently from the towpaths, hopeful that our propellor would expose a doomed fish or two for lunch. The Wren moored in central Birmingham Our first mooring was at Bournville, the UK's 'Chocolate Town' and home to the all-embracing Cadbury business started in 1824 by Quaker John just four miles away in Birmingham's Bull Street - now American-owned and one of the world's biggest confectionery brands. We had a fascinating wander round the elegant and green Arts and Crafts model village, which the Cadbury dynasty built to provide workers with better living conditions than the cramped Victorian city. But it was in among the giggling children at the Cadbury World exhibition centre (over 500,000 visitors each year) that we saw how clever marketing and continuous change made us both obsessed as children with Dairy Milk! Next day, a small boy Ollie (3) and his great grandmother stopped to chat and look over our 49-foot steel monster, between train spotting on the adjoining Cross-City rail line into Birmingham. 'How fast does it go?' he asked. 'Not very, I'm afraid,' I replied honestly, to his clear disappointment. Yet, as we cast off with the help of our neighbouring boat owner and with advice about the big city's attractions from a young man living in his boat opposite, we appreciated that life at 4-miles-an-hour is a wellbeing antidote to today's busy world. Even as busy Birmingham crept up on us, through the fields, suburban warehouses, and graffiti-emblazoned walls of Selly Oak, Edgbaston and eventually through heart of the city's waterways, the 230-year-old canal nerve centre, Gas Street Basin, and our final mooring berth, Brindley Place, once grimy and choked with industry but now home to countless lively bars, restaurants and such attractions as the National Sea Life Centre, Legoland and the Symphony Hall. For two nights, despite being surrounded by such full-on nightlife, our mooring proved oddly peaceful, with several friendly passing dog walkers, pram-pushers and cuddling couples stopping to chat whenever we stepped out. And by foot and buses, we immersed ourselves in the many cultures of a city which has been home to the Irish for over two centuries, with over 15,000 Irish immigrations arriving by the mid 19th century, attracted by work on the canals, railways and construction industry. The Wren sails through the lengthy Wast Hill Tunnel Our trips took us to some of the city's iconic centres, including Digbeth, the spiritual home of the Irish, and the fascinating Back-to-Backs Museum, where the National Trust spent £3 million preserving three 19th century houses that show the disease, landlord cruelty and squalor those families endured. Interestingly, our guide informed us that due to the high water table locally, the poorest families had not been forced to live in the dark and windowless house cellars as so many arriving Irish had had to endure in 19th century Liverpool. After our return to Alvechurch Marina, we handed back the 'Wren' and drove to Dudley to spend the day at the remarkable Black Country Living Museum, whose grim canal yard featured in the earliest episodes of television's long-running Birmingham drama, Peaky Blinders. The dramatized Blinders on TV are a violent group of organised criminals with Irish roots (led by Tommy Shelby played by Cillian Murphy) but the truth of the fearsome late 19th and early 20th century Birmingham 'slogging' gangs is more complex. Some, grew out of the anti-Irish Catholic violence stirred up by roving preachers who encouraged widespread looting and destruction of the impoverished Irish homes around Park Street in the 1860s. For protection, many youngsters signed up to what became an early youth cult of the day. Today, the Blinders are long gone. And, despite Birmingham's recent headlines over bin strikes and council finance chaos, we enjoyed a city with great pubs and live trad music and learned how their modern-day Irish descendants are now the poets, writers, teachers, builders and musicians that have helped construct the kaleidoscopic culture of a city that can certainly float your Balti boat. FACTFILE For canal trip details visit or call 0344 984 0322 ABC Boat Hire or call 0330 333 0590 Hire prices for the 'Wren,' for example, start at £699 for a short break (three or four nights), £999 for a week. Boats range from 32ft to 70ft and can accommodate from two up to 12 people. For more information about the canal network, visit See More: Balti, Birmingham, Irish, Travel
