82% Of Couples Admit To Selling Wedding Gifts Online

  • 42% of guests admit that they find buying a wedding gift ‘stressful’
  • More than one in ten wedding guests (12%) said they were often embarrassed by their gift choice
  • One in five fully expect their gifts to be left unused, returned or sold
  • One in ten will decline a wedding invitation altogether because of worries over the gift
Bride, bridal make up, tips for wedding day, wedding, marriage, wedding day, tips, beauty, make up, tips

Photo credit: TrueMalyugin

New research reveals that 82% of newlyweds admit to selling wedding gifts on internet sites like Ebay.

Despite the use of wedding lists and the amount of thought guests put into selecting the perfect present, it seems that most newlyweds still end up with impractical presents that they just don’t want or need.

Couples taking part in the research revealed some very strange gifts indeed, with one receiving a tarantula and another couple who were presented with a gift-wrapped banana.

It also seems that many guests give presents expecting them to be sold on. More than one in ten wedding guests (12%) said they were often embarrassed by their gifts and one in five fully expect their gifts to be left unused, returned or sold.

The research indicates that more practical gifts or even group gifts are the solution, for example contributions to the honeymoon or money for house improvements would be welcomed.

42% of guests admit that they find buying a wedding gift ‘stressful’.

Worries over what gift to purchase have resulted in one in ten Brits declining a wedding invitation altogether, believing that a bad gift decision could cause an argument between friends. 6% even believe it could end a friendship.

The research was done by One4all, a gift card from the Post Office,

Top Beauty Tips for Brides

Bride, bridal make up, tips for wedding day, wedding, marriage, wedding day, tips, beauty, make up, tips

Photo credit: TrueMalyugin

We have some Top Beauty Tips for Brides from highly experienced facial therapist Amanda Elias; the brains behind effective yet affordable skincare brand, Bravura London. Amanda really knows her stuff so enjoy.

How to Prep Your Skin for a Wedding

Don’t try any new products, skincare, hair care, make-up, even washing powder 3 weeks before your wedding, any kind of a reaction could take a couple of weeks to calm down and that’s the last thing you need before your big day!

Don’t leave it until the last minute to think about your skin, the longer you have to correct any skin issues, the better! Using products that contain AHA’s will help to remove dead skin which tends to leave our skin looking dull and lifeless, removing this dead layer will leave your skin looking fresher and more vibrant.

If you’re getting married abroad, make sure you wear SPF 50 as soon as you arrive and re-apply regularly. Don’t risk sunbathing, you don’t want to get married looking like a lobster! Don’t forget your ears, lips and the back of your neck.

To avoid any fake tan disasters before your wedding, book yourself in for a spray tan the day before, you’re a lot less likely to end up with any streaky patches. Make sure you have a trial tan before the big day to make sure the colour suits you and to avoid any chance of a reaction.

Make-up sits better on exfoliated skin, using a cleanser that contains AHA’s daily can help to remove the dead skin so that your foundation lasts longer.

If you suffer with blackheads or hormonal spots on your chin, try using a salicylic acid product daily. This will help to exfoliating the skin and clear out the pores, salicylic acid also has an anti-inflammatory effect so it’s great for spots that can also become inflamed.

If you have a lot of redness left over from acne, speak to your doctor or pharmacist about a short course of hydrocortisone which can dramatically help to reduce the discolouration.

There’s going to be a lot of focus on your hands on your big day, to keep your hands and nails in peak condition, massage sweet almond oil in to your hands and nails daily, a month before the wedding. By your big day your nails will be stronger and your hands will be supper soft. If your hands tend to be flaky, mix a little olive oil and sugar, gently massage in to your hands, wash away and then apply your sweet almond oil.

Don’t forget your lips, wear a good quality lip balm and re-apply regularly throughout the day, especially before bed. Do this for at least a week before your wedding and your lips will be super soft and kiss ready.

Do you have any beauty tips?

Snap-Happy Brits Take Over 600 Million Photos a Week

20130714-132550.jpg·         The UK is a nation of snappers taking over 600 million photos every week

 

·         52% of Britons take photos on their phones and store an average of 180 pictures on their devices

 

·         Around 1 in 5 snappers have lost photos due to a broken device, 5% due to a stolen device and around 3 in 10 Brits do not back up their digital photos

 

·         People (51%), landscapes (19%) and animals/ pets (11%) are our favourite subjects

 

Thanks to smartphone, tablet and digital camera technology, image hungry Britain now takes an average of over 600 million photos in the week. According to an online study commissioned by SmugMug* the world’s largest independent photo sharing website, which launches to the UK public this week, most of our snaps feature our friends and family, followed by our beautiful countryside with our pets coming in third.

 

With the advancements in technology, our photography habits have changed irrevocably resulting in a photographic Tsunami. The online survey found that Brits take a mean average of 19 photographs in an ordinary week (not taking in account holidays or special occasions). With 47.75 million* adult residents in the UK, that’s a lot of photos – SmugMug estimates over 600 million in fact**.

 

Over half of Brits online (52%) take photos primarily on their phones and 32% keep them there. Of those that do an average of 180 photos are currently stored on their mobiles.

 

Yet when asked how many of us had lost images due to a broken (21%), stolen device (5%) or human error (30%), 56% replied yes they had. Furthermore almost 3 in 10 (28%) Brits admit that they do not back up their photos, with women (32%) being the worst culprits at not ensuring their photographic memories are safe for the future.

 

SmugMug commissioned the survey to discover more about the photo-storing and sharing habits of Britain ahead of launching its first fully formed consumer offering in the UK this week.The company will launch its cloud based photo service, already a major hit in the US to UK customers, offering a safe and secure home for the best and most important of our images. With high level security settings, our 600million photos are safe from theft or copying, yet through links and passwords, our images can be shared with friends, family and loved ones.

 

*Conducted by YouGov for SmugMug

** SmugMug have used an adult population figure of 47,754,569 as a base, and then taken 70% of that (as 30% of the original sample does not take photos during an averag

Win a Bundle of Summer Books

Nothing to read? Let us fix that. We have a free copy of all of the books below for a lucky reader. Enough to keep you entertained this summer, and probably next too.

With the heat wave set to last until August, Harlequin UK is on hand to provide their readers with the very best books to stay entertained in the sun. Whether you want to escape with some fabulous women’s fiction, indulge in a brilliant bonkbuster or sample some of the hottest newcomers’ debut novels, Harlequin has something for everyone. With tales of love and loss, sauce and scandal, check out what are set to be five of this year’s biggest summer reads.

To win follow @Frostmag on Twitter and Tweet, ‘I want to win the summer book bundle with @Frostmag’ or like us on Facebook.  Alternatively, sign up to our newsletter. You can comment below which one you did if you want an extra chance of winning.

 

For fans of rom-coms…

win books

 love is a thief

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For fans of bonkbusters…

 

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For fans of romance…

 chick lite

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For fans of chick lit…Sarah Morgan, Summer of love, summer, love, romance books

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For fans of erotica…

 

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H&M Dump Cara Delevingne

H&M have announced that Cara, who worked with them on their 2011 Authentic Collection, will no longer be modeling for them. This follows pictures where a bag of what looked like white powder were dropped by the 20-year-old model outside her London flat in Belgravia. She laughed as she covered the bag with her foot.

H&M also denied that Cara was ever the face of H&M.

‘She is not a model with us and I think there was a misunderstanding that she was the face of H&M. We just used her for the show.’’ a spokeswoman told The Sun on Sunday

She also said that H&M had  ‘no particular reason’ to work with  Delevingne in the foreseeable future.

Club DKNY In Celebration of #DKNYARTWORKS

What do you think?

 

For one night only, discover the Natural History Museum’s hidden wonders

Science Uncovered, the annual free after-hours extravaganza, returns on Friday 27 September 2013 with more on offer than ever before.

The Natural History Museum is throwing open its doors and giving you exclusive access to its world-class scientists and rarely seen parts of its collections. Science Uncovered is your chance to discover more about the Museum, hear about the latest research and enjoy a drink in the grand setting of the Museum’s Central Hall.

science-uncovered-jellyfish-490_122370_2For many, meeting Museum scientists is one of the most surprising highlights of the evening. Normally behind the scenes, our scientists tackle issues of global importance – from malaria to species loss. Science Uncovered involves 375 researchers from the across the Museum and from other leading organisations, such as the Metropolitan Police Service and the British Antarctic Survey.

Discover what goes on beyond the galleries at this world-renowned centre of research, learn more about the life of a scientist and find out something  unexpected about the natural world. You can get involved in more than 200 different activities on the night, from the Science Bar and Nature Live talks, to visiting the Science Stations and taking part in exclusive behind-the-scenes tours. The evening is also a chance to see some of the extraordinary specimens from the Museum’s collections not normally on display.

New this year:

  • Live link with NASA – the Museum’s resident meteorite expert, Dr Sara Russell, hosts a link-up with the Mars Curiosity Rover team at NASA. Hear what has been discovered one year into the mission and have the chance to ask your burning questions.
  • Get sporty – join the world-leading sport science team from Loughborough University to find out more about the advances in sport, health and their work with the British Olympics team.
  • Predicting weather – meet meteorologists from the Met Office and quiz them about how forecasting is done and what is happening to our weather.
  • Science Fess Up – don’t know what DNA is? Never heard of Alfred Russel Wallace? Sceptical about climate change? Confess your deepest, darkest science secrets and discuss them with our scientist in a private booth.
  • Science Stations – get up close and personal with groundbreaking science at the Science Stations. Check out live animals, including the hedgehog-like Madagascan tenrec, inspect a new 3D map of an ancient human burial site with our world-leading human origins researchers and race maggots with our forensic entomologists.
  • Stamped on Science – collect all six stamps from around the Museum on the night to be in with a chance of joining a field trip to the New Forest. You will get to take part in an important study of British wildlife with Museum scientists and enjoy the great outdoors with a pasty or two.

Science Uncovered is part of EU Researchers’ Night, when institutions in more than 360 cities across Europe reveal the exciting scientific research taking place and celebrate the people who make it possible.

There will be activities suitable for everyone but from 18.00 the event is most suitable for adults. Space is limited for some activities and free tickets for certain events will be available on the night on a first come first served basis.

Date and times: 27 September 2013, 16.00 – midnight
Visitor enquiries: 020 7942 5000
Admission: Free
Nearest tube: South Kensington
Website: www.nhm.ac.uk/scienceuncovered

Grilled Goat’s Cheese and Roasted Peppers on Corn Cakes Recipes

Grilled Goat’s Cheese and Roasted Peppers on Corn Cakes
Makes 3 loaded rice cakes

Create a wonderfully warm snack by topping your rice cakes with grilled goat’s cheese
and roasted red and yellow peppers. Just joyous!

 2 large red peppers
 2 large yellow peppers
 4 tbsp extra virgin
 olive oil
 200g soft goat’s cheese
 Salt and pepper
 3 Kallo Corn Cakes

Place your cored and deseeded peppers in a roasting dish, cover generously with olive
oil and roast for 20 minutes.

Cut the goat’s cheese into rounds and place under a moderate grill for 2 to 3 minutes.
Layer onto your rice cake, before seasoning with salt and pepper and another drizzle of
olive oil.

Great Summer Recipes To Get You Into Shape

 

Bikini Friendly Recipes For The Summer Season

 

We love food at Frost Magazine. We love it so much that no diet in which you need to deprive yourself will work for us. That is why these recipes caught our eye. Great food you can eat while being healthy and losing weight? Yes please.

There is no denying that the British love a good old fashioned barbecue! So with body conscious Brits preparing to don their bikinis and swim shorts this summer Dr Dukan has answered our dieting prayers.

 

This easy menu, boasting a delicious range of sides, mains and desserts, means you can indulge in all of your summer favourites whilst losing those extra inches fast!

recipes, recipe, summer, diet, dukan, dr dukan, lose weight, health,

Spicy Chicken Kebabs

spicy chicken kebabs, kebabs, diet, recipe, recipes, how to make

Serves: 5

Preparation time: 30 minutes (plus 2-3 hours marinating)

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

25 small wooden kebab sticks

1kg (2lb 4oz) chicken breasts, cut into cubes

250ml (9fl oz) fat-free natural yoghurt

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp ground tumeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp grated ginger

1 garlic clove, crushed

 

Prepare the marinade with the yoghurt and all the spices, ginger and garlic. Thread the chicken pieces on to the kebab sticks and place them in a dish, covering them completely with the marinade.

Leave to marinate in the fridge for several hours or overnight. Place the kebabs on the barbeque andcook for 8-10 minutes until the meat is browned and tender.     

Asian Style Beef Skewers

asian food, beef, skewers, diet, food, recipe

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes
4 thin-cut sirloin steaks or minute steaks, trimmed of any fat and each cutinto 3 long strips
100ml of soy sauce
1 tbsp of sweetener
1 tbsp sesame seeds (tolerated)

For the salad:

1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 cucumber, cut into small chunks

3 spring onions, sliced

1Ž2 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Handful coriander leaves, chopped

Heat grill to high. In a bowl, mix the steak strips with the soy sauce and sesame seeds. Thread onto 12 skewers, then grill for 12 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden and sticky.

 

For the salad, mix the vinegar and soy together, then toss with the cucumber, spring onions, chilli and coriander. Serve with the beef skewers.

 

 

Dukan Burger

dukan burger, healthy burger, diet, food, recipe,

Serves : 2

Preperation: 10 minutes, cook 10 minutes (or more according to taste)

Ingredients

3 tbsp oat bran

4 tbsp low fat fromage frais

2 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

2 low fat beef burgers (5% fat)

2 sliced onions

2 red onions sliced

2  gherkins

Tsp Dijon mustard

Dukan ketchup and Dukan mayonnaise

Mix half of the oat bran, egg, half of fromage frais and half baking soda. Pour in a circle mould and cook it in the micro wave for 4 minutes. Remove the bread and slice it in to pieces. Repeat the operation a second time to make another bread.  You can toast if you wish.

Cook the onion in a nonstick frying pan with a bit of water and then cook your burgers.  On one slice of the bread spread some mustard and then Dukan ketchup and mayonnaise according to your taste and then add your burger. Add the sliced onion and gherkin.

 

 

Tzatziki

Tzatziki, Dr Dukan

1 serving

Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus refrigeration time)

No cooking required

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cucumber

Sea salt

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

150g (51Ž2oz) fat-free natural yoghurt

Peel and deseed the cucumber, chop it up very finely, then sprinkle a generous pinch of sea salt over it and leave for a few minutes to extract any juices.  Then mix together all the ingredients and refrigerate for several hours. Serve very cold.

 

 

 

 

Dukan Coleslaw

coleslaw, , recipe, recipes, Dr Dukan

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes
4 tbsp Dukan mayonnaise
4 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp of linseeds, toasted
1Ž2 white cabbage, shredded
4 carrots , peeled and shredded
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced

Mix the mayonnaise, vinegar and fennel seeds and season really well. Toss with all the vegetables and leave for 20 minutes. Toss again before serving.

 

And finally, don’t miss out on those additional extras which always seem to find their way in to any BBQ spread – do away with fatty crisps and indulge in Dr Dukan’s vegetable snacks or simply replace with salted oat bran biscuits!

 


Please see Dr Dukan’s desserts selection below:


 

 

Iced Lemon Mousse

dessert, Iced Lemon Mousse, how to make mousse, recipe, recipes, diet, healthy, Dukan

Serves: 2-3

Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus freezing time)

No cooking required

 

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

500g (1bl 2oz) virtually fat-free fromage frais

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 5 lemons

 

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Whisk the fromage frais and carefully mix together with the lemon zest, lemon juice and egg whites.  Place the mousse in a dish and freeze until it has set firm.

 

Chocolate and Cinnamon Ice Cream

Chocolate and Cinnamon Ice Cream, how to make ice cream, ice cream recipe, diet, healthy

Serves: 6

Preparation : 5 minutes – Refrigeration time : 2 hrs

 

Ingredients:

500ml low fat fromage frais

1 fresh vanilla bean pod or two drops of Dukan vanilla flavouring

4 tbsp of 1% Dukan cocoa powder

5 to 7 tbsp of sweetener according to taste

1 tbs of powdered cinnamon

 

Mix all the ingredientstogether and pour into an icecream tub then pop into the freezer. Freeze for one hour and then remove, stir well and put back in freezer for a final hour. It’s ready! Can be kept two days in the freezer.

 

 

Strawberry Milkshake

 milk shake, how to make a milk shake, recipe, diet, healthy, dukan

Serves 2

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

·      50 ml skimmed milk

·      50 ml low fat fromage frais or low fat greek yogurt

·      1 or two drops of Dukan Strawberry flavouring

·      A few ice cubes

Mix all the ingredients in a blender and serve with a straw.

 

 

 

Vanilla Lollipops

Vanilla Lollipops, dessert, recipe, reciipes

Serves: 4

Preparation: 10 minutes; Freezing time: overnight

 

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons vanilla flavouring

300g fat-free fromage frais

4 Canderel vanilla sticks

 

Have ready four plastic lollipop moulds with sticks. Stir the vanilla flavouring in to the fromage frais. Add the sweetener and beat the mixture using an electric whisk. Fill the lollipop moulds and freeze overnight. Enjoy them the following day!