Tag Archives: Life & Style

Desperate Housewives Spoiler: Who Dies?

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Spoiler Alert. Anyone who doesn’t want to know what happens in Desperate Housewives should not read further.

News of the series regular who is to die in an upcoming episode of Desperate Housewives has been revealed after it was let slip in a court hearing between the show creator Marc Cherry and Nicolette Sheridan.

 

 

James Denton’s character Mike Delfino will die. Denton has been a series regular since the show started in 2004 and he plays Teri Hatcher’s husband on the show.

Denton told Entertainment Weekly: “I was really surprised. Any other year, I would have been disappointed, but at this point I figured, well, we made it… As an actor, you just hope people care.”

“I remember lying in the threshold [while filming the scene] with the blood pouring out of me looking up at the top of the porch. I’ve been there for over eight years, and I’ve done so many scenes on that porch… It was a little creepy… It was sort of fitting.”

There will be another six episodes of Desperate Housewives after Denton’s onscreen death in the episode ‘You Take for Granted’.

This season is to the last season of Desperate Housewives.

VEUVE CLICQUOT BUSINESS WOMAN AWARD 2012 FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

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Veuve Clicquot announces the shortlist for its Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award at the WIE (Women: Inspiration & Enterprise) 50 Power Breakfast at The London Stock Exchange chaired by Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, bringing together shining examples of female entrepreneurship and business success across sectors ranging from fund management to fashion and hospitality. The finalists are, in alphabetical order:

· Anya Hindmarch: Founder, Anya Hindmarch

· Helena Morrissey: CEO, Newton Investment Management

· Ruth Rogers: Chef & Owner, The River Café

Regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of female entrepreneurs and business leaders, the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award, now in its 40th year, celebrates entrepreneurial women who have made a significant contribution to business life in the UK. The Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award nomination criteria are those ideals epitomised by Madame Clicquot: Entrepreneurship, financial success, Corporate Social Responsibility and acting as a role model.

All Finalists selected by the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award judging panel demonstrated the strongest evidence of all nomination criteria. Notable achievements included Helena Morrissey’s groundbreaking 30% Club, which helps champion the issue of women on boards, Anya Hindmarch’s entrepreneurial story and global pioneering of her ‘I am not a plastic bag’ initiative which raised the issue of plastic bag usage amongst the public’s consciousness as well as the government’s agenda, and Ruth Rogers’ steady growing business, changing how we perceive, as well as cook, Italian cuisine.

Carolyn McCall, previous winner of the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award and current Panel member, noted: “The nominees for this year’s award are all great role models and have all the attributes that Veuve Clicquot looks for in its Business Woman Award. This award has played a vital role in recognising and celebrating women in business.”

Sian Westerman, MD of Rothschild and member of the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award Panel commented: “This strong shortlist, drawn from an excellent long list, exemplifies what women can achieve in business: strong entrepreneurship and leadership, combined with a desire and ability to deliver real change in society. Spanning areas key to the UK economy of fashion, finance and hospitality, they are great role models for all who aspire to succeed in business.”

The winner of the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award will be announced at a high-profile Champagne reception at The Ballroom at Claridge’s, London on the 18th of April 2012 at 6.30pm.

The Award’s 20-strong judging panel is comprised of business leaders, including Carolyn McCall, Chief Executive, easyJet, Jasmine Whitbread, CEO Save the Children, Duncan Bannatyne, Entrepreneur and Dragon, Caroline Michel, CEO, Peters, Frasers and Dunlop as well as Sian Westerman, MD, Rothschild and other key industry experts.

Christina Jesaitis, Senior Brand Manager, Veuve Clicquot said: “As we reach our 40th year of the award, social and environmental responsibility are still a key focus for our judges and this year’s finalists all represent business women that have embedded these important attributes into their organisations. The award also looks for those women that are able to act as more than just an example of a successful business woman, but rather an inspiration and mentor for future female entrepreneurs; we believe that all of our three finalists have demonstrated this quality.”

Created in 1972 as a tribute to Madame Clicquot and now operating in 27 countries, the annual Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award champions the success of business women worldwide who share the same qualities as Madame Clicquot; her enterprising spirit, her courage and the determination necessary to accomplish her aims.

How To Measure Yourself Properly

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Having correct measurements makes it easier to do clothes shopping. Your size could change from shop to shop so you should always have your measurements to hand. Here is how to measure yourself.

It is better to measure yourself in your underwear for a more realistic result. Do not pull the tape measure too tight. It should have some give to it.

Shoulder
Should be done from shoulder to shoulder in a straight line

Head
Measure around your forehead.

Bust.
Your bust measurements should be taken at the fullest part. If you are taken your bra size then you will also have to do under your bust too.

Waist
Your waist is usually the narrowest part of your body, and this is where you should measure. For the majority of women, this is an inch above your belly button. Don’t hold your breath in! It is better to know your actual size. Wearing clothes that are too small for you will just make you look bigger.

Hips
You should measure the fullest part of your hips. The part of which you sit down on usually. Not around the hip bones, which is what most people think.

Inseam
From your groin to your ankle bone. It is better to get a friend to help you with this.

Do not measure yourself around the time you have your period. You will be retaining water and your dress size will be bigger.

Once you have measured yourself put your measurements into this dress size site to see what dress size you are. It does both UK and US sizing.

Time to declutter – four out of five people in the UK have too much stuff

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Time to declutter – four out of five people in the UK have too much stuff

Three quarters of people across the UK have too much clutter at home, according to a poll by Storage.co.uk. People love their “stuff” so much, they don’t want to lose it, even though they’ll never use it. The survey found that emotional attachment and the idea they may be useful one day are people’s top reasons for holding on to things they don’t need. Another common cause of clutter (one third of respondents) is the hope that their stuff may be valuable.

An unexpected find was that younger people are more motivated by nostalgia about the past than the older generation. Three in five 18 to 29 year olds cling to clutter because it brings back good memories, compared to only two out of five 50 to 69 year olds who hold on to clutter for the same reason.

As for decluttering habits, the survey found that women sort an area of the home more frequently than men, who mostly tackled the job once or twice in the last twelve months.

The main barriers stopping people from having a good clear out is lack of time and feeling they have better things to do, suggesting they struggle to put the task high on their list of priorities. In some cases, clutter can really get out of control and become a bigger issue in people’s lives. For around one in ten people clutter is damaging their relationships with others, affecting their health and sometimes having a negative effect on the amount of money they have.

Rachel Papworth from Green and Tidy, a professional declutterer and organiser, says: “We live such busy lives, it can be hard to make time for decluttering. If you’re struggling to fit it in, think about how much time you’ll save when you can easily put your hand on whatever you’re looking for. Plus decluttering saves money, protects your mental and physical health, and reduces your environmental impact”.

According to the survey, quirky items of clutter getting in the way at home include a train piston, “hundreds” of old train tickets for travelling to see a fiancé, a camel saddle, carpet samples for a would-be rug , an empty Rotastak hamster cage, seven inch white platform boots, “thousands” of LPs and a lifesize cardboard cut out of Justin Bieber.

Storage.co.uk surveyed men and women in the UK to find out attitudes and habits towards clutter as part of their National Declutter Week campaign to launch on 7 March.

Storage.co.uk is calling on all home occupiers to consider unused stuff sitting at home and to make a big decluttering effort in National Declutter Week from 7 to 18 March. Storage.co.uk has linked up with hospices across the UK to direct donations of saleable items. To view participating hospices, visit http://www.storage.co.uk/national-declutter-week/adopt-a-hospice.

BRITISH STARS HELPING TO SOLVE THE UKs GROWING GANG CULTURE

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Jaime Winstone, BAFTA winner Adam Deacon, Shortee Blitz, Bashy (AKA Ashley Thomas) and Clement Marfo Join Ex Gang Leaders, Dawn Butler and the Metropolitan Police in the ‘Fight Against Gang Crime’

Recent studies document over 250 active criminal gangs, with 176 gang rapes (involving 3 or more attackers) reported over the past 2 years*. Six months after the ‘London Riots’ – in which ten per cent of the youths charged were girls – the national government have announced that they will invest £1.2m of funding to help girls involved with gangs, who may be have been violently or sexually abused by male members.

However, former girl gang leader and youth charity owner, Jenifer Blake and SKET film consultant, Tracy Miller believe that “film and education is the key to tackling gang violence”. Tracey and Jenifer will be hosting a school ‘film screening’ tour alongside high profile guests, including actress BAFTA winner Adam Deacon, Bashy (AKA Ashley Thomas), Jaime Winstone, KISS FM DJ Shortee Blitz and music artist Clement Marfo to educate young people about the risks of being involved in a gang. There will be a screening of clips from the film SKET, starring Ashley Walters (about girl gang culture), followed by a Q&A and debate session at Westminster Kingsway College, on Thursday 8th March. Dawn Butler, representatives from The Metropolitan Police and The Home Office will also take part in the event.

Sket – Tackling Gang Crime Event

Jenifer Blake’s reign of terror lasted from the age of 13 to 37 and included robberies at knifepoint and drug dealing. Jennifer, who once hated the police and abused them on a regular basis, now has a Metropolitan badge and works closely with them as a liaison between gangs on our London Streets, and helped to keep the community safe during the Hackney Riots.

Now in her thirties, Tracey Miller’s biological father was a convicted pedophile and her mother was a manic-depressive who took knives out on anyone that upset her. To deal with all the hurt andpain in her home life, Tracey soon became a gang leader to protect herself.Tracey was shot in the Brixton riots and stabbed a man several time for disrespecting her.

The purpose of the event is to educate young people about the risks of being involved in a gang and the consequences. The film SKET will be used as a discussion point to raise awareness of the risks and consequences of being involved in a gang and as an interactive tool to generate debate around this.

Schedule of Events, Thurday 8th March:

9.30 am – Guests to arrive and be seated

10.00 am – Clips to be shown

10.30 am – Q&A begins

11 – 11.30 am – Media Photocall

* Women’s Resource Centre 2010

Going Blonde For Spring?

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Kate Middleton may be a brunette but the allure of being blonde will never go away. Think Marilyn Monroe, Kate Winslet, Gwen Stefani , Debbie Harry and Madonna.

Before going blonde you should make sure you choose a shade that suits your skin tone. I once went platinum blonde. It really wasn’t a good look, I am too pale to carry it off.

If you have dark hair (mid-dark brown or black) you will need to strip you hair of its colour with a prelightner, and take your wardrobe and make up into consideration. Your hair has to suit your lifestyle.

Think of your eyebrows too, Madonna may have had black eyebrows and blonde hair in the 80’s but that wasn’t a good look then, and it isn’t now.

Also think of your roots, it you are low maintenance doing your roots a lot might be a bit much, so don’t go a very pale blonde.

The video below let’s you know everything you need to know about going blonde. It has advice on what kind of blonde to go for, how to protect your hair, and how long you should process your hair for the type of hair you have. All with no expensive hairdresser, but using Garnier Nutrisse Crème hair colour instead.

Lyndell Mansfield gives you her top tips in the video.

This post was sponsored by Garnier Nutrisse Crème hair colour.  

Brits Neglecting Health Due to Lack of Money.

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It seems the economical climate is really start to bite as Brits are cutting back on medical care.

New research by Sovereign Health Care has revealed that 63% of UK residents have delayed vital health care treatments to save money over the past 12 months, with women being the worst offenders (34%). Meanwhile more men (54%) than women (42%) said they will have to put back health related appointments this year in order to make their household budget stretch further.

The survey revealed that the economic climate has resulted in a growing number of people neglecting their health in order to try and save money. What’s perhaps even more worrying is that the vast majority of respondents (88%) say they would cancel or delay a health care appointment (such as dentist or opticians), rather than cut back on socialising and entertaining to make their money stretch further.

Although only 20% of those polled said they had been more ill over the last year, compared with previous years, 43% said they have been living with health care conditions such as a bad back, bunions and eye sight problems, as they can’t afford to get treatment – men are the worst culprits (22%). With these findings, it comes as no surprise to learn that 43% of women and 37% of men say it’s quite possible that they have forfeited their health over the past 12 months.

The survey findings also revealed that many people view certain complementary therapies as luxuries rather than necessities, including reflexology (91%), chiropody (73%) and physiotherapy (54%).

Russ Piper, Chief Executive of Sovereign Health Care says: “Delaying health care treatment is tempting when budgets are so tight, but neglecting your health is potentially more expensive and dangerous in the long run as you can increase both the severity of the problems you face and the cost of the treatment you need.”

He adds: “Treatments such as chiropody and physiotherapy can be costly, which is probably why people think of them as a luxury. However, they are beneficial for many people with health problems or injuries and they can be affordable with a health care cash plan as you can often claim back some of the costs.”

It’s not only physical health that is suffering due to the recession, but mental well-being is also being affected, with 81% of people saying they have grown increasingly more anxious about managing their household budget over the last 12 months – women were revealed as the most worried at 52%.

JOIN COSMOPOLITAN’S EDITOR, LOUISE COURT AS SHE DEBATES: ‘I AM A FEMINIST – CAN I VAJAZZLE?’

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JOIN COSMOPOLITAN’S EDITOR, LOUISE COURT AS SHE DEBATES:

‘I AM A FEMINIST – CAN I VAJAZZLE?’

WITH DAWN PORTER & KATE SMURTHWAITE AT SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S WOW – WOMEN OF THE WORLD FESTIVAL

Cosmopolitan, the magazine for smart, spirited young women has teamed up with Southbank Centre’s WOW – Women of the World Festival, to host a debate on the hot topic of modern-day feminism. The event is part of a series planned to support the magazine’s ‘F Word’ campaign.

WOW – Women of the World festival is Southbank Centre’s annual festival to recognise, celebrate and promote women and runs from Wednesday 7 March to Sunday 11 March across the Southbank Centre site. On Saturday 10th March, Louise Court, Cosmopolitan’s Editor, writer and broadcaster, Dawn Porter, comedian and feminist activist, Kate Smurthwaite and Dr Kristin Aune will battle out the following question – ‘I am a Feminist – Can I Vajazzle?’. The debate will be chaired by columnist and author, India Knight.

This debate is part of Cosmopolitan’s ‘F Word’ campaign, launched to celebrate its birthday issue, on sale 1st March. The campaign aims to shine light on the myths and outdated stereotypes surrounding feminism and starts deliberately with this controversial subject to explore the multiple aspects of women’s relationship with feminism in the 21st century.

Cosmopolitan believe there has never been a more important time to be a feminist, with the world we live in today still far from equal for men and women. The first thing the magazine wants to achieve in its bid for equality is equal pay for men and women doing the same jobs. The magazine is campaigning for the government to get tough now on equal pay, by making it mandatory for companies who employ 250 people or more to carry out a public, annual equal-pay audit. If you want to fight for your right for equal pay in the workplace, sign the Cosmopolitan Equal Pay petition now at www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/equalpay.

To book tickets to for the Cosmopolitan debate – ‘I am a Feminist – Can I Vajazzle?’:

Saturday 10th March, from 3pm – 4pm, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. Tickets cost £30 for a weekend pass (£15 concessions) and £12 for a day pass (£6 concessions), and are available from the Southbank Centre Ticket Office: 0844 847 9910 / www.southbankcentre.co.uk/wow

NB – Some events have a limited capacity and entry is on a first-come first-served basis.