FASHION & BEAUTY All things light

All Things Light and DUTIFUL

Cool, calm and comfortable outfits in light fabrics and linens that’ll see you through high summer in style...

This Page: Crepe tank top £35, and shorts £65, from French Connection.

Ema linen playsuit in stone, £145 from Reiss.

Mylee V-neck dress £104, from Phase Eight.

Raya white wide legged trousers £150, from Reiss.

Halter-neck linen jumpsuit £110 from Boden.

Top/Left: Claudette linen tunic from Joules £49.50. Top/Right: White Company linen dress £98. Bottom/Left: Ted Baker Greycie embroidered full midi skirt £119. Bottom/Right: White Company linen tunic in flax £98. Stockists: Boden, www.boden.co.uk; French Connection, www.frenchconnection.com; Joules, www.joules.com; Phase Eight, www.phase-eight.com; Reiss, www.reiss.com; Ted Baker, www.tedbaker.com; White Company, www.thewhitecompany.com.

The Lavender Mob

LOOK LOVELY IN A PALETTE OF LILAC AND LAVENDER THIS MONTH WE AS BRING FLORAL INFLUENCES TO BEAR WITH THIS SELECTION OF SUMMER COSMETICS

1. Sensory escapes with Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria...

A fresh new fragrance with floral influences from Guerlain. Aqua Allegoria is a range of five fresh fragrances including Flora Salvaggia, which is the newest fragrance in the range and comprises bergamot, wild flowers, jasmine and violet. Guerlain also says you can combine each Allegoria scent and layer them over one another too. £69/75ml.

2. Luxury lip tinting...

Lightweight, sheer and moisturising. Bobbi Brown’s Glowing Pink collection of lip colour includes this Extra Lip Tint range shown here in bare pink. Blends beautifully with your own lips and contains olive, avocado and jojoba to soften and moisturise, £27/2.3g.

Removing makeup is essential for allowing the skin to breathe, heal and replenish itself. Clinique’s Take the Day Off is gentle for lids, lips and lashes, ophthalmologist tested and ideal for gentle cleansing, £47/75ml.

3. A luxury mask...

Clarins has created this relaxing face mask with its anti-ageing benefits. It offers a host of benefits like younger, smoother-looking skin, plus a radiant complexion. It takes just 10 minutes, but that’s 10 minutes well spent... a luxurious and relaxing experience! £47/75ml.

4. Gentle removal... 5. Reflect on your look with designer Kate Spade...

Available in both lilac and blush shades, here’s a very chic mirror compact from Spade Street’s new collection. It’s beautiful, classic and comes in the prettiest colours. The designer has crafted it from smooth metal so it feels durable and cool to the touch. Ideal when touching up your lipstick, our favourite details of it remain the angular gold-tone edges and the faceted spade logo on top. £32/lilac.

6. Designer frames from O’Briens of Brigg...

O’Briens of Brigg presents these Götti frames. O’Brien’s is the oldest independent opticians in Brigg, North Lincolnshire, established in 1979 01652 653 595, obriensopticians.co.uk

n All our beauty products are available from local independent stockists unless otherwise stated, please note that prices stated are RRP and may vary.

Positive Changes

A good diet can redress the myth that weight gain, mood swings and other symptoms of menopause are an inevitability. Ali Hutchinson offer advice on how to effect positive changes...

Words: Ali Hutchinson. Image: Dorte Kjaerulff Photography.

INSPIRED BY A CONVERSATION I had with my friend Laura recently, about how she was feeling as she approached menopause, I thought I’d talk about the health issues that this time in a woman’s life can bring up and how they can be handled.

I work with a lot of peri-menopause and menopausal women to help them navigate their way around this important stage in life with ease and an inner knowing.

I don’t believe there is anything wrong with HRT, but being informed about your choices and knowing what to look for when making those choices is important.

Virtually every woman on the planet, who gets to a certain age, will experience menopause in one way or another. For some the symptoms of peri-menopause (before a woman’s menstrual periods actually stop) will be less intrusive than for others but I’ve noticed there are a few significant things we can do to support ourselves at this crucial time in our lives.

Some of the classic symptoms associated with menopause, e.g.: night sweats, hot flushes, mood swings, headaches and difficulty sleeping, can all be managed through diet and lifestyle, an area I love to focus on first as you can soon gain some quick wins. This means bigger changes are more manageable as you have the head space to cope with them.

So, what’s your drug of choice? For many of us it’s sugar! Yes, research by neuroscientists fulness she had started to think would dog her for the rest of her life begin to ease.

Another approach is to increase your protein which can come from either animal or plant sources. Plus it’s good to eat foods that contain phytoestrogens, also known as dietary estrogen which are naturally occurring plant compounds that may act in a way similar to that of estrogen produced by the human body, can help too.

So what foods are rich in phytoestrogens? Linseeds, sweet potatoes, oats, walnuts, sesame seeds and soy products e.g.: soy beans and edamame, are all good. Dried apricots, dates, and prunes – especially when combined with nuts to reduce the quick up-take of sugar – as well as cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cabbage are all rich in phytoestrogens too.

I also think it’s really important that we start a dialogue about menopause not just with other women who are experiencing it.

As the old adage goes, a problem shared is a problem halved, especially when shared with husbands, partners, work colleagues and our teens – both male and female.

We need to start to change the stigma about menopause and that has to start with us. Why not join one of my menopause and cacao ‘sister circles’ and share your experiences with other women in a safe and supportive environment? Message me for future dates and locations across the county. n

has shown that sugar can be as addictive as cocaine! And the sneaky thing about sugar is that it makes its way into so much of what we eat. If your diet is fuelled by sugar you’re more likely to experience menopause in a very different way to someone whose diet is more whole foods or plant-based.

Whether it’s chocolate, sweets, biscuits, cake or white carbs in general, the body comes to rely on this fuel and crave more and more and more! When we give into emotional eating, it’s often empty calories from sugar that we reach for.

This not only dampens down our emotions but can mean we put on weight, which can lead to us feeling disappointed in ourselves and a cycle of binge eating and feelings of guilt ensue. This is especially true during menopause when we so often buy into the lie that it’s hard to lose weight over 40 or that middle age spread is ‘inevitable.’

Eating a more whole foods, plant-based diet with plenty of vegetables and also reducing caffeine and alcohol can help your menopause symptoms improve.

As we chatted Laura, shared how her hot flushes and night sweats were now completely minimised and that she knew what her triggers were, and could take action to avoid them.

She was managing her headaches and anxiety better too and over the last three months had seen the brain fog and forget-

Find Out More: If you’re struggling with menopause, experiencing gut issues, or need support with energy levels, weight loss or weight management or would just like a body MOT I’d love to help you. Through the blog www.ali-hutchinson.co.uk you can book a free discovery call to find out how I could help you on the path to a brighter future or ring: 07973 843020 or email: hello@ali-hutchinson.co.uk to book a consultation.