❙ strap strap ❙
Style notes
Bust flattering
✤ Minimiser bra (also available in ivory), 38C-38H, £24 for a pack of two, Marisota
Whether you want to minimise or maximise your bust, these bras will give you the shape you want. Jacqui wears: White dress, 8-22, £49.50, M&S; necklace, £15, Wallis; bangle, £8, M&S; earrings £15 (set of three), Isme STOCKISTS: Bhs 0845 196 0000; Debenhams 08445 616 161; Isme 0844 811 8112; Marisota 0871 984 6000, www. marisota.co.uk; M&Co 0800 0317 200; M&S 0845 609 0200; Playtex 01475 504 175; Simply Yours 0871 984 3000, www.simplyyours.co.uk Spanx 0800 901 2959, www.spanx.co.uk; Wallis 0845 121 4520
✤ Extreme V push-up bra, 34B-36DD, £19.50, M&S
Details correct at time of going to press
Fake a
✤ Non-wired tonique contour bra, 32B-40F, £30, Playtex
BETTER FIGURE
Follow our guide and shape up with clever underwear to sculpt, lift, hold you in and contour your figure By Jo Winch YOURS
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Define and slim thighs and avoid any visible panty lines with these slips and shorts. Jacqui wears: Black-andwhite dress, 8-18, £45, Wallis
✤ Floral satin slip, £18, 34B48DD, by Arlene Phillips for Marisota ✤ Blue body thigh shaper, £35, 32B-34DD, Ted Baker at Debenhams
✤ Firm control waist slip, 8-22, £29.50, M&S
Bottom lifting These undies will magically lift and subtly shape your bottom instead of just flattening it. Jacqui wears: Dress, 8-22, £75, Autograph at M&S
✤ Slimplicity bootybooster shorts, s-xl, £72, Spanx
✤ Black thigh slimmer, £19.50, 8-22, M&S
Tummy taming A wobbly or protruding tummy can be easily disguised with this body or control briefs. Jacqui wears: Blue dress, from a selection at M&Co.
✤ Bottom shaper, s-l, £16, Bhs
✤ Control body, 30B-46B, £35, Gok Wan for Simply Yours
✤ Lace tummy trimmer, 10-20, £16, Bhs
✤ Nude control briefs, 12-32, £16, Marisota
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Now visit www.yours.co.uk for more inspired fashion tips to flatter all figures
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Waist defining For screen siren curves, opt for waist-shaping pieces that will also minimise the dreaded back fat and muffin top! Jacqui wears: Peach dress 8-18, £45, Wallis
✤ Black body shaper, 36B-40DD, £50, Marisota ✤ Waist sculpt slip, 8-22, £19.50, M&S
✤ Waist sculpt bra and brief set, £44.50, 36B-40DD, 8-22, M&S
Next issue: Clever dressing tips to hide the bits you hate
PHOTOGRAPHY: RUTH JENKINSON; STYLIST: JO WINCH; HAIR AND MAKE-UP: ANNA THOMPSON
Thigh slimming
get healthy
1
minutes at a time
It’s hard motivating yourself to exercise, but what if you only had to do ten minutes? By Martine Gallie ccording to Age UK, fewer than half of all over-55s are doing the 150 minutes of exercise per week recommended by the Government. And one in eight older adults don’t do any exercise at all. We all know that exercise is good for us. Not only does it help us to avoid serious health problems such as stroke, type 2 diabetes and heart disease, it gives us stronger bones and allows us to stay mobile and independent as we get older. It may even help to ward off mental problems such as depression and dementia. So why aren’t more of us doing it? Perhaps it’s the toned bodies down at the leisure centre that put us off. Or maybe it’s because it has been so long since we last broke a sweat that we haven’t a clue where to start. Some of us worry about
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doing ourselves an injury after years of inactivity, and often it’s just difficult to make time in our busy lives to exercise. But new Government advice could encourage the couch potatoes among us to be more active. The Government still advises that all adults, including those over 65, need 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week to stay fit and healthy, but while guidelines used to suggest doing 30 minutes five times a week to achieve this target, they now say it’s perfectly fine to do it in bursts of as little as ten minutes if that’s all that you can manage. “Some people may have found that 30-minute figure off-putting,” says Emma Spragg, head of Wellbeing Services at Age UK. “You imagine yourself getting very tired and hot in that time.
“Exercising in shorter bursts feels more achievable, and it can give you a bit of a buzz without making you feel too tired. It also makes it easier to build physical activity into your daily routine.” So, if you find you have ten minutes on your hands, you could get out into the garden and mow the lawn, for example. You could take a brisk walk down to the shops or even walk up and down stairs for a short while. It all counts towards that magic 150 minutes a week, and it gives you the same benefits as longer sessions of exercise. The trick is to make sure that whatever you choose to do gives
R echarge your
health
Do you have ten minutes to spare? Here are a few suggestions to get you started. ✤ If you are used to walking to local shops and amenities, speed your pace up a little. Your breathing and heart rate should be slightly raised and you should feel a little warm. ✤ Gardening is excellent exercise, especially the heavier work such as mowing the lawn, digging the borders or heavy pruning. ✤ Exercise classes are a great way to get started and learn such activities as t’ai chi, yoga or keep fit. Then you can practise for a few minutes at home whenever you are able. ✤ Painting, decorating and DIY can all help to get your heart and lungs working and to strengthen your muscles (it might save you a few pennies, too). ✤ Get a couple of cans out of your kitchen cupboard, hold them in your hands and do some shadow boxing – it’s a great way to strengthen arm muscles. ✤ If you enjoy a walk in the country, don’t avoid those hills. Walking up a slope gives you a great aerobic workout. ✤ If you travel by bus or car, park or get off the bus 10 minutes away from where you’re heading. ✤ Get down to the local park or into the garden with the grandchildren. Take a football to kick around, a hula-hoop or some bats and balls. ✤ Revisit your childhood and buy yourself a skipping rope – who cares what the neighbours think?
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7 ways to...
Bag a
bargain
Make the most of your money, whether you’re out and about or shopping from home By Alex Frisby
the catalogues on their toes 1Keep Catalogue shopping can be convenient and good value, saving you money on petrol and parking or bus fares, with payments arranged to suit you. But if you’re a seasoned catalogue shopper, you might be missing out on deals designed to attract new customers. Most catalogues are free to send for, so sign up for as many as you can to take advantage of these introductory offers. If you prefer to stick to a tried and trusted name, look out for ‘introduce a friend’ deals that could reward you both with money off.
Get booked up
2
From time to time, libraries sell off old stock at extra-low prices to make room for new titles. Find out if your library plans to do this by asking at the desk or visiting your local council’s website. Not only is it a great value way to pick up books, it can also be a great opportunity to own a title with some history, or one with an unusual or discontinued cover design.
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3Save on specs
Are you paying over the odds for your glasses? Your optician is legally obliged to give you a free copy of your prescription so you can shop around or order online. Sites such as www.glassesdirect.co.uk offer great discounts and the chance to try before you buy. Some even pay postage to return trial frames – so you won’t incur extra costs if they’re not suitable.
5Spell it out
They’re havens for cut-price deals, but the key to getting a real bargain when using websites such as eBay or Gumtree is to use the right search terms. It’s a tricky balance – too specific and you won’t find much, too general and you end up with too many irrelevant results. Next time you’re looking for something on an auction site, have a go at spelling your search words differently. If the seller has made a spelling mistake when listing the item, it won’t come up in a regular search. It can be a sneaky way to get a bargain – because you’ll find items that no one else will have spotted.
Any sale or profit is a plus to retailers right now, which makes haggling a very real possibility. It’s perfectly legal and the staff can always say no if they wish. As long as you’re friendly and polite, no one should be offended. Money expert Martin Lewis is a haggling pro, and recommends
the following to novices: choose already discounted items, try independent stores (you’re more likely to speak to someone with the authority to make a decision) and aim high (ask for the most you think you can get away with and they can barter you down to a compromise that suits both sides).
PICS: RUTH JENKINSON ; ALAMY; REX FEATURES; THINKSTOCK; ISTOCKPHOTO
6 Be bold, be brave
4 Enjoy years of class 7 Time it right Buy classic pieces for your wardrobe; they are a treat and an investment. Top quality tailoring, when properly cared for, will stay looking great. If you look at your wardrobe on a ‘cost per wear’ basis, those items that cost a little more but that you can wear again and again will pay you back over time. If you’re scouring the sales, it’s worth remembering that articles labelled as damaged might easily be repaired by adding a button or replacing a zip.
Finally, you’ll be rewarded for your SALE patience if you can wait until the perfect time of year to buy. For example, deals on office equipment, stationery and even basic kitchen appliances are rife around August and September. Garden furniture, barbecues, lawnmowers and other seasonal items are likely to be cheaper when demand is low, so look for bargains starting from the end of summer, when stores are looking to use the space to bring out early Christmas displays.
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HOME
notes
IDEAS • KNITTING • CRAFT
Make it easy
This DIY reed diffuser will fill your home with floral scents ✤ Fill a jar or vase three-quarters full with sweet almond oil or sunflower oil. Add 1 tablespoon of pure vodka and 12 to 16 drops of essential oil, swirling the jar to mix the ingredients. Add your sticks and remember that the more you use, the greater the scent.
Floral flair
Bring the outdoors indoors with some blooming lovely interior ideas
Add some flower power HYDRANGEA IN ENAMEL JUG, £12 TU at Sainsbury’s (0800 636 262, www. sainsburys. co.uk)
If you find making your own a little daunting, the Flower Bottle difuser (pictured) is available in four scents, £35 from www.dartington.co.uk and many high street retailers.
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GREEN ROSE CUSHION, £8 Wilkinson (0844 477 88 77, www. wilkinsonplus. com)
FLOWER PRINT CUSHION £8 Matalan (0845 330 3330, www.matalan.co.uk)
❙ Your home ❙
5 of the best...
KITCHENWARE
HOMESTEAD COLLECTION SET OF 2 CAKE TINS Dunelm Mill (0845165 6565, www.dunelmmill.com)
£4.99
£8.5 0 MELAMINE SERVING BOARD Drift Living (01289 330480, www. driftliving.co.uk)
EVERYTHING’S COMING UP ROSES Fairfield chest of drawers £175; pencil pleat curtains from £45; Elise bedstead from £199; duvet set from £25; housewife pillowcases (per pair) £10; gingham fitted sheet from £10; rose print cushion £12; cable knit throw £50; Fairfield bedside chest £75, all from Next (0844 844 8000, www.next.co.uk)
HYDRANGEA IN METAL TROUGH WITH LIGHTS, £36.12 QVC Item Number: 700335 (0800 51 41 31, www.qvcuk.com)
£8.95 MELAMINE BOWL Drift Living (01289 330480, www. driftliving.co.uk) SET OF FOUR MEASURING SPOONS Dotcomgiftshop (0208 746 2473, www.dotcomgiftshop.com)
£8. 95 FLORAL PRINTS, £10 Matalan (0845 330 3330, www.matalan. co.uk)
PIC:
BUTTERFLY TAPESTRY CUSHION £25 M&Co (0800 0317 20, www.mandco. com)
If you’re nervous of a floral theme looking too feminine opt for a few key pieces with a graphic style and bold colours
£11.95
FINE BONE CHINA TEACUP AND SAUCER (0208 200 5100, www. maxwellandwilliams. co.uk)
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Super-crafty
storage
Don’t hide your supplies away – transform jars into fun containers! Compiled by Alex Frisby
Materials:
✤ Scissors ✤ Card for templates ✤ Fabric markers/pencils ✤ Felt – in turquoise, hot pink, cream, lime and orange ✤ Bondaweb ✤ Iron ✤ Needle ✤ Thread ✤ Seed beads ✤ Thread Covered Wire (TCW) ✤ Mini buttons ✤ Textile/ fabric glue ✤ Glass jars with cork stoppers
✤ Pick contrasting or complementary colours, depending on how bold you want the lids to be. Or, choose pastel colours (including the felt) for a muted effect. 86
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