Table of contents for 6 April 2023 in Chat

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MINT STYLE TIP For a bold approach, team green with a contrasting colour such as pink or yellow. Wear no more than two shades at once. CORNFLOWER STYLE TIP A flattering colour on most complexions, this soft blue shade looks oh-so-chic paired with camel and tan accessories. LILAC STYLE TIP Give lilac a modern update with relaxed tailored pieces and chunky loafers. Add white to the mix to break up the colour. FROM £12 LEMON STYLE TIP If you find yellow a tricky colour to pull off, pick pieces that sit away from your face, such as a skirt or an accessory.…

True-life PATIENT CASEBOOK Looking into the bathroom mirror, I peered at the sore, red skin around my eyes. It was September 2022 and although my eyes had been giving me problems for years, lately it was worse than ever. I’d had eczema my whole life. As a child it was just the usual patches on the arms and behind the knees. Then, at 18, I started studying graphic design at art college. The spray adhesive I used on my projects irritated the area around my eyes. Ever since, any stress, like exams or taking my driving test, would cause a flare-up. Normally just small patches near my eyes or on my neck, that I could cover with concealer. And it was always worse in the winter. After university, I started…

In architecture, what name is given to a projecting window bay that does not reach ground level? To find out, solve the puzzle… Enter the answers to the clues in the grid. Every word is an anagram of its neighbours, plus or minus a letter. Read the shaded squares in number order for the prize answer. 1 A road circling a large city 2 Belonging to or characteristic of a group 3 Indian dish 4 Edible fishing lure 5 Part 6 UK resident, informally 7 Italian river 8 Type of beer 9 Testimonial WIN 3 x £50 Puzzle 8 Your answer:…

Mate's man is a rat Q I was on a dating app the other day and spotted a friend’s boyfriend on there! The pictures he’s used are recent and he’s even used photos of him and his girlfriend - saying she’s his sister. Do I tell her or keep quiet? I think I would want to know. Emma, 32 A What a rotter! It seems unlikely they’re in an open relationship if he’s fibbing that his girlfriend is his sister. She may shoot the messenger, but I’d say tell your pal what you’ve seen. Broach it gently, maybe even ask if the profile has stolen his pics? That way, he can remove it or fess up. And she can decide if she wants to stick with him. Maybe I should…

Aries 21 March-20 April Your sense of self may be challenged while the sun’s in your sign. Relax and let family do the work for a change. A bubble bath will ease any tension! • Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May Focus on your lifestyle, and enlist the help of a friend to make any decisions a worthwhile process. Things that may have been holding you back have been lifted. • Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June It’s time to plan a holiday. If you’re travelling far then make a contingency plan. Ensure you have insurance in place if your flights are delayed or cancelled. • Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July If you’re joining a club during…

Q The cold weather has made my skin really red and sore - what can I do? Anne Golding, Norwich Alt sounds like you’ve damaged your skin barrier. Cold weather can affect it, as you come in from the cold outdoors into the moisture-zapping central heating inside. The protective top layer of your skin can also become compromised when you’ve used too many harsh ingredients such as retinoids and exfoliating acids. If your skin’s unhappy, the first thing you should do is get back to basics with your routine - just cleanse, moisturise and use an SPF in the mornings. La RochePosay Cicaplast Soothing Face and Body Balm, £15, Boots, always comes to the rescue when our complexion is suffering, and a little goes a long way. Q+A Ceramide Barrier…

TRUE-LIFE BEHIND THE BIG CRIME They were angels, on hand to offer reassurance and kind words to their grieving clients. Megan Hess and her mum Shirley Koch ran Sunset Mesa funeral home in Montrose, Colorado, USA. Next door, Megan's father Alan ran the crematorium. Together, they supported bereft families, helped them make painful decisions, like choosing a coffin. Rick Neuendorf was one such client. After his wife Cherrie, 67, died in 2013, he entrusted Megan and her parents with the funeral and cremation. Sunset Mesa charged $1,995 for a simple burial, $695 for a basic cremation. Somehow, they found time to run a second business. Donor Services was marketed as a not-for-profit, non-transplant tissue bank. In other words, it was a body broker. When people donated their bodies to medical…

What do actor Robson Green and singer Cheryl have in common? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the four-word prize answer. WIN £1,001 Puzzle 4 ACROSS Passage5 Destiny4 Fragrances8 Definite7 Slow-movingiceriver7) Quickandnimble5) Songbird4 Deceives6 character6 Pinkwine4 Outcast5 Liftsintotheair(6) Pieceofscientificequipment(4,4) Heavyobjectformooringa ship (6) Equestriananimal5 Quarrel8 Paneofglass6) CapitalofItaly4) Mintystripedsweet6) Typeofherb5) Paperhandkerchief6 Harbour4 musicalfilm (6) Leastheavy8 actorBlunt (5) Sixtyseconds6 Typeofgas8) Concurs6 Middaymeal5 Labyrinth4 Alter6 Inshortsupply6) Lazy4 Wireless5 Try7 Stylishandgraceful7) Puddings8 Blytonwriter (4) Satforaportrait(5) DOWN Getfaster10 Astonishes9 Dutchcheese4 Affectionate4 United8…

His legs hurt at night Q My boy’s 5 years old, and cries at night with leg pains. Our GP can’t find anything wrong. Do you know what could be causing this? Emma, Salford A Leg pains in the evening and night are common in children. We used to call them growing pains, although they’re more likely caused by young muscles and tendons being stretched during the day. It’s particularly common in active, sporty children. The pains affect both legs, often in the thigh or calf, and although they’re upsetting they’re harmless. Reassurance, gentle massage, a hot water bottle, and ibuprofen or paracetamol painkillers are the best treatment. Limping, pain during the day, pains in a joint or pain with redness, bruising or swelling isn’t normal and should always be…

1 Maintain a healthy lifestyle Your hearing is linked to your brain, so staying fit, healthy and active is always beneficial for keeping all those cogs turning. Eat a balanced diet, maintain a healthy weight and take regular exercise. Movement is great for your hearing because it keeps blood flowing around your body, including your ear structures. ‘Good circulation keeps oxygen levels up and keeps the internal parts of the ears healthy,’ says audiologist Katie Ogden from resound, com. No need to overdo it just a daily brisk half-hour walk will do the trick. 2 Clean with caution Ear wax traps dirt and bacteria, and prevents them from entering and causing infections or irritation. Ears can self-clean, so avoid earbuds and remove wax with a damp cloth instead. Sometimes wax…

Tim PigottSmith was posthumously BAFTA nominated for portraying which real-life character in a 2017 BBC drama, adapted from a Mike Bartlett stage play? To find out, solve the puzzle… Add a letter anywhere in each of the boxed-off words to fit the clue, eg, Bloodsucking mites = TICS + K = TICKS. Write the added letter in the space provided. Read down the added letters to spell out the prize answer. WIN 2 £25 Puzzle 9 Your answer: TO EMTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

truly Chat! Nothing says ‘modern-day couple’ like meeting on TikTok. But Maren, 20, and James, 22, even surprised themselves when they fell for each other on the video-sharing site. Especially because, before meeting Maren, James identified as eay. He’d even come out to his family and friends. And Maren, who identifies as bisexual, had only ever dated women before James slid into her DMs after she made a chance comment on one of his videos. It sparked a conversation between the pair - and the rest is history. ‘My sexuality was all over the place. In high school I was this full straight, almost hyper-masculine version of myself where I was still one of the girls… however, I was pulling girls,’ say James. ‘Then I got to college and I…

NO-FUSS FOOD Zesty lime fishcake bites Let your blender do the work! These tasty fishcakes come together in just 10 mins. SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 10 MINS 600g skinless haddock fillet or other white fish, cut into chunks Finely grated zest of 1 lime, plus 1tbsp lime juice 4 spring onions, chopped Small bunch flat-leaf parsley 100g tinned sweetcorn 1 medium egg white 4tbsp plain flour 3tbsp sunflower oil Salad and lime wedges, to serve 1 Put the fish in a food processor with the lime zest and juice, spring onions, parsley, sweetcorn and egg white. Season, then pulse to chop and combine. 2 Shape the mixture into 12 equal-sized fishcakes. Put the flour on a plate, and season with salt and black pepper. Dip each fishcake…

Charles Worthington Thicker & Fuller Texture Spray, £8.99, Boots Do you have fine, flat hair? Spray this into your roots for instant lift, adding body and movement without leaving your locks feeling sticky. Max Factor Miracle Pure Blush in Sunlit Coral, £9.99, Superdrug This joysparking blush will instantly perk up your complexion, and it blends out beautifully, thanks to its moisturising liquid formula. Hair Proud Hydrate and Nourish Super Hydrating Shampoo, £7.95, iamproud.com Hyaluronic acid helps to clean your hair without stripping it, leaving it looking shiny and healthy. Revolution Beauty Tanning Water, £9.99, revolution beauty.com The safest tan you can get is from a bottle. Spritz this stain-free water on to skin to gradually build up a holidayworthy glow. CCS Warming Foot Cream, £11.99, Boots Treat your feet to this podiatristrecommended cream —…

TRUE-LIFE Walking into the kitchen, I saw my daughter Ashley, then 18, on her laptop as usual. ‘Say hi to Jack,’ she said to me. It was June 2021 and I smiled at her boyfriend Jack Sepple’s face on screen. ‘How are you?’ I asked. 'Fine,' he beamed. 'We've just been talking about Ashley coming to Chelmsford to visit me.’ I felt a tug of surprise. We lived in British Columbia, Canada, and Jack, then 21, lived in the UK. The pair had met online through Facebook friends back in 2015 and eventually, when Ashley was 16 and Jack was 19, their friendship became more. He was her first boyfriend, and though they’d never met, I was used to seeing Jack’s face on her laptop. He seemed really nice. But…

YOU'RE THE JUDGE! All’s fair in love and war, or so the saying goes. But that’s not exactly true. Even in times of conflict, there are rules. After all, soldiers, who often haven’t chosen to fight, have human rights. As do civilians caught up in atrocities. No torture, mutilation or inhumane treatment. No wilful killing, or inflicting of suffering or injury. No hostages, or unlawful confinement. Over the past century, thousands of war criminals have been convicted, locked up or sentenced to death for breaking these rules of conflict. Stretching from World War I and II to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even as recently as the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Perpetrators can be brought to justice decades after their actions. So it may not have been a surprise…

Q Whenever I’m stressed or anxious I experience heart palpitations. Is something wrong with my heart? Rena, Melton Mowbray A Palpitations might feel either like a fluttering or pounding in your chest or throat, or as if your heart has skipped a beat. Anxiety is a common cause because it releases adrenaline. This makes your heart beat faster and harder, and can give the sensation of palpitations. That’s normal, although if it’s becoming a problem then cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or relaxation techniques can help. More rarely, anxiety can unmask palpitations that are due to an abnormal heart rhythm. See your doctor if these palpitations happen frequently, last more than a few minutes or cause symptoms such as breathlessness, chest pain or dizziness.…

Hopping on my bike, I made my way home. It was July 2017 and I’d just finished my weekly yoga class. I was a psychotherapist with my own practice that I ran from home, and I loved keeping active. Skiing a few times a year, my yoga class, and regularly running and cycling, I was always moving. Seeing the traffic lights up ahead turn red, I rode down a side street to avoid them. With a lorry doing a three-point turn up ahead and then stopping, I thought the driver had seen me, so I cycled past. Only, as I steered back on to the main road, I heard the lorry right behind me. Knowing I was in trouble, I pedalled faster to try to put some distance between us.…

Pushing my plate away, I leaned back on the kitchen chair and rubbed my tummy. Full to the brim with bangers and mash. My mum Gill, now 59, always served up a feast after school. ‘I’m done,’ I smiled. But Mum pushed my plate back to me. ‘Half a sausage left,’ she smiled. ‘Just finish it off.’ She hated wasting food. I wasn’t slim, my waist was beginning to bulge. ‘Tree trunk thighs,’ bullies taunted me. I didn’t tell Mum, instead used food for comfort. Tucking a bag of Maltesers into my blazer pocket to munch instead of eating in the canteen where my bullies lurked. Mum was big too, had tried every diet going. Calorie counting, cutting carbs, hypnotherapy. Any weight she lost would always go back on. ‘Nothing…