The perfect… Bag
‘The sun may not be shining, but this beautiful leather satchel is the perfect
way to brighten up a grey Monday morning.’
Claire, Deputy Production Editor
Bag, £93, The Cambridge Satchel Company
Cheat sheet… Potato magic
- Fancy a jacket potato but don’t have a microwave? Stab a metal skewer through
your spud before popping it in the oven. It cooks it from the inside,
reducing baking time by a quarter. - Whenever a spot pops up, rub a slice of raw potato over the redness – the
starch will dry out your blemish. - Even out skin tone and lose those under-eye dark circles with a potato face
mask. Simply grate raw potato and smooth over your skin. Leave for five
minutes, then rinse well.
Social club
Did you fall off the diet wagon this January?
“I haven’t fallen from it, I’ve jumped and run and am currently hiding from
it!” B, via Twitter
“I’ve stuck to it so far, I just keep thinking of that bikini body for my
holiday.” Yolande, via Facebook
“The diet wagon and me decided we were better off without each other. Damn
chocolatey goodness…” Stephanie, via Facebook
“I had three bags of Haribo last night for dinner. #Fail.” Trine, via Twitter
- Have your say Facebook
us or tweet us @Fabulousmag
F Phone
We call property and craft queen, Kirstie Allsopp, 40, and let you have a
nosey…
How’s Phil [Spencer, co-host on Location, Location, Location]?
He’s been “working” in the Caribbean – yeah, whatever – and he is so brown he
is literally copper coloured. He does look amazing, to be honest.
Ever had a crush on him?
No! I can’t explain why I don’t fancy him. It’s probably the same reason he
doesn’t fancy me.
Do you think he fancies himself?
I couldn’t possibly comment! He is quite keen on keeping fit…
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever made by hand?
I had to make brawn, which is like a pâté made from a pig’s head and trotters.
I had to boil up the head and get all the bits out. I guess you could call
it a learning curve.
Ew! Do you ever have things go wrong when you make them?
Oh, definitely. The first ever éclair I made looked like a dog poo.
If you could travel in a time machine, where would you go?
I reckon I could rock a crinoline. So I’d go to the mid-Victorian age, but
just for a bit. I wouldn’t really want to go anywhere for too long where a
bath wasn’t a main feature in life.
So keeping up appearances is important to you?
I once said to my boss that I was going to go blonde and she said she would
fire me from Location if I did. It was like: “Under no circumstances can you
go blonde, nobody would recognise you.” I’d probably have looked like Myra
Hindley!
- Kirstie Allsopp is a B&Q ambassador.
This week, we’re…
Watching Being Human (1)
This is back for a fourth series, and while John and Nina might have done one,
it means we get more screen time with fit werewolf Tom (Michael Socha).
Fangs, BBC! Tomorrow, 9pm, BBC3
Multiplexing A Dangerous Method (15) (2)
Keira Knightley apparently had to down vodka to steady her nerves before
filming her saucy scenes with Michael Fassbender in this Freudian romp.
Steamy. Out Friday, nationwide.
Downloading The Singles by Goldfrapp (3)
Ooh la la la la la, we’ve missed electro-duo Goldfrapp. They’re currently
working on new material but until then, this best of includes two brand-new
tracks. Out Monday.
Date for your diary
Feeling Gloomy Valentine’s special, February 11
Hate V Day? Us too (some years). So head to Feeling Gloomy, “the world’s only
club devoted to playing sad music”. Expect bleak tunes, moody men and “speed
hating”. Actually, this is starting to sound like the perfect place to meet
a new (cynical) other half. O2 Academy2, Islington, London (Feelinggloomy.com)
Awkward!
That moment when… you have to eat out alone.
There are many reasons why you might be dining alone: a friend cancelled,
you’re in a rush, you’re a confident woman of the world who is so content in
her own company you can enjoy a meal by yourself… The problem is, as you
sit by yourself and study your napkin, you somehow never look like any of
those things. Instead, you look like a tragic loser or that you’ve been
stood up – both very undesirable traits for a confident woman of the world.
How best to deal with it? Something flashy to read (Fabulous is good, as is
French existential poetry) always works. Or failing that a glass of Pinot –
a stonking big one. Once that’s downed, you won’t care what you look like.
Is it just us or…
Does the popcorn never last until the actual film starts?
This week we want to be…Miss Piggy
She’s bold as brass, she’s got better hair than your average human, and she’s
a total, unabashed maneater (or should that be frogeater?). So this week
(er, every week), the Fabulous office wants to be Miss Piggy.
Born into a dysfunctional family, it was up to Miss Piggy to drag herself up,
via the medium of beauty contests. And she’s definitely the prettiest pig in
the world, with the most sty-lish (geddit?) of outfits. She can rock a Lycra
unitard better than Jessie J.
Miss Piggy’s style mantra is pink, pink and more pink – and good on her, too.
If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Look how you like and like how you look!
But don’t be fooled into thinking La Pig is just a fashion icon. She’s a
massive feminist icon, too. Yes, she gets a bit demented over Kermit, but
who wouldn’t? An on-off romance spanning four decades with a
commitment-phobic amphibian would drive any girl nuts. We’re talking about
the fact that this little pig had her own book (Miss Piggy’s Guide To Life),
which made the New York Times best-seller list for 29 weeks.
She can also tap dance, she’s a master of karate, sings, acts, and she’s so
strong she once managed to bend the bars of a jail cell and escape from
prison. She even duetted with Olly Murs on The X Factor. If those aren’t
achievements to make all women (and pigs) proud, then what are? Hi-yaa!
- The Muppets (U) is out Friday, nationwide.
