IN THIS ISSUE

For my birthday this year I went on a long weekend to Lanzarote with my cousin and our partners. The morning of my birthday I was a bit worse for wear and when I finally got up they had a bottle of champagne, cards and presents waiting for me. They also had a cake with candles lit and insisted I pose for a photo with it. ‘Hold on!’ I shouted. ‘I haven’t got my brows on.’ I ran back into the bedroom and quickly applied my eyebrows before smiling for a picture I knew would be going on social media. I don’t wear a lot of make-up but I certainly couldn’t go without completely like comedian Vikki Stone, who we meet on page 36. She had worn quite heavy make-up for years, using it as a kind of shield, before deciding she didn’t need it any more. Brave move. Male grooming is on the rise but make-up is still very much female territory and I for one have always been grateful for it. I started to wear it quite early in my teens and I can’t even imagine being without it now. The cousin who I was away with very rarely wears make-up and now if I see her with a full face of it, it looks weird to me – as I’m sure it would look to her if I turned up bare-faced. Appearance standards for women are very different to those for men and I never feel fully ‘ready’ to go anywhere without a flick of concealer, foundation, bronzing powder, blush, mascara, lipstick and, of course, those all-important brows. It’s only when I write it down here that I realise it sounds like quite a lot, but trust me, when you see the amount of beauty products cross your desk that I do, you’ll know that it’s not much at all. Sure I’m practically bare-faced. Practically, not actually. Now, pass the lip gloss.

On page 26, crime writer Sophie Hannah tells us why holding grudges can actually be good for you. I’ve never been one to let slights or betrayals affect me, I brush them off and move on – however, people sometimes prey on that quality and take advantage of it. Maybe I should start holding on to the anger a little – especially as it sounds so beneficial.

Enjoy the issue!

‘ APPEARANCE STANDARDS FOR WOMEN ARE VERY DIFFERENT TO THOSE FOR MEN’