< Previous30 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY FASHION Take control Accessorising allows us to take control of at least one part of our lives, so if you’re not already mixing and matching, now’s the time. Your mental health will thank you. Natalia Willmott The Lond beaded necklace from Natalia Willmott will add an instant pop of style and colour to set off your outfits. Take control 24-33.qxp_Layout 1 26/01/2021 11:08 Page 7LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 31 FASHION Numph Why wear one necklace when you can wear multiple? Any of these necklaces from Numph will make a statement, but together you’ll take it to the next level. Francis Klein Handmade Parisian eyewear doesn’t get any more exclusive or stylish than Francis Klein. If you love these glasses as much we do, you can head down to O’Brien’s Opticians in Brigg or visit www.obriensopticians.co.uk. Gabor If you’re looking for a boot that’s as robust as it is stylish, then look no further than Gabor. Dune London Battle the fickle English weather with this sophisticated hat from Dune London. Or just wear for style’s own sake. Photo courtesy Dune London Blair & Co Let Blair & Co add a touch of sophistication to your favourite outfit with its gold compass necklace. Photo courtesy of Blair & Co Linberg Linberg offer sophistication Danish designed eyewear that will add another dimension to your look. To pick up your own pair, head down to O’Brien’s Opticians in Brigg or visit www.obriensopticians.co.uk. Cath Kidston The Clarendon Check Bag from Cath Kidston won’t pair with everything, but with the right outfit it will look amazing. Photo courtesy of Cath Kidston Lucy Sylvester The oak leaf and acorn pendent from Lucy Sylvester is a marvellous piece cast from real life that will add some serous sophistication to your wardrobe. 24-33.qxp_Layout 1 26/01/2021 11:08 Page 832 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY FASHION Somewhere in between There’s an entire spectrum between smart and casual to explore. So get creative and start exploring some outfits. © T opman Somewhere in between 24-33.qxp_Layout 1 26/01/2021 11:08 Page 9LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 33 FASHION Opposite: Topman If you’re looking for what young men will be wearing, use Topman as the barometer. Above: Joe Browns Pair this bold Joe Browns t-shirt with simple jeans or chinos to get the most out of the look. Top right: Marks & Spencer Marks & Spencer offer this smart, stylish outfit carefully curated for something that’s the very definition of smart casual. Right: Dune London These striking boots blur the lines between smart and casual for a shoe that can be worn with jeans or a suit. The decision is up to you. © Joe Browns © Marks & Spencer 24-33.qxp_Layout 1 26/01/2021 11:09 Page 1034 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY HAIR & BEAUTY © Shutterstock /Dean Drobot The new year came and went bringing along with it another national lock down for the UK. This means more people working from home, more screen time and less human to human contact. We catch up with Toni-Lee Richardson, the new owner of Skin Couture Beauty Salon in Caistor, expert in holistic therapies and skin care, as she talks us through why this means we should pay more attention - not less - to our skincare routine and overall wellbeing. A video call to friends, working from home or aimlessly scrolling through our social media as a means to entertain ourselves throughout the day - whichever category you fall into, there is no denying the fact that, overall, our screen time is up as we stay behind doors for a little while longer. At first, it might have seemed a novelty for lots of us to stay in our PJ’s until midday and work behind a screen in the comfort of our own homes – however, prior to our latest lockdown - concerns with premature ageing and general stress have been on the rise and Face forward to skincare and wellbeing 34-35.qxp_Layout 1 26/01/2021 11:14 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 35 HAIR & BEAUTY there has been an incline in people utilising services to not only help restore the body but also the mind. It’s common knowledge that excess screen time can affect our eyes and causes other health issues such as headaches, but more recent research has suggested that the blue light emitted from our smartphones and laptops can also accelerate the skins ageing process. This blue light causes oxidative stress in the living layers of the skin which results in damage to proteins that are vital for keeping skin youthful such collagen and elastin. All hope is not lost. Even without access to treatments in salons and other health services limited at this current time! Here’s Skin Couture’s guide on what you can do from home to help your skin, mind and body health: Get more sleep ‘Beauty sleep’ is real! When we sleep our body is hard at work repairing cells and tissue. Good quality sleep not only strengthens our immune system, boosts our mood and reduces stress but also helps revitalise collagen leaving us looking youthful and fresh faced. Book a skin care consultation with an expert We’ve all been there - aimlessly wandering the isles of the high street retailers looking at the masses of products available, not knowing where to begin. Getting a skin care experts advice can guide you in selecting the right product for your specific skin type the first time round. Not only will you be gaining an insight into your own skin and how it works, you’ll also be more likely to get the advanced results you want by choosing products that are correct for your skin and lifestyle. Choose products with mood boosting qualities At Skin Couture, our salon professional product range is perfect for treating a multitude differing skin concerns. Utilising a blend of science and technology the range had been developed to not only make your skin feel fantastic but also boost your mood by using ingredients that promote the release of dopamine (our bodies happy hormone). Vitamin D It’s that vitamin we’ve been hearing lots about in the news the last few years. When we expose our skin to natural sunlight the body produces vitamin D. In the UK between October and March, our exposure to sunlight is reduced and therefore we seen a drop in our levels. The NHS suggest adults require around 10 micrograms of Vitamin D daily in order maintain a healthy immune system, reduce our risk of depression and low mood as well as maintain healthy bones. The good news is that this Vitamin can also be found in foods such as oily fish, red meat and eggs. If your particularly low in Vitamin D, it might also be worth consulting your GP as supplements are also available if foods don’t quite give you the boost you need! Don’t lose momentum Once life returns to some form of normal its really easy for us to revert back to going about our daily lives just as we did before. The stress levels will gradually begin to rise again as our priorities become less about ourselves and more about the life that’s happening around us. Then is the perfect time to pick up the phone and schedule your monthly massage or facial and ensure you continue to look after your own health and wellbeing and continue on your journey to a new and healthier you - Skin, body and mind! Recommended These are the top 3 recommended home care products to maintain skin health whilst your behind the screen. Shopping list Jade roller - Give your skin a glow the stars will envy with a Natural Jade roller £20. This product reinforces your skincare products into your skin whilst lifting and relaxing the muscles. Great for mind and body! Wish list Dr Renaud’s Mimosa smoothing and energising cream - your ally against environmental stress, enriched with Organic Mimosa Extract and protective ingredients this product helps the skin combat external aggressions (pollution, blue light, free radicals). An energising and hydro- regenerating cocktail making the skin appear smooth, more youthful and radiant £44. A-List SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic serum is an antioxidant topical treatment that works to anti-age and reduce hyperpigmentation on the skin surface £140. 34-35.qxp_Layout 1 26/01/2021 11:15 Page 236 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY HEALTH & FITNESS Many will have found their “new year, new me” health and fitness plans stifled last month when the country plunged into its third lockdown. The public were advised to limit outdoor exercise to once a day, not leave their local area when doing this, and complete exercise with a maximum of one person from outside your household. Sports centres could only remain open for elite sportspeople to train and compete, and gyms were closed. With lockdown, exercise has been firmly pushed back into the home, with our living rooms offering the best venue for keeping fit, and it looks like they may remain to be so moving forward. Research from bulk, reflecting on 2020, indicates that 85% of those who exercise regularly say they now prefer working out from home instead of a gym and most will therefore not be renewing their gym memberships. There are numerous different ways to tackle a home workout. Since many of us do not have the room for, or desire to spend thousands on, gym-equivalent equipment for our fitness, it is fortunate that there are cheaper and smaller items that allow for a superb session. Resistance bands, great for static workouts, for example can be used all over the body to target a particular area like the glutes (for this try moves such as donkey kicks, fire hydrants, and plank leg lifts) or be used to vary resistance in standard exercises to kick a workout up a notch. Ankle and wrist weights, alternatively, add strength training to a workout, increasing resistance - why not pop on an ankle weight and try some side leg raises to work the glutes, hip adductors, and thighs? Kettle bells are also a useful piece of equipment, easy to store, and challenge muscular and cardio strength. Lift, push, or fling your kettle bell for a whole-body workout from just one item. One can of course use bodyweight exercises - ideal for smaller spaces and improving muscle strength, balance, mobility, aerobic capacity, and posture - to avoid buying and storing any equipment at all, alongside circuit training to make the most of your workout, keep your heart rate up and burn calories. Choose a workout type like cardio or strength training, pick ten exercises of varying difficulty, decide how long you will do each for in terms of time or reps (20 seconds is a good start for a beginner), and go! Increase the number of circuits to complete for a more intense workout. The internet holds a variety of routines to try. Further, going online one will find endless workout videos on YouTube, offering more structure, focusing on particular parts of the body - with and without equipment - or activities such as Yoga, HIIT, or dance alongs for a bit of fun - plus its free. Their popularity is clear Another blow for With another lockdown, fitness plans have once again been hit by restrictions, but there are plenty of options to keep up with exercise at home. © Shutterstock /Prostock-studio fitness fitness Another blow for 36-37.qxp_Layout 1 26/01/2021 11:19 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 37 HEALTH & FITNESS © Shutterstock /Kzenon with Chloe Ting’s 11 minute Get Abs in 2 Weeks video, only requiring a floor mat, being the number one home workout video on YouTube, with over 287,000,000 views. Apps and streams from specific providers are also an option, with the number of fitness apps available continuing to expand - even Apple jumped on the bandwagon in January, releasing a new workout streaming platform. With its boom in 2020, due to the pandemic, it is unsurprising that online training has been named the number one fitness trend for 2021 in the annual ACSM worldwide fitness trend survey, where online training and mobile exercise apps, shot up its list of the top fitness trends now expected for the year. While online training - classified as using digital streaming tech to deliver group, individual, or instructional exercise programs online as a live or pre-recorded class - sat at number 26 in the ACSM’s fitness trends for 2020, it is now the top trend, overtaking wearable technology - fitness trackers, smart watches, heart rate monitors, and GPS tracking devices - which has been the number one trend since it first entered the survey, bar 2018 when it sat at third place. Also showing the impact of the pandemic year on fitness trends, group training has slipped from number three on the ACSM survey for fitness trends in 2020 to 17 for 2021, with the dramatic fall most likely a result of gyms closing and/or restrictions limiting social gatherings. Furthermore, outdoor activities moved up in importance in the 2021 trends list to fourth place, from thirteenth, reflecting how the pandemic made more activities like walking and jogging popular as an escape from constantly being indoors. Another report on what to expect in fitness in 2021, looking at data and insights collected by ClassPass in 2020 from 30,000 boutique studios, gyms, spas, and wellness partners across 30 countries, homed in on the impact of the pandemic, pinpointing some interesting developments. Firstly, 12pm has become the most popular time to work out during the week for ClassPass users, with lunchtime workouts seeing a 67% increase in popularity - this can be easily attributed to the rise of remote work. Secondly, due to the rise in digital options, ClassPass notes that “fitness travel is in, no passport required,” as one is no longer limited to a geographical location - taking part in classes with friends across the country is possible, tuning into a dance studio for example that isn’t local. Outdoor workouts are also highlighted in the ClassPass research, following their growth in popularity and the number of trainers and studios getting creative with open air classes. Though there may not be a precise end in sight yet for the pandemic, this does not mean fitness has to be put on hold. 36-37.qxp_Layout 1 26/01/2021 11:19 Page 238 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY FOOD & DINING meal of it As none of us can celebrate Valentine’s Day by visiting one of the county’s fabulous pubs, hotels or restaurants, it’ll have to be a romantic meal at home instead. Of course, you can absolutely order in – thereby supporting eateries impacted by the pandemic – but if you would rather do the cooking yourself, here are some tried and tested recipes that are sure to delight. Serves: 4 Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes You’ll need: 400g Chantenay carrots, scrubbed (leave whole if small; quarter lengthwise if large) 2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp runny honey 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 2 large handfuls of salad leaves, including some rocket 4-6 slices prosciutto ham Shavings of Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper Chantenay prosciutto and rocket salad What to do: Preheat the oven to 220˚C/Gas Mark 7. Toss the prepared Chantenay in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, along with a little salt and pepper, transfer to a roasting tin and cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes, turning once, until cooked through. While the carrots are roasting, prepare the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, honey and lemon juice. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and set aside. When the Chantenay are cooked, remove them from the oven. Set aside and leave to cool. When you are ready to serve the salad, toss the salad leaves and Chantenay in the prepared vinaigrette, along with a little salt and pepper, and arrange in a serving dish. Top with some torn slices of prosciutto and shavings of Parmesan cheese. Recipe provided by: www.chantenay.com Make a © Shutterstock /vanillaechoes 38-41.qxp_Layout 1 26/01/2021 11:21 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 39 FOOD & DINING Love cookies You’ll need: 250g soft butter 140g caster sugar 1 egg yolk 2 tsp vanilla extract 300g plain flour For the dip: 200g of dark chocolate 200g Greek Yoghurt 100ml of single cream 50ml of dark rum (optional) What to do: Preheat oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl, then beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Sift flour and stir until mixture is combined. Roll out dough to 1cm thick and cut with heart-shaped cookie cutters. Transfer to a non-stick baking tray leaving space in be- tween for the cookies to spread. Bake for 12 minutes until pale gold, then transfer to a cooling rack. For the dip, melt chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. When melted fold in Greek Yoghurt and single cream (and rum if using). Keep warm until serving. The chocolate should resemble a thick luxurious sauce, if not add a small amount of extra cream. Serve with a second dip of Greek Yoghurt. Courtesy of TOTAL Greek Yoghurt Skip a heavy dessert and end your meal with a touch of romantic fun with these heart shaped cookies 38-41.qxp_Layout 1 26/01/2021 11:21 Page 2Next >