Life Style

Sri Lanka is a resplendent island with so much to offer: from vast jungle teeming with wild leopards and Asian elephants, to quaint beachside villages, great surf and hiking opportunities galore. And it has thousands of properties from which to explore. Having spent eight months travelling from the plains of Jaffna in the north of the country, to the southern coast and everything in-between, these are the hotels with sublime service, top-class design and captivating bedrooms where rest and relaxation come easily. There’s dreamy eco lodges, boutique city boltholes and smart architectural marvels. Some are ideal for honeymoons, while others focus on wellness, yet all are utterly charming and will elevate your trip. Here’s our carefully picked edit of the absolute best hotels in Sri Lanka. Be...

A perfume needs to hit certain key notes to be sexy. First, it should contain the promise of a good night out with someone intriguing — a blend of heady food and booze notes. “Think big-shouldered amber perfumes laced with tobacco, leather notes, ribbons of vanilla,” says da Costa. Next: skin, the first frontier of being closer to someone physically. “Modern musks that aren’t too clean or soft but rather lean into the dirtier, naughtier side of the scent are brilliant on skin, and warm it up, making it more sensual, more tempting,” she says. Source link

It’s been nearly five years since Justin Bieber released his most recent studio album, Justice, to the world and yet the singer is still dominating the headlines — and has been for some time. Why? People online are saying they are concerned. Bieber has had quite the yo-yo year, with the birth of his first child, followed by scrutiny over the P Diddy drama, followed by divorce rumours.Just yesterday Bieber was snapped by paparazzi while entering a bath house spa during a trip to NYC while wearing a pale yellow hoodie with no shirt underneath, a rolled up mint green beanie and baggy trousers that exposed his boxers.His strangely-outfitted appearance came amid the swirling divorce rumours that are surrounding him and wife Hailey Bieber, even though the couple also stepped out later that day t...

Sweet Potato, Butternut Squash and CapersPreparation time 3 minutesLarge handful of fresh mint, plus extra to garnish2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil400g (14oz) ready-prepared diced butternut squash and sweet potato2 tbsp shop-bought fried onionsServe with Yoghurt and chutney or enjoy on its ownButternut squash, sweet potato and capers recipeSupplied1. Fill and boil the kettle.2. Finely chop the tomatoes and the fresh mint.3. Place a wok on a medium heat, then add the following ingredients in this order: 400ml (14fl oz/1¾ cups) hot kettle water, ghee or oil, butternut squash and sweet potato, tomatoes, ajwain seeds, cumin seeds, garlic paste, ginger paste, fried onions, tomato paste, chilli powder, turmeric and salt to taste. Place the lid on the wok and cook for 7 minutes.4. Remove the lid, t...

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Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day comes around every year and there is no getting away from it.But why is Valentine’s Day celebrated? And how did it all begin? Here is everything we know.What and when is Valentine’s Day?It is the day of love - whether that be for a partner, child, or someone you admire secretly, Valentine’s Day is the one time a year you are supposed to express your affection to the person you love.Valentine's Day always falls on February 14, meaning that the day of the week varies year on year. In 2025, Valentine's Day will fall on a Friday for the first time since 2020.Where did it come from and when did it start?St. Valentine is known as the patron saint of lovers in the Christian faith. There are various legends about a religious figure named Valentine or Valentinus ...

Studies have shown that many of us are scared of things that are unlikely to kill us, whilst we happily engage in behaviours that might. Some people won’t swim in the sea in case they’re attacked by a shark, whereas others will text whilst they’re driving without a second thought. And yet the lifetime risk of dying from a shark attack is over one in three million, while every 17 minutes someone is killed or seriously injured on UK roads. Why do we feel safer in a car?It’s the same when it comes to our health. A study done by the American Heart Assocation asked North American women ‘What is the disease you fear the most’? 61% of women said cancer, 9% of women said heart disease. And yet the leading cause of death for these women is heart disease. It explains how the things we see and hear c...

Bookish types will swoon at the chance to stay at this literary stalwart in Soho, the former home of 18th-century essayist William Hazlitt. Plush carpets, antiques, gilded oil paintings and plenty of signed reads from well-known authors set the scene in the cosy communal spaces, before you ascend to the eye catching pink-painted Superior Double — complete with its own literary collection, sink-in leather chairs and a rolltop bath. Other Superior Doubles come splashed in brooding, coddling greys, greens or blues, with old fireplaces and dark wood four-posters as your backdrop for amour. Source link

Next, I headed to Malabar Hill, a serene escape from the surfer crowd in Weligama. If you’re after total tranquility, this is the place. The beach is nearby, but let’s be honest—I was all about disappearing for a month. Unfortunately, no matter how far you travel, you can’t escape the doomscrolling couple—those who sit next to each other, glued to their phones, loudly watching TikToks. It’s a universal experience, even in remote Sri Lanka. Source link

In 2022, a friend of hers told The Sunday Times: “When she goes to the Bond premiere or is at Trooping the Colour, of course she puts on the ‘uniform’ of the role. But what was enormously frustrating and difficult for her, especially in the early days, was she was going out and doing the work she was interested in and was hugely important to her, and people just talked about what she was wearing.” Source link