It’s no longer time for makeup to shine. Top makeup artists say that matte makeup is an evolving beauty trend that should be good news for people of all skin types and tones. Matte doesn’t necessarily mean flat – instead think of it as sheer or satiny – and it definitely tones down any dewiness …

The Fairmont Heliopolis recently opened its second restaurant, Haiku, which serves authentic Japanese food with a slight twist; and the result is simply sumptuous. The menu, littered with ingredients that conjure images of Japan, is adorned with willowy cherry blossom trees and Harajuku girls; calligraphy and serene scenery. Just as Japan today is a fantastic …

Bras that pump up or down with body temperature and smooth out ageing cleavages are among hot new undies to be unveiled at this month’s Paris lingerie show, organizers said Thursday. A Dutch-designed anti-wrinkle bra that can iron out crinkly cleavages as a woman sleeps, and a smart Slovenian brassiere whose foam cups expand with …

Popular clothing store H&M faced uproar Thursday over a report that one of its New York outlets is slashing and throwing out unsold clothing. Workers at the store in the heart of Manhattan’s shopping district regularly throw away bags of clothing, most of the items having first been cut up with box cutters or razors, …

On the road, nothing really beats a good tip from a local on where to get the best ribs, catch a jazz show, or how to score tickets at a popular venue. Guide books invariably promise to give tourists the local scoop and routinely deliver mixed results. Travel apps for the iPhone also often make …

It was touted as the world’s cheapest car at $2,000 apiece, but a new version of the snub-nosed Tata Nano will be available soon at a price closer to that of a top-end Ferrari or Porsche. Mumbai-based firm DC Design says it is refitting the 3.1-meter five-seater hatchback, doing away with its plastic seat coverings, …

The fight against fat is going high-tech. To get an inside look at eating and exercise habits, scientists are developing wearable wireless sensors to monitor overweight and obese people as they go about their daily lives. The experimental devices are designed to keep track of how many minutes they work out, how much food they …

Looks like doctors aren’t the only ones who should scrub before surgery. Bathing patients with an antiseptic and squirting medicated ointment up their noses dramatically cut the rate of dangerous staph infections afterward, researchers found. A second study found the antiseptic did a better job of preventing infections than the reddish-brown iodine solution that’s been …

Nestled in a discreet corner of the First Mall is La Maison Blanche, the latest offering at the high-end luxury shopping center where the likes of Bulgari and Tiffany’s rub shoulders with Club 35, one of Cairo’s liveliest nightspots. At the helm of the kitchen is Thierry Papillier, a young chef whose extensive experience in …

Sometimes called the “city of spas, Budapest is home to over a dozen thermal spas. The bathhouses make perfect destinations for weary tourists, sore backpackers, and families – as well as hung-over concert-goers. I visited two of Budapest’s biggest and most visited baths, Szechenyi and Gellert last summer. They were filled with 20-somethings wearing bracelets …

An unidentified Asian buyer paid a record $3.07 million (?2.05 million) for a rare 2.52 carat Vivid green diamond at an auction in Geneva late Tuesday, auctioneers Sotheby s said. Sotheby s said it was the highest price ever paid for a green diamond, which was also the largest of its kind ever to appear …

From foie gras produced without making birds suffer to sustainable fish, British retailers and restaurants are fast embracing politically correct food, helped by celebrity-fuelled pressure. Faux (false) gras is the ethical answer to the foodstuff which has been the bane of campaigners for decades for the way it s produced: force-feeding ducks or geese to …

How contagious is swine flu? Less than the novel viruses that have caused big world outbreaks in the past, new research suggests. If someone in your home has swine flu, your odds of catching it are about one in eight, although children are twice as susceptible as adults, the study found. It is one of …

Just in time for New Year s celebrations, a new decree from France: Let them dance til dawn. Despite France s reputation for bon vivants sipping Champagne until the wee hours, aficionados have been complaining that nightlife, especially in Paris, is in decline. An internet petition warns that the City of Light has become Europe …

Eating less isn’t the only way to weigh less. While starving yourself can help you shed weight, it isn’t healthy and will only leave you with stronger cravings that you’re more likely to cave in on than if you had eaten a moderate, balanced and healthy diet. The key to losing weight and staying satisfied …

A monster-slaying bad breath blow gun, a rain-simulating funbrella and a navigation-aid helmet that steers users by pulling their ears: welcome to Japan s latest whacky inventions. These bizarre gadgets and more – some of them useful, most of them fun – went on display at the Digital Content Expo, a fair showcasing futuristic gaming, …

What exactly is one person supposed to do with 2,000 Italian recipes? Or 1,400 French dishes? A new generation of comprehensive (some would say behemoth) cookbooks is cramming thousands of recipes into weighty volumes, some nearly 8 centimeters (3 inches) thick and weighing more than 1.8 kilograms (4 pounds). Why the heavyweights? Publishers say it …

It s the best-selling Christmas tune of all time and for more than six decades has evoked images of Santa Claus, roasting chestnuts, and, of course, Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Yet ironically given its vivid imagery of an idyllic winter wonderland, The Christmas Song – which celebrates its 65th anniversary this year – …

Was it only a decade ago that a blackberry was a mere warm season fruit? That green was, well, a color, and reality TV was that one show sandwiched between music videos on MTV? There were, of course, huge political and social upheavals that roiled the world in the past decade, but there also were …

The old wooden kitchen table in Sophie Theallet s Brooklyn apartment sees some rich pickings – not least designs for dressing the likes of Michelle Obama. The down-to-earth setting in New York is where French-born Theallet runs an increasingly high-flying fashion business. Earlier this year two of her dresses were worn by the US first …

Isahrai Azaria is heading to Austin, Texas, in February, and thanks to Facebook, she already has 40 acquaintances, an invitation to go water tubing, and a line on the best vegetarian lunch place in town. It s been unbelievable, said Azaria, a singer who lives in San Francisco. It was just a quick post on …

This past year I traveled to two conflict zones, Afghanistan and Gaza. When traveling to these areas I tried to prepare myself mentally for the journey ahead. Going to Afghanistan, it was the possibility of getting kidnapped or becoming a victim of a roadside bomb. In Gaza, it was the unknown as I ventured into …

In Egypt, consumer choices have become more refined during a year which was witness to a great expansion in the field of local luxury outlets, but it was a matter of aesthetics and not economics for Egyptians. Whether it is furniture or fashion, it is about selecting the finer things in life, making long term …

It has been a good year for food in Egypt. High end restaurants, where dining is a process, and more modest establishments have popped up all over the city. Looking back, the five that have stood out were exceptional because of their service, the quality of their dishes, the novelty of their menus, their dining …

Some children get severely obese because they lack particular chunks of DNA, which kicks their hunger into overdrive, researchers report. The British researchers checked the DNA of 300 children who d become very fat, on the order of 220 pounds by age 10. They looked for deletions or extra copies of DNA segments. They found …

Privacy advocates slammed revamped Facebook privacy controls on Thursday, saying the change masks a move to get members to expose more information online. These new privacy changes aren t so great for privacy, said Nicole Ozer, northern California technology and civil liberties policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) rights group. It s …

Breathing underwater was a strange sensation. It was even stranger because I ve never been scuba-certified. Stranger yet that my wife – who is reluctant to even duck her head under water – was happily swimming 15 feet underwater behind me as we plumbed the depths on this island off the coast of Honduras. We …

A German snack bar is bucking the economic crisis with a posh twist on a favorite local dish: a veal fillet coated with gold leaf and truffles dubbed the world s priciest schnitzel. The Golden Imperial Schnitzel is on offer at a self-service counter in Duesseldorf, western Germany for a cool ?150 ($216). Swathed in …

Matthew Williamson’s debut last week had Cairo abuzz, part of the weeklong promotional launch held for SODIC’s new development Forty West. A fashion show was organized in conjunction with HIP Boutique, the lone store in Egypt that carries pieces from his prêt-a-porter and eveningwear collections. Thirty looks were revealed on the catwalk, an amalgamation of …