Question: I’m sick of fighting my natural curls. How can I keep them looking good all day? B. Watson, Camberwell, Vic. Answer: Stylist Shane Henning offers the following curl-taming advice. “Only shampoo two or three times a week — hair needs some natural oils to help form the curls. Rinse with cool water, to close […]

Boost your incidental activity with these workout hints when cooking in the kitchen or watching your favourite TV program: Cooking capers Turn on some music that you can dance to, or move along with, while cooking. When getting the ingredients out of the cupboards feel how heavy they are by lifting them up and down […]

This exercise helps release tension from the bottom of your feet and is excellent if you spend a great deal of time in high-heeled shoes. Walking over a stick Align your bones in the standing position. Step the balls of your feet onto a stick or thin broom handle and rest for a short time. […]

She may look every inch the glamorous supermum with smoky eyes and spiked heels, but TV personality Nicky Buckley wants every mother in Australia to know that behind the diamante and plunging décolletage she wears on Seven’s hit show, Dancing with the Stars, there’s an ordinary mum who still does the shopping and the bedtime […]

Exclusive extract from The Last Anniversary (Macmillan), written by Liane Moriarty. Sophie had been going out with Thomas for nearly a year when she decided to break up with him. The decision was the result of weeks of agonised self-analysis. Yes, she loved him, but did she love him for the right reasons? She knew, […]

Many people have a lot of misconceptions about writers and the process of writing. One of them is that in order to write, you have to be in the mood and that successful writers feel wildly enthusiastic and inspired every time they sit down to write. In fact, just the opposite is true for most […]

If you want to write fiction, whether it be short stories, novels or filmscripts or plays, we recommend you start writing by following these three basic rules from Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones: Keep your pen moving Capture first thoughts Let yourself write junk These deceptively simple rules are designed to help you access […]

Monica McInerney’s latest and fifth book Family Baggage (Penguin Books) was selected as the Great Read by The Australian Women’s Weekly and was a bestseller. To all aspiring writers, Monica highly recommends Stephen King’s On Writing. Here are Monica’s four top writing tips: 1. Space Set aside a writing area in your house that won’t […]

Neil Perry is one of Australia’s leading and most influential chefs. He has managed several quality restaurants in Sydney and today concentrates on his flagship brand, Rockpool restaurant in Sydney, XO restaurant in Surry Hills and Rockpool Consulting. Neil heads a team of six consultants to Qantas Airways. Menus are developed quarterly for International First […]

**Q. What is your favourite food? A.** I love noodles and pasta. Bad for the no-carb diet I know, but what can you do? **Q. If you had 15 minutes to prepare, and five ingredients to whip up dinner, what would you make? A.** Easy, a killer roast chook. Chook, extra virgin olive oil, sea […]