Compiled by Nicoline Greer
SPORTY PRICE
If you want to plug the hole in your wallet, stop shopping in shops and go online. The website M and M Sports sells a huge selection of sportswear at prices it claims are up to 80 per cent less than you'll pay in shops. You'll find the oh-so-comfy Reef flip-flops, Levis, FCUK, Nike and many more brands, including jeans and other clothes for daywear - no need to work up a sweat, then. The site also sells equipment such as racquets, trampolines and skateboards. Postage to Ireland is an additional £5.99. www.mandmsports.com.
Nicoline Greer
HOW TO DEPORT YOURSELF
Big mirrors and lots of clothes and make-up to experiment with, are features of former model Geraldine Brand's annual teenage "grooming courses", which start at the beginning of June. These week-long courses, held mostly in the mornings, are about self-presentation, with a particular emphasis on that quaint term, deportment. "Everybody has the ability to look well," says Brand, "but it depends on how you do it". She notices among teenagers a reluctance to look at themselves properly in the mirror - believe it or not - and that is one of the first things they learn. Collective appraisal of an individual's good points helps with confidence-building and the ability to choose "the right clothes", she maintains. The workshops, which cover make-up, colour analysis and diet, run from June 6th until the last week in July and cost €250. They are being held in the Coach House, Westland Row, Dublin, 01-8327332 or www.geraldinebrand.com.
Deirdre McQuillan
THE VILLA
Looking for somewhere to stay in Marbella, and hoping for something a bit different? La Villa Marbella, a 150-year-old traditional stone house in the heart of the old town, has just four rooms, each exquisitely decorated in Asian style and with spacious wet-room bathrooms. Breakfast (served whenever you want it), and evening drinks, are taken on the roof terrace, which has spectacular mountain views. Although the house is beautifully decorated, it's not precious - children are made very welcome. Room rates are from €75 to €145, but low-season bargains can be found on www.laterooms.com. La Villa Marbella, Calle Principe 10, Casa Antiguo, Marbella, Spain, 00-34-952766220, www.lavillamarbella.com.
Marie-Claire Digby
JUST EAT IT
"You are what you eat" appears to be one of the loudest messages of the year. Patrick Holford is one exponent of this philosophy. He will be speaking on the subject next Friday, as part of the annual Convergence Sustainable Living Festival in Temple Bar, Dublin (April 20-24th). Holford has written bestselling books on how what you eat affects your health, influencing conditions as diverse as arthritis and schizophrenia. Can his eating guidelines really keep you healthy, happy and free of pain, as he claims? Judge for yourself at Optimum Nutrition, Friday, 7.30-9.30pm, upstairs at Cultivate, East Essex Street, Dublin 2. Admission, €20. Book with Sustainable Ireland at the Cultivate Centre, 01-6745773.
Nicoline Greer
LOUGH AND QUAY
There are few secret getaways left, but Coolbawn Quay, a small hotel on the shores of Lough Derg in Tipperary, has been open a few years and isn't over-developed. It is built beside a marina, and guests stay in whitewashed cottage suites decorated with great style by owner Jay Brophy. Ask for the two-bedroom Belvedere suite - it has dark grey carpet and walls, grey checked upholstery, a little turf stove and views over the countryside. A small bar with red tongue-and-groove panelling is next to the restaurant, and there is a spa, where you can have the small pool to yourself for an hour, along with the sauna and steam room. There goes another secret getaway. Packages from €370. www.coolbawnquay.com, 067-28158.
Eoin Lyons
COSY IN THE GARDEN
We love a bit of al fresco during the summer but, let's face it, that breeze often spoils the fun. The Cosy Horseshoe is designed to provide shelter, without making you feel like you are huddling indoors. Tommy Ruane, the engineer and businessman who designed it, has the structures handcrafted in Ireland from stainless steel and hardwoods, and a roof made of shatter-proof, bronze-tinted polycarbonate, which may be why it costs €6,600. www.cosyhorseshoe.com, 087-6242244.
Nicoline Greer
Under a fiver
French porcelain baking dishes for €3, cereal bowls for €1.50, full-length, pine-framed mirrors for €25, a set of well-designed, Brabantia stainless steel pots for €30, lamps with feathered shades, cutlery sets for €12 . . . irresistible prices, really, in the new extension to Arnott's Bargain Shop in Abbey Street. No clothes here, just homewares.
BUST YOU MUST
Do you think Cosmo is clueless and Marie Claire mundane? Then you must, you must, you must subscribe to Bust, "the magazine for women with something to get off their chests". What started out in 1993 as a photocopied zine is now a gorgeous bi-monthly glossy, the cover of which has recently been graced by Bjork, PJ Harvey and Kelly Osborne. But while it may look more mainstream than it used to, Bust is still smart, subversive and unashamedly feminist. Filled with witty articles about everything from cute but hip craft projects to female Islamic converts, as well as nearly 20 pages of music and book reviews, this is a magazine for women who know that girliness, humour and intelligence are not incompatible. Get Bust at www.bust.com or at Tower Records.
Anna Carey