Can this tinted balm really hydrate lips for 24 hours?

Help! I need a make-under

After realising an excess of beauty enhancements weren’t making her look younger, just weirder, Rosie Green is paring back her look

The super 8 skin healers

A healthy skin barrier will ward off everything from wrinkles to blemishes. Alice Robertson shares how to boost yours

Blue eyeshadow is back

…but, asks Rosie Green, on an older face, can it flatter or will it just say fancy dress?

How I made £30 million from painting your nails

When Thea Green had the idea to bring New York-style nail bars to the UK she changed the face of our high street and made a fortune in the process

The only five skincare ingredients proven to work

Alice Robertson cuts through the confusing claims of some manufacturers with her guide to the select group of goodies supported by hard science

I didn’t wake up like this!

Broadcaster and author Fearne Cotton, 43, tells Rosie Green about age-appropriate exercise, knock-off scent and not worrying about a wrinkly forehead

You’re putting WHAT on your face?

I’m in shock about what my glowing 50-something friend uses in the pursuit of beauty. You’ll never guess what it is, says Rosie Green

Who pays £395 for a hairbrush?

It’s the price of a mini break! Rosie Green wonders if going bankrupt over one is ever worth it

Can this pen really give thinning brows a fuller look?

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I’m taking control of my health so I can have another baby

The influencer on her dream to expand her family

Mind the gap: Skincare

Francesca Hornak imagines this week’s generational debate

How I reunited two members of the women-only Auschwitz orchestra

In researching her father’s Second World War experiences for a new book, Anne Sebba found a link to a group of concentration-camp musicians, and met its remarkable remaining players

‘Mum’s knitting was a sign of her enduring love’

Growing up, Carys Davies hated the eccentric handknitted outfits her mother made her wear. But she realises now that there was a message behind every stitch

This hi-tech mirror costing £1,399 claims to be a personal trainer. I tried it for a week…

Can the latest in AI at-home workout kit beat going to the gym? Sophie Hines tests it out

YOU loves: Saatchi Gallery

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Mind the gap: working from home

‘My body feels like a puppet with its strings cut’

Confined to a wheelchair, Julie Burchill is in a rehab centre trying to learn to walk again. She reveals how brutal humour and unexpected lifelines have stopped her giving up hope

Leek and rice pie (Placinta cu praz)

A placinta is the iconic Romanian pie baked in a rectangular tray and served cold as a snack. In spring, people prepare it with foraged plants such as nettles, dandelions, wild spinach and even beetroot leaves, which I’d love you to try if you find any. The rice is optional - it can be replaced by cheese to give the filling more body and make the pie easy to slice.

Semolina milk soufflé (Budinca de gris)

This is a feather-like dessert traditional throughout the Balkans and north of the Danube in countries that were once part of the Austrian Empire. The recipe is similar to a soufflé and unusual in the way you pour milk over it when it’s out of the oven. It is served with milk or fruit sauce or left plain.

Pastrami lamb chops with polenta (Pastrama de miel cu mamaliga)

Pastrama is the Romanian name of cured and air-dried mutton, cut into strips, then grilled or fried. It is served with polenta and garlic sauce, which is good for cutting through the richness of the meat. The traditional pastrama flavours are fenugreek, garlic, paprika and winter savory, and I’m taking inspiration from them to make a sauce to serve with lamb chops.

Salt-baked rainbow trout with tomato dressing and polenta (Saramura de peste)

This is a popular Romanian way to prepare fish, and you will find the dish in homes and restaurants throughout the country, regardless of whether they’re near the sea or a river.

Ham bread loops (Covrigi cu sunca)

In Romania, covrigi and colaci are street food staples that are also baked on special and religious occasions. The long-established method of shaping them is into a simple braided loop. Like anything popular, the recipe has many variations, either regional or modern, such as jam-filled or a savoury version with slices of sunca ham.

Yogurt creamed spinach with paprika pumpkin seeds (Spanac cu iaurt si boia)

I found this recipe while I was researching Ada Kaleh, a small island on the Danube. It can be made with nettles or any other foraged leaves and plants that are full of vitamins in spring.

Pot-roasted chicken with braised broad beans, lettuce and chicory (Pui la cuptor cu bob, laptuci si cicoare)

This is a light chicken recipe, which can be a spring/summer alternative to your weekend roast. It also brings together ingredients that are now seeing a comeback in Romanian culinary conversations: broad beans and chicory.

Vlach fried pepper salad (Salata de ardei prajiti)

This appetising salad is inspired by the Vlach communities of Romania and Bulgaria, where fried peppers mixed with cheese appear in many dishes. The Vlachs are also known as Aromanians, and they speak a romance language very similar to Romanian. They live throughout the Balkan countries and north of the Danube in Romania.

Book offer: Danube

‘I always cook a tuna stir-fry for breakfast’

The comedian, 57, talks to Tom Parker Bowles about Proustian egg and chips, what not to eat before a gig and his daily ice cream habit