Skincare is massively important in any type of beauty regime and that is perhaps even more so during the hot summer months.
One of my favourite brands is the award-winning Apothaka®, which is all about supporting healthy skin and promoting a less-is-more approach to skincare.
The driving force behind the successful beauty brand is founder and owner Natasha Dauncey, who uses carefully-selected ingredients for her products.
With a 20-year background in the pharmaceutical industry, the hardworking tattoo numbing cream entrepreneur has studied product formulation, EU cosmetic regulation, and advanced skin science (CIBTAC level 4) to get a more rounded perspective towards skincare and skin health.
I caught up with Natasha to talk about her game-changing Apothaka® products and top summer skincare tips.
What was your motivation behind starting a skincare brand?
I’ve had a genuine interest in the real science behind ingredients and products. I was fed up with all pseudoscience and fear-mongering promoted by a lot of skincare brands and bloggers. I’ve also experienced sensitive skin myself, so I have been on my journey to find products that work well for my skin.
What is the best SPF (sun protection factor) skincare product?
The million-dollar question! Sunscreen is often a trade-off between good UVA/UVB protection and cosmetic elegance. Higher factor sunscreens (SPF50+) can feel heavy on the skin are hard to wear under make-up and physical sunscreens, in particular, can leave a strong white cast, especially on darker skin tones. Everyone needs to find a dedicated sunscreen that they can commit to wearing daily and the choice of the right sunscreen will be very individual and depend on the amount of UV exposure, skin type and where in the world you live.
What is your favourite SPF skincare product?
As I have darker skin, I’m at a very low risk of burning (from UVB), but my skin is very prone to pigmentation, so the UVA protection is pivotal in my choice of sunscreen. I’m still searching for my holy-grail sunscreen. These brands all offer superior UVA protection, though I haven’t tried them all; Boots Soltan, Superdrug Solait, Altruist, La Roche Posay, ISDIN and Ultrasun. I recently travelled to India and took Ultrasun anti-ageing fluid SPF50, which was great in the intense sun and worked well for my ‘normal’ skin.
What about the UK?
In the UK, I tend to wear SPF30 and in general, I prefer chemical (organic) sunscreens, as they feel more elegant on the skin as well as offering reliable UVA protection (if using modern chemical filters). Although I don’t have oily skin myself, I have been told that Eucerin Oil Control sunscreen is a popular option for oily skin.
How do you incorporate retinol and masking into your routine?
I keep my routine simple, so, at nights I use a retinoid (I use a prescription-strength one). I cleanse, let my skin dry and then apply a pea-size amount onto my skin (or I may mix with an equal amount of moisturiser if my skin is feeling drier than usual). That’s it. I don’t tend to mask as I don’t feel like my skin needs it these days. If you can commit to using a dedicated sunscreen every day and are diligent with sun avoidance (eg, wearing UPF hats-clothing, sunglasses and avoiding the sun in the middle of the day) there is no need to stop using retinoids in the summer.
What is your favourite product from your Apothaka® range?
That’s hard to pick! I would have
to say it’s my barrier support serum for hydration and overall skin health as it’s helped me tolerate a strong retinoid without any peeling or irritation. Also, my SOS recovery nail and cuticle oil, as, without it, I don’t think I would have long, healthy nails.
Tell us, what are the best products to use on your cuticles?
I love my SOS recovery nail and cuticle oil for keeping not only my cuticles, but also my nails nourished and healthy. This bestselling product of mine recently won the Beauty Shortlist Awards 2019 for Best Nail Treatment-Therapy. I formulated it with organic jojoba and a carefully-selected blend of other plant oils that support nail and cuticle health. The packaging format is just as important as the product itself.
What do you mean?
It is housed in a UV glass bottle to protect the precious oils degrading from UV light, and with a rollerball to allow for convenient (and regular use) on the go. This has become a handbag staple for lots of my customers, with many buying an extra one to keep on their bedside table.
Natasha Dauncey from Apothaka® reveals her perfect summer routine for oily skin…
Oily skin can usually benefit from hydrating and lightweight products that moisturise without clogging pores or exacerbating oiliness.A core routine means key products that work for you, including ones aimed at targeting any specific concerns.
Cleanse with a gentle, non-stripping cleanser.
A gel-based product is a good option for oily skin, although you may wish to use a rinse-off cleansing oil first, which is most effective at breaking down makeup and sunscreen without drying out the skin.
Apply hydrating serum to damp skin. My barrier support serum is ideal for this as it not only contains humectants to hydrate the skin, but also niacinamide, which has been shown to regulate oil production among many other benefits. Often, just adding a water-based hydrating serum for an oily skin type can make a significant improvement to oiliness.
At night, lock in this hydration with a suitable lightweight moisturiser.
For the daytime, sunscreen with good UVA protection can be applied (ideally, SPF30+ and a five-star UVA rating).
Another useful ingredient is salicylic acid, which can be used a few times a week up to once daily, if your skin tolerates it. This is a great oil-soluble acid, which gets deep into the pores to keep them clean, and prevent and reduce congestion.
www.apothaka.com, Instagram & Facebook: @apothakaskincare and Twitter: @apothaka
Hundreds of British holidaymakers are facing potential disruption to their summer travel plans following the collapse of travel company Great Little Escapes. The firm is no longer licensed to operate under the UK’s financial protection scheme for package holidays, the Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (Atol).
Atol protection withdrawn
As of 13 June 2025, Great Little Escapes ceased trading as an Atol holder, according to a notice issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). This means the company is no longer authorised to sell Atol-protected holiday packages, leaving current and future bookings in doubt.
The CAA said it is currently collecting information from the company and will provide further updates in due course. A statement on the regulator’s website advises customers not to submit claims until the data collection process is complete.
Company background and operations
Great Little Escapes, based in Sandhurst, Berkshire, has been operational since September 2002, according to Companies House records. The firm offered international travel packages and promoted “holidays to the most iconic cities in the world” through its official channels.
The company also operated under several brand names, including Your Holidays, Tunisia First, and Great Little Escapes. Associated websites included:
themaldives.co.uk
yourholidays.co.uk
thecaribbean.com
greatlittleescapes.co.uk
These brands and websites were all listed by the CAA in its update on the firm’s trading status.
Refunds and next steps
The Atol scheme is designed to protect UK travellers who purchase package holidays. If a travel provider with Atol protection ceases trading, customers are typically entitled to refunds for unfulfilled bookings or assistance to complete their trips if they are already abroad.
However, as the CAA is still gathering information, customers are advised not to initiate refund claims immediately. Further instructions will be issued once the authority has reviewed the company’s situation.
Broader industry troubles
The collapse of Great Little Escapes is the latest in a series of closures among UK-based travel firms. In April, Balkan Holidays UK also ceased operations after nearly six decades in business. The company had provided holiday packages to destinations such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Malta and northern Cyprus, along with winter ski trips.
Earlier in March, Jetline Holidays lost its Atol protection and shut down, leading to significant uncertainty for customers who had booked cruise packages through the company. Cruise lines including Princess, Cunard, and Holland America reported contract breaches that led to widespread cancellations.
Travellers urged to check Atol status
In light of the recent closures, UK travellers are being encouraged to verify that their holiday bookings are made through Atol-protected providers. The CAA offers an online tool for checking whether a travel company holds a valid Atol licence.
For those affected by the Great Little Escapes collapse, updates and guidance will be published on theCAA’s official website.
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The Matinee stage at Manchester’s Heaton Park was closed on Sunday evening
Crowd control concerns led to the early closure of one of the main stages at the Parklife festival on its final day, prompting the cancellation of two anticipated DJ performances. The Matinee stage at Manchester’s Heaton Park was closed on Sunday evening, 15 June, after organisers acted on safety advice from their event team.
Attendees were instructed to leave the area as the show was paused. Later in the evening, festival organisers confirmed that the stage would remain shut for the rest of the night.
Josh Baker and Chris Stussy unable to perform
Local DJ Josh Baker and Danish artist Chris Stussy were both scheduled to perform at the Matinee stage. Baker, who was due to play from 6.30pm to 8pm, shared a message on Instagram, saying: “Unfortunately, I will not be performing at Parklife due to reasons outside of my control. I deeply apologise. I can't really put into words what today was going to mean for me.”
Chris Stussy had been due to headline the stage with a three-hour set from 8pm to 11pm. He also addressed the cancellation on Instagram, saying he was “really gutted” and emphasised that “safety comes first,” noting the stage was shut due to overcrowding.
Festival issues official statement
An in-app message from the Parklife festival initially alerted attendees that the Matinee stage show had been paused, with further updates to follow. A full statement later explained the rationale behind the decision.
Festival organisers confirmed that the stage would remain shut for the rest of the night.Manchester News
“As a result of crowd movement at the Matinee Stage and on the advice of our safety team to remove the risk of any potential incidents, Parklife made the decision to close the stage for the remainder of the final day of the festival,” said a spokesperson.
Safety prioritised over rescheduling
Organisers added that it was not feasible to move the affected performances to another venue within the festival grounds. “Unfortunately it has been impossible to relocate Josh Baker’s and Chris Stussy’s performances to a new stage,” the statement said. “The safety of our festival attendees is always our utmost priority.”
Despite the disruption at the Matinee stage, the rest of the Parklife festival continued as scheduled, and no injuries were reported in connection with the incident.
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The house, designed as a symbol of enduring love and modesty
In Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh, Anand Prakash Chouksey has built a striking replica of the Taj Mahal — not as a monument to grandeur, but as a tribute to his wife. The house, designed as a symbol of enduring love and modesty, has captured the internet’s attention following a viral video tour.
The house is a four-bedroom property built using Makrana marble — the same stone used in the original Taj Mahal in Agra. While the original monument's dimensions are in metres, Chouksey’s version was constructed using scaled-down measurements in feet. This results in a structure roughly one-third the size of the original, but retaining key architectural elements such as domes, carved pillars, and Mughal-style arches.
Located on school campus founded by owner
What makes the house even more distinctive is its location within the grounds of a school established by Chouksey himself. In a now-viral video shared by content creator Priyam Saraswat, Chouksey offers a tour of the home and highlights personal touches embedded in its design.
One notable detail is a buffalo motif on the floor — a nod to Chouksey’s early life distributing milk. He explained that this reminder of his humble beginnings serves as a daily lesson in staying grounded and avoiding arrogance.
Viral video receives overwhelming praise
The video, shared on Instagram, quickly gained traction, racking up over 6.5 million views within just eight hours. Viewers were drawn not only to the impressive architecture but also to the emotional story behind the home.
Comments across social media praised the gesture and the message it conveyed. “Uncle has a more beautiful heart than his Mahal,” one user wrote, while another highlighted the buffalo symbol as a meaningful lesson in humility. Many also remarked on the positive energy and “cool vibe” of the homeowner.
Promoting unity through design
Inside, the home reflects a blend of traditional Islamic design and modern interiors. Future plans reportedly include placing the Indian national flag on top of the structure and adding symbols from India’s major religions on the minarets. According to Chouksey, the aim is to promote a message of unity and peace in an often divided world.
The replica Taj Mahal in Burhanpur stands not only as an architectural feat but also as a reminder of love, simplicity, and the importance of staying connected to one’s roots.
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A one-hour delay in sleep routine is linked to a sharper drop in cognition over time, the study found
A night owl, or an evening person with a late sleep-wake cycle, could be at a higher risk of cognitive decline with age compared to an early bird or a morning person, a study has found.
Chronotype refers to one’s sleep-wake type or times during the day when one naturally tends to be awake and asleep. A ‘night owl’ chronotype is said to have a later sleep-wake cycle, compared to an ‘early bird’ or a ‘lark’.
“Are you an early bird or a night owl? It’s hard to adjust what your biological clock – your so-called chronotype – is, but you can adjust your life to it as best you can,” study author Ana Wenzler, from the University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands, said.
Analysing the performance of about 23,800 participants on a cognitive test over a period of 10 years, the study found that ‘evening’ people decline cognitively faster than ‘morning’ people. The findings have been published in the Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease.
“Unhealthy behaviour such as smoking, drinking and unhealthy eating happens more often in the evening,” Wenzler said.
“In our study, we also saw this: evening people smoke and drink more often and exercise less. Twenty-five per cent of the risk of cognitive decline can be explained from our research by smoking and poor sleep,” she said.
A greater decline was seen in higher-educated people – a delay of an hour in the sleep-wake cycle corresponded to a decline of 0.8 in cognition per decade. Wenzler said the decline might be related to their disturbed sleep rhythm.
“They are often people who have to go back to work early in the morning and are likely to sleep too short, giving their brains too little rest,” she said.
The author explained that people’s biological clock can change with age.
“Children are morning people. That changes when you reach puberty, when you become an evening person. Around your 20s, that gradually shifts back towards morning people for most people. By the age of 40, most people are morning people again,” Wenzler said.
However, this is certainly not the case for everyone, which is probably why evening people deviate from the norm, according to Wenzler, who recommended working against one’s body “as little as possible”.
“’You can try to go to sleep earlier, but if your body is not yet producing melatonin (sleep hormone), it will not work,” she said.
Wenzler added that if people are forced to work against their natural rhythm, their brains may not get enough rest, increasing the risk of unhealthy habits. “It would help if evening types were given the option to start work later,” she said.
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Father’s Day reflects a wide range of traditions shaped by history, culture and emotion
Father’s Day is often seen as a time for cards, tools or a family lunch, but across the globe, it carries a much deeper significance. Beyond the commercial promotions, Father’s Day reflects a wide range of traditions shaped by history, culture and emotion. While some mark the occasion with grand gestures, others focus on quiet reflection, respect and the bonds that define fatherhood.
Thailand’s day of respect
In Thailand, Father’s Day is celebrated on 5 December, the birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The day is as much about honouring the nation’s former monarch as it is about celebrating fatherhood. Citizens wear yellow, the king’s birth colour, and present canna lilies to their fathers as a symbol of gratitude and respect. It’s a cultural blend of familial and national reverence.
Germany’s tradition of brotherhood
Germany takes a different approach. Known as Vatertag, or Father’s Day, it coincides with Ascension Day and is often marked by groups of men going on hiking trips, pulling wagons of food and drink. While it may appear more social than family-oriented, the tradition is rooted in camaraderie and shared responsibility among men and father figures.
Remembering fathers in Mexico
In Mexico and across parts of Latin America, Father’s Day is a time to honour both the living and the departed. Families often visit cemeteries to pay tribute to late fathers and gather to share stories and memories. It’s a day that highlights legacy over materialism, where the emotional role of a father is celebrated beyond life itself.
The expanding meaning in India
In India, Father’s Day doesn’t have deep historical roots, but its popularity is growing among urban families. Influenced by Western customs, it is increasingly used to recognise not only biological fathers, but also mentors, guardians and elders who provide support and guidance. The day is evolving into a broader celebration of male role models across generations.
A shared message worldwide
Though celebrated in different ways, Father’s Day across cultures shares a central idea: appreciation. Whether through a gift, a walk, a meal or a memory, the day is about acknowledging the role fathers and father figures play in shaping lives. In a time when traditional family structures are changing, this occasion also highlights that fatherhood is defined not just by biology, but by love, responsibility and care.
A thoughtful reminder
Rather than focus on finding the perfect present, Father’s Day offers an opportunity to be present. A simple message, a phone call or a shared moment can mean more than any physical gift. In a fast-moving world, slowing down to recognise those who’ve quietly supported us is perhaps the most meaningful tribute we can give.