Pramod Thomas is a senior correspondent with Asian Media Group since 2020, bringing 19 years of journalism experience across business, politics, sports, communities, and international relations. His career spans both traditional and digital media platforms, with eight years specifically focused on digital journalism. This blend of experience positions him well to navigate the evolving media landscape and deliver content across various formats. He has worked with national and international media organisations, giving him a broad perspective on global news trends and reporting standards.
WHETHER it is sustainability, surprises or stepping out of your comfort zone, the beauty trends this year will offer something for everyone.
Eastern Eye asked Dimps Sanghani, celebrity hair and beauty expert, entrepreneur and owner of the Tiara Organic salon in the heart of Chelsea, London, to give her 20 top beauty tips, trends and predictions for 2023, in no particular order.
Environment awareness: The hottest theme in beauty this year isn’t a new shade of lipstick, miracle cream or the latest celebrity trend, but reducing your carbon footprint. So, opting for refillable or reusable packaging, and looking out for sustainable products is the new sexy in 2023.
Seeking ‘skin-imalism’: The less-feels-better trend triggered by Covid-19 has spilled over into life after lockdown. The clean look with fewer products, including make-up, will be popular this year. This also feeds into the sustainability and environmentally friendly movement. The key is to have fewer, but better-quality products.
Ayurvedic Soundarya 24K Gold Serum
Good skincare: A great skincare regime will never go out of fashion, so find the best regimen that suits your skin type. A product I would recommend is Forest Essentials Ayurvedic Soundarya 24K Gold Serum, which is amazing.
Focus on self-care: Lockdown taught us about self-care and that has now become integral to looking great. There are many affordable options, including relaxation products you can make or use at home that will give you an added glow. You can easily make a coconut oil and
coffee sugar scrub recipe at home, which smells amazing and also nourishes the skin.
Short and sweet: The long flowing locks of recent seasons will be replaced with shorter hairstyles, like power bobs and layered cuts. Similarly, replace longer acrylic nails with shorter options.
Coquette craze: The coquette make-up trend embraces hyper femininity with its pretty look, which includes a sheer foundation, rosy hues, petal-soft colours, shimmering pink and big lashes. It is universal and with its variations, works well on everyone.
Multi-use make-up: Whether it is a skin tint with vitamin C and SPF, an eyeshadow with UV
blocking properties, or make-up sticks which effectively do the job of two or three products, the popularity of multi-use beauty essentials will continue to skyrocket. Products like Bare
Minerals Complexion Rescue Hydrating Foundation and Concealer Stick save time and take up less space in your make-up bag.
Bold lips: Classic bold lips will always be a winner, and in the year ahead will be even more
dominant. Go for bright reds, pinks, corals, and magentas. Even colours like gold and blue
will work. Glossy lips will also be glorious in the seasons ahead.
Marvellously messy: Looking effortless when it comes to hairstyes is hot, and that is achieved with a ‘messy haircut’ like choppy layers or fringes, a bouncy blow-out or face-framing bobs that draw attention to your features.
Lovely layers: Mixing up shorter and longer layers is a stylish trend that will be popular this year. The butterfly haircut effectively combines short with long layers to add an extra dimension and body to hair, while the octopus haircut has shorter layers on top with thinner, longer lengths underneath.
Cool hair colours: Another way to add adventure to your hairstyle is with a mixture of colours. Whether it is opting for multiple tones or adding blue, blonde or lavender braids, spice up your hair-cuts with vibrant colours.
Subtle side-part: The side-parting has been embraced by celebrities and adds class to a hairstyle. Experiment to find one that suits the shape of your face.
Add accessories: A great throwback look making a return is the use of hair accessories, whether it is headbands, clips, bobby pins or even ribbons. It fits in a with a popular preppy-girl trend that has taken social media by storm.
Big hair: Short styles may be hot, but there are still plenty of choices out there for those who like bigger hair. Retro-inspired blowouts will make you stand out from the crowd.
Spiky bun: The traditional bun remains timeless, but the difference this year is adding extra chic by making it spiky. The on-trend look is easy to create and will get you noticed. Having twists in the bun also work.
Bright eyes: Embrace all the bright colours in your eye-shadow palette, whether it is sky blue, green, coral, shimmery pigments, pretty pops of fuchsia or even something glittery. Go for bold, beautiful summery hues on your eyelids. Even the traditional smoky-eyed look has
pops of intense colour, the brighter the better. If you don’t want to go heavy on colour, omit the eyeshadow and try graphic eyeliners.
Super stain: Lipsticks have always been essential, but this year they are being pushed aside by lip stains which are designed to be absorbed, so last longer and look more natural. But just check you are not allergic to any that you want to use.
Nice nails: The colours may be toned down and lengths shorter, but several 3D trends will make your nails stand out, including shape-shifting designs, colourful outlines, and optical illusion manicures. Olive green and terracotta shades will be popular.
Beautiful brows: The best eyebrow is ultimately what suits your face. The straighter and thicker brow will be more dominant than the curved and super thin style.
Try experimenting: More options this year when it comes to make-up means stepping out of your comfort zone. So try new looks and find one that makes you look and feel great.
Instagram: dimps.sanghani; and see www.tiaraorganic.com for more.
London. A five-day Shiv Katha has begun at the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre to honour the victims of the tragic Air India crash, with prayers offered for their eternal peace. The programme, running from 18 to 22 August, is being led by HH Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji with recitations by PP Shri Jogi Dada, and attended by devotees and dignitaries from India and abroad.
Opening the Katha, Shri Jogi Dada called it both a spiritual gathering and a heartfelt tribute to the passengers of the Ahmedabad–London flight. “Mahadev’s darshan equals a pilgrimage. It is inspiring to see the younger generation engaging in bhakti, which is vital for preserving our heritage."
Guruji spoke on the eternal energy of Shiv Shakti and chetna (consciousness). “Shiva is not just a deity but the ultimate consciousness. Through Shiv Katha we awaken inner energy and spread vibrations of peace across the world. May the departed souls attain eternal peace, and may their memories guide us towards compassion and unity,” he said.
The inaugural day saw the presence of Chaitanya Shambhu Maharaj, Shri Maheshbhai Bhatt, Dhruvbhai Bhatt and Rajendrabhai Thakkar. The evening concluded with Aarti and a sacred Rudrabhishek, performed in memory of the crash victims.
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The birth of Lord Krishna was celebrated on 16 August 2025 at Siddhashram Dham. The Janmashtami festivities brought together hundreds of devotees who immersed themselves in bhajans, dances, and spiritual discourses from early morning until well past midnight.
The evening programme began at 8 pm, with devotional songs and cultural performances filling the ashram with joy and reverence. In his address, His Holiness Rajrajeshwar Guruji underlined the enduring relevance of Krishna’s life and teachings. “Krishna symbolises the triumph of dharma over adharma, truth over illusion, and love over hatred. Human life is a divine chance to practise compassion, service, and good karma,” he told the gathering.
As the clock struck midnight, marking Krishna’s birth, the temple resounded with chants of “Nand Gher Anand Bhayo, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki!” A touching highlight followed when Guruji performed a symbolic ritual with a child dressed as Baby Krishna, evoking the innocence and divinity of the Lord.
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The influence of internet and TikTok culture on modern English
Cambridge Dictionary adds words influenced by internet and TikTok culture.
New entries include “skibidi”, “delulu”, “tradwife”, “broligarchy”, “mouse jiggler” and “work spouse”.
Lexicographers say they only include terms with long-term staying power.
Words reflect the growing impact of online culture on everyday English.
Cambridge Dictionary reflects TikTok’s influence
The Cambridge Dictionary has added a series of new words that highlight the influence of internet and TikTok culture on modern English. Among the latest entries are “skibidi”, “delulu” and “tradwife”.
Colin McIntosh, the dictionary’s lexical programme manager, said: “Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture. We only add words where we think they’ll have staying power.”
What the new words mean
Skibidi – defined as a term that can mean “cool” or “bad”, or be used with no real meaning, often as a joke. Popularised by the viral YouTube series Skibidi Toilet, it is widely used among children and teenagers. Example: “What the skibidi are you doing?”
Delulu – an abbreviation of “delusional”, defined as believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to. Originating in K-pop fandoms more than a decade ago, it has surged on TikTok with phrases such as “delulu is the solulu”.
Tradwife – short for “traditional wife”, referring to women who promote conservative gender roles online, celebrating homemaking and supporting their husbands. The dictionary notes the term is “especially used for women who post about this lifestyle on social media”.
Other notable additions
Broligarchy – a blend of “bro” and “oligarchy”, describing a small group of wealthy, powerful men in the tech industry who have or seek political influence.
Mouse jiggler – a device or piece of software, popularised in the post-pandemic era, used to make it appear that someone is working when they are not.
Work spouse – a workplace term describing two colleagues who support and trust each other closely.
Broader context
The inclusion of these terms reflects wider social and cultural debates. Commentators have described words such as skibidi as emblematic of chaotic internet humour, while the tradwife movement has attracted criticism for promoting regressive gender roles.
Despite generational divides over their value, lexicographers stress that these additions demonstrate how digital culture continues to reshape the English language.
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Rekha Mistry displays a colourful harvest from her kitchen plot
REKHA MISTRY, who grew up with her Indian parents in Zambia and came to Britain when she was 19, appeared as a co-presenter on BBC Two’s Gardeners’ World last Friday (8), thereby confirming her growing status as the UK’s most prominent celebrity Asian gardener.
She was introduced by lead presenter Monty Don, who said: “We’re going up to Derbyshire now to join Rekha in her veg garden.”
Married with three children, she moved with her family from Harrow in London to the Peak District in Derbyshire in 2023.
Last week, she began her stint by saying: “I have always found such joy in growing my own fruits and vegetables, and this year, I’ll take you through how I sow it, grow it, and most rewarding of all, how I cook with it. I love coming up into the garden at this time of the year. There is so much going on.”
She went on: “I’ve got the beans, I’ve got the squash, I’ve got kale. But what’s really making me happy is this plant, the blackcurrant. It is full of fruit this year; blackcurrants are such a good fruit. You can make jam with them. You can make cordials. You can put them in desserts. But the best thing is you can freeze them as well. When it comes to blackcurrant, you can pick them one by one, but I find it much easier to prune whole stems once the fruit is ripe. It saves time, and it’s good for the plant, too, encouraging new stem growth, giving next year’s harvest a head start. After a bit of pruning, it’s time for a bit of sowing.”
What’s remarkable about Rekha is that she a self-taught gardener whose life was changed by working on an allotment after 25 years as a company director in a bathroom showroom business. She went back to study with the Royal Horticultural Society and gained a diploma in horticulture. In 2015, she appeared on the BBC’s Big Allotment Challenge. Her debut book, Rekha’s Kitchen Garden: Seasonal Produce and Gardening Wisdom from One Woman’s Allotment Year, has proved to be a best seller. She has a following of 100k plus on Instagram.
Mistry with potatoes from her garden
The RHS has been trying to widen its appeal, most recently with the help of Eastern Eye, but in a quiet way, Rekha has become a role model for the British Asian community, in particular.
Last week, she talked on Gardeners’ World about growing a variety of fennel called Sweet Florence – fennel is a popular ingredient in many Indian recipes.
She said: “It has that aniseed flavour, if you like that and use it in salads. You can cook with it, and it looks good, too.”
Using a tool called a dibber, a pointed wooden stick that makes holes in the ground for planting seeds, seedlings or small bulbs, she showed how leek seeds could be sowed: “I’m just dibbing holes about two centimetres deep, and that will just help them anchor in. I’m going to sow three seeds a hole, it’s called station sowing.”
The best of the three seedlings that come up, she would keep, “the other two come out”.
“Now, once I’ve sown the seeds,” she told viewers, “I will give it a good watering, so that for the next few weeks, I will make sure that this pot doesn’t dry out and let them grow in a nice sunny spot with a bit of shade towards the end of the day. Fennel plants don’t like big swings in temperature.”
She offered practical advice as she turned her attention to potatoes and leeks: “I’m keeping a close eye on the potatoes and around now I like to pinch off the flowers, so the plant put all its energy into the spuds, not into the seeds. It’ll be a while before the main crop is ready, but the early ones, they’re just right for lifting. Just harvest what you see to begin with, but then fork in again, because you never know, there just might be one or two hidden in there, and you don’t want to lose those. Be gentle. The soil that the early potatoes have left behind is full of goodness.”
This was where she planted her leek seedlings: “Space is at a premium at this time of the year. It’s all about keeping the garden ticking along. All I did was clear this soil, make sure there were no potatoes left, dug it over a little bit, raked it over, and then watered it, just so that it’s nice and soft. So when I do make the dibbing holes, the holes remain rather than the soil going down. What I’ve done is I’ve made sure my holes are 15 centimetres in depth, at the same time, 15 centimetres in length.”
She explained: “This variety of leeks is called Musselburgh. It does very well whatever part of the country you’re in. So what I tend to do is just tease them apart and always go for the thickest stem, tease them through, pop them in some water, wash the compost off. See how long the roots are, cut them off. Now, the only reason why I’m cutting these roots off to just a few centimetres is when I am putting them into the dibbed hole, I don’t want the roots to then come upwards. I want them to go downwards, and that way I know the plant will settle itself in. What I’ll do next is water the holes, not throw the soil in. By doing that, the soil is gently covering the leek. It’ll slowly fill up the hole, but it’ll also start growing at the same time without getting any grit between the leaves.
“Now continue watering every few weeks, just so that they can establish themselves. And I know that I will have a crop from September until January. The idea of growing your own is the freshness. There is nothing fresher than something being pulled out of the earth there and then and straight into the kitchen.”
Mistry stands beside her allotment sign
She then focused on “what’s ready. Now, I’m harvesting some of my summer cabbage, and this one’s coming along beautifully, and so are my onions. These are my main crop variety called Paris Silverskin, and if left to grow to full size, they’ll be great for pickling and storing over winter. But I’m going to pick them now as spring onions – perfect for salads, stir fries and garnishing dishes. They’re delicious and mild compared to cooking other varieties. I’ll leave the rest to grow bigger for later on – (I have) one sowing, two harvests.
“It keeps the kitchen stocked and the garden working. I’m taking my freshly harvested vegetables and making a sambar (the south Indian dish) of warm cabbage, with mustard seeds and fresh chilli sprinkled with ground coriander and cumin; a potato salad with spring onion and a bit of sharpness from my homemade pickled beetroot; and for dessert, blackcurrant sponge. At this time of the year, there is so much going on if you plan your garden right. There are so many options that you can choose from. This really is plot to plate. So satisfying, so delicious.”
She finished off by tucking into her ohso-English blackcurrant sponge. Nigel Farage, Suella Braverman, Robert Jenrick and even Donald Trump would love it that the word “diversity” had not escaped Rekha’s lips.
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Elizabeth believed in using every platform to raise awareness and funds for the fight against HIV
New Elizabeth Taylor Chocolate Martini debuts at Tryst Puerto Vallarta.
£0.80 ($1) from each sale goes to The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF).
Inspired by a drink created by Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson during the filming of Giant in 1955.
Part of a wider Tryst Hospitality initiative across multiple venues to honour Taylor’s legacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Tryst Hospitality has introduced The Elizabeth Taylor Chocolate Martini at select venues, including Tryst Puerto Vallarta, with proceeds supporting The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation’s (ETAF) mission to achieve an AIDS-free world. This indulgent cocktail, inspired by a drink Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson created in 1955 while filming Giant, is the latest step in Tryst’s long-standing partnership with ETAF, continuing Taylor’s enduring advocacy for HIV/AIDS awareness and fundraising.
A cocktail with Hollywood history
The Elizabeth Taylor Chocolate Martini blends Tito’s Vodka, Kahlua, and chocolate syrup, shaken over ice and served straight up. Its creation pays homage to Taylor’s iconic Hollywood career and her friendship with Rock Hudson, forged during the making of Giant.
Partnership with The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation
In collaboration with ETAF, £0.80 ($1) from each martini sold will go towards the charity’s global mission. The Abbey Food & Bar in West Hollywood — a venue Taylor herself visited — has been central to Tryst Hospitality’s relationship with ETAF, hosting events such as The Abbey’s World AIDS Day Tree Lighting.
Expansion across venues
Tryst Hospitality will now extend this fundraising initiative to:
The Abbey and The Chapel at The Abbey (West Hollywood)
The Tryst Puerto Vallarta
The Tryst Fire Island (opening 2026)
The Tryst San Juan (under renovation)
Circo San Juan (opening Autumn 2025)
The Blue Whale and Pavilion (Fire Island Pines)
Each venue will make a guaranteed annual donation to ETAF, regardless of cocktail sales, with matching contributions from featured spirit brands encouraged.
Honouring a legacy
“This cocktail is more than just a toast, it’s a tribute,” said Tristan Schukraft, Founder of Tryst Hospitality. “Elizabeth Taylor talked about AIDS publicly before anyone else would… This is our way of honouring her legacy and continuing the fight to end HIV in America.”
Cathy Brown, Executive Director of ETAF, added: “Elizabeth believed in using every platform to raise awareness and funds for the fight against HIV. This initiative brings her spirit into spaces where community thrives.”
The Elizabeth Taylor Chocolate Martini is now available at participating venues. For more information about ETAF’s work, visitwww.etaf.org.