When it comes to skincare, many of us don’t necessarily know what the ingredients in our products actually do or which ones are best for our skin. For years, the advice has been simple: cleanse, tone and moisturise. But with an ever-growing number of ‘wonder’ products hitting the market, figuring out what to use can feel a little overwhelming.

Retinol, in particular, has become something of a skincare staple, often recommended from your early 30s onwards. But what does retinol actually do for your skin? And is it really worth adding to your routine? We got the lowdown from a range of experts.

Meanwhile, if you’re in the mood to make your evenings feel a little more luxurious, I’ve been loving Luolai’s three-piece silk sleep set. It’s an easy way to bring a touch of indulgence to your bedtime routine. With the weekend in sight, why not carve out a little time for some at-home pampering, too? Our beauty expert has put the best under-eye patches to the test, while Sync Beauty’s matcha lip scrub is just the thing if the change in season has left your lips feeling a little worse for wear.

In the fashion world, autumnal shades are making their annual return, and there’s already a whole host of pieces on my wishlist. Hush’s new collection is packed with rich tones, alongside plenty of cosy cashmere and wool jumpers to see you through the season. Damson Madder’s checked trousers are another autumn must-have, giving vibes of Claudia Winkleman in The Traitors. Meanwhile, our fashion expert’s favourite winter boots cost just £45 at Asos.

Scroll down to browse our favourite picks from M&S’s autumn collection, plus top deals and more.

Editor’s picks:

John Lewis handbag sale

Fancy a new handbag? There are plenty of chic and practical options to suit all budgets and styles in the John Lewis sale right now. Whether you’re looking for capacious designs to carry all your essentials during the morning commute, a timeless everyday tote or a sophisticated clutch for a special occasion, you can bag yourself a bargain in the sale.

What to shop from M&S’s autumn collection

It can be tricky to find stylish, versatile pieces that work across the changing seasons but don’t break the bank. M&S recently made its London Fashion Week debut, showcasing a collection of wardrobe staples that combine timeless style with everyday wearability.

Our fashion expert had a front-row seat, exploring everything from easy-to-layer essentials and flattering silhouettes to statement pieces designed to elevate your autumn wardrobe. She assessed each piece for versatility, quality and value, highlighting the styles worth knowing about this season.

Whether you’re looking to refresh your everyday essentials, invest in a new coat or add a touch of glamour to your party-season outfits, there’s something for everyone. Plus, with half the collection’s pieces priced at less than £50, updating your wardrobe needn’t cost a fortune.

Kate Middleton’s chocolate brown trench coat

Kate Middleton’s Burberry chocolate-brown trench is the autumn coat on everyone’s wishlist right now. If you love the look but baulk at the price tag, we’ve found some equally timeless alternatives at a fraction of the cost. With styles from The Frankie Shop, M&S and more, we’ve got you covered when it comes to transitional-season staples.

The shampoo bars worth making the swap

Offering a more sustainable way to wash your hair (without compromising on performance), shampoo bars have become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional bottled formulas. To find out just how well they rival their liquid counterparts, we’ve put a whole host of shampoo bars through their paces across different hair types.

We assessed everything from ingredients, lather and scent to how easily each bar applies, rinses out and holds up after repeated use. From nourishing formulas for dry and coloured hair to hydrating options for curls to gentle bars designed for afro hair to fragrance-free options, we’re highlighting the products worth knowing about.

There are other areas in the city where the rules are already in place

Dog walkers could face a fine for letting their dog off the lead in three new areas following the introduction of new rules. Cambridge City Council approved the extension of a public spaces protection order (PSPO) restricting where dogs can be allowed to roam at Wednesday’s (October 23) cabinet meeting.

New restrictions have also been put in place for the local nature reserves at Byron’s Pool, Church End and Fulbourn Road. Dogs must now be kept on leads in these areas between March 1 and July 31 to protect wildlife and breeding birds.

Cllr Mike Todd-Jones, cabinet member for communities, said there were 813 responses to the consultation and residents were “very supportive” of restrictions continuing. The Labour councillor added that complaints about dogs had dropped from 61 in 2021/22 to just 28 in 2025/26.

A report said the policy seeks a balance between “protecting public health and amenity” and “allowing appropriate opportunities for dog exercise and recreation”.

It said council officers will also look into introducing a seasonal dogs-on-leads restriction at the local nature reserve in Hobson’s Park. Current restrictions require dogs to be kept on leads at all times in Newmarket Road Cemetery, Histon Road Cemetery, the area by the pond/stream at Cherry Hinton Hall, the green area outside Hanover and Princess Courts, the park at Tenby Close and the Nightingale Community Garden.

People are also not allowed to walk more than four dogs at a time at the local nature reserve at Byron’s Pool, the Coldham’s Common sports pitches or Hobson’s Park.

The Royal Kennel Club said they welcomed “on lead on direction” orders but asked that officers enforcing it are “familiar with dog behaviour”. They said: “There exists the possibility that a dog, through no fault of its own, could be considered a ‘nuisance’ or ‘annoyance’ to someone who simply does not like dogs.”

The cabinet approved the new rules and extended the existing PSPO for another three years.

By RAVEN SAUNT, US LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Updated: 05:55 BST, 25 September 2026

Tiffany Trump looked ethereal in a flowing golden gown at the state dinner for Xi Jinping.

The 32-year-old showcased her sense of style at the black tie gathering at the White House in Washington, DC, on Thursday evening.

President Donald Trump and wife Melania Trump hosted Chinese president Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan in the East Room, where both leaders delivered remarks.

Tiffany opted for an elegant champagne evening gown that featured a beaded sweetheart neckline and soft side draping.

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The mom-of-one, who shares one-year-old son Alexander with husband Michael Boulos, opted for a bold makeup palette complete with a smoky eye.

She wore her bleach blonde locks straight and finished the look with a small clutch.

Tiffany looked to be in good spirits as she beamed towards her father and enthusiastically applauded as he addressed the room. 

The First Daughter posed for a mirror selfie with Lara Trump before also standing alongside Ivanka Trump and her daughter Arabella as part of a very glamorous lineup.

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Tiffany Trump looked ethereal in a flowing golden gown at the state dinner for Xi Jinping

She reshared the image to her Instagram Story alongside a music overlay of the song Feeling Good. 

Tiffany also took the opportunity to share a sneak peek of her place setting with her 1.9 million followers. 

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The Trump ladies were among a high-profile guest list at the event.

Top Cabinet officials and other American CEOs also made the cut, including executives from Apple, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Tesla and more. 

This summer, Tiffany let her hair down during a sun-soaked family vacation to Europe.

She posted sizzling snaps back in August as she hopscotched across a series of sun-soaked holiday destinations, including Ibiza and Formentera.

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Tonight’s lavish black-tie event was one of the most star-studded evenings of the administration, offering a glitzy opportunity to smooth over notoriously fierce geopolitical friction with the Asian superpower.

Behind closed doors in the East Room tonight, Melania’s office said they personally orchestrated the evening’s extravagant arrangements, transforming the space with red linens, Reagan-era vermeil, and overflowing urns of crimson dahlias – a striking aesthetic that the First Lady notes ‘draws on the color red’s longstanding cultural significance throughout Chinese history.’

The 32-year-old showcased her sense of style at the black tie gathering at the White House in Washington, DC, on Thursday evening

As the leaders and their guests dined, there were several performances, including military musicians and inauguration tenor Christopher Macchio setting a grand soundtrack.

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Inside the dining room, guests raised glasses of Schramsberg ‘Blanc De Noirs’ for a symbolic toast, reviving the historic 1972 ‘Toast to Peace’ between Richard Nixon and Premier Zhou Enlai in China.

White House chefs fused classic American ingredients with subtle Asian flavors across a lavish multi-course menu.

The families have banded together to demand the Scottish Government to take helm of the crisis.

Families of Scotland’s recent tragic knife crime victims have united in a powerful video message to demand urgent action from the government.

Neil McCrimmon, Lisa Petrie and Ashleigh Mullan have relived the trauma of losing their loved ones to call for change in how knife crime is dealt with in Scotland. Ashleigh lost her 30-year-old brother Peter Mullan after he was fatally stabbed in Edinburgh in June 2023.

Dylan Curran, 25, repeatedly knifed the young father and left him bleeding to death in front of his brother. Curran denied murder but was convicted after a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in April last year.

Recalling her brother’s death, Ashleigh said: “He was out drinking after work. He was in good spirits and was happy. In a split second, his life was gone.

“His death has been indescribable. We had to sit through a trial and watch him walk to his death.”

Neil McCrimmon then lost his 16-year-old son Kory McCrimmon after he was stabbed to death at Greenfield Park in Glasgow in May 2024. His killer, who was 13 at the time, was jailed for five years after admitting culpable homicide.

The father said: “I had to tell my 10-year-old daughter that her big brother was dead. You try to hold it together but you can’t, your heart has been ripped out.”

Lisa’s son John McNab, 22, died after he was chased and stabbed in an unprovoked attack in Leith in September last year. The warehouse worker begged for his life but was stabbed four times with a hunting knife.

His 17-year-old killer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was on bail for a separate knife attack on Portobello Beach just months before. He was jailed for life at the High Court in Dundee in June.

Lisa said: “When you go from having two children to one, it’s a massive loss. Being at the scene and being unable to get to John lives with me every day.”

The families have banded together to demand the Scottish Government to take helm of the crisis. Together, they have called for a review to be held over why young people become involved in knife crime, and how effective current programmes are at preventing it.

They also want to see a review of the current controls around the sale of knives, and for bleed kits – which can help control bleeding after an attack – to be more widely available. Their calls come amid the Record’s renowned youth violence campaign, Our Kids … Our Future which was launched in February 2023 after we reported on escalating attacks on children and young people.

As part of the campaign, we have demanded the Scottish Government to invest in safe spaces for young people so they can be taken away from the streets and provided with mentorship and guidance instead. Over the past ten years, there has been a year-on-year increase in people convicted of possession of a blade in a public place in Scotland.

For the last 20 years, sharp instruments have remained the most common weapon used in murder and culpable homicide cases.

Debbie Adams, director of development and external affairs at Victim Support Scotland, said: “Too many people are needlessly losing their lives to knife crime in Scotland. Ashleigh, Neil and Lisa have bravely shared their stories in the hope of changing attitudes to knife crime and preventing it from happening in the first place.

“They, and other families impacted by knife crime, are united in their determination that nobody else should have to experience the trauma and heartbreak of losing a loved one in this way. Swift and drastic action must be taken to support community initiatives throughout Scotland, to help prevent these crimes from occurring and reduce the likelihood of offending.

“This is why we are calling for a comprehensive review of knife crime and its root causes, a reassessment of knife sale controls, and national provision of bleed kits across Scotland. The Scottish Government must commit to decisive, concrete, evidence-based actions if we have any chance of preventing more people having their lives taken by knife crime.”

Melania Trump flaunted her fashion credentials as she joined husband President Donald Trump at the state dinner for Xi Jinping.

The 56-year-old donned a striking monochrome ensemble to greet the Chinese president and his wife Peng Liyuan at the White House in Washington, DC, on Thursday evening.

The First Lady once again opted against wearing a gown for the black-tie occasion.

Instead, she decided on a $2,300 button-up blouse by Saint Laurent, which boasted oversized bow detailing around the neck.

She paired the shirt with $1,945 embossed high-waisted pants and a $1,345 silk cummerbund, both by Dolce and Gabbana.

Melania wore her honey tresses swept back away from her face and finished the look with a pair of black pointed-toe Christian Louboutin heels and diamond stud earrings.

Her penchant for wearing pants at high-profile events has previously been the subject of intense scrutiny. 

But San Diego-based personal stylist and image consultant Cynthia Kennedy previously told the Daily Mail that her fashion choices send a clear message that the First Lady is ‘independent’ and ‘rebellious.’

‘She’s not doing what people expect. She’s not wearing safe, dull, traditional First Lady fashion,’ Kennedy explained to the Daily Mail back in April.

‘She’s wearing what SHE wants, from her favorite designers – mostly European luxury brands like Dolce & Gabbana – and she’s making it clear that this job is something she’s doing on her own terms,’ Kennedy continued.

‘What she’s doing may not necessarily be modern, but it is strategic.

‘She’s showing that she’s on a completely different playing field and follows her own rules. She’s not interested in dressing for any role,’ she said.

The Trumps hosted the Chinese delegation for a state dinner in the East Room, where both presidents delivered remarks.

Top Cabinet officials and American CEOs were all in attendance, including executives from Apple, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Tesla and more. 

Tonight’s lavish black-tie event was one of the most star-studded evenings of the administration, offering a glitzy opportunity to smooth over notoriously fierce geopolitical friction with the Asian superpower.

Behind closed doors in the East Room tonight, Melania’s office said they personally orchestrated the evening’s extravagant arrangements, transforming the space with red linens, Reagan-era vermeil, and overflowing urns of crimson dahlias – a striking aesthetic that the First Lady notes ‘draws on the color red’s longstanding cultural significance throughout Chinese history.’

The 56-year-old donned a striking monochrome ensemble to greet the Chinese president and his wife Peng Liyuan at the White House in Washington, DC, on Thursday evening

Xi arrived at Trump’s presidential airport, Joint Base Andrews, for a welcome ceremony on Wednesday evening 

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As the leaders and their guests dined, there were several performances, including military musicians and inauguration tenor Christopher Macchio setting a grand soundtrack.

Inside the dining room, guests raised glasses of Schramsberg ‘Blanc De Noirs’ for a symbolic toast, reviving the historic 1972 ‘Toast to Peace’ between Richard Nixon and Premier Zhou Enlai in China.

White House chefs fused classic American ingredients with subtle Asian flavors across a lavish multi-course menu.

Xi arrived at Trump’s presidential airport, Joint Base Andrews, for a welcome ceremony on Wednesday evening. 

Trump personally greeted Xi at the airport ceremony despite the Chinese president not welcoming the US president at the airport during his trip to Beijing.

‘He decided to do it because they have a great relationship,’ First Lady Melania Trump said previously, ‘and we need to welcome them with the most respect.’

Earlier today, the Trumps welcomed Xi and his wife Madame Peng to the White House with an arrival ceremony on the State Floor before a military review in the Rose Garden and subsequent bilateral meetings.

But tonight’s state dinner is not the final event of the visit.

On Friday, the Trumps will host the first couple of China for tea at the White House before doing a tour of the National Archives, where they will view key US founding documents.

Xi and Madame Peng will then depart from Joint Base Andrews.

The plan is intended to make it better but people have raised concerns

Neighbours have raised fears floodlights they claim are already so bright they ‘hurt their eyes’ will get ‘even worse’ under new plans. The University of Cambridge submitted plans to replace 12 floodlights on the sports and athletics track on Wilberforce Road in Newnham.

Though the new lights will be taller, they said this will reduce light spill by allowing them to focus light more on the pitch itself. Mike Osbourn, the university’s planning manager, told Cambridge City Council ’s planning committee that the current lights are “failing and no longer fit for purpose”.

He called the replacement “essential” to enable “the continued safe and effective use of the athletics track”. He said they had considered feedback from residents when designing the scheme but recognised they still have concerns.

He said: “Whilst we respectfully disagree with their opinion of the scheme, the university values its relationship with our community and will continue to engage with them as a responsible neighbour going forward.”

Dr Peter Rees, county councillor for Newnham, said: “As a university sportsman of several years, in principle I would have really liked to support this application – unfortunately, I can’t”. The Green councillor said the nearby Cambridge Lawn Tennis Club had added blockers to the side of their lights but this was rejected for the athletics track.

Cllr Rees said: “They had a lighting study performed which shows that the spill is going to be decreased, but the point is there’s lateral glare. I know this because when I walk at night on the footpath my eyes actually hurt.

“What they are proposing is to make them even higher, even brighter – so it’s going to get even worse.”

Council officers said the new lights were designed to angle the light downwards with an internal shield and they didn’t feel further blockers were necessary. They said they considered it would reduce the current light spill.

Cllr Katie Porrer, Lib Dem councillor for Market and chair of the planning committee, said: “We’ve had huge concerns about increased light spills, some we have rejected, so it’s actually very positive for me that this is coming with a decrease in light spill because it’s such a beautiful area.”

Cllr Martin Smart, Labour councillor for King’s Hedges, said: “That’s not what the speakers and the local neighbourhood forum and the councillors have said – they have said the opposite. What is the implication here? Are we being told that those people should look the other way, draw their curtains and not be worried about that?

“It’s an issue for them, it might be good for bats and invertebrates, but they aren’t here to speak at this committee.”

Council officers reiterated that they were “highly confident” that the new lights would be better than the current ones for light spill. The application was passed unanimously with an informative added that the university limits unnecessary light when the field isn’t being used.

Sky is back with a blockbuster boost for Sky Q, Glass and Stream boxes.

Anyone bored with the current crop of channels might want to check out Sky’s latest update. The telly provider has just announced the launch of a new platform now available on its popular devices that opens up a vast library of bonus things to watch. The blockbuster update is thanks to the launch of the JioHotstar service on Sky.

The premium streaming platform already boasts around 500 million active users worldwide.

Those who sign up get instant access to 160,000 hours of content across over 12 Asian languages.

Its huge catalogue includes popular Hotstar Specials and original series such as Asur, Special Ops, Criminal Justice, Pritam & Pedro, Chiraiya and HeartBeat.

There are also blockbuster movies and hit shows, including Bigg Boss, Anupama and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, giving Sky customers even more to watch without needing to switch between devices.

And you don’t need one of Sky’s newest gadgets to get access. JioHotstar is available on the latest Sky streaming devices, including Sky Glass, but owners of older Sky Q boxes can also find it directly from the home screen.

Sky has confirmed that customers can sign up for JioHotstar through the dedicated app, making it easy to start watching without leaving the Sky platform.

Designed to make discovering entertainment as seamless as watching it, the platform combines an intuitive, modern interface with ultra-personalised recommendation engines

There are two subscription options in the UK, with JioHotstar costing £19.99 for three months or £69.99 for a full year.

Amit Malhotra, Head of International Business at JioStar, said the UK launch aims to make South Asian entertainment “more accessible, immersive and relevant” to audiences in Britain.

“For decades, South Asian storytelling has been a cultural bridge between the UK and the communities that call it home,” Malhotra said.

“Our ambition is not just to take content across borders, but to reimagine how audiences discover, experience and engage with it. We are creating a destination that makes South Asian storytelling more accessible, immersive and relevant for audiences in the UK, while bringing the scale and innovation we have built in India to a global audience.”

Futuristic air taxis that take off like helicopters will be built at a new facility that is the first of its kind in the UK.

Bristol-based company Vertical Aerospace has announced a new aircraft assembly centre at Cotswold Airport, near Kemble in Gloucestershire, describing it as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity”.

The Valo aircraft currently being developed and tested there are electric, carry four passengers and can fly up to 160km (100 miles) with no operating emissions, the firm said.

Minister for Reindustrialisation Blair McDougall said the new facility would “help turn British innovation into British manufacturing”.

The new centre adds 60,000sq ft (5,574sq m) of space to Vertical’s existing flight test centre at Cotswold Airport.

More than 1,200 illegal migrants have crossed the Channel since Monday.

Let that extraordinary figure sink in. In the space of a few short days, more than a thousand people have illegally landed on our shores, many of them undetected until they reached British beaches.

Ours is an island nation with one of the most sophisticated, best-funded border forces in the world. Yet boats continue to arrive without the authorities even knowing about it.

It is utterly insane.

And if it wasn’t clear before, the events of the past few days have proved beyond any reasonable doubt that both Border Force and the Home Office have completely lost control.

Make no mistake, this is now a national emergency. And it’s about time Andy Burnham declared it as such.

The Government’s response to this developing crisis has been nothing short of pathetic.

In the space of a few short days, more than a thousand people have illegally landed on our shores, many of them undetected until they reached British beaches.

Yesterday, Burnham’s deputy Lucy Powell weakly admitted to the BBC: ‘We can’t stop everything.’ Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has demanded an ‘urgent review’ – as if that will make a difference.

Years ago, I warned the small-boats crisis would define this era of British politics. Predictably, the chin-stroking commentariat declared I was exaggerating. Well, look where we are now.

On a political level, the cost to this country of this weekly invasion has been devastating. Public trust in politicians is at an all-time low, and why wouldn’t it be? Ordinary Britons rightly ask if successive governments cannot stop people from arriving illegally in broad daylight, let alone under cover of darkness without detection, then what exactly is the point of having a border?

As for the financial impact, it’s been eye-watering. Billions are poured into accommodation, handouts and into a legal system overloaded with appeals.

Each arrival is estimated to have a lifetime net-fiscal cost of £350,000. That means Wednesday’s invasion alone – some 781 arrivals – will cost the British state £273million. I’m sorry, but this cannot go on.

Andy Burnham’s response since entering office has been yet more of the same. More money for France that never seems to deliver results. More rhetoric about ‘working with European partners’. More dithering while the boats keep coming.

His predecessor Sir Keir Starmer spouted similar nonsense. Fat lot of good it did us. It is a case, quite literally, of that old cliche: ‘Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.’

Make no mistake, this is now a national emergency. And it’s about time Andy Burnham declared it as such.

Returning every illegal entrant to France is not only our right as a sovereign nation. It is necessary.

Reform UK has a different plan, and it is the only one that matches the scale of the problem.

We will put the Royal Navy in the Channel: not as a taxi service, like the French do, but as a deterrent and an enforcement tool. Every illegal arrival will be returned to France: no ifs, no buts. Nor will there be any endless legal wrangling in the British courts while the hotels fill up.

This is not complicated. Other countries do it. Australia stopped the boats by turning them back. Denmark has taken a hard line and seen numbers fall. Britain can do the same if it has the political will.

The human-rights industry will howl. Of course they will. The usual suspects in the media will call it ‘unworkable’. I say let them. The British people are sick of being lectured by people who do not live with the consequences of their own decisions.

Returning every illegal entrant to France is not only our right as a sovereign nation. It is necessary. It restores the basic principle that entry to the United Kingdom is controlled by the British Government, not the people-smuggling criminals in Calais. It frees up resources currently wasted on processing claims that should never have been made. And most of all, it tells the world that Britain is no longer a soft touch.

Enough is enough. The status quo simply cannot continue.

Reform’s Operation Fortress will end the migrant-hotel culture. We will dismantle the pull factors and restore the principle that only the British authorities decide who comes here, and on what terms. Anything less is an admission of failure.

The English Channel is not a ferry route for people-smugglers to ply their trade. It is a national frontier. It is high time we treated it like one.

Our tech writer, David Phelan, dubbed the iPhone 18 a “handsome, persuasive design”, so you could be forgiven for not wanting to cover it up. But, that said, he also went on to say “its improved performance, all-new Siri AI strengths, and improved camera build on the capabilities of the iPhone 17 Pro – arguably the most successful iPhone already – to become something even better”, and that to me sounds well worth preserving with a phone case.