It did feel cruel, and not a little unfair, to give up all hope of good prose as early as page four, but that’s where it happened. It was right there in capital letters: “IT’S GRISHAM DAY, PEOPLE.” As in John Grisham, whose looming visit to Aunt Orsa’s — the fine-dining restaurant in a Midwestern university town in which the novel is set — gives the book the tension that propels it along. Grisham’s books are a great holiday read, but the man is not known as a stylist. If he is one of Rebecca Kauffman’s literary heroes — and, given she’s framed a book around him, it feels fair to conclude he must be — then, you think, anyone who reads seeking beauty in words is in trouble.

She developed her brand Stil after years of frustration and reactions to mainstream chemical sunscreens.

Sunscreen is one of the most important skincare products we use, but it’s also one of the least loved.

But Co Antrim woman Tash Hagan is on a mission to change that. Tash, 33 and from Larne, has just launched a new mineral sunscreen after a flare-up of a chronic health condition inspired her to explore natural cosmetics.

She developed her brand Stil after years of frustration and reactions to mainstream chemical sunscreens.

READ MORE: Belfast man spends £3,550 on two hair transplants after years of tolerating baldnessREAD MORE: ‘We’re beauty writers – here’s what we’re buying as Sephora opens in Belfast’

A former pupil of Olderfleet PS and Cambridge House Grammar in Ballymena, Tash studied fashion at the University of Central Lancashire. She then spent over 12 years working in e-commerce across the UK, Australia and Europe, starting as a stylist and later becoming an Art Director at fashion brand Boden.

Living with Crohn’s disease for over 20 years made her ingredient-aware and increasingly frustrated by a category dominated by harsh formulas and outdated aesthetics.

Tash told Belfast Live: “I’ve had Crohn’s disease since I was 12 years old, and it’s made me fiercely protective of what I put in and on my body. I’ve spent my adult life dedicated to my health and wellbeing to manage my disease without medication.

“It started with clean eating, and after realising that personal care products also caused me to flare, I became obsessed with natural cosmetics and researching ingredients.

“When I returned home after living in Australia at age 29, I struggled to find an SPF on the UK shelves that I trusted. I couldn’t find a sunscreen I enjoyed using or wanted on my bathroom shelf, and I knew I wasn’t alone.

“Mineral sunscreens existed, but they were chalky, hard to rub in and felt like a compromise. This is when I originally had the idea for Stil. It’s the sunscreen I was searching for – kinder to skin, considered for the ocean, and feels like beauty.”

Launched just this month, Stil is on a mission to take minerals mainstream. Designed for sensitive skin and modern life, Stil creates mineral sunscreens that protect effectively, blend beautifully, and actually feel good to use – no white cast, no harsh chemicals, no clinical feel.

The brand made its debut with Daily Face SPF 30, a mineral sunscreen made with non-nano zinc oxide, 97.8percent natural ingredients and a ‘skincare-first texture’, said its founder. Additional products, including a body SPF and lip SPF, are already in development.

Tash explained: “Although we have slightly worse weather or not as many sunny days, I think that’s where we think we don’t need sunscreen. That’s really what I want to help change – the whole attitude and mindset around wearing SPF.

“People think they don’t need it when it’s not sunny, which is when UVA rays come into it, and they make you age quicker, leading to skin damage. We need protection from that on a daily basis, even on cloudy days and when we’re not just constantly in the sun.

“Sunscreen is always regarded as an inconvenience, and I’m flipping that on its head. It’s time to protect our skin and make it an enjoyable step in our everyday routine, something that’s not a hindrance, and not just for holidays.

“The mission is simple: to make suncare people trust, enjoy, and actually stick with. Sunscreen hasn’t changed in decades, but it’s time it did.”

More information is available at www.stilsuncare.com and www.instagram.com/stil.suncare.

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A message to Chelsea from Wrexham’s owner established just how clear their aspirations are

Wrexham welcomed Chelsea for their FA Cup fifth round encounter but it was following their previous international meeting that the Championship team signalled their Premier League aspirations to the London club.

The Saturday evening match at the Racecourse Ground marked the first competitive game between the two sides since Wrexham’s 1-0 victory over Chelsea in 1982. However, the two teams did face off in July 2023 during a pre-season match held at Chapel Hill in the United States.

Ahead of the Red Dragons’ inaugural season in League Two after being promoted from the National League, they were put through their paces against the Blues, then managed by Mauricio Pochettino.

Competing before a crowd of 50,000 spectators in North Carolina, Wrexham suffered a hefty 5-0 loss with the final three goals netted in the last 15 minutes. Despite the disheartening outcome, the club’s co-owner Rob Mac, previously known as McElhenney, remained upbeat as he delivered a message to their top-tier rivals post-match.

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The Always Sunny star posted on X: “Thank you @‌ChelseaFC!!!! Hopefully we’ll see you again in 5 years or so.” Currently enjoying a run of three successive promotions from the National League to the Championship, Mac’s optimistic forecast remains feasible with Wrexham currently occupying sixth place in the league – the final playoff spot.

After a challenging start to their campaign in the second-tier, which saw Wrexham secure just two victories from their first 10 league matches this season, Phil Parkinson’s team have rallied and now sit just nine points adrift of second place with 11 fixtures left.

The club have triumphed in their last three games – their second-longest winning run this season – and their 1-0 victory over Charlton earned them particular commendation from Parkinson. The manager said: “We showed incredible resilience today to get the win.

“There were some key moments in the game. Brilliant blocks by [Issa] Kabore and [George] Dobson — then a brilliant finish from Ollie. Arthur made a save from their first shot on target — but what a save it was. We know Carey is lethal from those situations. He has hit it low and hard, through legs, and Arthur has produced a match-winning save.”

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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Sky shows at least 215 live Premier League games each season, an increase of up to 100, plus Formula 1, darts, golf and more.

It comes after Irshad Ahmad beat established party figures including economy spokesman Daniel Johnson and business manager Martin Whitfield to top the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list putting him in line to become an MSP in May.

Labour has received a formal complaint over claims of voter irregularities in a Holyrood selection contest.

It comes after Irshad Ahmad beat established party figures including economy spokesman Daniel Johnson and business manager Martin Whitfield to top the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list putting him in line to become an MSP in May.

Ahmad won the place despite having formerly been an SNP and Alba candidate as a hard-line nationalist, and being relatively unknown in Labour circles.

There has been claims of hundreds of new members being signing up to support him and also claims members have been found not living at the houses listed in Labour records in Edinburgh North Western.

It is also claimed that the electoral register showed some members living in a different council area.

The Sunday Mail has learned Labour’s Governance and Legal Unit (GLU) has now received a letter of complaint and has responded saying the matter will be investigated.

A whistleblower said: “People are very concerned about this and want to see a genuine investigation.

“There has been reports of people not even knowing they are members of the Labour party and others not living at the addresses that they are claimed to live at.

“This is a really serious matter and Labour has a duty to investigate it properly, it can’t just be brushed under the carpet.

“The party don’t seem to want to take action as we are in the run up to an election and this has the potential to spark negative stories, but people deserve answers.”

A letter sent to GLU states: “I wish to raise my concerns regarding Irshad Ahmad who is now in the running to become a Labour MSP.

“It’s vital I make you aware of this now so that we have the right people in positions of power or importance.

“I hope something will be done, its not just about the party.”

Ahmad was born in Faisalabad, Pakistan, and moved to Edinburgh in 1993. He is a director of a convenience-store business based in Musselburgh.

He has links to the Sarwar Foundation, the charity set up by Anas Sarwar’s father, and is president of East Edinburgh Muslim Forum.

Questions have also being asked of Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie who runs Scottish Labour’s usually strict vetting process.

Several insiders are puzzled about why Ahmad, given his nationalist background, was approved in the first place.

Labour has been approached for comment.

When he stood as an SNP candidate by attempting to oust Ash Regan in 2016 and 2020, Ahmad accused Regan of being soft on the constitution.

Regan – who later joined Alba and now sits in Holyrood as an independent – has said allegations of attempting to pack local parties with supporters “sounds familiar”.

Asked by reporters about his candidacy for Holyrood, and how many members he had signed up, Ahmad repeatedly responded: “We are here to listen to Anas.”

The attack follows a series of “retaliatory strikes” by Tehran against American buildings in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia

A blast has struck the US Embassy in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, police have confirmed, with multiple explosions heard at the entrance to the US compound in the early hours of Sunday (March 8) morning.

It remains unclear if anyone sustained any injuries in the explosion.

Oslo police spokesperson Mikael Dellemyr confirmed authorities were called to the American compound at about 1am local time, in the wake of a loud blast and heavy smoke near the consular building.

“The police are in a dialog with the embassy,” he said, adding that police will remain at the scene “for many hours” to come. Local students who drove past the scene described the area being engulfed in smoke immediately after the explosion.

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“There was a very thick layer of smoke on the street,” said Sebastian Toerstad, an 18-year-old school student who drove past the embassy at the time of the incident, as per CNN.

Norweigan publication NRK reports that police have combined the use of ” dogs, drones and helicopters to find one or more potential perpetrators” in connection with the blast.

The embassy explosion comes in the wake of recent attacks on diplomatic buildings around the globe, with similiar attacks in Saudi Arabia. linked to the ongoing conflict between Israel, the US, and Iran.

Police urged the public to report any tips or unusual observations from the area between midnight and 2:00 am (2300 GMT and 0100 GMT).

The attack follows a series of “retaliatory strikes” by Tehran against American buildings in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

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“The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. “That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer – But we will remember.

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The race itself was a mixture of the fun and the downright confusing, which was perhaps to be expected as the sport gets to grips with the biggest regulation overhaul in a generation.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, starting fourth, got off to a flyer thanks to his car’s smaller turbo and passed Russell in short order, with Lewis Hamilton almost doing likewise.

The opening laps were frantic. The lead changed hands six times in nine laps as the cars experienced the ‘yo-yo’ effect which had been predicted, with drivers depleting their batteries overtaking each other, then allowing their rivals to re-overtake them. 

By lap 25, five cars were already out of the race, there had been two virtual safety car (VSC) periods and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was already 11 laps down on the leaders as Aston Martin treated the grand prix as an in-race test.

Overall, F1 announced afterwards, there were 120 overtakes in the race, up from 45 last year.

A Ferrari strategy blunder – failing to bring either driver into the pits after the first VSC came out – effectively decided the race, allowing Russell and Antonelli to reclaim the lead once Ferrari did finally come in. 

Russell eventually took the chequered flag 2.9 seconds clear of his team-mate, with Leclerc holding off the fast-closing Hamilton for third. Hamilton, who was chasing his first podium for Ferrari, was just 0.6sec behind his team mate at the finish, which was encouraging for him.