Archive May 12, 2025

Gentle yet effective eye cream that makes skin ‘less puffy and wrinkled’ now has 20% off

Using one of the best eye creams can be an effective way to diminish signs of ageing, and shoppers think they’ve found a gentle yet effective formula for reduces bags and fine lines

This eye cream has dozens of five-star reviews(Image: Facetheory)

On the lookout for a new eye cream? Next on our list to try is Facetheory’s Peptide Firming Eye Cream for its effective ingredients and impressive customer reviews (almost all five star!) – especially now that it’s currently included in a huge 20% off sale.

For a limited time only Facetheory is taking 20% off almost everything on its website, including this eye cream as well as bestselling serums, moisturisers and cleansers. This means that this anti-ageing eye formula is now £24.80 instead of its usual £31 – and judging by some of the dozens of five-star reviews, we’d say this was one you won’t want to miss.

READ MORE: ‘My boyfriend and I both use this £15 non-greasy Boots face sunscreen on holiday’

READ MORE: ‘Margot Robbie’s facialist just taught me how to lift and sculpt my face in four minutes’

Facetheory's Peptide Firming Eye Cream
Gentle yet effective(Image: Facetheory)

The key anti-ageing ingredients in this eye cream are peptides, currently trending in skincare at the moment thanks to smash hit launched such as Medik8’s Liquid Peptides Advanced MP. In this Facetheory eye cream they’re combined with vitamin C and botanicals to boost elasticity, smooth fine lines, brighten dark circles and deliver long-lasting hydration.

Impressively, out of the 212 reviews that Peptide Firming Eye Cream has accumulated, most of them are five-star ones, with customers praising the results it gives on fine lines and sagging skin.

“Excellent so far, I can definitely feel the area around my eyes more firm,” one shopper wrote.

“I really like this cream. One of the best I tried. I use it at night and my eyes look really good by morning, less puffy and less wrinkled (I am 57 – I don’t expect miracles from a cream!),” another rave review reads.

“Amazing product! From the first application, it has really helped reduce puffiness under my eyes and blur fine lines, plus my concealer glides on and doesn’t cake. Even my husband noticed something ‘better’ about my appearance which is an absolute miracle from someone who can’t see the ketchup even when it’s right in his eyeline (IYKYK). It’s worth 5 stars just for that,” a third person joked.

The only minor niggle that a few people had was with the packaging, with one person saying, “My only complaint is with any of the products using the metal/foil tube is that they explode every time they’re opened and a bunch of product is wasted,” yet so far they are “pleased with the outcome” of using the product.

Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado
This alternative contains avocado to provide intensive hydration(Image: Look Fantastic)

If you feel like you too might find this tube annoying and would prefer a pot, consider Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado, currently reduced from £30 to £24 and great for dry or sensitive skin.

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Meanwhile a cheaper alternative is The Ordinary’s Multi-Peptide Eye Serum, which costs £19.90.

Trailblazing jockey Blackmore retires from racing

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Grand National-winning jockey Rachael Blackmore has retired from racing with immediate effect.

In 2021, the Irishwoman became the first female jockey to win the world’s most famous steeplechase, which was first run in 1839.

Blackmore won aboard the Henry de Bromhead-trained Minella Times in the colours of owner JP McManus.

“I feel the time is right. I’m sad but I’m also incredibly grateful for what my life has been for the past 16 years,” Blackmore, 35, said.

“It is daunting, not being able to say that I am a jockey anymore. Who even am I now! But I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the career I’ve had.”

Prior to her Grand National triumph, Blackmore had already become the first female jockey to win the Champion Hurdle aboard Honeysuckle, that same year.

In 2022, she secured another first when steering A Plus Tard to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup – one of 18 festival winners she would ride at the Prestbury Park course.

“I just feel so lucky, to have been legged up on the horses I have, and to have experienced success I never even dreamt could be possible,” she added.

“To have been in the right place at the right time with the right people, and to have gotten on the right horses – because it doesn’t matter how good you are without them.

“They have given me the best days of my life and to them I am most grateful.”

The daughter of a dairy farmer and a school teacher, Blackmore rode ponies as a child near her home in Killenaule, County Tipperary.

Blackmore had once hoped to become a vet, gaining a degree in equine science and combining her studies with riding.

She rode her first winner as an amateur in February 2011 at Thurles before turning professional in 2015, but it was her success on Minella Times which secured her place in history.

“I don’t feel male or female – I don’t even feel human!” Blackmore said, immediately after her win by six-and-a-half lengths at Aintree four years ago.

Blackmore brought the curtain down by riding Ma Belle Etoile to victory at Cork last Saturday – the 575th winner of her 4,566-race career as a professional jockey.

Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin led the tributes and called Blackmore “a sportsperson of a generation” who has “blazed a trail for others to follow”.

Barry Geraghty said his fellow Grand National-winning jockey was “an ultra-talented horsewoman” who was one of “the most committed jockeys you could ever ride against”.

Former jockey and Racing TV pundit Jane Mangan said: “We can only consider ourselves lucky to have witnessed her achievements in our lifetime. She didn’t just break glass ceilings – she painted the whole damn sky.”

Frank Berry, racing manager for JP McManus who owned Grand National winner Minella Times, said Blackmore has had an “unbelievable career”.

“She’s done all things that everyone wants to do. Rachael won all the big races and she’s retiring in one piece. I’m delighted for her,”

Irish trainer John ‘Shark’ Hanlon, who provided Blackmore with her first winner, Stowaway Peal, in 2011 said Blackmore was an “amazing woman”.

Among the best of her generation – analysis

Instinct, timing, tactical awareness and strength all played a part in her story. But also the ability to bounce back from falls and injury, plus sheer hard graft.

Rachael Blackmore was a game changer who was among the best of her generation.

When she rode six winners to be leading jockey at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, she may not have returned to grand fanfare at a meeting held behind closed doors because of Covid-19 restrictions, but the impact was still felt. Her tally was more than the entire British training contingent.

Before Blackmore, and fellow jockeys Lizzie Kelly and Bryony Frost, successes for female jockeys at Cheltenham were a rarity and largely came through amateur riders Katie Walsh and Nina Carberry.

With Walsh, Carberry and Kelly now retired and Frost moving to France after finding opportunities limited since winning a bullying case against fellow jockey Robbie Dunne, it will be interesting to see if other women can rise to the fore in jump racing.

Just two days ago, Hollie Doyle passed Hayley Turner’s record for winners by a female jockey on the Flat, but Blackmore was only of only two professional women – the other being Isabel Williams – riding at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

Related topics

  • Horse Racing

Cote d’Ivoire Opposition Leader Resigns But Vows To Still Fight For Victory

Ivory Coast’s main opposition leader, who has been barred from standing in an October presidential vote, said Monday that he was resigning as party leader but would still lead the fight to win the election.

Six months before voters choose a new head of state, political tensions are running high in the west African country where several opposition figures have been declared ineligible to stand.

For months, Tidjane Thiam’s campaign for the presidency has been mired in tussles over his nationality.

A court in Abidjan struck him off the electoral list last month, saying the 62-year-old politician had lost Ivorian nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987.

READ ALSO: Côte d’Ivoire’s Epochal Prehistoric Finds Pass Unseen

Thiam, who has not been in Ivory Coast for more than a month, also faces a legal case against his election as head of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI).

That case was brought by a party member who also contests Thiam’s Ivorian nationality at the time he was chosen.

“In the interest of the party, I’ve decided to place my mandate as president of the party in your hands, the activists,” Thiam said in a speech published on social media.

But the former banker, who remains the party’s deputy president, made it clear his decision to step down did not mean he was withdrawing from the battle for the presidency.

“This decision does not change the commitment I made in December 2023 to personally lead our party to victory in October 2025,” he said.

“I know that after electing me in 2023, you will give me your trust again,” he added.

Presidential candidates are not allowed to hold dual citizenship. Thiam was born in Ivory Coast and renounced his French passport in March to enable his run for the top job.

In removing him from the electoral list, the court based its ruling on article 48 of the nationality code, which dates back to the 1960s.

It states that acquiring another nationality means forgoing Ivorian citizenship.

Urgent Party Meeting

Following Thiam’s announcement, PDCI deputy president Ernest N’Koumo Mobio assumes the party’s interim leadership.

The 92-year-old appealed for “cohesion, serenity and discipline” and called a party meeting early Monday due to “the urgency linked to the political situation”.

A senior PDCI member said the meeting would allow them to “reaffirm the party’s total support for” Thiam.

Around 100 supporters gathered early Monday at the party’s headquarters where riot police had been deployed. The supporters carried placards with slogans such as: “Don’t touch my right to vote”, an AFP journalist saw.

(FILES) President of the opposition Democratic Party of Cote d’Ivoire (PDCI), Tidjane Thiam (C), greets party supporters upon arrival at a political rally in Aboisso on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Sia KAMBOU / AFP)

“Thiam made the right choice. He’ll no longer have any problems with the law as party president,” activist Cynthia Koua told AFP.

Three other opposition figures have also been excluded from the presidential race, including former president Laurent Gbagbo due to court convictions.

“While we had the right to hope for inclusive, transparent and peaceful elections, it is clear that the unjustified removal of the PDCI candidate is part of the logic of eliminating the leaders of the main opposition parties to ensure tailor-made elections and a certain victory,” Thiam said Monday.

The authorities regularly reject claims of any political intervention in the electoral process, saying decisions are taken by an independent judiciary.

President Alassane Ouattara, 83, who has been in power since 2011, has yet to say whether he plans to run again but has said he is eager to “continue serving my country”.

President Tinubu Chairs FEC Meeting

President Bola Tinubu is presiding over the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja.

In attendance are Vice President Kashim Shettima, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; Head of the Federal Civil Service, Didi Walson-Jack, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

Also, in attendance are ministers from the various federal ministries and other members of the Council.

This meeting comes exactly one week after the last one in which FEC endorsed President Tinubu’s decision to issue an Executive Order on Local Content Policy.

The policy seeks to promote local manufacturing and production by prioritising goods and services from Nigerian companies.

It also aims to discourage importation of goods and services that are available in Nigeria.

At the commencement of this week’s meeting, President Tinubu first swore in two newly appointed commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He also inaugurated two new members of the Board of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

Hearts make approach for Kilmarnock’s McInnes

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Heart of Midlothian have opened talks with Kilmarnock as the Edinburgh club bid to secure Derek McInnes as their new team boss.

Hearts have identified the former Aberdeen and St Johnstone manager as their preferred candidate to succeed Neil Critchley.

Both Hearts and Kilmarnock have yet to reach an agreement over the 53-year-old Scot, and are due to face one another in the final game of the season on Sunday.

His Kilmarnock team beat Dundee 3-2 on Saturday to secure Premiership safety with a third straight victory in what has been an otherwise difficult season.

In the aftermath of the win, McInnes would not be drawn on the reports linking him with a move to Tynecastle, saying there had been “no contact from club to club”.

Having sacked Critchley and Steven Naismith during a season in which they failed to finish in the Premiership’s top six, Hearts have identified a candidate whose experience as a manager in Scotland started when he took St Johnstone to the top flight in 2009.

After a brief stint at Bristol City, he then had seven years with Aberdeen, with whom he never finished lower than fourth and won the League Cup in 2014.

McInnes departed Pittodrie in 2021 and took charge of Kilmarnock the following January, leading them to promotion back to the top flight and keeping them up on their return.

His spell at Rugby Park peaked last season when he guided the Ayrshire side to fourth place and European football.

Hearts themselves have had a turbulent season that started with their worst-ever beginning to a campaign and cost Naismith his job.

Critchley steered the club away from the bottom of the table but failed to get them into the top six and was dismissed, since when they have have moved up to seventh place again following two victories under caretaker Liam Fox.

Related topics

  • Kilmarnock
  • Scottish Premiership
  • Scottish Football
  • Heart of Midlothian
  • Football

S Club’s Jo O’Meara rushed to hospital as she shares major health update

A huge chart-topping singer has been rushed to the hospital. S Club singer Jo O’Meara took to social media to share a major health update with her online followers.

Posing in a hospital bed wearing a medical gown, the 46-year-old looked downcast as she explained she’d been suffering difficulties with her back again. Captioning her post, the singer penned: “Back in hospital! The back is back! I didn’t expect to be in here today!”

Just hours before this, Jo revealed that she was celebrating the 17th birthday of her son, Lenny, as she took to her Instagram to reveal she was “proud” of her “darling” child. This, however, isn’t the first time Jo has been left in pain over her back. In 2022, she explained that she had been rushed to hospital in the “worst pain”.





Jo O’Meara revealed she’d been rushed to hospital

The Don’t Stop Movin’ singer underwent emergency surgery, which she later confirmed didn’t work. At the time, Jo shared a snap of herself in her local Accident & Emergency after she was hooked up to an IV drip to deliver medication. She said: “When am I gonna get a break?? I really thought I was on the road to recovery.

“4am this morning the pain was the worst it’s been yet! So here we are again! I am devastated.” Due to her declining health, the singer was forced to cancel a string of concerts and underwent an operation to remove a disc from her back, causing her to spend eight days as a patient at Queen’s hospital in Romford. Sadly, the surgery didn’t work and Jo required another operation.

She later explained: “As you can see I’m back in bed. That is because the back is playing games again. The pain has been absolutely horrendous and today I got some MRI scan results back that wasn’t the result I wanted. I’ve actually got to go back into hospital for further surgery on my back which I’m absolutely devastated about to be honest.”

Speaking about her health in 2023 during an appearance on Loose Women, Jo said: “I’m a lot better than what I was. Yeah, it’s been a really rough few months, to be honest. It’s been very painful. I’ve had good days and bad days with it.






Despite her pain, Jo has continued to work with her S Club bandmates


Despite her pain, Jo has continued to work with her S Club bandmates
(
Getty Images for Bauer Media)

“I think sometimes you just got to soldier through it and then other times you just want to know how long the pain is going to last.” She’s since had four operations on her back.

The singer has been suffering from chronic back pain for decades and revealed she had issues with her back when she was in her early 20s. After going to an osteopath, she was told she had a slipped disc.

“The sciatica was horrendous. The pain was the worst,” Jo explained. Following the operations, Jo was left to take a different number of pain medications, but none – including morphine – seemed to take the edge off her unbearable pain.

When she first felt the agonising pain in 2022, she thought she was having a convulsion as her whole body went into shock. The Reach singer said she immediately rang for an ambulance and told The Sun: “I was sobbing and shaking. They came running in but I couldn’t move. Every time I tried to get off the bed I was screaming and sobbing in pain.”

Surgery left Jo facing months of physio before she could think about getting back on the stage, and she will have damage to her right leg permanently. Doctors had warned her that she may never return to her old ways. She explained how she knew something was severely wrong, as she’s often struggled with back pain.

“I knew the feeling but it was ten times worse than what I’ve had before,” she explained. “Back surgery is so complex and every time they go in, they’re just weakening my back. I was absolutely petrified.”

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