Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i Platinum

Getting older has taught me that real beauty is less about smooth skin and glossy hair, and more about energy, enthusiasm and kindness. Still, I’ll admit it: I always feel brighter with a dab of moisturiser and a slick of colour when I’m feeling gloomy. Which is why I’m thrilled to share the results of this year’s Platinum Beauty Awards. Leading the charge is our brilliant beauty editor, Dottie Monaghan, 61, who has spent months road-testing products, triple-scrutinising every finalist for performance, value and whether it truly deserves space in your bathroom cabinet. You’ll also find thoughtful notes from our judging panel – beauty insiders and loyal readers alike – explaining why each winner made the cut and how it might work for you. The mission? Simple: to cut through…

Edinburgh is a wonderful place to be a student. The Private Side of Friendship is a novel about the lives of six students living in Edinburgh in 1984. Against the backdrop of the Miners’ Strike, we visit the friendships that develop between these young people and consider the delicate line between being a friend and being a lover. Being a flatmate is not always easy, but at times deeply satisfying. And then the question is asked as to what extent one can go back to a magical time in one’s life? Q What’s the biggest life lesson you would share with your younger self? I would try to impress upon my younger self the importance of attending carefully to one’s friendships. We often do not spend enough time on cultivating…

When I was a little girl, I was desperate for a dog and plagued my parents who eventually agreed that if I still wanted a dog when I was 10 (and in their opinion old enough to be responsible for it and walk it), that we would get a dog. As my 10th birthday drew close, we had family discussions about said dog. Dad wanted a big dog that would live in a kennel outside. Mum wanted a small dog that would live inside. When the day came, we visited the local dogs’ and cats’ home, and I fell utterly in love with a Dalmatian who came home and lived inside. The ultimate compromise! From that day on she was constantly by my side, and I have been a dog…

Hello, Platinumistas! Nothing says bold quite like red. Now, I may be slightly biased (red is my all-time favourite colour), but did you know it’s also the only universal shade? That’s right: everyone can wear red. Still shying away like a fashion wallflower? Not on my watch. This month, I’m setting you a style challenge: introduce red into your wardrobe. Start small with an accessory, build up to a blouse or pair of trousers, and before you know it, you’ll be rocking head-to-toe crimson just in time for Christmas. Trust me, once you start, the magic unfolds. Bolder Not Older: Dull to Dazzling in 12 Weeks (£17.99, Synergy Publishers). Instagram: @nickyhambletonjones Why I’m head over heels for red 1 Red is the new neutral From rich burgundy to vibrant cherry,…

Modern Classic + + A chic balance of timeless and fresh, this outfit combines a soft pink tie-neck sweater with a grey check midi skirt for a polished yet playful look. Finished with sleek burgundy kitten heels, it’s a perfect desk-to-dinner ensemble that exudes effortless sophistication. Casual Cool + + This weekend-ready look layers a cosy textured cardigan under a sleek khaki bomber jacket, paired with a flared denim midi skirt for easy movement. Effortlessly stylish yet relaxed, it’s the perfect off-duty combo for brunch, errands or a laid-back day out. Bold Elegance + + This look pairs a vibrant lace-detailed fuchsia blouse with a striped midi skirt in striking shades of pink and red, creating a head-turning statement. Finished with metallic gold ankle boots, it’s the perfect “going out”…

Welcome to the 2025 Platinum Beauty Awards! Following the incredible success last year of the first ever Platinum Beauty Awards, we’re thrilled to reveal this year’s exceptional winners. As a passionate beauty editor, I live and breathe the world of beauty – constantly on the hunt for standout recommendations, exciting new discoveries and timeless icons worth rediscovering. But here at Platinum, we knew from the start that one person’s opinion – whether journalist, influencer or make-up artist – would never be enough. That’s why the Platinum Beauty Awards are powered by something far more valuable: real-life testing from a diverse panel of age-appropriate experts. Our judging team, made up of loyal readers and trusted experts, brings a wealth of experience across multiple disciplines, united by a deep curiosity and genuine…

I’d always thought of composite bonding as a quick fix for chips and cracks, never as a full smile corrector. That was new to me. I assumed anything corrective would be invasive, but I was wrong. In fact, it’s the opposite: one of the most subtle, clever dental tweakments out there. Think of it as dental artistry, which is exactly how you’d describe the work of Dr Rhona Eskander (pictured). Simply put, a tooth-coloured resin is gently sculpted onto the tooth’s surface to improve its shape, size or shade. No lab work, no weeks of waiting – it’s all done in the chair, often without even an anaesthetic. Really? It all sounded too good to be true, so I sat down with Dr Rhona to find out more. The beauty…

DATING DILEMMA Sarah Walker, 51, founder and owner of Walker Hall Estate Agents in West London, separated from her husband in 2020. Since then, she’s been on a few dates but nothing that really sparked her interest. ‘After my marriage ended, I spent five years focused on healing and putting dating on hold. I threw myself into self-development, including breathwork, a practice of consciously changing your breathing to shift how you feel in body and mind. ‘As an estate agent, I spend my days listening to people’s stories and hopes, often becoming more of an advisor than just a property valuer. Friends would often remind me I had so much love to give, but after years alone, I found myself scared of starting again. ‘Both my parents divorced twice and…

My kinda one-pot paella Serves 4Total time 45 minutes If you’ve got people over and want to serve something that’s delicious, wholesome and keeps a crowd happy, this is your dish! It’s so simple, just whack it all in the pot and leave it to cook. Serving this with fresh bread to soak up all those rich flavours is fantastic! Cook’s tip! Once the rice has soaked up all the stock, I love to leave it to cook for a little longer so that the bottom crisps up and caramelises. 3-4 tbsp olive oil 225g Spanish chorizo, diced or sliced into rounds 1 onion, finely diced 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped 450g skinless, boneless chicken thighs, diced 1 tbsp tomato purée (paste) 2 red (bell) peppers, diced or sliced 1…

Fancy gathering a group of like-minded women for bookish chats, nibbles and maybe a cheeky glass of wine? Then it’s time to start your very own Platinum Book Club. A book club is a little gathering where you decide on one book, you all read it and then you talk about it once you’ve all read it. HERE’S HOW TO DO IT IN FOUR EASY STEPS... 1 Gather your reading crew Think friends, neighbours, yoga pals, or fellow Platinum readers. You don’t need a huge group – six to ten people is perfect for a cosy, manageable gathering. 2 Pick a time and place Currently, we’d like to encourage you to join our quarterly club – one book for every season for your in-person book club. Host at home, rotate…

I have a confession to make. I’m a terrible baker. Last time I attempted a loaf, circa 2007, it was mockingly named ‘Ailsa Craig’ – a granite island off the west coast of Scotland – and flung into a skip, where it landed with a resounding smack. ‘At least you tried,’ my husband said, patronisingly. Still, I persisted. My cakes were either oddly greasy or a sort of thin, joyless cake/biscuit hybrid (ciscuit?). My scones were little grenades of doom. I have long since stopped involving myself with this nonsense – yet I persist on keeping what I grandly term ‘The Baking Shelf’. The entire top shelf of our food cupboard is crammed with ingredients for baking that never happens. Here, for this imaginary baking, you’ll find four kinds of…

Dottie Monaghan Beauty Editor and curator of our 32-page Platinum Beauty Awards, Dottie believes confidence comes from enhancing your natural glow. She’s rallied a dream team of judges to uncover the best products so you don’t have to. ‘Beauty isn’t about age or perfection – it’s about confidence,’ she says. P52 Caroline Blight Our new Culture & Entertainment Editor is forever on the lookout for brilliant people. Each month she’ll be serving up profiles, reviews and recommendations with her signature wit and eye for the fabulous. ‘Minnie Driver is proof that talent and charisma only deepen with time. She’s my ultimate girl crush!’ P18 Alice Morrison A Scottish adventurer who likes to cross countries and continents under her own steam, Alice has cycled from Cairo to Cape Town, run round…

THE WATERFALL by Gareth Rubin (£18.99, Simon & Schuster) This would be an excellent book club choice! An ambitious novel, with four interconnected mysteries, it takes the reader through centuries. Beginning with Shakespeare writing an account of his investigation into the real-life murder mystery of his friend, playwright Christopher Marlowe. Then to a 19th-century Gothic former priory where the manuscript is discovered. Cut to the 1920s and a golden age detective tale in Venice. Finally, landing in a 1940s American Noir in California where a serial killer is recreating all the previous Waterfall mysteries. Yikes! You’ll have plenty to think and talk about. Original, intricate and so clever. • Something to get your teeth into BOOK OF THE MONTH THE WISH by Heather Morris (£20, Zaffre) The author of The…

Cosy accessories…

Get the look Kate’s top tips for style confidence: 1 Wear what you like, in every sense. If you like a look and you feel great in it, then wear it. Don’t have rules or barriers to what you wear or worry about colour combinations. 2 Trends are just trends. Avoid worrying about whether you are ‘on trend’ or not. These days, mostly anything goes. It’s what I tell myself when I don my white shoes, boots or heels. 3 Never say never. I swerved barrel jeans because in reality I looked like a clown in a pair until I tried on Uniqlo’s jersey barrel leg trousers. They were a winner! Kate’s debut novel Fragmented (£10.99, Conran Press) is out now, available at Amazon, Waterstones and from all bookstores. Follow Kate on Instagram…

If you’d told me 10 years ago I’d be sitting in the public gallery at Westminster, crying as my name was read out in a parliamentary debate on bee pesticides, I’d have raised an eyebrow and gone back to prescribing homeopathic remedies. But life has a funny way of drawing you into your purpose – sometimes through the side door. I’ve been many things over the years: actress, author, homeopath, Montessori teacher, mother of two. I lived in Ibiza for a while. Trained as a homeopath after seeing my son Max’s eczema ease dramatically. Practised in Neal’s Yard Remedies Therapy Rooms for years. I was never a five-year-plan sort of person, more of a “what feels true” person. And what felt true, always, was nature, healing and using whatever voice…

It’s funny how we’re so quick to label interiors to match a décor ideal: vintage, coastal, colourful. You know the drill. But a real home is more than a mood board – it’s where we exhale, shake off the day, and simply be. Who else feels their shoulders drop the second the front door clicks shut? Of course, sometimes what greets me is chaos – a breadcrumb trail of teen clutter – but more often than not, my home feels like a cherished friend. One that has my back, especially now as I navigate a midlife shift. I have moved recently into my new home, just me and my daughters, but I’m slowly shaping it into a space we love. I am reminded that home isn’t about the fixed and…

These days, I have to remind myself that when I hear the word “banger”, the meaning is neither “sausage” nor “firecracker” (even though Bonfire Night is imminently upon us). Instead, the definition is more often than not “a really good song”. One such song that I listen to (unashamedly), mostly while I’m cooking (bangers), is by Charli xcx. But the other day, I found myself disagreeing with some of the lyrics in this song of hers – because Boom Clap might not necessarily be the sound of your heart in love. Especially not at this stage of life. When it comes to relationships, one question that I hear a lot, in life and in the therapy room, is: ‘Where is the spark?’ People seem to want their hearts to go…

I am lying hip-deep in a peat bog looking up at the grey, ominous sky and pondering my life choices. My backpack is so heavy with all my food, water and camping gear that I can’t actually get up. I am vividly reminiscent of a flipped-over tortoise. My first thought is, ‘Thank goodness no-one can see me.’ My second thought is, ‘I am here totally alone, no-one can see me.’ With a deep sucking sound, I pull my leg out of the bog, roll onto my knees and hoist myself up with my walking poles. Onwards and upwards – I still have 240km of this walk to go. The Hebridean Way (HW) is a 250km (156-mile) walking route from Vatersay to Stornoway across 10 islands, crossing six causeways and using…

Noted & noteworthy November’s nature marker – bare branches, bright thoughts By now, the leaves have mostly fallen. The trees stand tall and stripped back, like they’re making space for something new. Bonfire smoke curls in the air, and the moon seems just a bit brighter. It’s the season of the inner spark. Time to embrace early nights, mulled wine moods, and the unapologetic beauty of rest. What’s on: culture, connection & cosy escapes From Nicola Walker’s moving new stage role to artisan markets, bold exhibitions and a soulful podcast pick – November is full of thoughtful finds and feel-good inspiration. Add in a lyrical audiobook and ideas for cosy days out, and you’ve got the season sorted. MUST-WATCH SERIES Frauds – coming soon, ITV Jodie Whittaker (left) and Suranne…

Meet Jules Four and a half years ago, Jules’ world changed forever when her son Christian, just 25, tragically took his own life after a long battle with mental health challenges. What every mother dreads became her reality. Now, as she approaches her 60th birthday, she wants to show others that even after unimaginable loss, you don’t have to stop living. STYLE DILEMMA Jules has been on a long and painful journey since Christian’s death. On the day we met, it was only the second time she had done something on her own and for herself, since his death. With her milestone birthday on the horizon, she feels it’s time for change but doesn’t know where to begin. NICKY’S STYLE ASSESSMENT Jules’ wardrobe unsurprisingly consists of dull, drab, mostly black…

Handbags have always been a big part of my wardrobe. In fact, Sarah’s and my paths aren’t that dissimilar. I also have a background in the corporate world as a management consultant (before I discovered my true calling in life: styling), where my legacy was not my work ethic or brilliant mind, surprisingly, but the fact that my handbag always matched my coat. So, you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered that Sarah Haran handbags can be transformed by simply changing up the bespoke accessories it comes with. Hello! I was all in. Roll the clock forward and Sarah’s brand has gone from strength to strength. I was excited to sit down with her to unpick her journey and the magic ingredients that have made her a…

Nothing lights up a room, a photograph, or even a grey Monday morning quite like someone who smiles with confidence. But is it simply about having perfect teeth, or is there something else behind that confidence? Take Aimee Lou Wood in the recent series of White Lotus: her imperfect but confident smile went viral and suddenly a generation started rethinking whether their teeth really needed remodelling. But let’s be honest, it’s easier for Aimee. She’s young. Roll the clock forward 30 years, add in a few too many coffees and glasses of red wine, not to mention the natural loss of volume that comes with ageing (I know – joy); still, what once felt fine can start to feel like a bigger deal. That’s the thing about smiles as we…

If your Act One was all about figuring out who you were, and Act Two was about proving it to everyone else (whilst juggling a million glass balls), Act Three is where you get to drop the mask, reclaim your own pleasures, and own your worth. That’s when the heroine finally sees the big picture and walks confidently into her new future while the credits roll. This can be your most lucrative era yet, if you give yourself permission to claim it. THE LIBERATION OF NOT CARING Here’s the unexpected plot twist of Act Three: you stop caring so much about what other people think. Once you realise that you won’t die if people don’t like you, you’ve entered into your power money era. You can increase your prices and…

Loving interiors is often a lifelong passion – one that usually begins when we’re young. The homes we grow up in shape how we see design and aesthetics. Some of our fondest memories are rooted in loved ones’ homes: every room with an anecdote, every corner holding a story. (A handy styling hack too, especially in midlife when memory can get a little… selective!) From a grandmother’s knack for mixing old-world finds to a friend’s fearless use of colour, these spaces beam with personality. Even a home without grand architectural features can shine when filled with personal touches and sentimental choices that tell your story so far. Decorating, then, becomes more than an exercise in aesthetics – it’s therapy. Each piece you pick becomes a step on a path of…

Last month, we launched our first ever Platinum Book Club in real life! What I love most about the Platinum Book Club is that it’s not just about reading a book – it’s about the people. There’s such magic in gathering together, sharing stories, and seeing how one novel can spark so many different thoughts and feelings. For me, it’s about connection, community, and the joy of discovering new perspectives – and that feels really special. As Editor-in-Chief of Platinum, I’m hoping to encourage you to start your own book club with your friends (or if you’re trying to make new friends – to put the call out for people to join you). I recently moved to Northumberland from London and book clubs have been key to me making new…