A MAG is a Modern African Girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things which may interest a MAG.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Doré Fasolati, this week's subjects: Espadrilles fashion, Joëlle Ciocco, Healthcheck, Slimming.

Espadrilles fashion

Espadrilles are and will be the only shoes you will need in summer or our dry season; considering our hot burning climate

Espadrilles should be quite tight when you first try them on. One of the characteristics of this footwear is that the cotton upper will eventually stretch and comfortably mold to your feet. If they are loose when you purchase them they will most probably slip off your feet shortly afterwards.

Wondering when, where, and how to wear espadrilles? Espadrilles are the perfect shoe for women and can be a fabulous look for date night or even a day at the office when worn right. If you're looking for something slightly more casual than a pantsuit, try pairing espadrilles with tailored trousers. This is a great option for days when you want to be comfortable but still look put together

Unlike plastic flip-flops or slides, which are far too casual, espadrilles won't undermine your workplace style. With their pretty rope heels, espadrilles give you stature and style, while elongating your figure. Wear espadrille heels to work and feel comfortable all day long with a chic, understated look.

Whether espadrille flats or wedge espadrilles, they will both look great with a jumpsuit. A flat, classic espadrille shoe, because of its rugged details, is one of the most casual shoes to wear with jumpsuits.

Although espadrilles are often associated with daytime ensembles, they're also ideal for evenings out. Wedge styles with feminine ankle ties will elevate your look without compromising on comfort.

Joëlle Ciocco, the cult facialist in Paris makes cosmetics for the rich. Described as the woman with the golden fingers, the magician of the skin, the cosmetics gourou, the beauty gourou, the gourou for the stars she managed to bring her company from zero in 2017 to already millions in 2019, I could not find the latest figures, but these figures were definitely up. She is the silent and kept secret of the richest stars. She is especially good in anti aging creams and if you have the money she will make personalized creams for you. A 2 hours skin regeneration treatment which re establishes the motoric and logistics functions of your skin membranes costs 695 € (GHS 8400 as we go to press), if you are lucky enough to get an appointment with Madam Joëlle herself you pay 1350€ (GHS 16300). She invented the term epidermologue. But in her rush to stardom she forgot a few things. She did not register her products with the french FDA. She does not mention her main ingredients, which is compulsory. She has no test results. She has no procedure to follow up on reported allergies and similar. And her main ingredients, bétamethasone and cortoide have been banned from use in cosmetics since last year because they can cause thinning and fragilizing of the skin (maybe call that dissolving of the skin?) and acne and skin depigmentation and immunodepression. The French authorities have thus closed her factory, a rather severe action, the big ones normally get away with warnings, penalties and promises. It is also sold under the name of Celestone solution. Read your labels please and don’t buy products without an ingredients label.

Healthcheck. Many are the devices like your phone or an Apple watch that claim to be able to monitor blood pressure. But these devices either using algorithms combined with real-time pulse data to estimate blood pressure, or are calibrated against equipment that’s known to be accurate, such as a cuff wrapped around a limb, and then track values rather than measure them. So for BP monitoring these devices are inaccurate, and you may be taking decisions based on false data. A breakthrough in constant wrist-based blood pressure monitoring would be a welcome advance. Beware, hypertension among young people is common, affecting 1 in 8 adults aged between 20 and 40 years. Not for women? For every 100 men with high pressure there are 88 women with high pressure as well. Symptoms? Headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest discomfort. I'll talk about this overlooked issue again.

Slimming. Most of us want to slim at one time, but few succeed. Why? Well, I can tell you it is hard work, lots of work-outs and limited and selected food intake for months in a row. And if you are not careful it is all back in a few weeks. But now there is a wonder drug, Ozempic, a special diabetics drug. Tiktok too has seen it, with millions of views. It works by taking your appetite away. And triples your chance of thyroid cancer and renal failure. There have been semi similar cases with opioids which caused thousands of premature deaths in the USA. Ghana doesn't really publish figures on these things but from time to time we read that a certain drug becomes interdicted because of gross overuse. Drugs always have side effects. If you want to slim just eat less for a longer period. Cutting corners does not work.

Full moon on Saturday, connect with the cosmos. A nice night beach walk in the rain with lots of lightening? C u there.

Lydia...

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