Are women’s feet are getting bigger? Here’s the truth ladies; our feet are getting bigger. It’s a fact.

New research suggests that the average female shoe size has increased by one and a half sizes over the last 10 years; from four and a half in 1990 to a size six in 2011, and larger sizes are increasingly in demand.

And we’re embarrassed about it; despite the growing trend, 82% of size eight and nine customers say they are ashamed of their shoe size.

In a survey, when asked to identify what part of shopping for shoes in store women found particularly uncomfortable, 64% said it was asking the shop assistant for their size and 36% said they hated taking their shoes off in public. The survey also revealed that 47% of women had lied to their partners and friends about their shoe size.

So, feet are getting bigger but why? The change is attributed to women’s feet becoming broader rather than longer which experts believe may be due to an increase in average body weight as women grow taller.

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If you’re keen on tennis, jogging, bowls croquet (do people still play that?), Frisbee in the park, kicking the ball with your child… any sporting or leisure activity that requires a cap and shades to protect your skin and eyes from the sun’s rays, you may be interested in a new invention for sport enthusiasts called the iiClip.

The iiClip is a cap accessory which connects the cap and glasses in a way that dissipates the weight of the glasses whilst simultaneously stabilising the frame of the glasses. The effect is a feeling of weightlessness – as if your specs or shades are not even there.

The aim is to prevent the wearer from being distracted by glasses slipping or moving whilst engaged in activities.

Never mind the distraction; the annoyance of shades falling off (thanks to some wild leaping, hectic diving and heavy sweating on the volleyball court in my case) a-goner with the nifty little iiClip.

The iiClip is a follow up innovation from a previous product, the iiCap which is a specially designed cap providing the same comfortable ‘weightless’ function as the iiClip.

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If swimming is what you do to keep in shape, you might want to check out Keri-Anne Payne’s new blog site. Here you will find some of the best swimming tips from an Olympic athlete.

Keri-Anne is a two-time World 10km Open Water champion, and an Olympic silver medallist. Open water swimming is a new sport that is growing in stature in the UK and worldwide.

The 23-year-old star swimmer is the first British Olympian to qualify for London 2012 and has just over a year to get ready!

Kerriannepayne.co.uk is designed to be the perfect hub for fans to officially keep up with what Keri-Anne is up to professionally & personally in the run up to London 2012.

The blog is a platform that allows Keri-Anne, a devoted tweeter, to interact with her fans and supporters; so content will be a mix of information about swimming events and training along with personal updates about trips, birthdays, cake making and more.

The newly launched site is just short of 6000 followers – pretty impressive for a start-up!

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As summer waves a sad goodbye and woeful Brits scamper off to warmer destinations for a quick sun-soak before nasty winter stakes its claim, take note of new app for outdoors, My UV Alert, which is a worthwhile travel companion.

Created by leading suncare expert La Roche-Posay, the sun safe alert highlights the damaging effects of UV at the touch of button.

The app provides users with personalised suncare advice by profiling your skin type to discover your individual UV risk. It offers local UV index forecasts, custom sunscreen reapplication reminders that you set, individualised product recommendations, coupons and sun protection tips. Check out the list of app features:

* Custom reapplication reminders, which even allow for more frequent reminders when swimming or sweating. You can set reminders that work for you and your family, based on activity or personal preferences. Customise with choice of sounds.

* Sunscreen product profiles and recommendations tailored to each family member. You can even generate a recommendation list for the whole family at once, making shopping simple!

* Local UV index and weather forecasts, so preparing for your vacation (or staycation) becomes a breeze.

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A Gem birthed by the Nile; Cleopatra’s legend has lasted eons. The Egyptian Queen turned beautification into an art and many of Cleopatra’s beauty routine techniques are still in use today.

From bathing in milk and basking in eyeliner to the multitude of oils and creams that lathered her body, Cleopatra had an army of beautifiers, wig-makers, perfumers, sandal-makers and royal wardrobe guardians to maintain the Queen’s high standards. Her lifestyle was opulence deluxe.

Caesar and Mark Antony had no chance…So, how did Cleo remain so ravishing?

Cleopatra’s beauty routine was strict and she had procedures in place that were followed religiously. She washed her face several times a day using a cleansing cream mixed with oil and lime (or chalk). Apple cider vinegar was combined with water for a facial rinse and honey was often applied to the skin as an antibacterial agent.

The gorgeous queen revelled in facemasks, which were often composed of cucumber, milk, honey, yeast and clay. To smooth out those wrinkles, a cream that included beeswax, the gum of frankincense, maringa oil, fermented plant juice and finely ground Cyprus grass, was applied to her face.

And to keep her skin soft and supple, Cleo would have her skin regularly rubbed and polished with various body scrubs – a sea salt scrub was a particular favourite.

Other exfoliating ingredients included were balsam, beeswax, cedar, calamine, castor oil, aloes, apple cider vinegar, turpentine, goose fat, dill, fennel, juniper, mint, ginger, antimony, sulfur, red lead and onions.

The modern woman has neither the time nor the task force to live the life of an Egyptian Queen but there are a couple of simple recipes that one could easily knock-up and use on needy skin:

Cleopatra’s Grape Facial (for over-sunned faces)

* 1 cup of green grapes

* 1 teaspoon of honey

Crush the green grapes to a pulp, add the honey and mix. Apply to a clean, damp face and leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse well.

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