The lifestyle barometer: Your guide to what’s hot and what’s not, from fashion robots to gaslighting

Beat the Bardot ban and partake in plant-based eating to top the charts this week, and watch out as rising pollen counts put hayfever firmly back in our bad books

(Getty/iStock)

Going up:

Bardot necklines

Floral Bardot Mini Dress, £32, Topshop

Despite being banned from Royal Ascot this year, Bardots are one of the most popular necklines of the moment, and it’s all thanks to Meghan Markle.

The Duchess of Sussex has quickly elevated the style from a summer holiday favourite to an elegant fashion trend in its own right. She famously sported a pink Carolina Herrera dress in the tasteful style to Trooping the Colour, while her wedding gown, designed by Clare Waight Keller, also featured a similar off-the-shoulder neckline.

Veganism

‘15 Minute Vegan’, £9.75, Amazon

With more than 3.5 million Brits now identifying as vegan and more than 57 million #vegan posts on Instagram, plant-based living is more popular than ever before. As such, the restaurant business is taking note and this week a fine dining establishment announced it plans to become 100 per cent vegan in the next two years.

Gauthier Soho used to serve more than 30kg of foie gras every week but now it offers a menu that’s 75 per cent plant-based and has a dedicated vegan tasting menu.

Anti-plastic warriors

Turtle Jelly Bomb, £4.95, Lush

It’s a sad fact that many sea turtles are killed each year due to plastic debris in the ocean, and Lush Cosmetics wants to do something about it.

A brand that’s been pushing for zero-packaging products with its popular “naked” range, Lush has now launched the Turtle Jelly Bomb which it hopes will raise awareness of our planet’s plastic problem.

Avocados

Apeel Sciences is working to reduce avocado-related waste (Getty/iStock) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The staple food of millennials and brunch lovers, you’d be forgiven for thinking that we’d reached peak avocado.

However, it seems the green fruit’s popularity is flourishing. Whether it’s served smashed on toast or used in a smoothie, fans will know how frustrating it is to discover a recently purchased avocado has gone off, but one company has the answer.

This week, Apeel Sciences, a Californian company that’s received backing from Bill Gates, announced that it has developed an edible coating that can reportedly make an avocado last twice as long as usual.

Robo-fashion

Gucci GG Marmont Mini Quilted Leather Shoulder Bag, £760, Selfridges

High-end brand Gucci has announced that it plans to create 30 to 35 per cent of its products using robots in the near future to keep up with customer demand.

Currently, the Italian fashion house uses a patented machine, known as “Reingenious”, to make its latest trainers but it has plans to adopt the same strategy to its covetable leather goods too.

Going down:

Sugar

‘The Anti-Anxiety Diet’, Kindle Edition, £0.49, Amazon

We all know that eating too much sugar is bad for our health but did you know it could be linked to anxiety disorders too?

Last year, researchers in Ireland came to the conclusion that there may in fact be an association between the two, and when New York Times bestselling author Sarah Wilson decided to try eliminating sugar from her diet, she found it had a tremendous effect on her mental health.

Microbeads

Liz Earle, Gentle Face Exfoliator, £16.50, John Lewis

This week the ban on products that contain microbeads came into effect. A plan that was proposed back in January due to the detrimental impact plastic has on the ocean, it will prevent UK retailers from selling products that contain harmful microbeads.

Brands that had already phased out or never used microplastics include Boots (own-brand), Clarins, Liz Earle, Neal’s Yard Remedies, Oral-B, Rituals, St Ives and Weleda.

Upskirting

After an objection from Tory MP Christopher Chope, proposed legislation is back on track (Getty/iStock) (iStock)

Upskirting is the term used to describe the act of taking a photograph up someone’s skirt without their permission, and a bill to tackle it has been introduced in the Commons. The campaign has been led by Gina Martin, 26, who created a petition to make it a dedicated offence after someone took photos under her skirt at a music festival last year.

Under the new bill, people who take upskirt pictures could face two years in prison and be added to the sex offenders register.

Gaslighting

Women’s Aid picked up on signs of gaslighting on ‘Love Island’ (ITV2)

A term used to describe a form of emotional abuse where one person gradually manipulates another in order to gain control, gaslighting hit the headlines this week. Women’s Aid – a domestic abuse charity – issued a warning in light of Tuesday’s episode of Love Island, stating that one of the contestants, Adam, displayed “clear warning signs” of “gaslighting and emotional abuse”.

“Last night, Rosie called out Adam’s unacceptable behaviour on the show. We ask viewers to join her in recognising unhealthy behaviour in relationships and speaking out against all forms of domestic abuse – emotional as well as physical,” the statement read.

Hayfever

Piriton Allergy Tablets, £6.69, Boots

It was bad news for hayfever sufferers this week as pollen levels looked set to reach a 12-year high. While the seasonably warm weather was welcomed by many, for the unlucky few it meant sneezing fits, runny noses and itchy eyes.

If you’re a sufferer there are plenty of things you can do to combat hayfever including tracking pollen count, avoiding grassy areas and, of course, medicating.