Rhian Williams

The Independent •

10 best Korean beauty products

People have increasingly started looking to the Far East for make-up and skincare, both for the innovative products and unusual ingredients. They generally tend to rely on more natural ingredients too, meaning they’re gentler on the complexion and kinder to those with sensitive skin. Korea has become well known for its BB creams, but other products such as exfoliators, lip glosses and foot masks have started to become more popular. Many brands have built a cult following worldwide thanks to the
The Independent •

The descendants of Japan's Burakumin people are facing fresh discrimination

It was not the kind of letter any mother would want her child to see. “We all hate you,” it read. “No matter how many decades or centuries pass, we will continue to discriminate against you for ever.” But over recent months, hundreds of residents in a district of Osaka have been opening their mail to discover similar abusive messages – a frightening vestige of a Japanese caste system that was supposed to have been abolished in the 19th century, “My children asked, ‘Why is this happening to us?
AMA •

South Korean art: an emerging scene or a long-standing tradition?

The South Korean art scene has expanded enormously in just over a decade. The South Korean capital, Seoul, boasts several artistic districts, each offering a different backdrop for art lovers to discover the city’s increasingly rich artistic scene. Chinese art, despite remaining extremely popular, has nowadays soared to extortionate prices, meaning that it has become inaccessible to most collectors, the emerging art scene of yesteryear. To cite but one example, a Ming dynasty silk wall hanging w
The Independent •

10 best celebrity cookbooks

From TV chefs to former Bake Off contestants and well-known restaurateurs, there are so many celebrity cookbooks nowadays that it can be hard to know which ones to go for. We’ve compiled a recently published selection here, looking for innovative yet easy-to-follow recipes to suit amateur home cooks as well as the more culinary adventurous. It’s easy to see why this book has already sold over one million copies. This is a new, updated edition of an old favourite, and we love how comprehensive
The Independent •

10 best Japanese beauty products

The Japanese have their own approach when it comes to beauty: the acne treatments and anti-ageing creams that pervade Western skincare aisles take a backseat and products that care for the overall look and feel of skin are prioritised. Japanese cosmetics also tend to be made from more natural ingredients, making them better choice for people with sensitive skin and those who dislike using too many chemicals. Japanese beauty products have become increasingly popular over the past few years, and
The Independent •

10 best new cookbooks 2017

In searching for the best of the new cookbooks published in 2017, we looked for a variety of different authors, cuisines and occasions. We’ve compiled a selection of books by food bloggers, TV chefs and food writers, and, ranging from quick stir-fries and elegant French desserts to Middle Eastern feasts and Mexican street food, we’ve made sure there’s something for everyone. We were on the hunt for delicious and innovative recipes, easy-to-follow instructions and mouth-watering photographs. He
The Independent •

8 best student cookbooks

Whether you're trying to eat healthy on a budget or just looking to whip up a quick meal after a long day of lectures, our pick of books will keep you covered. We went looking particularly for instructions simple enough for novice cooks, budget-friendly ingredients, and speedy recipes. We love this book by recent university graduate Rachel Phipps for its practical advice and comprehensive selection of essential recipes that can be made with minimal utensils and affordable ingredients. There's
The Independent •

9 best skincare products for teens

With so many other changes taking place during puberty, good skincare can, unfortunately, often end up taking a backseat. However, whether you’re struggling with acne, irked by the occasional blemish, or are prone to dry skin, taking some time to be kind to your skin is essential, especially as a good routine is crucial to set you up for the rest of your life – you’ll thank yourself later. It’s important, first of all, to understand what good skincare means – no matter how oily your skin is, i
The Independent •

14 best vegetarian cookbooks

Whether it’s for health, environmental or ethical reasons, more and more people are opting for the veggie lifestyle. The most recent statistics suggest around 1.2 million people in the UK have gone meat-free, with the food on offer for vegetarians becoming ever-more varied, flavourful and adventurous. We've picked out the best of the new releases of the year (some of which are still only available for pre-order), tried out some of the best recipes, and compiled a diverse selection that will sui
The Independent •

11 best new cookbooks 2016

Choosing the best of the many wonderful cookbooks that have been published in 2016 has been no easy task. However, what we’ve looked for to compile this selection is originality and innovation: from tomes that focus on the multiple culinary possibilities of one particular ingredient - miso or seaweed for starters - to ones that are dedicated to some previously under-celebrated cuisines, such as Pakistani and Palestinian flavours. Other new releases that we love include Jamie Oliver’s refreshingl
The Independent •

10 best Christmas cookbooks

Christmas is a time of abundant feasting, with most festive get-togethers centred around food. This is great, unless you find yourself in charge of providing said food. Whether the idea of cooking a turkey and all the trimmings fills you with terror, or whether you're looking for extra-special dishes to treat your loved ones to this Christmas, this selection of cookbooks caters for all. We've chosen both new releases and books that have become Christmas food classics, as well as volumes filled
The Independent •

10 best free-from cookbooks

An increasing number of people nowadays have food allergies, intolerances or different dietary requirements, and if you find yourself having to cater for such a crowd, it can be difficult to know what to make. It can be useful, therefore, to have at least one free-from cookbook on hand, for when you have a celiac friend coming round for tea and cake, or a group of vegans coming over for dinner. When choosing the following selection of cookbooks, our main priority was that the recipes needed to
Free-From Heaven •

Top tips for throwing a free-from dinner party

From recipe ideas to cross-contamination advice, here are Rhian Williams’ top tips for hosting the perfect knees-up… Whether you’re vegan, plant-based, lactose-intolerant or coeliac, if you’ve ever had to cook for guests, you’ll know that cooking for yourself and cooking for a whole crowd of people are not the same! If you have lots of conventional eaters coming over, you’re obviously going to want them to enjoy the food you normally eat, and maybe even use the dinner party as a chance to show
The Independent •

10 best interior design books

Whether you’ve just bought your first house, are looking to refurbish your home or just want to add some spark to your study, there are countless reasons why you may be in need of some interior design inspiration. We’ve compiled a selection of inspiring and useful books here, all recently published, taking care to cover a range of styles, cultures and budgets. They're written by some of the brightest minds in interior designs, from creative professionals to hugely popular bloggers. This dreamy
The Independent •

10 best Japanese beauty products

Japanese cosmetics have already won over many celebrity make-up artists, including Lisa Eldridge and Troy Surratt, and everyday cosmetic users have also increasingly started to look to the Far East for beauty products. “Japanese brands excel in packaging and device design,” says BeautyMART Co-Founder Anna-Marie Solowij. “Their cosmetics and skincare products are exciting because they’re novel and exotic and they’re popular thanks to their high quality and innovation, for the same reason as their
The Independent •

10 best placemats

Placemats tend to be overlooked when it comes to tableware, left to lurk in the shadows of their flashier counterparts such as silver cutlery and antique crockery. However, placemats can add important ambience to a dining room, and on a more practical level, will prevent your table from getting stained or damaged. There are a few things to consider when choosing a placemat, including the occasion and type of table, as well as the size and even the temperature of your dishes. We’ve tested a wide
The Independent •

10 best natural cleaning products

Have you ever been worried about what toxins could be lurking in your household cleaning products? We’ve put together a selection of cleaning products that are free from the following chemicals, which are often found in cleaning products from major brands, but are in fact the worst offenders for both health and environmental reasons: phthalates, which are used to add fragrance but can be easily absorbed through the skin; triclosan, which is used in dishwashing detergents and can cause the growt
The Independent •

10 best nail polishes for autumn

As the skies get grey and the leaves turn brown, welcome in the new season by swapping your bright summer polishes for moodier shades and darker tones. And if you’re feeling blue about summer coming to an end – what a coincidence, it is the colour for nails this autumn. All of these formulas are easy to apply, opaque and not chalky or streaky, and lasted for a long time chip-free. Blue nails were everywhere on the autumn/winter 2015 runways. This metallic royal blue is made with Jacava’s ‘9-fr
The Independent •

9 best skincare products for teens

With so many other changes taking place during puberty, good skincare can, unfortunately, often end up taking a backseat. However, whether you’re struggling with acne, irked by the occasional blemish, or are prone to dry skin, taking some time to be kind to your skin is essential, especially as a good routine is crucial to set you up for the rest of your life – you’ll thank yourself later. It’s important, first of all, to understand what good skincare means – no matter how oily your skin is, i
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