‘Female killer lured beauty blogger lookalike to her death by offering her a free treatment… then stabbed her 50 times so she could fake her own murder and escape her strict Iraqi family’

• Shahraban K. and boyfriend Sheqir K. are accused of choosing blogger Khadidja O. for death because of her striking resemblance to Shahraban
• She was allegedly tracked down on social media and then stabbed 50 times 

By Chris Jewers

Updated: 10:03 EDT, 1 September 2023

Forget Thames Water, the real boardroom drama this week was at the cosmetics small-cap Revolution Beauty. 

Online retailer and 26.6 per cent Revolution shareholder Boohoo has tried to wrest control of the AIM-listed company through a hostile takeover and ousting of Revolution’s board.

This came to a head at Wednesday’s annual general meeting, when a shareholder showdown saw chief executive Bob Holt, chief financial officer Elizabeth Lake, and chair Derek Zissman voted out.

Non-executive director Jeremy Schwartz briefly became the sole board member. His first responsibility under the company’s articles of association was to hire three more members.

After brief contemplation, he selected Bob Holt as chief executive, Elizabeth Lake as chief financial officer, and Derek Zissman as chair. Fancy that.

Revolution and Boohoo have exchanged vitriolic words all week, accusing each other of being self-serving.

As we all know, investors hate instability, yet Revolution’s share price rocketed 53 per cent higher on Wednesday, though that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Shares were actually suspended since September 2022 for failing to publish company accounts amid Minto’s contentious departure.

Come Friday, as the tumultuous week comes to a close, Revolution shares remained 26 per cent higher since Wednesday’s readmission.

The same can’t be said for the broader Aim All-Share Index, which ended the week around 2 per cent lower at 751.84, underperforming considerably against the FTSE 100 index’s 0.8 per cent add.

The gap would likely have been wider if the blue-chip utility segment didn’t cop a beating, with Severn Trent, United Utilities and BT Group among the worst large-cap performers. It appears that Thames Water is causing contamination in more ways than one.

That stocks underperformed this week is hardly a surprise, what with last week’s bruising half-a-percentage point interest rate hike, though with income stocks out of favour on the premium segment, some pass through to the lower end of the market could have been assumed.

Speaking of which, Caspian Sunrise, the AIM-quoted Kazakhstan-focused oiler, took a 30 per cent beating on Friday after scrapping its dividend payment for the foreseeable future.

The group has found itself the unintended victim of the Ukraine conflict insomuch as it has layered in additional costs and, crucially, copped an $18million loss of revenue. Shares fell from 4.3p to 2.82p.

African phosphate producer Kropz‘s shares also plunged over 40 per cent after revealing that its shares will be suspended from trading on AIM after failing to publish its annual reports.

The same fate beset Trackwise Designs, with shares in the printed circuit technology manufacturer crashing 70 per cent failing to provide financial statements for the last financial year.

Trackwise said manufacturing delays and ‘intense demands upon the entire management team’ have caused delays in the financial auditing process’. Shares have now been suspended.

Outside of the heavy industries, video game group tinyBuild plummeted 70 per cent after the firm said its first-half performance had undershot expectations.

tinyBuild pinned the blame on the underperformance of two acquisitions- US publisher Versus Evil and Brazil-based developer Red Cerberus.

On the bullish side was banknote printer De La Rue, which shot up over 50 per cent following indications of a recovery in currency demand and a robust performance in its authentication business, particularly in the latter half of the year.

This marks a turnaround from April, when the Basingstoke-based group dished out a profit warning.

Renalytix was a top mover In the pharmaceuticals segment, closing the week 44 per cent higher on the back of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granting marketing authorisation for its KidneyIntelX.dkd prognostic test.

Prospex Energy was a top riser in the energy sector, gaining 10 per cent after bullish news emerged from its Italy-based gas field.

But the real energy stand out was Invinity Energy Systems, which added nearly 40 per cent in what can only be considered a vindication of its full-year trading statement published on Wednesday.

To read more small-cap news click here www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk

Shareholder fury as fired and rehired Revolution Beauty bosses share £2.5m options windfall

By Daily Mail City & Finance Reporter

Updated: 17:12 EDT, 28 June 2023

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Revolution Beauty board slams ‘self-serving’ and ‘hostile’ Boohoo coup attempt as AGM is set to be postponed

• Boohoo is looking to sack Revolution Beauty’s CEO, chair and CFO 
• It wants to replace them with its own people including former New Look chair

By Mike Sheen For This Is Money

Updated: 05:49 EDT, 21 June 2023

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BUSINESS LIVE: Revolution Beauty prepares for legal battle with founder; Saga profits ‘well ahead’ of 2022; SThree recruitment fees slip

By Live Commentary

Updated: 03:30 EDT, 20 June 2023

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A lawyer has revealed the top beauty items she would never buy again due to the growing pile of lawsuits and recalls against them over health concerns.

Harvard graduate and mother-of-two Angela tracks cases and recalls regarding beauty products and shares what she finds to help others steer clear.

Big names like Neutrogena, L’Oreal and Batiste have issued voluntary recalls or had suits filed against them for issues with specific products.

The lawsuits and recalls claim goods like waterproof mascara and dry shampoo, may contain toxic forever chemicals, can cause cancer or may have been developed with hormone-disrupting ingredients.

A study from 2021 warned that more than half of popular cosmetics being sold in the US and Canada are likely to contain high levels of toxic chemicals called polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Researchers from Notre Dame University tested more than 200 products, including concealers, foundations, eye and eyebrow products and lip products, and found evidence of PFAS in around half (52 percent) of them.

Worryingly, previous research has linked certain PFAS to various health issues, including kidney cancer, testicular cancer, hypertension, thyroid disease, low birth weight and immunotoxicity in children. 

Waterproof mascara

The number one product Angela is turning her back on is waterproof mascara.

She said: ‘Turns out, in order to make mascara waterproof, companies often have to add PFAS — toxic forever chemicals linked to impaired immune function, diabetes, obesity, endocrine dysfunction and cancers.

Of 11 waterproof mascaras the Notre Dame University researchers tested, 82 percent had a high fluorine content.

Seeger Weiss LLP listed popular makeup brands that may contain PFAS, including L’Oreal.

A lawsuit filed in 2022 against L’Oreal by Rebecca Vega from Belleville, New Jersey claims the company ‘y fails to disclose to consumers that its popular waterproof mascara products contain Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, or ‘PFAS,’ despite the fact that L’Oreal knew or should have known that this information is material to consumers.

However, the case was voluntarily dismissed by Vega that same year. 

Another complaint filed was filed against L’Oréal in the same year by Californian Sumner Davenport, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated, which claims the same as Vega’s suit.

No updates have been shared regarding Davenport’s case, but shortly after she filed the complaint, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law in October that prohibits the manufacture, distribution and sale of textiles and cosmetics containing PFAS beginning in 2025.

L’Oréal told R29 in February 2023 that phase-out and substitution plans are ‘well underway’ and that the company has already removed PFAS from the majority of its products. 

Dry shampoo

Research by Valisure, a laboratory in Connecticut, tested a random sample of 148 different products sold in CVS, Walgreens and by online retailers like Amazon across the country in November 2022.

Some 70 percent were positive for benzene, a known carcinogen that is strongly linked to leukemia and other blood disorders. Among those that contained the chemical were drug-store brand favorites Batiste and Not Your Mother’s — alongside premium brands Pureology and Kerastase.

Contamination may come from inactive petroleum-derived ingredients, a thickening agent, or isobutane, a spray propellant.

Manufacturers, including Church & Dwight — which makes Batiste — refuted the results, saying it had recently ‘confirmed’ with its suppliers that the dry shampoos don’t contain benzene.

Angela said: ‘I wish I never used dry shampoo. I used to use it every other day.’

She showed a list of brands she will steer clear of: DryBar, Redken, IGK, Batiste, Paul Mitchell and Not Your Mother’s.

Angela said: ‘I’ve used many on this list which has been determined to contain benzene in them, a known carcinogen where even low levels can be linked to increased risk of cancer.

‘We’ve seen many recalls and lawsuits brewing,’ she added.

‘Also horrifically, apparently, the benzene stays in the air after you’ve sprayed it, and I used to get ready in the bathroom with my toddlers by my side.

Last year, Unilever recalled over 1.5 million dry shampoo products because they may contain elevated levels of benzene, a human carcinogen strongly linked to leukemia and other blood disorders.

Unilever said it had not received any reports of ‘adverse events’ linked to benzene exposure in the products and insisted the recall was ‘out of an abundance of caution.’

An internal investigation concluded that benzene concentrations in the affected products would not be large enough to cause health issues. 

Chemical hair straightener

Angela said: ‘I would not chemically straighten my hair again. I used to do it, I love the sleek look.

‘But turns out women who chemically straighten their hair at least four times a year more than double their risk of uterine cancer and also ovarian and breast, likely because these things (parabens, bispehnol A, metals and formaldehyde) are absorbed directly into the scalp.’

An official study suggested chemical hair straightening products used by millions of Americans may double the risk of womb cancer.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) researched 33,000 women across the US for over a decade.

The rate of uterine cancer was 4.05 percent in women who used straightening products four or more times a year, compared to 1.64 percent in those who did not.

Spray sunscreen

Angela said she used to use this on her children.

‘As a tired mom, I’d spray these like five times per day on my small kids,’ she said.

‘They’d spray it on each other in their eyeballs, in their mouth.’

‘Major brands such as Neutrogena, Aveeno, Banana Boat, Coppertone, CVS Health and Elta MD, found benzene in their cans,’ she said, referring to recalls in 2022.

She added: ‘While it’s probably not a death sentence, it is a known carcinogen, and no one seems to know exactly how benzene got in there.’

Many companies issued voluntary recalls on their products found to have benzene. 

According to Consumer Reports in 2022, Aveeno and Neutrogena sunscreens had benzene levels ranging from 11.2 to 23.6 ppm, five to 12 times the level advised by the FDA.

On the other hand, Sunscreen lotions were found to not have any, Angela said.

Benzene is a known carcinogen and is strongly linked to leukemia and other blood disorders, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On July 14, 2021, Johnson & Johnson issued a voluntary recall of five specific Aveeno and Neutrogena aerosol sunscreens because lab testing found low levels of the cancer-causing chemical benzene in the products. 

The five included:  Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen; Neutrogena Invisible Daily defense aerosol sunscreen; Neutrogena Beach Defense aerosol sunscreen; Neutrogena Cool Dry Sport aerosol sunscreen; and Neutrogena Ultra Sheer aerosol sunscreen.

Long-lasting makeup

Makeup often claims to be sweatproof and last for upwards of 24 hours. But there is a reason the products do not melt off the face.

Similarly to waterproof mascara, Angela said: ‘Usually, it’s because companies have added PFAS… which I prefer not to be licking and eating all day on my lips.’

Makeup testers in stores

Angela said: ‘While the lawsuits linking them to bad health haven’t succeeded, they have shed light on a bunch of studies which have found all sorts of germs.’

As well as E. coli – which causes stomach cramps and diarrhea and, in severe cases, can be fatal – staphylococcus and streptococcus bacteria were found in studies, which can cause infections. 

One study found germs in 100 percent of the in-store makeup items tested.

‘Clean beauty’ products

Clean beauty describes non-toxic products free from harmful chemicals, such as parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances.

Angela said: ‘The next tidal wave in cosmetics litigation is that companies are slapping the label ‘clean’ on their product without actually meeting any reasonable consumer expectation of what clean is.’ 

Neon eyeshadow

Angela said: ‘Multiple companies have settled class actions in the last couple of years because neon color additives are not FDA-approved for use around the eyes.’

The Food & Drug Administration website reads: ‘There are eight fluorescent colors approved for cosmetics, and like other colors, there are limits on how they may be used. None of them are allowed for use near the eyes.’

Eyelash growth serum

Angela said she will not use eyelash growth serum without consulting a doctor. 

She said: ‘Latisse is the only one FDA approved and it has to be prescribed under a doctor’s care. 

‘Other companies started selling these ingredients in their own over-the-counter serum and people are suing.

‘There can be real scary side effects.’

Australian entrepreneur Kasey Giarratana launched her natural eyelash growth serum business in 2021.

She said: ‘Some toxic ingredients used in commercial pharmaceutical lash serums use known carcinogenic and hormone-disrupting ingredients such as Bitmaprost. 

‘This prostaglandin is a chemical compound with hormone-like effects.’

UV gel nails

Angela said: ‘Those gel dryers are literally tanning beds for your hands. You know they’re linked to skin cancer.’

Dermatologists have previously warned that gel manicures could cause lasting damage to the nails and even increase the risk of skin cancer.

A gel manicure uses three coats of a special type of polish from brands such as Shellac or OPI. 

Each coat is set using UV light – and experts say this could have dangerous side effects.

Dr Chris Adigun, from New York University School of Medicine, said the UV lamps damage the skin cells like sunbeds.

‘Women who frequently get gel manicures should consider their skin cancer risk,’ he said.

Writing in the American Academy of Dermatology, Dr Adigun is so concerned about the risk he advises women to slather suncream on their hands before having a gel manicure.

The added worry is that the machines aren’t regulated, meaning consumers don’t know how much exposure they are getting to the rays.

It follows a study in 2009 that found two middle-aged women developed tumors on their hands following exposure to UV nail lights.

Neither had a family history of skin cancer, and both worked indoors and had moderate exposure to sunlight, according to the research published in JAMA Dermatology.

Ever wanted to own your own cliff? Popular 170ft tall beauty spot in the Yorkshire Dales goes on the market for £150,000

• It has been described by agents as a ‘totally unique opportunity’ to purchase 

By Daniel Fessahaye

Published: 13:24 EDT, 6 June 2023 | Updated: 21:25 EDT, 6 June 2023

HISTORY

STEEPLE CHASING

by Peter Ross (Headline £22, 400pp)

The east window of Morningside Parish Church in Edinburgh depicts the four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. ‘Two or three of them,’ notes the church’s minister Derek Browning, ‘look decidedly female.’ This is because Edward Burne-Jones, the artist responsible, ‘used his mistress as a model’.

Browning is, of course, a believer. But several of the people in Peter Ross’s tour of the country’s churches are not.

One atheist explains: ‘I needed beauty in my life and I found it inside churches.’ Even some who retain a faith still reject organised religion. A stonemason at Gloucester Cathedral hated the ‘hypocrisy and sanctimoniousness’ of Catholicism, while Ross himself ‘left the church, but churches never quite left me’.

He still loves them as buildings and his travels make for a very interesting book.

Some of his destinations are the superstars. At St Paul’s he learns that when its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, burning sheets of paper fell 20 miles away.

At nearby St Mary-le-Bow, the famous bells are each engraved with a biblical quotation, their first letters combining to spell ‘D WHITTINGTON’. Meanwhile, St Mary The Virgin in Whitby is now so famous because of a certain book that ‘a sign has been placed on the door advising visitors to please stop asking for directions to Dracula’s grave’.

But most of the venues are run-of-the-mill. The poet John Betjeman was a fan of what he called ‘church crawling’ (visiting several in a day) because he said it ‘introduces you to the history of the country’.

At St Lawrence’s, in the Norfolk village of Harpley, he sees a name scratched into a window. It might be ‘Joseph’, but the word next to it is definitely ‘hanged’ — a friend or relative wanted to commemorate the criminal who had been denied a proper memorial.

Bats are big fans of churches, though not (contrary to the old phrase) of their belfries, which tend to be too windy and noisy. Their accumulated body waste gets to be a problem, so sonic devices and stuffed owls are used to deter them. One church even persuaded someone with a motorbike to ‘run up and down the nave to try and kill them with carbon monoxide’.

We discover which cathedral has the tallest spire in the UK (Salisbury), and where cathedrals get their name in the first place —– they’re simply a church that contains the seat (‘cathedra’) of a bishop. Then there’s the reason that Old Saint Paul’s in Edinburgh has 33 steps down to the street — it’s one for every year of Christ’s life.

Throughout the book there are reminders of the threat faced by churches, now that the religion which built them has become less relevant to most people. Between 1969 and 2021, the Church of England disposed of 2,013 churches, 500 of which were demolished.

A vicar visiting St Mary’s Church in Tissington, Derbyshire, announces as he climbs into the pulpit: ‘I’ve been warned not to sit down, because of the woodworm. So I shall stand.’

There’s also the sheer barminess of much that goes on. In Westminster Cathedral, you’ll find the entire embalmed body of St John Southworth (executed in 1654), his face covered with a mask. During the annual ordination ceremony, ‘new priests lie face down in a line along the nave, like jets readying for take-off, while Southworth lies on his back among them’.

But whatever we think of religion’s practitioners, we can’t deny that their buildings are still a huge part of the landscape. Almost half of the Grade I-listed buildings in England are parish churches.

For a small minority, churches are still a way of life. Though even some of those are having second thoughts.

As one of the monks at Pluscarden Abbey, in Scotland, tells Ross: ‘I sometimes think it would be quite nice to have a wife. Or even a pair of socks.’

That’s what you call body art! Amazing UV pictures painted onto naked women celebrate the female form using images of sunsets, tropical oceans and mountains lit by moonlight

By Deni Kirkova

Published: 06:08 EDT, 18 June 2014 | Updated: 11:37 EDT, 18 June 2014

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In a project which marries the beauty of the female form with spectacular scenes from nature, an artist has created stunning UV images on women’s backs.

John Poppleton, from California, creates incredible works of art painted directly onto human skin using fluorescent shades of lilac, orange and green and then photographs them with stunning results.

His project, called Under Black Light, consists of ‘bodyscapes’ of spectacular natural phenomena such as African sunsets, tropical oceans during rainstorm, and mountain ranges under moonlight.

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In more otherworldly, eerie designs the artist depicts cosmic scenes of stars, galaxies and shimmering auroras.

His gorgeous painterly scenes are photographed under black light to produce the seemingly glowing images.

John incorporates the curves and shapes of the models into his paintings, and in some the canvas is stretches beyond the back of the model onto the background behind.

The artist dabbled in photography as a hobby until several friends convinced him to photograph their weddings in 1993. He then became a professional portrait photographer as has flourished in the industry for more than 20 years.

It has always been John’s goal to create something original and different but fantasy portraits were never part of the plan. ‘I wasn’t looking for it, it found me’, he says.

‘Around 2003 Photoshop introduced a new tool called liquify and just to show what it could do I stretched a brides ears and turned her into an elf. (‘Lord of the Rings’ was in theatres about this time.) It turned out so nice I put a copy in my portfolio and it just evolved from there.

‘But things really took off when the owner of a faerie collectable store asked me to create 12 images for a calendar. That’s what gave me the biggest push.’

In 2010, while suffering from a sleepless night in a hotel room bed, John received his inspiration for using black light and he was off on what has become the biggest adventure of his career.

John has received numerous awards for his wedding and fantasy portraits through Wedding & Portrait Photographers International, and his work has been featured in many acclaimed photography books.

He now lives in the quiet little town of Wellsville in Northern Utah, with his wife Becky and their three children.