It looks glamourous now; the 94-room hotel looms on your right, stretching up toward the sky as soon as you turn off the Queen’s Park Savannah.

Blunt, matter-of-fact, with that no-nonsense tone you get from good school principals and cadet sergeants, Annabelle Davis is crystal clear on why she’s running for MP of the Port-of-Spain North/St Ann’s West seat.

Several guests, including former T&T first lady Zalayhar Hassanali, milled around the Gallery at Fine Arts last Tuesday at the opening of Reflective Moods, an exhibition by Fraulein Rudder.

T&T’s annual Hair and Beauty Show, held from May 1 to 3 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Wrightson Road, was packed this year with nail techs, hair dressers, make-up artists and everyday women looking forward to new trends and techniques in the beauty world.

It’s that time of the month again; time to reach for the pain killers, the chocolate and either a sanitary napkin (a pad) or a tampon.

Pop into the new juice bar on Maraval Road, Hümzinger, and you’ll probably see 21-year-old chef Brigette Joseph moving in and out of the tiny kitchen or smiling behind the counter.

Adeiye Ayodele Pilgrim believes firmly in the power of the personal touch. She named her hand-made card business after herself, Ayodele, which means ‘brings joy to the home’ in Yoruba.

As a bride-to-be, I know about the terror of wedding planning. Some women take to it like ducks to water; others, like me, sit like deer caught in the headlights as well-meaning relatives and friends make suggestions—or make plans for you.

“Thief. No good. Your mother don’t want you.” They are not exactly the words a young woman wants to hear. Yet twenty-two Sharlene* has heard them all.

At 52, with her funky dreadlocks and face bare of makeup, Stephne Bell may not look like your typical beauty queen. But her volunteer work with young people and single mothers in her home country qualified her to be selected as Miss Jamaica Elite United Nations (UN) International last year.