The advent of next-generation hair straighteners was a black day for salons. Customers no longer needed to book a weekly blow-dry because they could now achieve the same chic-and-sleek look at home. Leading the way was the famous GHD but a new offering promises to give it a run for its money. The Andrew Collinge Digital Straightener has four heat settings, ceramic coated plates and a one-hour auto shut off feature. The latter is a lifesaver for anyone who's ever had to take a taxi home from the pub, convinced they've left the straighteners plugged in and set the house on fire. The price ( 49.99) and the fact that it heats up in 30 seconds is also a plus.

Eggsellent

Boots is quickly becoming our one-stop-shop for everything from beachwear to digital cameras. You mightn't think of looking for Easter edibles in a pharmacy but select Boots stores throughout the country are now stocking a range of food gifts, including these cute, chocolate treats. Boxes of speckled eggs cost 4.30 and are perfect for decorating your Easter Sunday table.

For budding Beckhams, there's even a chocolate ball complete with edible football boots.

Gastro porn

That food and sex are linked is pretty well established . . . proof of the pudding is the fact that more cookbooks are read in the bedroom and not the kitchen. The memoirs of one of the United States' most formidable critics makes the association explicit . . . Gael Greene's wonderfully indiscreet book Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess dishes the dirt on restaurant reviewing and her own prodigious love life. Prior to becoming the New Yorker's restaurant critic in 1968, she'd never written a review before and her only qualification was a passionate love of food. Insatiable recounts the evolution of restaurant dining in the States, as well as Gael's many affairs with celebrated chefs, Hollywood titans and even a quickie with Elvis Presley, who then asked her to call room service for a fried egg sandwich.

Going for bronze

If you want to capture your children for posterity, a studio portrait is one way to do so, but casting them in bronze certainly has more longevity. Elizabeth O'Kane worked with interior design companies until six years ago, when she began sculpting full time and won the Oireachtas/Cast Sculpture Prize. Primarily known for her striking figurative sculptures, a once-off request from one of her regular collectors has led to her being inundated with requests to sculpt people's children. Animal lovers are also getting in on the act by having their pet's likeness cast in bronze and you can see these unusual pieces for yourself at the Tramyard Gallery in Dalkey where an exhibition of Elizabeth's work is being hosted until 29 April.

Design for life

When you see beautiful houses in magazine photoshoots, it's hard not to get annoyed at their perfection. Where's the stack of Chinese restaurant menus littering the hall and the unclaimed hoodie on the back of the armchair?

Ok, we know these images aren't 'real' but it does highlight the chasm between our lifestyle aspirations and our messy reality.

However, an Irish company has come up with a nifty accessory that will allow you to enjoy your super-expensive designer furniture and not worry about dropping pizza on it. The Lounge Lizard has chamfered slats with a shiny finish, which are placed side by side on a pliable backing, which can be placed on surfaces or laid flat. It comes in black, dark red and cream and prices start from 34.95. Licence to slob out and stay stylish.

Child's play

Rumour has it that Miuccia Prada is next in line to produce a designer range for H & M. If she does, expect similar kinds of ructions to the ones Stella McCartney caused, when all hell broke loose as people scrabbled to get designer clothes at high street prices. In the meantime, its spring fashion for children is well worth checking out. It's all about the mix and match, with adorable frilled dresses, striped sailor tshirts and dark unwashed jeans for the girls. Key looks for boys include worker trousers, grandad tops and lumber jackets.

Perfect for your little budding fashionista.

Up to 90

There are many celebrations planned to mark the 90th anniversary of the Easter Rising and one of the most remarkable ones is a new play at Kilmainham Gaol. Operation Easter reflects on the Rising and asks what 1916 means to people all these years later, and what kind of nation has evolved, combining life stories and recorded oratory of those who took part in it. Directed by Bairbre Ni Chaoimh, the associate director of the Abbey Theatre, it stars Donal O'Kelly (who also wrote it), Gerry Lee, Phelim Drew, Ruaidhri Conroy and Mary Murray. It opens on 24 April and booking is on 01 8721122, price 20.

Style council

Like the idea of getting a fashion make-over?

But unwilling to have your sartorial sins exhibited on national television ("As we can see, Mary's clothes do nothing for her pearshaped figure. . .")? A new programme called The Dressing Room could be the solution. Very unusually, this is a radio show and the first time a make-over programme has ever been on the air as opposed to onscreen. Each week a candidate with a style dilemma submits to the beady eye of stylist Michelle Curtin, including a seven month pregnant teacher who doesn't want to compromise on style and a newly slim 'mother of the groom' in search of an outfit. The programme is running through July and August and if you'd like to sort yourself out on the style front, email your problem to thedressingroom@rte. ie or write to The Dressing Room, RTE Radio, Dublin 4.

Complete anonymity isn't guaranteed, alas, as listeners will be able to see the finished result on a website.