'love it', magazine

Now on the rare occasions I do get an hour to myself there's nothing I like more than relaxing on the sofa with a cup of coffee in one hand and a glossy magazine in the other. A few years ago I used to buy a lot of magazines each month titles such as New Woman, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and then smaller magazines in-between to feed my craving for celebrity gossip and hair and beauty.

Then I got into debt and I had to look at my spending ...
...up and I was shocked to find out I was spending anywhere between £20 - £30 a month on magazines! I realised that this was just ridiculous and that I simply couldn't afford to spend that much each month, so I decided to limit myself to a £10 a limit each month. I stopped buying the big glossy magazines and started buying cheaper alternatives like Now, New and Closer and I realised these gave me the kick of gossip and everything that I needed but at ... more

Now on the rare occasions I do get an hour to myself there's nothing I like more than relaxing on the sofa with a cup of coffee in one hand and a glossy magazine in the other. A few years ago I used to buy a lot of magazines each month titles such as New Woman, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and then smaller magazines in-between to feed my craving for celebrity gossip and hair and beauty.

Then I got into debt and I had to look at my spending and see where I could cut back. I added it up and I was shocked to find out I was spending anywhere between £20 - £30 a month on magazines! I realised that this was just ridiculous and that I simply couldn't afford to spend that much each month, so I decided to limit myself to a £10 a limit each month. I stopped buying the big glossy magazines and started buying cheaper alternatives like Now, New and Closer and I realised these gave me the kick of gossip and everything that I needed but at a cheaper price.

I do admit that I can still be tempted by the lure of the magazine rack at my local supermarket but as long as I stick to my rule that I don't spend more than £10 a month it's ok to buy myself something when I go to do my weekly shop. Recently whilst filling up a trolley with groceries in Asda I decided to have a look and see what magazines they had in stock. The day before I could remember seeing an advert on TV for a magazine called Love It which looked quite good and best of all it was on special offer at only 30p half the usual selling price, now that's not going to break the bank really is it.

So this is the magazine I will be reviewing today. In particular the issue dated 13th - 19th March.

Bought to us by the same people who publish the Sun newspaper, Love It is a weekly magazine which has a mixture of true life stories, fashion, beauty, reader's pictures, problem pages and competitions. It doesn't include much information on celebrities or celebrity gossip like magazines such as Heat but some people don't like those kinds of publications anyway and I would say this is more for someone who wants a magazine with more real life articles.

It isn't the thickest of magazines - this issue has 66 pages to be honest though I actually quite like the fact it isn't one of the thicker glossier mags as they always seem to have more advertisements for products I can't afford in them than anything else. It also means that I can sit down with this when I get a few spare minutes and read a couple of pages then put it down go away do something else and then pick it back up again when I get another spare 10 minutes.

The cover of this magazine is very eye catching, it has a picture of a very happy looking woman on the front and the title of the mag is bright pink and in big letters, a few slogans tell you what is inside the issue - "Mums who walk out on their kids", "The wife, her lover and the frozen chicken", "Sex with size zero men", "I sold my house to buy new boobs", among many others. This issue also offers a supposed free gym membership for every reader.

Inside the cover on the first page as with most magazines is a quick word from the editor who is called Karen Pasquali Jones, a list of contents and two vouchers to get your next copy of Love It! For 40p - one for you and one for a friend. Unfortunately I obviously forgot these were in this copy as I haven't used them and they've expired - drat, though I suppose the magazine is only 60p anyway so it isn't that highly priced to start off with. So lets turn the page and see what this magazine has in store for us - I'll write a bit about each page as I come across them.

Pages 4 & 5 - Welcome to Your World

These two pages contain pictures and stories sent in by the magazines readers, in this issue we have Misty the kitten wearing her woolly jumper for the winter (sorry but dressing animals in clothes is just wrong!), Silly road name signs (Purvs Corner for those who might wonder what it was), pictures of readers with celebrities and readers who look like celebrities. They also have a section "what to do this week" which gives different suggestions for things to do each day of the forthcoming week.

Pages 6 & 7 - I swapped motherhood for sex with my teen lover

This is an article about a reader called Vanessa who fell in love with a work colleague who was 19 years younger than her. She left her husband and her children to be with her new lover after she realised her marriage was over. Her husband then begged her to come back and they met up to try and sort things out, this however didn't go to plan and due to her husbands nasty comments Vanessa lost her temper and attacked him with a shopping bag.

The next morning Vanessa found herself being arrested for assault - her husband had reported her and told the Police that she had tried to attack him with a frozen chicken which was inside her shopping bag. Eventually she was released without charge but then received a letter from her ex husband's solicitor filing for divorce - he even had them cite the chicken incident in the paperwork.

Page 8 - Love it! Letters

As the title suggests this is a page where they print readers letters they have received, most of them are relating to articles in previous issues or from people commenting on the magazine in general.

Page 11 - I hated my man boobs

Each week in Love It! They feature a story about someone who has had plastic surgery, either stories where operations have gone wrong or success stories. They also sometimes pay for someone to go and have surgery after they have written in with a gripe about their boobs/tummy/face etc. The story in this issue features Shelly an exotic dancer who was lacking in the breast department and wasn't happy with what she describes as her "man boobs". After splitting with a boyfriend who she owned a house with she decided she would use some of her half of the proceeds from the house sale to get breast implants. The story shows before and after pictures and tells how Shelly meets a new man who supported her through the process of getting her new boobs even though he is happy with them the way they are.

So Shelly jumps on a plane and goes to Brussels for the operation, she starts off with 32AA sized breasts and comes out with new perky 32D's, the operation costs £2500 and Shelly is made up with the results - she even says that she is crazy about them (steady on love).

Page 14 & 15 - You've got Male

This is described in the magazine as - the good, the bad and the downright sexy. It features various pictures of celebrity men and how to make over your man with a list of items you can buy to do this. It also has a bloke joke………."Your place or Mine?"………"both. You go to yours and I'll go to mine"…..not exactly a joke if you ask me but hey what can you expect for 30p! It has a section on Bloke Jargon so you can tell what your bloke is really saying to his mates. They have a reader's man of the week where someone send in a picture of their man and reasons why he should be man of the week - a good way to embarrass your boyfriend/husband if you ask me!

On page 15 they have 'Is your hunk Britain's Dishiest" again where readers send in pictures of their topless hunks, there is also an entry coupon should you wish to send a picture of your very own hunk - if they print your hunks picture you get £50.

Page 16 & 17 - I want a turkey baster baby

In this celebrity Jodie Marsh tells how she's had enough of men and wants to have kids with her gay best friend.

She tells how she received an email telling her that he fiancé Dave Doyle had been cheating on her. Having only met him 6 weeks before (does she never learn) she had thought she was in love with him and was devastated to find out that he was seeing someone else so reaped revenge by dumping him on her website (oh dear).

She then says how she doesn't feel ready for committing to anyone and isn't looking for love and she just wants to go out and have fun but she wants a baby (yes because that fits into the going out and having fun lifestyle she leads). She says how she only wants kids with her gay best friend Kyle and how she has suggested to him that they try to conceive by using a turkey baster.

After reading this article it has just made me think that Jodie Marsh is even more of an idiot than I thought she was before (and that's saying something). I think she is totally off her rocker in all honesty and I don't know why she thinks such an article would be a good idea.

Then this comes from the woman who thinks two belts over her boobs suffice a full outfit on a night out.

Page 19 - The E! Spot

Amy Brookbanks brings you the juiciest of celeb secrets and the best must see, must do's of the week.

This page has Film, CD, DVD and book reviews with marks out of 5 for each item. In this weeks issue they review Wayne Rooney's fiancé Colleens new autobiography which they give 4 out of 5, even though I find it quite unbelievable that a 20yr old can write an autobiography I still wouldn't mind reading it so I might get a cheap copy off Ebay for myself. They also review World Best Mum CD which they give 5 out of 5, the new film Factory Girl starring Sienna Miller which they give 3 out of 5 and Anthea Turners series The Perfect Housewife on DVD which gets a 4 out of 5.

There's also a bit of celeb gossip and TV Show of the week which this week goes to Coronation Street for the storyline following Tracey Barlows trial for the murder of Charlie Stubbs.

Personally I would like this section to be a couple of pages long rather just one - I must admit I do like a bit of celebrity gossip though!

Page 21 - Make me over

Now these are the things I love - Makeovers!

In this issue they turn 21 year old university student Helena who has written in because she looks like Ugly Betty and asks them to transform her.

They do an amazing job, there is a before picture which basically looks like she has stepped straight out of a library and an after picture in which Helena looks like a totally different person.

They give her a hair colour, cut and style at Daniel Galvin, a spray tan and tooth whitening and then put her in a lovely dress.

I might write into this myself - I've always wanted my teeth whitened!

Pages 22 & 23 - Dress to Impress

This is a double page dedicted to fashion, in particular dresses.

There are 6 dresses complete with suggestions for shoes and accessories that are designed to suit most body shapes - so we have show off your cleveage, boyish figures, boosy a small bust, create some curves, hide lumps and bumps and pull in your waist.

There are some lovely dresses - all very reasonably priced ranging from £18 up to £60. Unfortunately the one that is designated for my body shape is the one I don't like very much.

I am on the lookout for a nice dress as I have a wedding to go to - it isn't until June but I know what I'm like and how fussy I am so I'm giving myself plenty of time to find an outfit!

Pages 24 & 25 - Speedy reads

These are short true reader stories that you can read quickly while drinking a cup of tea or when you don't have much time.

This time we have Hannah from Northwood who tells how having her baby saved her life as when she was pregnant and suffering really bad headaches doctors discovered she actually had a brain tumour.

We also have a lady whose husband had a heart attack and a car accident and is still alive to tell the tale.

Lastly there is the story of Emily, 26 from Cardiff who tells how Doctor Who cured her agoraphobia.

Page 26 & 27 - Sex with size zero men

With the latest craze of size zero models Love It! Have looked at the other side of the coin by looking at readers whose male partners are the equivalent of size zero and how they find this more attractive than big muscly men.

Apparently researchers at the University of California found that women prefer skinny guys like Jude Law and not beefcakes like Jean Claude Van Damme. Now personally I like my men to be kind of halfway between the two - I can't stand big muscles but then I equally don't like skinny looking men either.

Page 28 & 29 - My lover stabbed his best mate over dirty dishes

Story of how after meeting up with an old friend Tammy's boyfriend Keith had invited him to stay with them at their house while he was looking for somewhere to live. He ended up saying quite a while and he and Keith became best friends.

Tammy then tells after a night out drinking at the pub her boyfriend came home and they had an argument which then lead to him getting a knife from the kitchen and threatening her with it. While she was hiding upstairs with a friend somehow her boyfriend Keith had managed to stab his friend it later turned out that they had argued over some dirty dishes.

Danny, the friend died later in hospital and Keith was arrested and jailed for five years for Manslaughter.

This story shows how easily a situation can accelerate into something much more serious.

Page 31 & 32 - You'll never believe it!

Stories that just either make you laugh because they are so silly like the one in this issue where Dayne, 19 has had a full English breakfast tattooed onto his bald head as he thought nothing exciting ever happened in his home town. (what a plonker!) To stories that make you think like the mother who was told to abort her baby by doctors as they said it had a rare illness where the babies bran was enlarged but then gave birth to a healthy baby much to the doctor's amazement.

Then there's the story of a 14 year old boy who risked his life to rescue his 73 year old neighbour after his house was set on fire by a chip pan.

Page 33 & 34 - Mummy come home

Every year thousands of women will disappear without a trace the vast majority of them mothers who simply leave their children behind for whatever reason. This article highlights these cases and shows the relatives side of the story who have been left to look after the families of women who have disappeared without any warning and not been seen since.

It is pretty heartbreaking to read - especially when the children tell their side of the story and how they wish their mums would return home and everything would be normal again.

It also gives details of 4 mums who are missing with pictures and a description what happened prior to their disappearance. Cases like a woman who went missing 20 years ago leaving behind a young daughter and a woman who was 60 when she disappeared 3 years ago.

This is a serious issue which has made me think where are these people? Where do they all go? Do they simply make a new life or has something sinister happened to them? T's also made me think how awful it must be for families of missing people and what they must go through not knowing where their loved ones are.

Page 35 - Sex Confidential

This page is dedicated to letters from readers about all kinds of sexual problems. These can range from being embarrassed to keep the light on to worrying about a partners fantasies.

The psychologist who answers the questions Dr Pam Spurr gives good answers to all the questions asked in a caring and sympathetic way.

It also give details of helplines for regularly asked questions.

Page 37 - Its Yummy Mummy

This is an easy recipe for you to make with your kids (if you have them) to make a mother days cake.

The instructions are clear and easy to follow and the finished product looks scrummy (well in the picture it does I'm not sure it would look that good if I attempted it however).

Mmmmmmmm cake!

Pages 38 & 30 - Motherly Love

With Mothers day falling during the publication wee of this magazine it was a dead cert there would be an article about what to buy for mothers day and this is it. Two pages of various suggestions of what you can get your mum to say thanks on her special day.

Anging from handbags to teapots and chocolates to bath melts that look like little cup cakes there is a good selection of gifts to suit most pockets here.

Page 41 - You can make it

If you don't have the cash to spend on a mothers day present or prefer to make something yourself here they show you how to make a bracelet with hearts dangling from it. It says it costs £8 to make the completed bracelet and is easy to make taking only 30 minutes to do.

Not really my kind of thing to be honest but I can see how it would appeal to some readers.

Page 42 - Carly's Cut Out and Keep Tips

The obligatory readers tips page. This has the usual kind of thing you'd expect - how to make some skittles for your kids out of yoghurt drink containers and how to keep your sandwiches fresh every day.

I can't say any of the tips in this issue I would really follow but hey sometimes you find something useful on these pages
Pages 44 & 45 - Your Good Health

These two pages have real life stories about readers health problems.

In this issue we have a lady who is affected by constant boils (nice), how to help dry eyes and a couple of letters asking for advice from the magazines doctor.

Pages 47 - Dear Trisha

Popular chat show host Tricia Goddard answers more letters from readers with various problems. These are to do with more matters of the heart such as bereavement, eating disorders and relationship problems.

As you would imagine Tricia answers in her usual open and honest manner and can be quite to the point but sometimes this is what people need.

Page 48 - Street Psychic

Each week clairvoyant Jayne Wallace travels to a different town and stops passers by on the street to use different ways of telling stuff about them such as doing a tarot reading, reading their aura or using crystals. They then give them a run down of what they think is going on in their lives at the current time. In this issue they stop 5 people and each person has to rate what the Psychic has said for accuracy out of 5.

Jayne scores 3 out of 5 on two of the readings, 4 out of 5 on one of the readings and 5 out of 5 on two of the readings so that's not bad going.

As someone who is quite interested in this kind of thing I find these pretty intriguing.

Page 49 - Free Membership at a top health club worth up to £59.95

This is for up to 1 months membership at LA Fitness for free. It gives instructions on how to claim your free month which sound pretty easy.

As I have just recently joined the gym I haven't bothered claiming this.

Pages 50 & 51 - Underwater Wonderland

In each issue they feature a travel destination with various details about the specified place. This week it's the Red Sea in Egypt especially the diving that you can do there.

I must admit Egypt isn't somewhere I have really been overly bothered about visiting but they chose a different destination each week so there is bound to be something that tickles my tastebuds eventually.

Pages 52 to 56 - Puzzles!
On these pages you will find quick puzzles to do, some of which you can win cash prizes by completing and filling in the form with the relevant answers on.

Page 59 - Love It! Bid to Buy

Various items which you can bid on via text message and whoever puts in the lowest unique bid wins that particular prize.

Even as someone who enters competitions a lot I never bother with these kind of things. It costs 50p for each bid you make and I've never heard of anyone who has won anything in this kind of competition.

Pages 60 & 61 - Why couldn't my love save you?

This is a letter from the heart written by Louise, 30 who's mother died after taking too many painkillers when she was suffering bad headaches. As you can imagine it's quite heart wrenching to read.

Pages 62 & 63 - Spend Spend Spend

After years on the breadline Sylvia inherited the sum of £46,000 from her Stepmum and then went on a massive spending spree and blew the lot on clothes, holidays, bingo and meals and drinks.

Page 66 - Your Stars

Horoscopes for the coming week as written by resident Astrologer Fiona Graham.

Apparently this week I was going to get to grips with what really motivates someone and the scene is set to discuss plans affecting us both. I would apparently reap rewards from seeds already sown.

This was actually pretty accurate as Dave and I have been discussing buying a house together once I finally complete my house sale (not long to go).

All in all I really enjoyed this magazine. It has the right mixture of real life stories, beauty and fashion. I personally would've liked a bit more celebrity stuff but there are other magazines I can get my fix of celeb gossip from.

I think some of the real life stories can seem a bit far fetched sometimes but each one has a picture of the reader and they only use real names in their articles. I suppose it's an insight into the weird wonderful and sometimes sad things that happen in other peoples lives.

For the price of 60p I think it is really good value and I will definitely buy it again. I like doing the puzzles and who knows maybe I will get lucky and win one of their cash prizes - that'd be nice.

I would give this magazine 4 out of 5. Just add a cup of tea/coffee and a chocolate biscuit for the perfect half hour break from the housework.

Thanks for reading.

Shazza xxx

 

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