Features: Health & Beauty
PORTER
WINTER 2018
FRIEND OR FOE
A stage production of the movie classic All About Eve starring Gillian Anderson and Lily James, depicts how savagely women can compete with each other. But in a post MeToo era of female solidarity, why do we still enjoy the drama of fierce female rivalry?
VOGUE
JULY 2017
CLEAN FIGHT
The profitable clean-living movement dominates modern life. but is it healthy, asks Christa D'Souza.
SUNDAY TIMES
SEPTEMBER 2016
SAM McKNIGHT- SUPER SAM
He's the hairstylist who created looks for Princess Diana, Kate Moss, and Gisele. As Sam McKnight celebrates 40 years in the industry with a book and an exhibition, Christa D'Souza has a gossip with the man who knows everyone's secrets.
VOGUE
JUNE 2016
LET'S GET IT OM - CHANTING
Chanting is the new mindfulness, a way to connect to the divine – or just cope with modern life. But does it work? Christa D’Souza, not a natural joiner-in, finds out.
VOGUE
NOVEMBER 2015
REFLECTED GLORY
A woman's relationship with her reflection is about much more than vanity. Mirrors cast a light on what it is to be human says Christa D'Souza as Vogue contemplates images from its archive.
VOGUE
NOVEMBER 2015
WISDOM & TEETH
Christa D’Souza brushes up on the latest in dental care.
VOGUE
MARCH 2015
RAZOR LIGHT
Body hair is back in vogue but, asks Christa D'Souza, would you go au naturel?
VOGUE
DECEMBER 2012
GROOVE IS IN THE HEART
Christa D'Souza makes a case for strutting one's stuff. Even if badly.
VOGUE
OCTOBER 2011
SOB STORIES
Tears expose us at our happiest and our most vulnerable. But what really makes us cry? And why are some of us better at it than others? Christa D'Souza turns on the waterworks.
VOGUE
MARCH 2010
POO, THE LAST TABOO
We all do it - even those of us who pretend we don't. So why are we still so hung up about it?
VOGUE
DECEMBER 2009
THE SOUND OF SCENT
The language of perfume is being written - with colour, shape and sound. Will this change our attitude to scent? Christa D'Souza investigates.
VOGUE
JUNE 2009
CONFESSIONS OF A WEIGHT-CONTROL OBSESSIVE
For 20 years, Christa D'Souza has closely monitored every morsel that goes into her mouth. Has it made her any happier? She tries to escape the tyranny of the scales.
VOGUE
AUGUST 2010
RECLINING NUDE
How far would you go for the perfect tan? Christa D’Souza prepares to bare all.
VOGUE
MARCH 2007
CHARLOTTE TILBURY - FONDANT FANCIES
I'm in the penthouse suite of the Sanderson hotel and make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury has just whooshed in.
VOGUE
SEPTEMBER 2004
GREEN GODDESS - THE DIARY OF A RELUCTANT ECO-WARRIOR
As someone who has spent her entire adult life ignoring the benefits of recycling, Christa D'Souza was the perfect candidate to accept Vogue's challenge: to spend two weeks living the very greenest good life.
VOGUE
MAY 2004
IS NOWHERE PRIVATE?
The latest cosmetic surgery craze in America is for enhancing the most intimate of areas - the vagina. But whatever next? And who's really reaping the benefits?
VOGUE
SEPTEMBER 2003
THE YEAR OF THE REAR
It’s been hard not to notice – bums are everywhere. From Kylie to catwalk, it’s clear they have become the new focus of our attention. Forget boobs, even the cleavage we’re now after is below the waistline. Christa D’Souza looks at what’s behind this obsession and asks why the bottom is a top priority in 2003.
VOGUE
AUGUST 2003
PAT MCGRATH, BEAUTY QUEEN
The New Yorker called her “the most important black woman in fashion who isn’t a model”.A legend in her field, she is in constant demand by the fashion world. Christa D’Souza snatched some time with British make-up artist Pat McGrath,backstage at the Paris shows.
YOU MAGAZINE
04 DECEMBER 2022
THE TRUTH BEHIND THE TIKTOK DIET DRUG CRAZE
Hollywood is apparently hooked on it, and social media is fanning demand for the latest weight-loss ‘miracle’
YOU MAGAZINE
29 MAY 2022
WAS I PLAYING RUSSIAN ROULETTE BY TAKING HRT?
When breast-cancer survivor Christa D’Souza’s uterine scan last year showed telltale signs of the disease, she couldn’t help worrying that her own health choices were partly to blame.
LUXX MAGAZINE
02 NOVEMBER 2019
WOULD YOU WANT TO FIND OUT IF YOU'LL GET DEMENTIA?
The VIP MOT industry is booming, promising a longer and healthier life for those willing to part with (lots of) cash. But is it worth it?
THE TIMES
7 OCTOBER 2019
DO YOU HAVE DIET FACE?
Jenni Murray is spot on — staying slim can take its toll on your features.
THE DAILY MAIL
25 SEPTEMBER 2019
EVERYDAY AGEISM
It's time to wage war against everyday ageism
THE DAILY MAIL
8 APRIL 2019
SOBER PARTYING
No hangovers, no carb-laden canapes, and home by 10: Christa D'Souza follows example of Kate Moss, Meg Matthews and Sadie Frost and discovers the transformative effect of clean partying.
THE TELEGRAPH
07 FEBRUARY 2019
HOW NOT TO GO UP A SIZE EVERY YEAR
January diets may be over at last, but strict eater Christa D’Souza has no plans to let herself go on the food front any time soon.
GET THE GLOSS
1 JANUARY 2019
SAGGY EAR LOBES
It's a growing trend thought to be connected to our love of dainty earrings and multiple piercings. Christa D'Souza tries a newly popular non-surgical treatment..
THE DAILY MAIL
16 DECEMBER 2018
GOING GREY BEFORE 60
Her striking long brown hair is her trademark, but now, as CHRISTA D’SOUZA embraces her natural colour she passionately argues others should also.
THE DAILY MAIL
14 OCTOBER 2018
CAN A COMPUTER HEADSET CURE YOUR FEAR OF HEIGHTS?
Welcome to the world of Virtual Reality-assisted therapy, a method by which therapists can treat their patients’ phobias, anxieties and past traumas.
GET THE GLOSS
5 OCTOBER 2018
800 CALORIES A DAY
Her last detox retreat ended with three glasses of wine on the plane home. Could adding meditation to the mix at a top German fasting clinic fix Christa D'Souza's retox habit?
THE TIMES
19 AUGUST 2018
AS XANAX ADDICTION REACHES EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS, A MOTHER TELLS HER STORY
Dealers turning up in the dead of night, £50,000 in rehab fees and a son they barely recognized. When Sarah’s 15-year-old began taking the medication, she had no idea where it would end up.
THE TIMES
28 JULY 2018
JUUL: THE HIGHLY ADDICTIVE VAPE PEN TAKING OVER AMERICAN SCHOOLS
The ‘iPhone of e-cigarettes’ has launched in the UK.
THE WILDSMITH PAPERS
4 JULY 2018
BACK TO NATURE
As the annual beach-body-ready season kicks off in earnest, Christa D’Souza celebrates her decision to have her breast implants removed and finds that for her anyway, natural is best.
THE TIMES
24 FEBRUARY 2018
FAT FREEZING AND HOT YOGA
It’s not about “looking good for our age” — it’s about looking good full stop.
THE DAILY MAIL
28 JANUARY 2018
CHRISTA D'SOUZA ON GIVING UP ALCOHOL
She gave up for dry January, two years later CHRISTA D'SOUZA is still on the wagon. Here, in a very personal account, she says why giving up booze could save your marriage.
THE DAILY MAIL
20 NOVEMBER 2017
LYNN FRANKS' ABFAB RETREAT
It’s brilliantly bonkers and promises to make you a midlife superwoman, but are you brave enough to try PR guru Lynne Frank's new retreat?
THE SUNDAY TIMES
11 NOVEMBER 2017
NADIA AND KATIA NARAIN - SELF-CARE WITH KATE MOSS’S HEALTH GURUS.
Crazy juice fasts, complicated exercise classes, the latest must-do diet – none of these deliver peace like the simple, common-sense advice of taking care of yourself. Here’s how.
THE SATURDAY TIMES
24 SEPTEMBER 2017
HOW I LOST MY LIP FILLER VIRGINITY AT 57
Our writer has always hated her ‘mean’ lips, but feared the needle. What happens when you have your first filler at 57?
EVENING STANDARD
15 SEPTEMBER 2016
WANTING A WAIST
Christa D’Souza has spent her life hankering after one thing: a waist. Now, with hourglass silhouettes ruling the catwalks from Loewe to Saint Laurent, she’s decided to take back the middle ground…
THE TELEGRAPH
27 AUGUST 2016
BREAST CANCER AND HRT
THE TIMES
6 AUGUST 2016
LOOK LIKE A BEACH BUM FOR £2000!
Christa D’Souza’s beach bohemian look: yours for £2,000! The writer reports from Mykonos on the real cost of looking footloose and fancy-free.
THE DAILY MAIL
17 JULY 2016
TANNING: MY SPECIAL TALENT
Everyone has a special talent. A friend of mine can tie knots in cherry stalks with her tongue, for example. Another friend had an uncanny talent for blagging flight upgrades. Mine? It’s sun-tanning.
THE TIMES
9 JULY 2016
I'M A MID-LIFE PUNK
THE DAILY MAIL
2 MAY 2016
CHRISTA D'SOUZA ON HRT
Christa D'Souza feared taking HRT because of breast cancer risks. She shouldn't have.
THE DAILY MAIL
30 APRIL 2016
HOW THE MENOPAUSE CAN DRIVE MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN INTO THE ARMS OF A TOYBOY
Christa D'Souza's unflinchingly honest series reveals the real effects of the menopause.
THE SATURDAY TIMES MAGAZINE
25 APRIL 2015
MINI SKIRTS AND HOT FLUSHES
When Christa D’Souza’s periods stopped last summer, she thought her life was over. Then she opened a Tinder account and started taking testosterone...
THE GUARDIAN
21 JULY 2012
ME AND MY BRA
As news emerged this week that our medieval sisters wore underwear just like our own, we asked four women – and one man – to discuss their intimate experiences with bras.
W MAGAZINE
1 MARCH 2011
CHRISTA D'SOUZA: THE GREAT UNWASHED, SIX WEEKS WITHOUT SHAMPOO
For the purpose of this story, I have committed to not washing my hair for six weeks.
THE SUNDAY TIMES
02 MARCH 2008
GUCCI WESTMAN - THE MAKE-UP ARTIST WHO MADE CAMERON DIAZ UGLY
Gucci Westman had made Cameron Diaz look bad, at least in Being John Malkovich. She's also friends with Drew Barrymore, has worked with Annie Leibovitz and consults for Lancome.
THE TELEGRAPH
23 NOVEMBER 2007
SO HAD MY CANCER SPREAD PART 2
Concluding an account of her breast cancer diagnosis, Christa D'Souza describes the agonising moment when a surgeon revealed the results of her biopsy, and how, after seeking a second medical opinion in the US, she had to choose between a harrowing course of treatment or letting nature take its course…
THE TELEGRAPH
22 OCTOBER 2007
CANCER? WHY HAS MY BODY LET ME DOWN? PART 1
In the first of a two-part series, water-drinking yoga fanatic Christa D'Souza describes the shock of an unexpected diagnosis
THE SPECTATOR
11 JULY 2007
NOTHING DOING
Christa D’Souza says fighting boredom is a vital, but endangered life skill.
THE GUARDIAN
13 MAY 2007
MY NAME IS CHRISTA: I'M AN AGEOREXIC
More than ever before, we are obsessed by youth. Self-confessed 'age-orexic' Christa D'Souza peels away her own mask of self-delusion and asks: why are we so scared about acting our age?