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Full-blown adulthood: does it actually start at 50?

According to a new survey, that’s the age when people feel most confident and in control of their lives. In other words, they no longer have a chairdrobe ...

Name: 50 (and thriving).

Age: You can work this one out.

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© Photograph: olga Yastremska/Alamy

© Photograph: olga Yastremska/Alamy

© Photograph: olga Yastremska/Alamy

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Jess Cartner-Morley’s September style essentials: slipper-soft shoes, miracle hair mist and a worth-the-wait cardigan

Got that new term feeling? Embrace the September reset with tailored blazers, hints of cashmere and a surprisingly excellent tee

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Nobody has handed me a timetable in decades, but I still love that new-term energy, and this edit leans right into it. A blazer that is properly tailored, rather than assembled from buttons and hope. Closed-toe shoes to ensure a proper soft landing after months of sandals. A T-shirt from a brand I was fully prepared to be sniffy about, until it made me eat my words. And a packing solution, because the only sane way to deal with the end of summer is to plan a holiday, obviously.

There’s also a genius lip colour for lip balm addicts like me, a bag doing a very convincing impression of something 10 times its price, and one long-sold-out cardigan that was worth every month of the wait.

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© Composite: PR Image

© Composite: PR Image

© Composite: PR Image

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Houseplant hacks: can a lint roller banish pests?

It’s a great detection tool, but if your plant is infested with thrips or spider mites it may not be enough …

The problem
The worst pests are the ones you can’t see; thrips and spider mites are tiny and very good at hiding on the undersides of leaves, in leaf joints and along stems. By the time you notice the damage – silvery streaks, speckling or fine webbing – the infestation is usually well under way. Early detection is the difference between a quick fix and a full-blown outbreak.

The hack
Use a sticky lint roller to pick up pests that are hard to see. The idea is it works as both a detection tool, and a light physical intervention, lifting adults and eggs before they multiply.

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© Composite: Olga Yastremska/Getty Images

© Composite: Olga Yastremska/Getty Images

© Composite: Olga Yastremska/Getty Images

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