Latest news with #Elixir
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
How to see seven Greek islands in a week — in serious style
We've all seen them on a summer holiday and felt a twinge of jealousy. I'm talking about the smug people on yachts. Picture this: you're sitting in a quaint Greek taverna by the harbour. A plate of moussaka and carafe of cheap plonk are under way. The sun is setting and you're feeling pretty good about your holiday, when — like an uninvited dinner party guest — a sleek superyacht glides up and drops anchor. You can even hear the champagne bottles popping. It's enough to make you feel sick. Well, last summer in Greece, for the first and possibly last time, I was not on the harbour looking on enviously. I was on the yacht. And I can confirm, it was glorious. Two years ago I made my cruise debut on the 25-cabin Elysium, the first ship from the boutique Greek cruise line Elixir. I well and truly caught the cruising bug. Last summer I tried out its second ship, Gemaya, which, with just five cabins, is even more exclusive. I must admit that the thought of sharing such a confined space with eight strangers was a leap of faith. But the cabins have Netflix, and the latest series of Bridgerton had just come out, so at least I had a back-up plan. There are three routes around Greece and mine, Aegean Escape, ambitiously packs in seven islands in seven days. But, as I learnt on my last cruise, when the winds pick up — as they often do in the Cyclades, the schedule goes out of the window. We miss out Antiparos and Ios, but add Anafi and Santorini — which is fine by me, but it helps not to get too attached to your original itinerary. Think of it more like a rough outline of where you might go. When you're on a yacht this swish, though, it's hard to complain. A private transfer drops me at Lavrio port to board the ship. I deposit my shoes in a basket and explore the yacht, which takes all of five minutes. After a tentative hello to my fellow guests, we're quickly slicing through the waves to port in Kythnos with a glass of rosé in hand. After a long (and a much less glamorous) working life with the Swedish army, the 33m yacht Gemaya has had a serious makeover and is now spending a happy retirement cruising the Cyclades. Its interior rivals even the swishest of superyachts. You pad around barefoot on thick cream carpet that is probably a nightmare to keep clean — always a sign of true wealth, I think. Cabins are wood-panelled with leather trims and Molton Brown toiletries. There's more than a little hint of Succession about it all. There are plenty of nooks where you can swerve the other passengers if you're feeling antisocial. An indoor dining room, upstairs living room with a sink-in corner sofa, and four separate outdoor areas including a hot tub and communal seating at the back where we do our best Logan Roy impressions, drinking whisky until the early hours. For the alfresco-inclined, you can sleep on a rooftop bed — a plum spot for stargazing. • 19 of the best Greek island cruises My first evening is spent at a long table in the dining room getting to know my fellow passengers over a dinner of squid ink linguine. Two sisters from South Africa; couples from Finland and Australia; and Ioannis Terdimos, Elixir's owner who seems to lead a very nice life, splitting his time between Dubai, Athens and the ship. 'This is another level of cruising,' says Terdimos, looking out at the topaz-blue water of Poliegos — an uninhabited island off the coast of Milos — where we head on our third day. 'People told us this would never work. Ten people, all strangers, together on a boat for a whole week,' he says. It's true that on paper the Gemaya is a risky proposition. It's luck of the draw who the other guests are, and then you're stuck with them for a week. But at the start of 2024 Terdimos did a few trial runs on the Gemaya. The boat was stocked with board games to keep people entertained. As well as Netflix, there's wi-fi, a video console and TV upstairs for children (although no under 14s are permitted, unless the yacht is chartered privately). But the board games stayed in their boxes. 'They all wanted to eat together at the same table,' Terdimos says. 'We've had people make friends and swap numbers at the end of the week.' Elixir is an exciting new cruise line to watch. After launching its first ship, Elysium in 2021, and a bit of a shaky start thanks to Covid, all cruises for the 2024 season were booked out. The company is adding a third ship to the fleet in 2026 and hopefully another the year after. The company is run by Terdimos and his ex-wife, Manya Louvari — Gemaya is named after them and their son, George. • The boutique new cruise company that feels like a yacht Thanks to the proximity of the islands, minimal time is spent sailing. There's fun to be had renting a moped at the port (£17 a day for most islands). On Kimolos — less touristy than its neighbour, Milos — I spend the afternoon stopping at beaches after zipping along dirt tracks past dusty fields full of goats. Gemaya is even better than chartering your own yacht because for the whole week I don't lift a finger. There's a crew of five who do everything from serving drinks and turning down the bedrooms to organising watersports (sea bobs, water skis, snorkels and paddleboards). Stefanos Bagkos is the happy-go-lucky ship's captain who makes sure we're up to date with swim stops via a WhatsApp group. Sometimes we drop anchor only long enough to paddleboard to shore and lay our towels on the sand before we're hopping to another island. In all honesty, sometimes it's hard to keep track of them. I spend a very undignified afternoon at a peaceful bay on Sifnos being hurled around on an inflatable doughnut attached to a speed boat — most definitely not demure yachting behaviour. My favourite island is Folegandros, its arid brown mountain range protruding from the sea like the spine of a dragon. An early evening hike up to the Church of Panagia, where the whole island unfurls before you, is one of the highlights of the holiday. As well as obviously feeling like Jackie Onassis sidling up to port and walking the passerelle (translation: gangplank) like you're on a red carpet, one of the other advantages of Elixir is that the cruises are all half-board, meaning you get to eat dinner where you want. Cruise passengers often come under fire for not spending money in the local economy, especially important in the Cyclades, a seasonal tourist spot where resident numbers on some islands are in the double digits. Some on our cruise opt for rosette-worthy fine dining but I never tire of freshly grilled sardines with a wedge of lemon and Greek salad at a paper-tablecloth taverna. There is one particularly standout meal, though, at the Makris restaurant at the Domes resort on Milos, an island with no direct international flights to the UK but one that is quickly becoming the must-visit for the jet set. Dinner of sea bass cooked in lobster butter is served with a view of the infinity pool that stretches into a yawning sunset with the lunar rock formations of Sarakiniko beach in the distance (mains from £23; After becoming accustomed to stopping on tiny islands like Anafi (population about 300), I'm braced for chaos when we pull into the caldera of Santorini and our dinky yacht is immediately dwarfed by three big cruise ships. But it turns out to be the ideal way to see the Instagram-famous island: we visit the blue-domed churches of Oia — then retreat a safe distance away to the water for the night. I sip my final whisky of the trip with the other passengers and watch the twinkling lights of Santorini in the distance. We swap Instagram accounts and numbers and vow to stay in touch. My Netflix account remains unused. Tomorrow I'll be on an easyJet flight back home, but for one final night, I feel like the one per Gatens was a guest of Elixir Cruises, which has seven nights' half-board on an Aegean Escape voyage from £3,260pp, including an open bar and transfers for travel between May and October ( Fly to Athens
Elle
2 days ago
- Health
- Elle
Augustinus Bader Elixir Review: Behind The Brand's The Most Game-Changing Formula Yet
It's no secret that the worlds of skin health and aesthetics are converging. From innovative serums that promise the plumping effect synonymous with dermal fillers to those that mimic the fine-line-smoothing prowess of injectables such as polynucleotides, there is now a whole category (often coined 'skinjectables') straddling the borders of topical skincare and tweakments. It's no wonder, really, when we now demand more from our vials of serums and trusted moisturisers than ever before; we search for next-gen tech and science to yield long-lasting results rather than the concealing and covering of old. A moisturiser that simply delivers a surface-level glow or a cleanser that solely removes make-up are no longer sufficient. No, skincare now needs to promise optimal skin health and longevity. And the latest innovation by Augustinus Bader is one such formula, harnessing the power of exosome science to improve cellular skin health and ageing. FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE Exosomes - the latest buzzword in beauty - have been not-so-quietly taking over the tweakment arena, and the science is compelling: the intracellular vesicles help mediate cell-to-cell communication and can aid the body's repair process, including boosting collagen production. Bader has drawn upon the research to create its most concentrated formula to date. 'This marks a revolutionary leap in skincare science,' professor Bader tells ELLE UK. 'Combining a highly concentrated, exclusive active with the next-generation Advanced TFC8, Trigger Factor Complex, technology, it introduces a proprietary biomimetic delivery system for enhanced transport of nutrients to skin cells and unprecedented performance. This innovation delivers remarkable efficacy, offering a powerful, non-invasive alternative that redefines skincare possibilities,' he shares. It's all thanks to the first-of-its-kind ingredients list. 'At the core of The Elixir is our next-generation technology, Advanced TFC8. This is a refined, more bioavailable evolution of our original TFC8, Trigger Factor Complex, developed to work with even greater precision in harmony with the skin's innate processes. It supports more efficient communication between cells, accelerating the delivery and efficacy of active ingredients,' he notes. 'The Elixir also features our Exclusive Phyto-Peptidic Concentrate—an innovative, highly concentrated active inspired by recent advancements in exosome science. When paired with Advanced TFC8®, this active helps to rapidly stimulate skin renewal, support cellular health, and visibly reduce the signs of ageing,' he adds. SKU# UK200056282 The inspiration behind the formula is a direct response to the research and interest around cellular repair and regeneration. 'The Elixir is the culmination of our ongoing exploration into the science of cellular regeneration. It was created to answer a fundamental question: how can we deliver the highest concentration of active ingredients in a way that works synergistically with the skin's own biological processes?' Three months into using the Elixir as part of my evening routine and there are impressive results already – my skin has a markedly more luminous glow and while it's impossible to attest to whether it's working in synergy with the skin, my skin feels far plumper and radiant than it did some months ago. So high-tech is this mighty elixir, it's been heralded the most powerful in the beloved range to date, which spans a considered line-up of rich creams, serums and shampoos and conditioners. The new elixir is for anyone who is already a loyal acolyte of the ever popular Bader franchise or who is looking for tweakment-level results from their skincare. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE. Amelia Bell is the Multiplatform Beauty Director for ELLE UK and Harper's Bazaar, developing beauty strategy, writing, editing, and commissioning, and leading beauty content across both sites. Amelia has a particular interest in wellness and longevity, exploring the skin-mind connection, and decoding the latest treatments, tweakments and runway trends. She also has bylines for Women's Health, Refinery29, British Vogue, Harrods Magazine, and more.
Fast Company
18-06-2025
- Health
- Fast Company
A revolution in heart disease treatment
Cardiovascular disease affects 315 million people globally and is the world's leading cause of death. For the past quarter-century, it has been standard practice for heart surgeons to treat this by inserting small, mesh tubes called stents to widen or unblock patients' coronary arteries to restore blood flow. Unfortunately, many of those patients experienced additional issues—from blood clots to heart attacks—within years, sometimes months, of the procedure. That's where DynamX, a new vascular technology from Elixir Medical, comes in. Like traditional stents, DynamX is minimally invasive and expands arteries to promote blood flow, but their unique design also enables them to restore arteries' natural defense mechanisms, helping patients avoid life-threatening events or costly and dangerous repeat procedures. The technology's promise to allow cardiac patients to heal more completely and live full, productive lives earned Elixir a spot as one of Fast Company 's 2025 Most Innovative Companies. Novel technology, proven effectiveness Traditional stents solve heart patients' immediate, critical need for restoring arterial blood flow. However, because they don't heal the arteries themselves, about half of patients re-experience an adverse medical event within 10 years, says Motasim Sirhan, Elixir founder and CEO. DynamX is different. After six months, Elixir's implant transforms into an essential part of the artery itself as its mesh tube unlocks, freeing and reinforcing the artery's wall. The implant then gradually restores and adapts to the blood vessel's natural pulsing motion. 'You need to address the disease where it's originating, not the just symptoms of it,' Sirhan says. 'This is the first technology to do that.' In the spring and fall of 2024, Elixir announced the results of a pair of large, international randomized clinical trials that demonstrate DynamX's favorable results. Patients with these implants had 65% fewer serious heart events and 78% fewer issues in the left anterior descending artery—which is critical for heart function as it supplies 50% of blood to the heart—than patients with traditional stent implants. Last year, recognizing DynamX's promise, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Elixir 'Breakthrough Device Designation' (BDD) on two applications of its DynamX technology: to treat heart artery blockage and serious artery blockages in the leg below the knee. BDD accelerates the review and approval process for novel technologies that may provide more effective treatment of life-threatening diseases and conditions. Patient-focused solutions As they developed DynamX, the company's researchers never lost sight of the seriousness and scale of the problem they were addressing. Many people begin to have cardiac issues in their 50s and 60s, requiring them to undergo multiple procedures. Patients often miss a substantial amount of work and sometimes can't participate fully in family activities. As Sirhan puts it, these hardships—on top of the millions or cardiac deaths annually—are 'not acceptable.' Elixir's innovative solution is the product of a multidisciplinary team of experts in physics, biology, chemistry, engineering, and other fields. The researchers addressed the challenge from different perspectives but with a singular mission: serving patients. 'What was important for us,' Sirhan says, 'was being able to make a difference in patient treatment and to not be fazed by the difficulty of the mission.'
Geek Dad
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Batman: Detective Comics #1098
Batman: Detective Comics #1098 cover, via DC Comics. Ray: The secret society of Elixir has been running amok in Gotham – and they don't like their power challenged. Last issue saw Harvey Bullock investigating a series of murders by the immortality cult – but as soon as he got too close, he was hooded, thrown in a van, and is currently on his way to Polkolistan. Batman wastes no time chasing after his PI frenemy, but when he crashes the convoy, he doesn't find Bullock at all – he finds the Penguin, also kidnapped from Gotham by the same villains for not liking them horning in on his territory. This leads to a forced team-up between the two sworn enemies – not far off from Penguin regaining his power in Tom King's solo comic. It's very clear they don't like each other, but Batman isn't willing to leave someone behind and Penguin is willing to take any help he can get to escape a foreign torture den. Frenemies. Via DC Comics. As for Harvey Bullock, he's not in the initial convoy – he's already been taken to Elixir's inner sanctum, where a sadistic doctor is convinced he can make him talk. Bullock is always a fun character to follow – he's so stubborn he doesn't know what's good for him, but his blue-collar aesthetic means he can take self-confident villains by surprise at times. Eventually, the odd trio reunites and Batman has to figure out how he can get these two bickering idiots out of Pokolistan alive. The issue is overall a lot of fun, although it's 90% action and moves very fast. What makes it work is the trio of oil-and-water personalities who dominate it – and the story isn't done yet, with a tense cliffhanger. I'm wondering if the themes of immortality that have dominated this run so far are leading to pulling in the DCU's most famous immortal supervillain – who has obviously tangled with Batman many times before. To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week. GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
7NEWS
05-06-2025
- Health
- 7NEWS
Trinny London launches Take Back Time Elixir that instantly transforms dull and dehydrated skin
If your skin is looking a little dull and lacklustre as we delve into the depths of winter, it might be time to call in the experts. And by 'expert,' we mean the one and only Trinny Woodall — the ultimate beauty guru we have to thank for Trinny London's range of game-changing skincare products that actually work. Her latest conception is a fragrance-free formula that is clinically proven to begin repairing and strengthening the skin barrier in as little as 30 minutes. 'There are days when our skin looks tired and dull, and that makes us feel tired and dull,' Trinny tells Best Picks. 'I wanted to create something that delivers an instant transformation, using advanced ingredients and micro-infusion technology to restore skin vitality.' And that's exactly what it does. With just two pumps pressed into the skin, it helps to improve the overall vitality of the complexion, leaving skin feeling smooth and looking luminous. Joining the Take Back Time Eye Treatment (which can soften visible lines around the eye area in just 7 days), Take Back Time Elixir is able to penetrate even deeper into the skin, delivering an incredible 48 hours of hydration. More than just surface-level skincare, it's Trinny London's most advanced skincare innovation to date. And if you want to be one of the first to get your hands on it, you'll have to be quick. Officially available to buy for shoppers Down Under, you can get your hands on the new launch for $165 via the Trinny London website. Unlike other skincare products, elixirs are highly-concentrated formulas that can penetrate a lot deeper into the skin than your regular serums. That's why you only need to apply two drops of the Take Back Time Elixir to clean skin, twice a day to nourish and noticeably brighten the complexion. Powered by a blend of next-gen ingredients, Trinny London's formula is clinically proven to restore the f ive key signs of skin vitality; hydration, elasticity, smoothness, softness and luminosity. 'Unlike traditional skincare that only targets structural ageing, Take Back Time Elixir addresses vascular ageing,' says Claire Byrne, Scientist & Chief Innovation Officer. 'It helps to rejuvenate the skin's microvascular network, boost oxygen and nutrient delivery, and restore radiance from within.' Sounds good, huh? Jam-packed with all kinds of good ingredients, Take Back Time Elixir contains artichoke polyphenols, which is rich in antioxidants and helps to boost oxygen and nutrient flow. Unlike thicker serums, the Elixir has an incredibly lightweight feel, which enables the ingredients to penetrate deeper into the skin, thanks to the micro-infusion tech. The results? A strengthened skin barrier that is visibly smooth, soft and luminious, free from any dry patches or dull complexions that often appear during the colder months. Trinny recommends applying the Take Back Time Elixir directly to cleansed skin, layering after serums twice a day, morning and night to reap all the benefits. Designed to suit all skin types, even those with sensitive, it's Trinny London's most advanced skincare innovation to date.
