Top class! (Top Santé)

Member Name: SweetTooth93

Product:	Top Santé
Date:	05/07/09 (28 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliant features, full of useful tips etc, available on subscription

Disadvantages: Can be deemed expensive, the hundreds of ads!

In my stocking last Christmas, I recieved a small envelope in which looked quite intrueging. Inside the envelope was a subscription to one of my favourite magazines "_TOP SANTE_.Top Sante is, in my eyes classed as a "Special Magazine" and so I was pleased to recieve this gift as it meant I wouldn't have to splash out every month.
The name Top Sante, comes from the french word "health". This indicates before you even read the magazine, that the contents will mainly be health related. My mum has been buying these magazines for 4 or 5 years and had saved up most of them. So you can imagine my delight when I came across a huge pile of them in one of my mum's drawers!
Top Sante is a magazine which comes out monthy, normally on the 1st or 2nd day of the month. The magazine contains roughly around 140 pages, and each page is jam-packed full of lots of information and stories.
My review, is going to based on the issue from this month- June 2008.

==The Front Cover==
The front cover of Top Sante is very appealing and definitly stands out among other magasines. The cover is a "glossy", thus giving us the impression the magazine is something extra special! In every issue, TOP SANTE is written in the top left hand corner. Underneath, the magazine name, it stats "Feel, Look and Live Your Best". Under this the issue and the price is printed in small writing, barely visible. The cost of this issue, and most other ones too is £2.80. Though on subscription it works out cheaper. On every issue there is a large picture of a celebrity on the front. On this particular one, the picture is of Amanda Holden. Almost every celebrity ever on the front cover is wearing something red, and this is no different. The front cover gives quite a fair bit of information of what is included inside. Some of the things mentioned on the cover are ''Shrink Your Tummy Special", "15 ways to get fit and happy", "Got A food hangover? How to bounce back from a blowout". These are among many other things. Also on the front an offer is placed, for 50% off St Tropez. Goodies. Overall I think the cover is very appealing and looks promising!

==The contents page==
Opening up my newly bought mag, I have to flick through a few pages of advertisment and "Editors note" to arrive at the contents. The contents of first look, looks very full. It is split up into sections, allowing it easier to read and to find what you are looking for. The contents sub-catogries are "Feel Younger, Look Younger, Features this month, Live Younger & In Every issue". Underneath each catogrey is a list of the pages and a small description of each. For example, in the "In Every Issue" one of the pages stated is "The Health Clinic, and under this it says "Your most embarrassing questions answered". Another example is in the "Features this month" one of the pages listed is "Can You make friends for food", then stating "_Leah Hardy_ wonders if its really possible to strike a healthy balance". All in all I think the contents is very clear and easy to understand. And some nice pictures make it all the more attractive.

==FEATURES==
Top Sante, really is jam-packed full of different things!! There are obviously too many to list, however I will name some of them; 8 things you have to do this month, Inspiring stories- eg Weight loss, Food news, Calorie Gallery, Anti-ageing news, Interviews, Your questions asnwered, 20 secrets (the secrets change every month, this month is 20 Hypnotherapist secrets), Agony aunt pages, Special features (this month is Shrink your tum fast, some other examples are Cellulite special!), Recipes, mealplans, holiday retreats and much more.
***
_8 THINGS YOU HAVE TO DO THIS MONTH_
Most issues come with this page at the very begginning, basically it is what it says in the title. 8 things you are reccomended to do this month. These may include things to buy, foods to try and places to go. This month the eight are as follows; 1. Summer up your undies. 2.Donate your memories. 3. Brush to beat ticker trouble. 4. Get him cooking. 5. Fake paradise. 6. Avoid half-term holiday bugs 7. Grab your girlfriends 8. Ask him to wash up.
The titles are all kind of written in riddles to be honest, but underneath each one is a description of what they really mean. For example, number 3 "beat the ticker trouble", really means Brush and floss your teeth etc at _least_ twice a day.
I think this is a really good feature because it gives you some ideas about what you need to work towards in the up-coming weeks!

_CALORIE GALLERY_
The calorie gallery is extremely useful for people who are trying to watch/lose their weight. The calorie gallery is usually 2 pages, however sometimes it can be up to 8 pages, of food swaps, to save calories. Each issue has a theme, this one being "Teatime treats". Some of the other themes in previous issues have been "Christmas foods", "Foreign food", "Fast foods" among lots more! The magazine supplies food swaps for things related to the theme. For example, being teatime treats, we are given information and swaps for things such as scones with spreads, Tarts, Eclairs, Sandwiches, Slices, Wraps and pastries. Each swap has two pictures with it, of the glorious looking foods they are advising you swap for.
More often than not, the calorie-ladden, higher fat foods, pictures look alot nicer and alot more appealing than the lower fat alternative.

_AGONY AUNTS- THE TOP SANTE CLINIC_
The top sante clinic is usually four or five pages full of questions and answers. Each page is a different "theme". In top sante, the different topics are "The natural clinic", "The gynae clinic", "The health clinic" and "The sex clinic". A different expert is suited to each different topic, the four experts being Dr. Miriam Stoppard, Dr Ali, Dr Maggie Blott and Dr Kate Saffin.
I think these are really helpful and both my mum and I can often relate to some of the problems and diffiuclties voiced. For example in the health clinic, somebody may ask about what is causing there attacks or hot flushes, or things like "am i dehydrated?".
I think this is a really helpful feature, and is definitly not a waste of four to five pages!!

_RECIPES_
In every issue, there are various recipes and delicious things for you to try out at home.
The recipes included in this issue are, Grilled Prawns, Brushcette, Moroccon Orange salad, Seared swordfish steaks, and Strawberrys in primitivo with vanilla.
Sometimes there is a theme to the recipes given, for example at christmas there will more often than not, be recipes for cooking your turkey to perfection, gorgeous roast potatoes, and a delicious christmas cake. Around bonfire night there will most likely be recipes for warming, family dishes such as mice & 'tatties. The theme in this months issue was "Go Mediterranean". I think they did a pretty good job of supplying delicious recipes, and I may try the Brushcette one out as it sounds scrumptious!!
***

All in all this is a spectacular magazine.
There are an extremely large amount of pro's to the magazine, however one of the very few con's I can find about it, is that, in every single issue without fail, at the back of the magazine, are 8-10 pages of adverts for various things, such as slimming clubs, beauty products, holidays like spa breaks etc. I find this is a waste of 10 pages and could be used for far more helpful things.
Putting this aside however I can thoroughly reccomend buying this magazine as I feel it is definitly worth the £2.80 you will have to cough up.

Top Sante is available quite widely. In most magazine sections in supermarkets, and in shops suchas WH Smith. They are rarely found however, in small newsagents and garage shops!



SweetTooth 93.

Also under the same name on ciao!

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