Wednesday Wedding : Beauty and the Bride
So, our lovely lawyer bride in training is almost at the altar! Here she gives her tips on the journey to looking fabulous, healthy and glowing on the big day.
3 more inches Shampoo and Conditioner, by Michael Van Clarke
In my quest to be a slightly brighter, shinier and more glowing version of myself for the wedding I have been sampling different hair-care products.
As busy professionals, we don’t always make time to drink enough water and I know that a fresh, vitamin- rich breakfast, lunch and dinner is oftentimes too much to ask and this can lead to dull hair.
By far the most effective product I have used to restore my hair to a lovely, bouncy condition is the Shampoo and Conditioner in the 3 more inches range from master hairdresser Michael Van Clarke. *Disclaimer – I have been visiting his wonderful salon in Marylebone since I was small but that doesn’t make these products any less fabulous.
I have been using the products for around 2 months and I wash my hair every other day. So far, no build up and the results have only gotten better. After rough blow drying my hair is soft and gleaming. My hair grows very quickly anyway, so I haven’t noticed any particular difference to this but, as the name would suggest, this is the product’s USP.
I know that you can also get a Lifesaver treatment in the 3 more inches range and I have seen today that you can also get hair and nail supplements – I will definitely be trying these and will let you know my thoughts soon.
https://www.3moreinches.co.uk/
Smokey eye mascara, Bobbi Brown
I love having my make-up done and it is one thing I am so looking forward to about my wedding morning! I have a close friend who is a beautician doing my make-up which is perfect because she knows me really well and what I like/don’t like.
One thing she knows I don’t like – having someone put mascara on for me!! My eyes start watering and I can’t stop blinking. I end up looking like I’ve had a good cry. False lashes aren’t a bit of me, so, I had to find a really good mascara.
Cue Bobbi Brown’s Smokey eye mascara. It is excellent. I use it in black, I have fairly pale skin but dark hair and it really defines my eyes. I know you can also get it in Brown if you’re going for a more natural look. It doesn’t clump, it covers every lash lightly and adds really good length and volume – what more could you want!
http://www.bobbibrown.co.uk/
Baume De La Mer, Crème De La Mer
The £45.00 price tag for this lip balm is hefty to say the least, but recently I have been focussed on getting my skin in a really healthy condition and the winter definitely took its toll. I would really like to feel and look healthy on my wedding day (*note not skinny!!) and so I invested in a pot of Baume De La Mer.
I love the way this product nourishes my lips and makes them feel soft. It genuinely feels like it is working when you put it on and tastes gorgeous -an odd observation, but so true.
I have really enjoyed using this product and so far it seems the small tub will go a long way. Usually, my choice of lip balm is dictated by whichever one is left in the particular handbag I am using that day but I will absolutely be keeping this one with me at all times – no more losing it like a pot of Vaseline (or my husband-to-be might call off the wedding/we might have to re-mortgage the house…)
http://www.cremedelamer.com/product/5811/12449/Gifts/The-Lip-Balm/Relieves-dryness
Cire Trudon Candles (any/all)
When you first get engaged, your house tends to be permanently filled with lovely bunches of flowers, smelling gorgeous.
As the excitement wears off (other people’s, never yours!) this slows and you need to find another way to make the house smell perfect! I took solace in the beautiful candles created by Cire Trudon, the world’s oldest wax factory. They were the candle of choice for Louis XIV and it smells like it – even if you don’t buy them, go to John Lewis and smell them – you’ll know exactly what I mean!
My favourites so far are Ernesto and Spiritus Sancti; weighty and deep scents when you smell them in the glass but that lightly fill your rooms with a really elegant perfume. I like Ernesto so much that I am having a few of the large candles dotted around the venue on our wedding day.
http://www.johnlewis.com/brand/cire-trudon/_/N-
St Tropez Gradual Tan (Tinted)
I have really struggled with fake tan in the past – I don’t think I fully appreciated quite how much at the time (!) but looking back at university pictures –fake tan and I clearly were not friends.
I rarely use it but if I do, I have found that St Tropez Gradual Tan is really the best there is. Get the tinted one so you can see where it is going – I have tried the non-tinted one without anywhere near as much success.
I think exfoliating before with the gloves you use in the shower is a given and keeping skin hydrated before you use it (not at the same time, in the days leading up to use) is really important. I have applied this tan with a mitt and without, both results were excellent.
It does have a smell, but it is not a traditional biscuity smell – it is one you can live with for a few hours. I’d say 2 applications, over 2 days gives a good colour (I’m fairly pale) but I’ve done just 1 and done 4 in a row and it has not been orange or streaky.
I feel healthy and confident once I’ve used it, so much so I was willing to get my usually pasty legs out in mid-winter! Not too sure about risking a fake tan -v- very expensive wedding dress debacle yet – I will see how my pre-wedding holiday tanning progresses first I think.
http://www.sttropeztan.co.uk/gradual-tan-tinted-body-lotion/
Aromatherapy Associates, Inner Strength Mask
This is a lovely product for skin that (like mine) seems to react to everything happening around you.
If I am stressed/tired/hormonal/bloated/unhappy/jet-lagged/exercising too much/exercising too little my skin will show it before I have even realised.
The Inner Strength range is Aromatherapy Associates ‘Soothing’ range in new packaging but it really does what it says on the (old) tin – soothes irritated skin, leaving it clear and calm.
You need to leave the mask on for 20 minutes at least which is actually quite a while, in my experience, but it is worth it and also provides a lovely opportunity to sneak in some down- time.
https://www.aromatherapyassociates.com/inner-strength-soothing-repair-mask.html
Kefir
OK – bear with me. This is not a beauty product, it is a drink. In fact it is fermented milk which sounds like the opposite of a beauty product and also not like something you want to drink…but I do think it is the thing that has made the most difference recently to my health, overall sense of wellbeing and has had a wonderful knock-on effect on my skin.
I am no scientist but I did go to see a very clever one recently who told me that gut health makes a huge difference to your overall physical and mental condition.
Kefir is a product that is really commonly used in Eastern European countries but little-known here. It contains tons of good bacteria which will help keep your tummy in good condition. At the moment I am picking it up from Wholefoods but you can get it on Ocado and at Polish Delicatessens. It tastes like a slightly thinner version of Greek Yoghurt and you can put it in smoothies or have it with cereal/fruit/honey.
You can get it flavoured (the Cherry one is so lovely) but that will obviously have extra sugar which isn’t so good for your gut. You can also get it baked, which wasn’t a bit of me but worth a try.
I try to have a smoothie everyday with Kefir and I have noticed a difference. You could try adding berries, banana, chia seeds, honey or ginger or substituting Kefir for whatever milk you normally put in your smoothie.