Your West Midlands Wedding - Jun/Jul 2019 (Issue 62)

All the latest beauty must-haves for the bride-to-be FORCE OF NATURE New luxury skincare brand Albiva works with Gemmotherapy, which isolates the active ingredients from the embryonic tissues of plants – the part that contains the most potent healing properties – and harvests them precisely at this early stage in their purest concentration; fresh and nutrient-rich. The company’s ECM Advanced Repair Eye Lift, highly concentrated yet lightweight, is enriched with peptides, multiple antioxidants and natural skin moisturisers providing intense hydration and protection against oxidative stress. What’s more, it’s infused with caffeine to help combat puffiness, dark shadows and fatigue – ideal for time-poor brides! Priced at £145 and available from albiva.com You’re the belle of the ball, so it’s quite right that you should pull focus. It’s never too early to start preparations when it comes to getting your skin on top form, so check out my round-up of big-day beauty must-haves from the essential to the indulgent. Kelly Kelly Andrews, beauty editor Beauty BUZZ PEARLY WHITES Activated charcoal as an ingredient swept the beauty market in 2018 and shows no signs of going anywhere this year now that its wondrous effects have been unleashed. One area to have embraced charcoal’s benefits is teeth whitening. Bella Brighton’s Teeth Whitening Powder contains activated charcoal, in a bespoke blend, which includes COQ10, MSM and hyaluronic acid. The product is 100 per cent natural and is also vegan-friendly and cruelty-free. Priced at £12.95 it’s available from bellabrighton.co.uk Curl power Love your curls? Then check out the Chopsitck Styler – designed to give a great finish fast, with maximum staying power. Bizarrely it was discovered that a rectangular barrel gives the best results. The atoms in your hair are held tightly by hydrogen bonds, which become weaker when heat is applied. By having edges to the wand, squarer curls are produced meaning they are set more securely with less drop. Add professional grade titanium to an ultra-high heat of 210°C and the Chopstick Styler creates curls that last 24 hours to two days. Priced at £29.99, see chopstickstyler.com for more. Psst! We put the Master Styler to the test. Find out how we got on online at county.wedding HONEY, I’M HOME! Honey is a key trend in beauty for 2019 and Istitut Esthederm has hopped to it with its Intensive Propolis Cream and Serum. A combination of resinous substances collected by our friends the bees, propolis is filled with remarkable purifying and soothing properties. Benefits include moisturising, healing, soothing and protection. These products harness this active ingredient to give a comprehensive response for acne-prone skin. They fight inflammation, eliminate propionibacterium acnes and stimulate collagen synthesis. Both are priced at £37 and are available from feelunique.com #BRILLIANTBLOSSOMS Jo Malone London’s newest blossom fragrance inspiration is the eponymous frangipani flower, paired with jasmine petals and ylang ylang. Marie Salamagne, master perfumer, says, “Like the flower itself, the scent is joyful and also very addictive! As the fragrance unfolds, it’s something you want to keep going back to.” You can even add another layer if you combine with your other Jo Malone fragrances. The Nectarine Blossom & Honey Cologne is recommended to give a lovely fruity floral fragrance. Available for a limited time only from April 2019, Jo Malone’s Fangipani Flower cologne is priced at £49 for 30ml or £98 for 100ml. Check out jomalone.com 80