Wedding beauty, hair, makeup, skincare, fragrances and health & fitness

Boost your skin from within

Hands up, tanning products and I have never gotten along terribly well, but when I heard about St.Tropez's new Self Tan Luxe Body Serum I immediately sensed a game-changer and was keen to find out more! Raising the bar, this new serum format, infused with a unique collagen-enhancing complex, responds to consumer demand for a hydrating, longer-lasting natural glow with skincare benefits. It works to firm, smooth, soothe, reduce redness and even skin tone while instantly hydrating skin in the most easy-to-use format yet. What's more, it's infused with the iconic St.Tropez Luxe scent, a fine fragrance with Tri-tech Olfactory Fragrance Technology, which equals no biscuity smell.

It's all about the braid this spring!

When it comes to bridal hair this spring, it's all about braids. Braids scream spring/summer, and give off boho vibes perfect for any weddings, whether you're in your local town at the church, a country house, or a rustic barn. These styles can look effortless and soft but also super classy and above anything, romantic. Below are three of Alterna Ambassador Sabrina Dijakman's favourite braided wedding hairstyles for the season along with her must-have products for creating them.

Five ways to stay fit and healthy with a hectic work schedule

A hectic work schedule can often mean that other parts of our lives our pushed to the side. Many people find it challenging to have a positive work-life balance, often not being able to find the time to stay fit and eat well. With an impending wedding day adding to people's desires to look and feel their best for such a special occasion, it can certainly add to the pressure. Fortunately, sports nutrition experts Bulk have highlighted five ways to stay fit and healthy during a busy work week. Change your commute; while it may seem like taking just a few steps to your car and driving to work will save you more time in the day than walking, it's not as practical as it may sound.

Face your volume and fine hair challenges head on with Alterna

Many of us struggle with the fact our hair lacks volume or that it feels and looks fine and lifeless. However, there are tips to helping our hair look as if it is fuller and thicker in appearance, and products we can use to instantly give our hair volume. Below are some of the most common volume and fine hair challenges along with Joana Neves' (editorial director at Alterna) top solutions...

Jo Malone's new Blossoms Collection is set to stun this spring

Jo Malone London's wonderful new scent offering for spring is The Blossoms Collection. Inclusive of three light-floral Colognes, the full collection extends to a lightweight hair mist and atmospheric scent diffuser, and it's giving us all the spring bride vibes. Céline Roux, Global Head of Fragrance, Jo Malone London says, "Each one brings different facets of fragrance to the table, but each also embraces the joys of spring and that unmistakable feeling of being in nature."

Wedding workouts: Top tips for getting fit before your big day

Everyone wants to look and feel their best on their big day, so if you're planning a pre-wedding health kick, Keoghan Bellew, Personal Trainer at Fitness Superstore, shares his top tips to help you get started on the right track. Whether you want to fill out your dream dress or fit into your freshly tailored tux, many people choose to step up their wellness routine a little before their wedding day. Nothing beats feeling happy and confident in your own skin, and this is even more meaningful during special events that you'll remember forever.

Perricone MD's director of education expalins how to retain that youthful look

Perricone's MD High Potency, Essential Fx Acyl-Glutathione, Neuropeptide and Cold Plasma Plus+ skincare collections harmoniously help to reduce the visible signs of ageing. Supercharged by active skincare ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and patented Acyl-Glutathione, each formula is designed to work symbiotically with the skin and other Perricone MD products. Whether you're looking to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, promote a lifted, supple effect or a unified skin tone, the assortment of creams, serums and treatments work together to create a radiant complexion. Here, Perricone MD's director of eductation, Rosalba Martone, offers her expert advice on how to look younger...

How to create a spathroom

As the wellness trend continues to grow, more people are looking to incorporate wellness into their home, particularly in the bathroom. The focus is on creating a 'spathroom', a bathroom/spa hybrid that promotes serenity and calm. Luckily, creating one can be affordable and effortless. Chloë Luxton, founder of Bramley – the British countryside-inspired beauty brand loved by the UK's best hoteliers – has shared six quick and affordable ways to create a hotel-worthy spathroom: 1. Good lighting is a spathroom essential, as light has a huge effect on our wellbeing. Natural light, for example, is good for both the mind and bathroom, opening the room to give the impression of greater size and space. If your bathroom is lacking in natural light, add mirrors to reflect light around the room and brighten the space. Dimmer lights and candles are also perfect for creating a soothing ambience when the sun goes down.

The role water plays in skin health

For many of us, the importance of drinking water to stay hydrated is often associated with the need to quench a thirst. In reality, however, drinking water is a necessary part of staying healthy - carrying nutrients and oxygen to your cells, aiding digestion and weight loss, and even improving the appearance of the skin. Research from the National Library of Medicine explains that during the colder months, we have fewer lipids in our skin barrier, subjecting us to dryness, itchiness and a lack of essential moistures. Now, however, new research from innovative water bottle, air up has found that almost half of the nation (45%), admit to only drinking one glass of water a day, with water consumption halving for millions during the winter months.

Particularly during the colder months, with the combination of exposure to cold outdoor air, dry indoor heat, decreased humidity levels, and a harsher winter wind it is likely that the nations' skin has been zapped of essential moistures. Water helps to maintain skin health, with the International Journal of Cosmetic Science unveiling that long-term water intake can have a significant impact on its elasticity, helping the skin to become plumper, have fewer irritations and blemishes, and maintain a good pH balance.

Help little girls with dreams to become women with vision with L'Occitane

L'OCCITANE's history and devotion to becoming cultivators of change reads like a poem; one where infinite passion, ground breaking ideas and a desire to make lasting change come together to create positive change and shape a better future for people and the planet. A commitment to empowering women lies at the very heart of the brand, driven by a simple wish to empower women and girls to dream big, and help to provide them with resources to turn their visions into reality, both for the brand's employees and for those they have the pleasure of meeting and supporting through their work.

L Curl Lashes are the perfect pairing for hooded eyes and monolids

Another day, another BeautyTok trend. The latest obsession? L Curl Eyelashes with 3.6 million TikTok video views. These lashes have a straight base that transitions and lies flat on the natural lash boasting a great curl. This makes them perfect for those with hooded eyes, monolids, or very straight natural lashes that point downwards, as they lift and open the eye. Jennifer Johnson, Senior Brand Manager at Ardell explains: "Short, doll-shaped lashes, like the L curl shape, are ideal for lifting and defining the eyes. They are especially effective for those with monolids or hooded eyes. L curl eyelashes emphasise the eyes the perfect way if used correctly, as they are designed specifically to create an open eye look."

Burts Bees and Wild Fawn collaboration

To celebrate the new look of Burt's Bees iconic Beeswax Lip Balm Tin, the brand has teamed with sustainable jewellery brand Wild Fawn to create a limited-edition charm necklace (£96). Inspired by traditional beehives known as skeps, each necklace is hand-crafted in London from recycled sterling silver and the charm opens to reveal a nestling honey bee. Available exclusively from wildfawnjewellery.com, 10% of sales will be donated to the Bee Friendly Trust. In addition to the percentage of sales from Wild Fawn, Burt's Bees have made a charitable donation to the trust to help them continue their vital work.

Fragrance hacks to make your scent last longer

As we all start clutching our pennies a little bit tighter, we're asking the experts for some tricks to make a beauty product last for longer. No more splashing on our perfume with 1,000 spritz a day, Fragrance Expert and Head of Marketing at The Fragrance Shop, Iember Gordon reveals how we can make a couple spritzes last all day, and our perfumes have a longer lifespan. 1. Apply perfume right after your shower "The best time to spray perfume on your skin is right after your shower. This is because moisture gives your scent something to hold on to, so spraying your signature scent on after your skin has been freshly washed boosts its staying power."

Sisley has you covered with its new concealer

Continuing the no-filter beauty revolution, Sisley has revealed a new concealer. Hailed as a one-of-a-kind product it offers a new way to enhance natural beauty. The texture offers lightweight full coverage that blends in so well it's virtually undetectable, and the smart doubleended format features a fine tip for precise application with a foam tip for blending. Its soft-focus effect and immediate radiance leave the skin looking more even and disguise any pigmentation flaws. So you can say "so long" to dilated pores, spots, fine lines, roughness, dark spots and redness.

Limited-edition Amy Winehouse Camden Collection

High-performance make-up brand Illamasqua has launched the limited-edition Amy Winehouse Camden Collection as part of its ongoing partnership with The Amy Winehouse Foundation. The new collection features exciting products inspired by Amy's iconic looks and individuality, while celebrating the spirit of Camden, the borough she so loved. It boasts seven new and exclusive Illamasqua products including Nail Tint, Amy Black (£14); Matte Nail Varnish, Amy Red (£14); Lip Tint, Amy Black (£20); Brow Pencil, Soundcheck (£15); and Face Duo, Double Trouble (£32). I love the Wet Liquid Liner, No, No, No (£21), which allows you to create that perfect cat-eye fl ick for a vintage bridal vibe, then fi nish the look with a pop of red lippy, Ultramatter Lipstick in Amy Red (£17).

An eye for romance with new palette

Founded by MUA Karla Powell, Karla Cosmetics creates handmade, on trend, colour-shifting eyeshadows and has recently launched its Romance Quad Palette – get ready to fall in love! Two years in the making, this innovative palette combines velvety-soft matte eyeshadows with the brand's best-selling multichrome opal shades seen in pressed formula for the first time. Inspired by all things romance and love, these shadows evoke passion with complementary warm pinks, cherry-hues and deep burgundies taking you all the way from fun and flirty to sultry siren.

Waste not want not - make it sustainable

After agriculture the beauty industry uses the most water. On average a bottle of shampoo contains 70 per cent water with around 90 per cent in conditioner. So, pioneering new beauty brand We Are Concentrate is on a mission to create sustainable and essential products using as little water and plastic as possible. No water is added to the production process and with only a marble-sized amount needed per hair wash, these concentrated pastes contain all the actives and benefits of traditional haircare products, without any of the added water.

A restorative sleep - yes please!

It's a well-know fact when it comes to skin that sleep is a great beauty ally, but did you know this also applies to our hair? During the night, the release of the hormone melatonin allows our tresses, as well as our skin, to regenerate. Consequently, its in ideal condition to receive a stronger dose of nutrition than during the day and so your night-time routine is essential.

Olverum’s hero products

Our skin is the largest organ in the body and the first line of defence from environmental threats and lifestyle stress, but its barrier is a delicate balance of natural lipids, which without care, can become compromised. Olverum's diligently-crafted solution to effective, gentle cleansing is a combination of botanical mastery and scientific know-how. The new Body Cleanser contains an innovative formula that's been five years in development. Created for dry or dehydrated skin, it's soap and sulphate-free and features a complex of five mild surfactants, derived from sugar, amino acids and responsibly-sourced coconut and palm.

Peel Power from Dr. Craft

Dr. Craft launched its sustainable mandarin skincare range recently and what makes this a world first is the use of mandarin peel. There's currently no commercial use for it meaning 10 million tonnes are incinerated and wasted annually. However, the range's creator, Professor Richard Blackburn, an expert in green chemistry, has been able to harvest the peel's extract and produce this exciting range of products including the Soothing Cream Cleanser (£18), Gentle Brightening Exfoliator (£20), Purifying Toning Mist (£18), and Antioxidant Rescue Serum (£26).