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

Choosing the wedding scent

Weddings are arguably the biggest day for couples as they get ready to walk down the aisle and say, 'I do', committing to a life with each other among family and friends. Certain aromas can have a particular association with the brain, and choosing a new fragrance to wear on your special day can unlock a transformative feeling towards those precious moments, which can be cherished for years to come when worn. ARRAN Sense of Scotland's fragrance expert Lois Bell shares her advice for brides and grooms looking to enhance wedding celebrations with a signature scent. There are a few things to consider when picking a wedding scent, from the theme of your big day to the intensity of the aroma, allowing brides and grooms to alter the impact of their scent for the ceremony right through into the evening reception.

5 Changes to Your Skincare You Need to Make This Spring

The change form bitter Winter to humid Summer can have a lasting impact on your skin, but how can we combat this? Ryan Porter, skincare expert at Fat Cow Skincare unpacks the best way to help your skin this Spring. From lighter moisturisers to gentle exfoliation, Porter explains why certain habits are making our skin look tired and overwhelmed. Are you following the golden skincare rules? Or is this your wake up call to the glowing side of life. Listen to your skin the same way your listen to your body and find out what it's calling for.

Bring the glow back with facialist Lisa Franklin

One of the UK's best known and multi-award winning facialists Lisa Franklin says: If you don't have regular facials or only have the skincare based kind, it might be worth considering a short course of a more results-driven facial like the InMode Allure Facial. This new and advanced treatment combines radio-frequency and muscle stimulation to energise sluggish, dull skin cells and stimulate collagen production, leaving your complexion visibly firmer, smoother, and fresh looking. It's the perfect advanced facial to tone and brighten your skin ahead of your big day and you only need invest in a short course of six or have a couple leading up to your wedding day to see real results.

How to Transition Your Skincare Routine for Spring with Dr Preema Vig

We asked Dr Preema Vig, medical director and skin expert at https://drpreema.com for her advice on transforming skincare routines ready for spring. After all, the cold spring weather can play havoc with our skin resulting in dry, blotchy areas and flakiness. Combined with the blasts of cold air from outside allotted exercise and you've the perfect storm for dull, dry skin. "The skin's outer layer, the stratum corneum, acts as a barrier to keep bacteria out and moisture in," says Dr Preema Vig, Medical Director and skin expert. "Very dry air can cause gaps to form in the cells' protective layer known as trans-epidermal water loss, which can increase inflammation, dryness and compromise skin.

Just keep rolling along with Tisserand Armomatherapy Rollerballs

Essential oils have the ability to switch up our emotional and mental state, but if you're new to aromatherapy, getting started can feel like a bit of a minefield. The easiest and most effective way to experience their power is all about pairing them with your pulse points according to Tisserand Aromatherapy and their small but mighty rollerballs help to do just that. "Your pulse points are the parts of the body where your blood is closest to the skin," explains Jo Kellet, Tisserand Aromatherapy Essential Oil Expert. "Applying here allows for fast absorption and quicker results. To maximise the benefit of both your olfactory senses and your pulse points, it's best to place them where your nose can still get a whiff!"

Time for tea with OMGTea Matcha

If you were glued to the 2024 Paris Olympics as much as we were, it may interest you to know that 2008 double gold medallist turned BBC pundit Becky Addlington OBE drinks matcha tea to support her overall health and wellbeing. "Since I started drinking matcha tea every morning I've noticed a massive improvement in my energy levels," she shares. "I used to be a big coffee drinker but since I started drinking OMGTea Matcha, I crave coffee a lot less. Now I only drink about two cups of coffee a week. I think the change from drinking lots of coffee is good for my health. I'm no longer experiencing slumps in energy or little ups and downs throughout the day.

Dr Organic's three-step regimen for happy feet

Available from Boots and Superdrug The experts at Dr Organic have created a three-step regimen to ensure your feet look, feel and smell as good as the rest of you! Sustainable, organic, effective and affordable, these new additions harness the purifying power of tea tree oil to keep your feet clean, fresh and nourished naturally. The protective oil is perfect for treating split, peeling, broken and infected nails and nail beds. Follow this with the Heel Balm; a deep conditioner, massage in post-shower to leave cracked heels looking and feeling soft ready to be put through their paces once more! Finally, an absolute foot-care no-brainer, the speedy spray allows you to purify and deodorise feet with a simple spritz.

Via Velluto by Fabbrica Della Musa is a honeymoon hit

If you're looking for a new luxury scent for your honeymoon, my perfume pick this issue is the fruity and fun Via Velluto by Fabbrica Della Musa (£195, 100ml). Mouth-wateringly fresh, this sophisticated scent blends notes from the Mediterranean and Asia and is the perfect fragrance for a warm destination trip. Created by renowned perfumer Hamid Merati-Kashani, it opens with a mix of raspberry notes underpinned by a sensual balsamic woody incense throughout. The heart is floral with jasmine and peony, and finishes with leather, sandalwood and caramel, which together form a scent that lifts the spirits and makes you feel on top of the world.

Irene Forte Skincare is nuts for anti-ageing!

Irene Forte Skincare has announced the launch of its Pistachio Face Oil (£130). The second addition to the brand's phytomelatonin range, this fast-absorbing formula is designed to reduce the visible signs of ageing and is a testament to Irene Forte's commitment to unlocking the potential of natural ingredients to achieve results. The key ingredient, phytomelatonin, is extracted from Italian Alpine plants in a patented process. The plant version of human melatonin, it's been shown to rejuvenate skin by boosting renewal. This breakthrough ingredient is also a potent antioxidant that combats the ageing effect of free radicals. Meanwhile, the revitalising blend of omega-rich oils, including pistachio, replenishes, hydrates and protects.

We put Skin Proud’s Serious Shade Lightweight Hydrating SPF 50+ Skin Serum to the test

Olivia Gibson put Skin Proud's Serious Shade Lightweight Hydrating SPF 50+ Skin Serum (£16.95) to the test. Here's what she had to say... "Sunscreen is a must-have in your skincare routine, particularly during the summer months. This product offers a high SPF of 50+ to protect against harmful UVA/ UVB rays, preventing sunburn and premature ageing. It's lightweight and doesn't leave a sticky or oily residue like many other sunscreens I've tried, which have often resulted in breakouts. It absorbs quickly, perfect for busy mornings when I'm in a rush. I love how well it works under makeup, giving a dewy finish without any flashback or white cast.

The latest addition to Dr.PAWPAW's multi-purpose skincare range

YOUR gorgeous SKIN hydrating face mist (£15) is the latest addition to the award-winning ultipurpose skincare range from Dr.PAWPAW. This naturally fragranced, ultra-lightweight vegan formula delivers three powerful benefits in a single, delightful spray saving you time space and money. Hydrating, smoothing and soothing, the mist is enriched with the range's hero ingredient papayaluronic providing the nourishing and soothing effects of the papaya extract, teamed with hyaluronic acid's hydrating properties. It's positively packed with skin-loving ingredients! Use before and after make-up or throughout the day for an instant burst of hydration.

everyone&one, your ultimate streamlined solution

The every&one 5-in-1 Multi-Tasking Cream (£18) is the ultimate streamlined solution for anyone suffering from product fatigue right now! This innovative, cream combines multiple essential functions into one luxurious product, helping you ditch the skincare baggage all year round. It cleanses, moisturises, primes and even serves as a shaving cream, all while maintaining your skin's balance and health. It's perfect for everyone, regardless of age, gender or skin type. If, like me, the anxiety is real going through airport security with your clear baggy (while they take their sweet time eliminating the 100ml rule as we were promised) this will make the process a total breeze as you can leave multiple products at home!

Simply Scent-sational - Chandrika Thomas chats perfume

We chat to perfumier Chandrika Thomas about finding that signature wedding-day scent to trigger memories for a lifetime. Visionary and creative force behind fragrance house Chandrika Thomas London, Chandrika herself, has a background undeniably rooted in weddings. Having received a grant from The Prince's Trust at the tender age of 18, she set out on her journey into the world of wedding couture. It was an investment in her future allowing her to transform her passion for designing bespoke wedding dresses into a
flourishing business.

GESKE offers some top tech for your wedding prep

The GESKE Sonic Warm & Cool Mask 9-in-1 (£59.95) is the ultimate solution for your wedding prep skincare. An advanced device, it uses pore-opening deep warming and full-facial hyper-infusion technologies, along with cryo deep cooling technology, to create temperature variations to open and close pores, enhancing the absorption of skincare products and boosting circulation. To top it off, it also brings you the brand's full-spectrum LED light technology in different wavelengths and colours, while its sonic vibrations will help firm and lift the skin. Pair it with GESKE Youth Boosting Mask (£12.95) filled with hyaluronic acid and aloe vera to endow your skin with an enviable, youthful glow. Click play to find out how I got on from unboxing to glow. For more, head to www.geske.com

Be@One Beauty is 100 per cent certified vegan, cruelty-free and contains no parabens

Be@One 100% Vegan Makeup is the brainchild of entrepreneur and philanthropist Heather Mills, and leading makeup artist Milena Thacker. The company is part of Heather's broader mission to introduce healthier, more sustainable, plantbased product solutions to consumers across the food, nutrition and cosmetics industries without compromising on quality. That's why, along with Milena, she's developed this cosmetic range that's 100 per cent certified vegan, cruelty-free and contains no parabens. It's an affordable, high-quality make-up range that's kind to animals, kind to your skin and kind to your pocket. Check out the complete collection at www.be-at-one.com

Loving Tan has brought its newest Purest Collection to the UK

With consumer demand for natural and organic products on the rise, Loving Tan has brought its newest Purest Collection to the UK. The collection contains high concentrations of active ingredients to ensure a deep and natural-looking tan after just one application. Shades medium and dark are available and are suitable for most skin types. Proudly Australian made, all products are dermatologically tested, cruelty-free and vegan friendly. I love the Purest Face Tanning Serum (£30.95), easy to apply as you would your usual tanning moisturiser, the lightweight formula enhanced my complexion even as it developed and left me with a healthy glow once removed six hours later. Something that had been sorely lacking!

Get a gorgeous glow with Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury is a mainstay of many a bridal make-up artist's kit. So, we're always desperate to know that the brand's up to here at CWM towers! The hero products at the moment for glowing brides are the Beautiful Skin Foundation (£39) and Beauty Light Wand (£30). Charlotte Tilbury's Beautiful Skin Foundation plumps and smooths skin and helps improve the skin's appearance with every use, leaving it with a healthy glow. Formulated with brightening rose complex and hydrating hyaluronic acid, it works to leave the skin more hydrated and radiant than it started.

Check out the ultimate skincare all-rounder

Tender Care Natural Multi-purpose Balm (£3.99) is an Oriflame classic that's been loved and used by millions since its creation in 1970. This multitasker delivers multiple benefits and can be used for everything from dry hands, cuticles and chapped lips, to eyebrows, dry elbows and feet, leaving skin feeling wonderfully soft, supple and nourished. Now a 99.9 per cent natural origin formula its deep nourishment is delivered largely thanks to its blend of natural oils, beeswax and vitamin E. Find it at https://uk.oriflame.com

Lids By Design offers an eye-opening solution for hooded eyes

Those with hooded eyes can now get the lid space you never thought possible with Lids By Design by Contours Rx (£34.47 for 80). Acting as a push-up bra for your eyelids, these non-surgical lid lifters instantly open the eyes without breaking the bank. No need to cover with foundations or shadows unless you want to, as they're so transparent that lighter, matte neutrals can be applied directly to the strips for an au naturale look without the need for primer. You can even create a smoky eye by applying Transforming Shadow Base (£16) onto your Lids by Design Strips before eyeshadow. Then, add darker shadows and shimmers as you usually would for that perfect sultry look.

Fit's A Kind Of Magic

As well as the joy and excitement that comes with planning a wedding, it also means having a million-and-one things to deal with as the big day approaches; and with all eyes on you, wanting to look and feel your best can be another stress. That's why Ultimate Performance has launched a new service designed to help brides and grooms get into the shape they want for their big day. Available through a new, dedicated section of its website, the package allows you to share sessions between the two of you and you'll only need to pay one sign-up fee. You'll be able to book a consultation at one of Ultimate Performance's gyms and have a team of trainers devise a unique training plan tailored to your needs and goals. The plan will look at all aspects of your life including training, nutrition, sleep, stress mitigation and supplementation helping you to achieve the look they feel happy, comfortable and confident with. We had questions, so CWM's beauty and wellness editor, Kelly Andrews, caught up with Ultimate Performance's certified personal trainer and chief experience officer Mark Bohannon to find out more.