LONDON BURNS BRIGHTLY WITH FRAGRANT CANDLES

Posted by Kate 11.19.11

We are now in the crucial weeks leading-up to the holidays when most of us spend evenings in warmth, cuddled-up at home with family and friends. What better time to light those gorgeous fragrant candles you’ve been holding on to, waiting for a very special occasion to use them. You only have to take a trip to Selfridges London to get an idea of how many home fragrance brands are competing for poll-position in Jo Malone’s wake. Whether you’re into never-to-be-lit artfully molded candles or super-efficient fragrance-diffusers, these few squared meters in central London are a treasure trove for home fragrance lovers. The question is which candles are you most likely to burn first at home and which are you saving for a visit from the Queen? Here’s the hierarchy:-

A Daily Lift with M&S Filled Candles

The Sweet Bergamot filled candle from M&S is gorgeous and a great deal at just £5 – a scene-setter for sure and it’s very in-season with its ruby-red wax peaking through the glass. There’s also a vanilla fragrance candle in the range too and both make great stocking fillers or a good secret Santa for a mate in the office.

A Romantic Christmas Supper with Help from Muji ‘s Tea Light Assortment

With chrome holders and neat lids, these cute candles are made with premium fragrance; they’re clean-burning and last for hours. Available in a selection of sophisticated fragrance combinations it’s hard to believe Muji Tin Candles  are only £3.50; Hinoki Wood, Lime Basil, Mango & Yuzu and Cherry Blossom are just a few of the luscious scents to choose from. Mix and match by fragrance or colour to create bespoke, perfect mood-lighting.

Impress the In-Laws with Some Jo Malone

Jo Malone is a classic brand and you can’t really go wrong with their selection. In fact, it’s such a well-known prestige brand, it is bound to be recognised by any guests you are hoping to impress. Use the fantastic Scent Surround guide online to get the appropriate candle choice for your mood and the individual rooms in your house. As soon as your guests leave, you can blow these beautiful candles out and save some burn-time for a quiet moment of fragrant bliss. Or, move your candle into the kitchen and enjoy the luxx fragrance while you do the washing up. Prices start from £22 for a travel-sized candle.

Something Special from Geodesis

Made in Brittany, France, to exacting standards, the combination of vegetable and mineral wax gives optimal burning-power and allows the best possible fragrance diffusion. Each Geodesis candle harnesses a fragrance from some of the most exotic destinations around the world. Many a brand has tried this travel-focus before but none as successfully as this one in our humble opinion. Until now these gloriously fragrant candles could only be found in the most prestigious of boutiques such as the Bluebird Shop on the King’s Road, Absolute Flowers on Maida Vale’s Clifton Road and Verandah in Kensal Rise. But now, John Lewis has got the Geodesis bug and offers most of the range nationwide! Look out for the new scents which have just arrived in the UK; Havana,  Patchouli and Jasmine. These are certainly candles worth saving, but don’t let them collect dust

LONDONERS ARE DOIN’ IT FOR THEMSELVES

Posted by Kate 11.16.11

Whether or not it’s because of this treacherous, global economic climate or just because we can, it looks like women everywhere are electing to use new home-use beauty treatments and they are saving us a pretty penny!

Beautyinthebag.com’s trend research team has discovered an influx of new treatments designed for you to get salon perfection at home. We’re not necessarily talking about a watered down version of the real thing either. Here are just a few of the fantastic products to choose from and we’re certainly going to be getting our hands on them sharpish:

Luxx Home Facial: Creme de la Mer

Finally, the masters of prestige skincare have extended a hand to us skincare junkies still on the search for the holy grail – the perfect skin treatment. It’s finally here in the shape of the Creme de la Mer at-home Hydrating Facial at £180 from www.cremedelamer.co.uk. You get two facial mask cut-outs, one for the upper part of the face and one for the lower portion. Apply on clean skin and leave for a miraculously short 8 minutes and voila! A 60-minute facial in the spa will cost you £120, so given that this set gives you six treatment masks (one to be used each week), it’s not a bad deal for six weeks of moisture!

Superb Salon Hair: Charles Worthington’s CW Salon at Home Collection

There’s been much in the press about salon smoothing treatments and if you are aware of them, you’ll know how expensive they can be. You will also know that many have been banned for their formaldehyde content. With that in mind, we were delighted – and we don’t use that word lightly – to find out that Boots have launched a range of gorgeous salon-quality treatments including a shine booster, repair treatment and now…FORMALDEHYDE-FREE SMOOTHING KITS! With one suitable for coloured hair and one for non-coloured hair, everyone can benefit from these easy to use kits, which give you salon-smooth hair for up to 40 days and it only takes 25 minutes in total. Home beautification has never been so exiting and technologically advanced! £19.99 from Boots online.

Lash Love-In: Diego Dalla Palma at Tesco

Would you believe that Tesco supermarket is suddenly at the beauty frontline with a huge selection of salon treatments soon-to-be offered in-store such as haircuts and finishes, threading and more. In amongst the services there also are some great new brands and products to try out such as Diego Dalla Palma’s semi-permanent mascara that is reported to tint the lashes with every use, a bit like a salon-tint. Use it for five days in a row and you will get the desired effect for around two weeks and your lashes stay flexible and soft unlike some salon equivalents. £16 from selected Tesco stores or at Tesco Direct online (when it’s back in stock!)

Rumour Has It…Veet, veet

We’ve also just heard from a very reliable source that wax-specific brand, Veet, is about to launch NEW Easywax – a very clever new kit that contains the same wax formula that beauty therapists would use in a salon situation. It’s heated to maintain the optimum temperature for salon results throughout the treatment so there’s no more racing back to the microwave or boiling pan when the wax cools down. There’ll be queues for this one I’m sure!

So, is this the future? No more time-consuming trips to the salon…try these out and you be the judge!

Love from London

 

LONDON BEAUTY – FUTURE-PROOF BEAUTY

Posted by Kate 09.27.11

BITB is dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in beauty and this instalment is no exception. Editor of the UK’s Pure Beauty magazine, Emily Miller speaks to BITB London about the future of beauty – distilling the trends from the fads, and sorting the winners from the losers…

What are the current trends and which are going to become the next big thing in beauty?

Skincare and make up hybrids are probably the biggest trend in beauty right now. Following phenomenal popularity in Asian markets, BB (Blemish Balm) creams seem to be launching left, right and centre – and I know I’m not the first person to have noticed. Garnier was the first to bring out a mass-market version specifically for the UK – Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One BB Cream launched this month, but my personal favourite so far is M.A.C Prep + Prime Beauty Balm SPF 35.

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