Jade Leggat Smith, Author at Wedding ETC

In Advice

Self-care tips that will make you fall in love with yourself #monthoflove

February 8, 2021 No Comments

Forget finding love out there, it’s all about starting with some inner reflection – as they say, you need to love yourself before you can properly love anyone else. These five practices are easy to fit into daily life and we promise if you make them habits, you will soon feel more comfortable in your own skin.

Body brushing

A simple daily wake up for your skin and body, dry brushing helps to detoxify the body by increasing circulation and promoting lymph drainage. Benefits include feeling invigorated (as it stimulates your nervous system), smoother skin, reduction in the appearance of cellulite and fewer in-grown hairs, thanks to the exfoliation of dead skin cells. For best results use a natural bristle brush, work in circular motions always towards the heart and hop in the shower afterward to wash away any dead skin cells.

Hair mask

They say your hair is your crowning glory and nothing makes you feel as good as that just-stepped-out-of-a-salon hair. Wella Professionals Oil Reflections range gives luxurious luminosity, regenerating hair back to a place you can be proud of. Run a bath, light a candle, apply a hair mask like Wella Oil Reflections Mask and kick back and enjoy some much needed me time.

Foot scrub

They are our trusty carriers, working so hard to move us from a to b, we owe them a bit of love. If you have stubborn callouses on your heels, adding Epsom salts to your bath can help soften them, use a pumice stone to physically scrub the callous away. Finally, massage in a foot-comforting lotion like OPI ProSpa Intensive Callus Smoothing Balm.

Facial Massage

Gua Sha, also known as skin scraping, is an ancient (Stone Age kind of ancient) practice, it began to take its modern shape when used in Chinese medicine and was effective at treating chronic pain. Today, many use it as a beauty practice which incorporates a Gua Sha tool (usually a round smooth gem stone, with a groove in it) to assist lymphatic drainage (flushing out toxins) resulting in a more toned and sculpted appearance. Get started by watching this video which goes into the basic technique. <

Spend less time on social media

Comparison is a sure way to feel worse about yourself. Have a healthy relationship with social media and make sure you aren’t spending too much time mindlessly scrolling through Insta stories. Instead, pick up a book, take a walk in nature or learn to meditate. These are much healthier habits for a happier mind and body and ultimately a life where you love yourself.

Picture: Unsplash

In Hair

How to catch waves without going to the beach

December 15, 2020 No Comments

Beach waves are no longer a trend but an iconic hair style that is doable on almost all hair types. With travel in question this summer, you might not be able get to the ocean, but don’t let that stop you from getting minimal effort beach hair.

Bring the beach to your hair with Wella Professional EIMI Ocean Spritz, which creates texture and grip for sexy movement synonymous with beach waves.

Here are the best ways to get the look (at home).

Beach waves for straight hair

First tackle flat roots with a root lifting product like Wella Professional EIMI Root Shoot, target the root with this volumising mousse and then apply a texturising product to the rest of the hair. EIMI Pearl Styler creates that “tack” in the hair, this is needed for slippery straight hair that doesn’t hold onto curl easily. Apply away from the roots, and distribute evenly through hair, the gel-like formula protects hair from UV and adds shine for healthy looking locks.

Blow dry hair upside down, using a large paddle brush lifting the roots to maximise volume. When hair is dried through, use a hair tong to curl sections. You don’t want anything too uniform here, so change the direction you are curling the hair with every section. This will give texture rather than ringlets.

Another trick to keep hair looking modern is to curl from mid-shaft rather than from roots to ends and leave the ends out so they are straight. Once all hair has been curled, open up the sections of hair and shake to loosen the curls. Finish with a spritz of Wella Professional EIMI Ocean Spritz for salty texture.

Beach waves for curly hair

If you already have curly hair, but want a more beachy texture, one of the simplest ways to achieve this is by spritzing Wella Professional EIMI Ocean Spritz onto freshly washed and conditioned hair, if your hair is particularly dry, add a few drops of hair oil too.

Brush out any knots and divide the hair into two sections and loosely braid to each side. Smooth the top of the hair as much as possible, you can even apply some heat from the hair drier to smooth out the front and top sections. Sleep on the braids and when you wake up check that they are dried through, if not blast with a hair drier for a few minutes. When dried thoroughly, unravel the braids and gently pull out the curls using your fingers. Use EMI Curl Shaper to tame any flyaways and give separation.

Picture/s: Supplied

In Advice

3 Easy Hairstyles to Master for Your Honeymoon

August 26, 2020 No Comments

Come wedding day, your hair is in top shape, in fact it’s never looked this good. But what comes after? You don’t want things to go south straight after the ceremony. With a few pro tips and three versatile styling products you can keep that wedding feeling going for longer than just the “I do’s.”

First Step: Repair

Take care of any damage to the hair from heat and wedding hair styling by treating it with a DIY hair treatment using Wella’s Invigo Nutri-Enrich Deep Nourishing Mask. The trick here is to not immediately rinse off, take the time to let the product soak in and allow the deeply nourishing formula time to repair stressed hair, this will take about 5-10 minutes.

Style 1: Romantic Braid

A style that works for pool-side lounging, and can also easily go from day to night, by adding a hair accessory. Even if your hair is clean, spray Wella EIMI Dry Me into the roots, a dry shampoo is a good volumizing product and for this look you want to create height at the roots so that the braid doesn’t drag you down. Leave two front sections one either side loose and sweep the rest of your hair to the side.

Divide this ponytail into three sections and braid, secure the ends with a tie. With the two front sections, lightly tease with your fingers and a brush, working against the hair, twist them away from the face and tuck them into the braid, securing with a hair pin.

Style 2: Breezy Beach Waves

3 Easy Hairstyles to Master for Your Honeymoon — Credit: Unsplash

This is the perfect follow on style from the romantic braid. The braid when undone, gives hair beachy texture to work from. Add to this texture with a Spritz of Wella EIMI Ocean Spritz (with a salt spray a little goes a long way, you want workable hold, not too much grit, so go easy).

Tong random sections of hair that need a bit more curl, about 5cm sections, then using your fingers, gently break up the curls so that you blend the tonged hair into the beachy texture. Avoid brushing at all costs as this will create frizz.

Style 3: Up ‘til All Hours

This style is one to keep for an evening when you don’t have time to wash your hair, in fact it’s easier to do on day-old hair. Make a middle parting at the front, and then using your thumbs roughly section hair in half from ear to ear, lift the top section and spray with Wella EIMI Flexible Finish hair spray, gently back comb the roots with a brush to create volume and lift.

Using your fingers, scrape both top and bottom sections together and into a low pony at the nape of your neck. Twist this section into a loose bun and secure with pins on each side of the bun, this shouldn’t be tight so that you have space to loosen it. Next, gently wiggle a few pieces of hair free at the front and massage the roots with your fingers to loosen the texture. The beauty of this style is in the imperfection, so messy is good. Once you are happy with your up-style, finish with hair spray to keep in place.

Written by Jade Leggat-Smith

Feature image: Unsplash

In Advice

Lookbook: A midsummer night’s dream

November 12, 2018 No Comments

As night falls, the forest becomes a scene of drama and mystery, complemented by plush fabrics and rustic details. Scroll through our magical lookbook for all your forest-themed wedding inspiration.

From left: Brass candleholders (to hire), Propeller Props; silver candleholders (to hire), Plush Props; tall candleholders, @home; small jug, flask and medium jug (to hire), all Plush Props; tapas bowl and cutlery, both Check My China; dinner plate, side plate, wine glass, tall glass with short stem and short glass with short stem, all Woolworths; linen, Fabric City; velvet runner, Fabric Centre

Rolled menus, Secret Diary; feathers, Epanouir Flower Studio

Cake from, Kanya Hunt from The Hunt House Kitchen; cake stand (to hire), Check My China; velvet fabric, Fabric Centre; crystal wine glass, Woolworths

Plate and spoon (to hire), both Check My China; blueberries, Pick n Pay; bottle, Merrypak; thank-you tag, Secret Diary; glass, Woolworths

Chairs (to hire), Propeller Props; fairy lights and ping-pong balls, both Game

Menu, Secret Diary; feathers, Epanouir Flower Studio

Decor styling: Francoise Jeanne de Villiers
Food styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Gareth van Nelson
Venue: D’Aria, Cape Town

*Products all subject to availability