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    Easy DIY face masks your skin will love

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    Glowing skin is always a good thing. On your wedding day you’ll want to look your best, and one of the ways to achieve that is by treating your skin. If you haven’t got a spa budget, however, there are a number of at-home face masks you can make yourself. Give yourself the gift of a glow-up without the expensive price tag by making your own all-natural treatments.

    These masks are all natural and all good for your skin. Your biggest challenge will be to stop touching your face afterwards and marvelling at how smooth it feels.

    Pumpkin smoothie – enhances skin elasticity and hydration

    Ingredients:

    • 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (frozen)
    • 1/2 cup almond milk
    • 1/4 banana (frozen)
    • 1 tsp cinnamon

    Blend all the ingredients together in a blender for one minute at high speed. This will form a paste that you can apply to your skin and leave on for 15 minutes before rinsing with lukewarm water. Pat dry with a face towel and apply moisturiser.

    Pumpkin is packed with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants that will boost your skin’s elasticity, circulation, and hydration. Almond milk will provide moisture, while the banana also helps enhance skin’s elasticity. Cinnamon acts as a natural antioxidant and has antibacterial properties.

    Aloe vera mask – fights acne

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel
    • 1 tablespoon milk
    • 1 tablespoon sugar

    Mix the milk and sugar together until the sugar dissolves, then add the aloe vera and blend until you’re left with a paste. Apply to your face and neck and leave on for 20-30 minutes before rinsing with lukewarm water. Pat dry with a face towel and apply moisturiser.

    Aloe vera is a wonder plant that has multiple skin benefits to ease burns, sunburns, irritation, allergies and even acne. The milk also helps to soothe skin, while sugar is a natural source of glycolic acid that aids in cell turnover.

    Honey citrus mask – boosts glow

    Ingredients:

    • 1 tablespoon orange juice
    • 1/4 cup of honey

    Mix the orange juice and honey together until it creates a gel. Apply to your face and leave it on for 15 minutes. Remove with lukwarm water, pat dry with a face towel and apply moisturiser.

    These ingredients are amazing at brightening your skin, replacing dullness with a beautiful glow.

    Bonus: Brown sugar exfoliant

    Ingredients:

    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 2 splashes of olive oil

    Mix the brown sugar and olive oil together and apply to your face. Massage the misture into your skin with gentle circular motions. Rinse with lukewarm water, pat dry with a face towel and apply moisturiser.

    The sugar acts as a gentle exfoliant and aids in cell turnover, while the olive oil provides moisture that will leave your skin feeling soft, smooth and supple.

     

    Feature image: Pexels

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    Alternative hair removal options to try

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    Removing all or some of your body hair is a personal choice, and we’re firm believers in doing whatever works for you. Many men and women do choose to wax, though, especially before the big day and long-awaited honeymoon. However, it’s not a very pleasant thought when making that waxing appointment. Often accompanied by pain, discomfort and even skin conditions like rashes or in-grown hair have made many skeptical of this procedure.

    We take a look at the other options out there, which may just make things slightly easier and prevent you from getting in a sticky situation.

    Sugaring

    This method makes use of a sugar mixture which is applied at body temperature. That already means there is no chance of burning as is sometimes the case with wax. The sugar paste does not stick to live skin cells, only to hair and dead cells – giving the best exfoliation and leaving your skin smooth when the dry paste is removed. Although not completely painless, sugaring is considerably less painful than waxing.

    Laser

    Laser treatment’s biggest perk is the fact that it leads to permanent hairlessness over a long time if that’s what your goal is. However, it is quite expensive and you might still have to go for up to six treatments per year, depending on your hair growth and other factors like the quality of the laser machinery. Also, not completely pain-free, but most women say that it is definitely less painful than waxing.

    Electrolysis

    Different to laser treatments but working on the same basic principle, a probe emitting shortwave radio frequencies is applied to hair follicles to stop new hair from growing. This damages your hair follicles to prevent growth. Unlike laser technology, electrolysis is able to treat even blonde, white and grey hair.

    Dry shave

    It’s not groundbreaking, but it has proven to be an effective -and cheaper- alternative. Easy to do at home, a waterless electric shaver is quick and easy, with the bonus that it won’t cause in-grown hair like shaving does.

    Image: Pexels 

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    Pre-wedding bridal skincare tips

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    On your wedding day, you want to look and feel your best. However, getting here requires work that often starts months before your big day.  Here are some tips to make sure you are looking and feeling your best come wedding day.

    Develop a consistent skincare routine and STICK TO IT!

    Hopefully you already have one in place, but it is important to have a skincare routine designed for your particular skin. Maybe you have oily skin, dry skin, or sensitive skin. Maybe you have discolouration, rosacea or fine lines. Regardless, there are many products created to cater for a multitude of skin types and concerns. Now, developing a skincare routine is not easy. It’s mainly just trial-and-error.

    While Koreans are famed for their 12-step routines, many dermatologists recommend a simpler skincare routine with three key steps: cleanse, tone, moisturise. Another thing dermatologists agree on is that SPF is the most important skincare product everyone should be using. Sunscreen protects your skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun. Many skincare and makeup products contain SPF, which makes it that much easier and leaves you with no excuse not to use it.

    Facials:

    Treat your skin to a facial with your regular aesthetician every month in the lead up to your wedding. When meeting your aesthetician, highlight what you want to focus on with the facials. It’s also important to speak up about your skin type. If you’ve got sensitive skin, your aesthetician has to be very careful about the types of products they use, and it’s the same for dry and oily skin.

    Importantly, make sure not to get a new facial the day before your wedding. Your skin might react weirdly and leave you with a nasty pimple on your big day. Leave yourself a couple of days for your skin to calm down and really reflect the benefits.

    Exfoliate:

    Get rid of those pesky dried skin cells with a weekly exfoliant that will leave your skin silky smooth. Exfoliants help your skin appear brighter and glowing, which is always a good thing. Be careful when choosing your exfoliant, as some can be too harsh on your skin.

    Importantly, over-exfoliating can leave your skin dry, flaky and irritated, so best avoid using this product more than three times a week. Usage will change depending on the strength of your exfoliator.

    Manage your stress

    I know it’s hard, but this one’s important. With all the wedding planning and small moving parts to keep track of, your skin and body is likely to show your internal stress. You need to keep stress at bay so that it doesn’t show up in your skin through a breakout. A host of other conditions like exzema and psoriasis can be worsened through stress.

    Consider sharing the load and delegating jobs to your bridal party to help out so that you don’t carry all the stress of event planning. If you have an event planner, that’s even better! It’s also a great idea to participate in some stress-relieving activities like yoga, painting or reading.

    Feature image: Pexels

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    Get the look: Step by step to ‘au naturel’ makeup

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    The turn of the century has seen some exciting new trends emerge, with one of the biggest in bridal makeup being the “barely there” makeup look. But trust us, as simple as it looks, it’s not so easy to get it just right. The most important thing to remember is that less is more and you want to look radiant, not weighed down by make-up. Let your natural beauty shine through with a ‘no makeup’ makeup look.

    If you’re doing your own makeup for the big day, or even just want to keep this look going on your honeymoon, we’re here to help. Choose neutral colours that are right for your skin tone and avoid over-application. The aim is not to see the makeup, rather the effect thereof.

    Check out these step by step tutorials on how to nail this airy look.

    -For darker skin tones:

    -For lighter skin tones:

    Remember, these are just guidelines and each bride might feel comfortable with something different. Play around with makeup to see what makes you feel the most beautiful. And most importantly, have fun!

    Picture: Instagram/emmanouela_make_up_artist

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    Fun bridesmaid dresses for a summer wedding

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    You’ve got your perfect gown, shoes and accessories. But what about your bridesmaids? Not only do you want them to look and feel good, you want them to make you look good. Believe it or not, the bridal party’s outfits can make or break your wedding pictures. Besides, this is the one time you get to tell everyone what to wear!

    Now, apart from your wedding theme, the season and climate greatly affects the attire. If you’re having a summer wedding, opt for these cool ideas.

    Soft, airy materials is the way to go. Florals are in (as always), but so are tiered dresses and even different colours and designs. The keyword here is fun!

     

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    Also read: Rocking bridesmaid dresses for 2020

    Image: Unsplash 

     

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    Silky pre-wedding must-haves to help you look your best

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    Whilst planning a wedding is incredibly exciting, it can also prove to be extremely stressful – high levels of stress and late nights of restless sleep spent worrying about your to-do-list can wreak havoc on your skin.

    Not just a catchy phrase, beauty sleep is a real thing. When it comes to your beauty routine, sleep may be the closest thing there is to a fountain of youth. Your body and skin repairs itself and recovers while you snooze, so to ensure glowing skin, luscious locks and healthy sleep leading up to your big day, we’ve rounded up some pre-wedding must-haves which will also make for perfect gifts for your bridal team.

    Silk is a gift from nature and the ideal organic skincare and anti-aging solution! Dermatologists, hair specialists and plastic surgeons all recommend sleeping on 100% silk pillowcases. Silk has very similar properties to human skin in that it contains a natural protein that contributes to skin health by speeding up the metabolism of skin cells, while delaying the aging process and calming the nervous system.

    Silk Pillowcases:

    Compared to other fabrics, silk has long, smooth fibers that do not rub or irritate the skin. Sleeping on 100% organic silk pillowcases has both skin and hair care benefits:

    • naturally hypoallergenic
    • prevents facial skin from creasing
    • maintains hydration
    • keeps your skincare products on your skin, enabling you to make the most of your beauty routine
    • eliminates sleep wrinkles
    • prevents hair from frizzing and ends splitting
    • reduces the loss of natural hair oils and moisture so that hair retains its natural glossy shine
    • minimizes damage to thinning of hair
    • naturally hypoallergenic
    • repels dust-mites

    Available in standard (R490), king R589) and travel size (R257).

    Sleeping Masks:

    Made from 100% pure silk (inside and out) with an adjustable strap, The Silk Lady’s Sleeping Masks (R337) offer two-fold benefits – the luxurious feeling of soft mulberry silk against the skin, and the comfort of darkness as it blocks out light. The soft and smooth surface helps prevent facial skin from creasing during the night and allows your delicate skin to breathe so the face rests comfortably without pressure on your skin. The Satin Silk used will not absorb your valuable night creams, but rather helps to retain the natural moisture in your skin throughout the night, keeping skin hydrated and nourished. Also included, is a pouch filled with organic French lavender to help promote relaxation and deep, restorative sleep. The deluxe, oversized sleeping mask (R425) covers the ears, so you sleep wrapped in your own luxury silk cushion.

    Organic Peace Silk Beauty Cocoons:

    The Silk Lady’s Organic Peace Silk Beauty Cocoons (R375) is an all-natural way to exfoliate and promote smooth, plump and nourished skin (a great alternative for people who love nature without cruelty). Gentle enough to use every day without damaging the epidermis, the surface structure of the silk cocoons is softly abrasive which helps to remove impurities, dead skin and make-up residue, revealing a silky smooth and radiant complexion. When soaked in warm water, Sericin, a key protein created by Bombyx mori (silkworms) is released which, when used regularly, helps to wipe away wrinkles, effectively eliminate acne scars as well as reduce pigmentation. It also assists in healing injured or chapped skin and eases inflammation.

    Visit The Silk Lady for more.

    Images: Supplied

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    How to find the perfect red lipstick for you

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    A bold red lip makes you feel powerful. We know! There’s nothing like a good red lipstick. Dressed up or dressed down, red lipstick can be paired with almost anything, making it the go-to for many.

    The only problem: finding the perfect red lipstick is no small task. Your skin tone is a major determinant in which red you should go for. That’s why the red lip that your friend wears (the one you love to death) doesn’t have the same effect on your lips.

    We’re of the opinion that your handbag should always have a red lipstick inside it. So, here is a quick and easy guide to finding the perfect one for you.

    For a fair complexion

    Go for a blue-based or pink-based red lipstick. The cool tones will contrast well with your fair complexion because of its pink-based undertone.

    Our pick: Maybelline Made For All Lipstick by Color Sensational in Red-For-Me R139.95

    Image: Maybelline

    For a medium complexion 

    Opt for an orange-based red. This will bring a brightening look to your skin tone and remove any pallidness.

    Our pick: M A C Matte Lipstick in Lady Danger R260

    Image: MAC Cosmetics

    For an olive complexion 

    Look for a brick or rust tinted red. You could also go for a coral or orange base. An olive complexion carries a yellow-green undertone. Earthy toned lipsticks will work effortlessly with your skin.

    Our pick: NYX Butter Lipstick in Mary Janes R129.95

    Credit: Clicks

    For a dark complexion 

    A darker complexion allows for a wider variety of reds. If you want a bold look, opt for a deep, true red. If you want a more natural look, go for blue-based reds.

    Our pick: M A C Retro Matte Lipstick in Ruby Woo R260

    Image: MAC

     

    Image: Unsplash

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    Trending in bridal beauty: soft glam

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    Give good face with the new makeup trend sweeping the beauty industry: soft glam. Romantic yet sultry, this makeup look is perfect for the bride wanting to make a subtle statement.

    Soft glam gives you the drama of a bold look that is paired down to appear more relaxed. Healthy looking and dewy skin, warm-toned eyeshadow, arched eyebrows and glossy, nude lips are key characteristics to this trend. Celebrity makeup artists Hung Vann Go, Patrick Ta and Mary Phillips are experts in this makeup trend.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B3-1V_AJKOW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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    The eyes are the key to this look. Think warm-toned browns, bold wined liner and a natural bushy brow. Use a matte brown in the crease and make sure to buff the shadow out towards your temples for a blown out, catlike effect. A gold-toned shimmer shade in the centre of your lid will highlight your eye to perfection.

    Our pick: Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadow Palette in Original R179.

    A natural yet full set of lashes is easily obtained with a stunning set of falsies. This will give you a flirty finish without being too overwhelming on the eye.

    Our pick: Sorbet’s All Of A Flutter false eyelashes in the style ‘Loaded Lashes’ R60.

    For bold and bushy brows, use a fine-tipped brow pencil with a waxy finish to create hairlike strokes. Remember to brush your hair upwards before filling them in for even greater fullness and fluffiness.

    Our pick: Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil R375. 

     

    For lips, your best nude lipstick will work perfectly. Give your lips a pretty pout with a clear gloss over top.

    Our pick: NYX Lip Lingerie Gloss in the shade Clear R169.90.

    Feature image: Unsplash

     

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    Wedding looks inspired by Miss Universe, Zozibini Tunzi

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    South Africa’s very own Zozibini Tunzi has just been crowned Miss Universe for 2019. Her beauty, strength and intellect have inspired us all to be a little bit like her. Take some style tips from our reigning queen this upcoming wedding season by taking a page from her fashion diaries.

    Wedding dress:

    Zozibini strutted down the Miss Universe stage wearing a stunning white caped gown representing her Xhosa heritage, designed by Biji – La Maison de Couture. Modern and structured, this dress makes a powerful statement.

    Bridal capes are a great option for brides that are looking for a little something extra and for those that are looking to break away from the norm. If you’re not into the super modern look, you can soften the cape by going for lighter fabrics to give an airy finish.

    Credit: Instagram / vera_kayy
    Credit: Instagram / lovestoryfilms
    Credit: Instagram / oksana_mukha_official

    If you’re daring, why not go for an illusion gown wedding dress? Zozibini wore this Biji – La Maison de Couture to the Fairlady Santam Woman of the Future Awards earlier this year and gave us major #outfitgoals.

    This lace applique gown is delicate yet sexy, perfect for the bride wanting to strike a balance. If you’re scared of the full illusion look you can always line certain parts.

    Credit: Instagram / Pnina Tornai
    Credit: Instagram / Berta Bridal
    Credit: Instagram / Miss Hailey Paige

    Crowns:

    Zozibini’s ornate crown, named ‘The Power of Unity’, celebrates the complexity, diversity, unapologetic ambition and strength of women. With more than 1,770 diamonds set in 18-karat gold, the crown features interconnected leaves and flowers. A 62.83 carat golden canary diamond is the stunning centrepiece.

    While you might not have the budget to replicate this specific crown, there are so many ways to get the look. Give off regal romance with these stunning crowns.

    Credit: Instagram / Minas Florals
    Credit: Instagram / Elizabeths Events
    Credit: Instagram / Mark Jay Photography

     

    Feature image: Instagram / Zozibini Tunzi

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