This weeks skin healthy recipe!

Each week I'm going to include a recipe for a healthy meal or snack that will literally feed your face! This weeks is from Susan Jane White a nutritional cook who has a fabulous book out called The Extra Virgin Kitchen with tonnes of fabulous healthy and delicious ideas to transform your kitchen, your skin and your health.
These Quinoa Carrot Cakes are packed with protein and nutrients and are great to take to work for breakfast or snacks.

Why is vintage inspiration so important for wedding makeup?

Vintage inspired wedding makeup doesn't mean fancy dress or looking completely different to the real you, it means looking to the classics of makeup and face design, taking the elements that you love best and that suit you, and incorporate them into your wedding day.
All of key elements of the perfect bridal look owe their origins to makeup designs from each of the decades of the 20th century, seen most strongly in the influence of the 1940's. The classic black liner and red lip combo is requested again and again by brides for its simple elegance and timeless glamour.
Here are some of my favourite looks that have been inspired by vintage but have a modern twist.
1920's

Nothing says roaring 20's glamour like The Great Gatsby and in the movie they stayed away from some of the stronger elements of 1920's makeup to create a more modern look.
Why its perfect for your wedding
The focus is on perfect skin, no need for tan here, its about a flawless base. Eyes are dark in the style of the 20's but softer, more forgiving. Lips are strong too but by using a gloss instead of the typical 20's dark lipstick, it balances perfectly with the eyes.

1940's

Dita Von Teese is the master of the 1940's look, her skin is porcelain perfection.
Why its perfect for your wedding
Here the focus is eyes and lips so skin is super smooth and matte. The simple but classic eye flick and red lip will keep eye drawn to the brides best features.

1970's

I love the 1970's Lauren Hutton inspiration for this shot of Hunger Games star Elizabeth Banks.
Why its perfect for your wedding
Skin is bronzed and dewy, perfect for summer weddings and the nude lip keeps the focus on sexy smokey eyes and long fluttery lashes.

How do I get my back in shape for a backless wedding dress?

Backless dresses are a huge trend for bridal and looking at recent wedding fairs and catwalks, looks set to continue for a long time. As a result, a lot of brides-to-be are panicking about getting their backs looking good where previously they would have focussed on arms and stomachs.
The most important thing here is the fit of the dress, anything too tight will create 'back fat'. Once that's taken care of there are lots of things you can do to ensure a toned smooth back in your dress. We'll be covering how to get rid of spots on your back and improve through skincare in the coming weeks but for today lets focus on the exercises.
1. Yoga - even after your very first session you will see an improvement in your posture which will automatically result in a better looking back - getting rid of any rounding or hunching will do wonders. It will also improve your core (many people think of core as their stomach but its actually your back too) and does wonders for your skin too, as an added bonus!
2. Kettle bells - a lot of people think that they will get super bulky from kettlebells but once you don't lift massively heavy weight it will actually tone your entire body and you will really notice an improvement in definition within a few sessions. Do go to a class at least a few times before starting up at home to make sure you get your form right, posture and position are very important with kettlebells.
3. Floor exercises - grab some weights and a fitness ball and try these exercises to really help work both upper and lower backs.

What's on your wedding morning 'Getting ready' soundtrack?

Recently I put together a playlist for my brides to help set the mood for a fabulous day. Sometimes, with all the running around in the weeks beforehand, it can be something that easily gets forgotten but music to get ready to can really make all the difference (Nothing worse than getting ready to the sound of breakfast radio traffic updates!)
Here are some tracks I chose for my 'getting ready' playlist - what would you have on yours?
1. Goin' to the chapel (Dixie Cups)- corny but has to be there!
2. Marry you (Bruno Mars)
3. Perfect Day (Lou Reed)
4. Get me to the church on time (Frank Sinatra)
5. I wanna grow old with you (Adam Sandler, from The Wedding Singer)
6. Young and Beautiful (Lana Del Ray, from The Great Gatsby)
7. As (Stevie Wonder)
8. White Wedding (Billy Idol)
9. Wedding Day (The BeeGees)
10. It had to be you (Harry Connick Jr)

How to treat bumpy blotchy upper arms!

Next to makeup, the most common questions I get asked are around upper arms and in particular red, bumpy skin and how to get rid of it. If you are wearing a strapless dress you are going to want to make sure your arms look their best but don't panic, there are plenty of things you can do to improve things.
The main rule is to treat your upper arm skin the same way you would your face - so cleanse, exfoliate, treat and moisturise, just as per your facial routine.
The difference here is that we are going to exfoliate first, before you even get into the shower. The skin on your body can take a stronger exfoliant so I recommend using yours on dry skin. Spend some time massaging it in using circular motions towards the heart to improve circulation. Then, hop into the shower and rinse off using a mild shower gel.
Next up, treatment - I recommend something with a peel effect (don't panic, peel just means removing dry skin using chemical (fruit acids) rather than manual (scrub) methods. Try Bliss Peel Pads.
Finally, moisturise using a light cream, nothing thick that's likely to clog the pores.
Improving circulation is key so make sure to include arm exercises in your workout routine in the run up to the wedding - not only will it get the blood flowing which will increase oxygen to the skin but it will also give your arms better definition which will immediately improve the look of your arms. We'll be covering the best arm exercises to give you super sleek biceps & triceps in the coming weeks.
The last touch is to fake tan but with a very light touch! Use a formula designed to give just a glow rather than a full on tan and make sure its a very moisturising formula - the undertones of yellow will counteract the red on the arms and help balance out the colour. If tan is not an option, you can use a light dusting of yellow based powder, in a similar way to how you would cover a high colour on the cheeks.
Some products to try:
Body Scrub (to use dry) - Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff
Shower Gel - Bliss Blood Orange & Black Pepper, contains vitamin E and aloe which is healing for skin
Body Cream - Sanctuary Body Lotion
Tan - Lancome Flash Bronzer Leg Gel 

What should I do with my skin the morning of the wedding?

The morning of your wedding is not time to try anything new, especially not in the way of a treatment or exfoliation product! First things first, you are probably tired and possibly a little dehydrated (pre-wedding bubbles!) so before you even get out of bed, drink an entire pint of water. Next up, treat tired eyes with either cold spoons popped in the fridge first or cold tea bags. Both will revive tired eyes and cool and the spoons will have the added effect of tightening the skin around the eyes.
Follow this with a gentle cleanse and exfoliation with a very mild product such as Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant but only if you have been exfoliating regularly before the wedding and only if you have tried the product before.
Now is the perfect time to massage in a serum or face oil, again use a product you have been using regularly.
Finally, apply a light, radiance boosting moisturiser and allow plenty of time for it to absorb before beginning to apply your makeup.
Some products to try:
Cleanser - Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish
Exfoliator - Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Face Oil - Clarins Blue Orchid Face Oil
Moisturiser - Clarins Daily Energiser Cream