Health and Beauty Archives - The Budget Bride Company

Wedding Day Survival Kit 101

So, after all of your planning and preparations, your wedding day has finally arrived!! You will want to enjoy every single moment of the day from when you open your peepers in the morning, right through until when you collapse at the end of the day with your newly wed darling! To ensure that you get as much enjoyment as possible out of the day, I would highly recommend putting together a wedding day survival kit, which you and your bridesmaids can have easy access to on the wedding day and can be transferred from home to venue easily.

This survival kit will keep you refreshed and feeling on top of things throughout the day and should be full of those necessities which will give you a quick pep when you feel like you might be flagging… Assign the responsibility of looking after this kit and stashing it in a safe place with your Maid of Honour and then you can ask for various items from it as and when you need them throughout the day.

Below is an excerpt from our 30 Day Plan Your Own Wedding Course and what I have recommended to stash in your wedding day survival kit!

Wedding Day Survival Kit

♥ Spray deodorant and perfume

♥ Plasters and blister patches

♥ Spare full set of make-up for touch ups

♥ Hair brush, straighteners or curlers, hair spray, hair grips and hair bands

♥ Fashion tape

♥ A selection of wrapped snacks such as babybel cheeses and granola bars

♥ Toothbrush, toothpaste, mouth wash, mouth freshener and chewing gum

♥ Pairs of flip flops

♥ A spare copy of the Running Order of the Day schedule and of the Main Contacts names and numbers list

♥ Instant ice packs

♥ A present that you might want to give to your Beau at some point on the wedding day

♥ Pens and pencils

♥ Mobile phone charger

♥ Spare stockings if being used

♥ Your house keys in case anybody needs to go back for anything

Good luck packing your wedding day survival kit! What will you be taking in yours? Let us know over on the Facebook Page or tweet us @budgetbrideco!

Laura x

Photo Credit: Danielle Mobbs Photography - Wedding Packages available from £650

Pampering Treats for Brides To Be

Let’s face it, if you can’t have a luxurious pamper in the run up to your wedding, when can you?! In the weeks and months in the run up to the big day, it is so important to take time out for yourself to relax and rejuvenate and to ensure that you are not only looking on top form, but feeling on top of the world too.

It can be very easy to forget yourself when you are organising outfits, the venue and catering amongst everything else that you have to do whilst preparing for your wedding, but ensure that you put aside a bit of ‘you time’ every single week in the countdown to your big day.

Of course, booking into a spa or going and having your hair and nails sorted out by a professional is always amazing, but sometimes you just don’t have the cash spare. This doesn’t mean that you have to miss out though, just dedicate some time to yourself at home, with these lovely pampering treats for Brides to Be which don’t cost the earth…

♥ The Tisty Toasty Bath Bomb from Lush: This amazing fizzing bath bomb is apparently based on a medieval love potion! With real rose buds and a gorgeous combination of scents, this is a great recipe for relaxation in your own bath tub.

♥ I love this French Manicure set from Bourjois: For £9.99, you can have beautifully manicured digits in the run up to your wedding day, the big day itself and the honeymoon after too!

♥ If you are having a hair style with tonnes of volume for your wedding, invest in the gorgeous Thickening Hairspray from Bumble and Bumble. At £8.50 for 50mls, you can ensure that your locks have enough lift for your wedding day look.

♥ Are you after a healthy glow for your wedding day? Invest in some great quality home self tan that you can practice with a couple of times before the wedding, to make sure you are happy with the application and depth of tan. Fake Bake offer a quality home tanning solution for a natural look.

♥ If you want your teeth to be their pearliest white for the wedding, save a fortune on dentist whitening treatment prices by sorting it yourself at home. You can get easy to use kits like this one from Boots for £8.25 which will give you a noticeably whiter set of teeth in a week.

What are your favourite ways to pamper yourself in the run up to your wedding? Let us know over on the Facebook page!

Happy Pampering 🙂

Laura x

Photo Credit: Galveston.com via photopin cc

The Autumn Beauty Edit from John Lewis

26/09/2014/in Health and Beauty, Wedding Style /by laura

Autumn is a fabulous time of year to get married – I love the idea of cosy wedding venues, golden autumn leaves strewn in the backdrop of your photographs and lovely rich touches to your decorations and wedding party outfits.

A new season calls for a new make-up look and John Lewis have a wonderful Autumn Beauty Edit in which will be a great option for Brides, Bridesmaids and Wedding Guests.

John Lewis say that the AW14 palette is a modern refresh of classic shades, including dusty blue eye shadow, muted red lips, ballerina nails and gleaming skin – sounds gorgeous to me!

Have a look at these favourites from the John Lewis Autumn Winter Fashion Magazine…

♥ This NARS Duo Eyeshadow in South Pacific is £25.00

♥ Estee Lauder Youth Infusing Make-up is a must for dewy looking skin at £37.00

♥ This Clarins Cream Blush in Rosewood is £18.00 and will add a barely there flush to your cheeks.

♥ Spoil yourself with this sumptuous red lipstick from Guerlain – Rouge Kiss is £26.00

♥ Sheer pink varnish is going to be everywhere this Autumn - this John Lewis nail polish in British Summer Time is £7.50

What are your favourites from the new Autumn Beauty Edit? Join the conversation over on Facebook!

Laura x

Northamptonshire Wedding Make-up Artist: Sumptuous on Saturday Supplier Spotlight with Samantha Kibbler

15/02/2014/in Budget Beautiful Wedding Suppliers, Health and Beauty, Sumptuous on Saturday, Supplier Spotlight /by laura

Today’s Sumptuous on Saturday post is with one of our East Midlands Wedding Make-up Suppliers Samantha Kibbler. Samantha is a highly talented Northamptonshire wedding make-up artist who was trained at the Greasepaint School of Make-Up in London. Samantha specialises in airbrushing which leaves a flawless look, perfect for Brides.

We caught up with Samantha for a chat about why she loves being a Northamptonshire Wedding Make-up Artist…

Being married myself, I can remember every detail of organising the wedding and how much fun and excitement there is leading up to the big day. I can almost re-live this with the brides I meet, and I love to see that final day come when the bride is ready in her dress with her hair & make-up complete, it’s just the best feeling.

I love meeting new people and enjoy every aspect of the job whatever it may entail. Making people look and feel special is what any make-up artist strives to achieve in their career.

In May 2013 I had a large wedding booked with make-up for the Bride, five bridesmaids, Mother of the Bride and the Mother of the Groom. I had just finished the Brides’ make-up when the bridesmaids returned from the hairdressers. Within an hour of them getting dressed, the bridesmaids’ hair had started to come loose from their hair style and their curls were dropping out.
Upon seeing this, as you can imagine the bride was very upset; I was on time with all the make-ups and as I always carry various hair tongs and plenty of hairspray, I was able to rescue the bridesmaids hair, and subsequently relieve some of the stress on the bride, which was a massive relief!

In terms of trends, the Vintage vibe seems to be very popular; I have noticed that brides are looking up to the celebrity image that they portray at award shows, so the hair and make-up is more red carpet than the more traditional bridal look of the past.

The best advice I can give to a Bride to Be, is to not change your daily skin care routine before the wedding day. For most ladies, it takes a period of time for the skin to adjust to a new care routine, this is not the time to experiment just before your big day!

When I am not working as a Northamptonshire Wedding Make-up Artist, I am a full time mummy to my little boy who will be three in march I also run a small handbag business with my sister in-law, H&S Handbags.

It’s lovely to get to know you better Samantha – thanks for sharing your wedding make-up background and tips with us today 🙂 Samantha offers Bridal Make-up for £60 wedding make-up trials for £35.

Laura xo

Home Made London – Hen Do Review

26/03/2013/in Health and Beauty, Hen Do's, Uncategorized /by laura

I was lucky enough to attend an incredible hen do on Saturday in London. With about 15 hens to entertain and a mixture of expectant and new Mum’s, friends and family, it was important to choose a venue and activity that would be suitable for everyone. We definitely hit the nail on the head with Homemade London. Nestled in a beautiful two floor shop in the little back streets behind Marble Arch, Homemade London offers an amazing array of activities to suit your hen do.

With options ranging from Lingerie workshops to learning how to make your own natural skincare parties, there seems to be an option suitable for all sorts of hen party.

We were able to bring along our own bottles of bubbly, which the Homemade London staff cheerfully poured into champagne flutes for us – they also kept us topped up the whole way through the afternoon without us having to ask – bonus! The cost of the workshop did include cakes and tea, which were served up in some fantastic crockery…

We decided to go on the Perfume Making Workshop, which worked out at £39 per person (based on 15 of us attending). This included a 2 ½ hour workshop where we learned all about natural perfumes and how to mix base, middle and top notes to create a unique signature scent just for you.

I discovered a love for Neroli, Jasmine and Vanilla (and a definite dislike of cardamom and frankincense!) After having a chat with the lovely Nicola (who runs Homemade London), I discovered how to blend my favourite fragrances and I ended up with a gorgeous concoction that was packaged up into a handy bottle for me to take home!

You can find out more about Homemade London on their website www.homemadelondon.com or you can give them an email on info@homemadelondon.com

Love from a sweet smelling Laura x

Five Ways to make sure you look your best on your wedding day…

12/03/2013/in Health and Beauty /by laura

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theqspeaks/5886156641/

So here it is, one of the biggest days of your life and you want to make sure that you look and feel like a million dollars when it arrives!

All of your favourite people in the world, along with your beau, will be there and you want to make sure that when people see you for that first moment when you walk down the aisle, that you look the prettiest and most radiant you that you can.

Here are five easy tips to ensure that you look like a showstopper on your wedding day… It’s all about looking after number one! In the final six weeks in the lead up to your wedding, really make an effort to look after yourself. This can be much easier said than done, but if you try and follow these tips in the last few weeks before the big day, the result will be well worth the effort:

♥ Get seven to eight hours sleep per night. This will help you deal with stress better, make you less likely to crave junk food the next day and will make sure you look well rested and minus dark circles when the big day arrives! Try to get into bed at least 15 minutes before you want to turn the lights out to read a book or magazine and just unwind (and no emails or Facebook checking on your phone!), this will help you fall asleep more quickly.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/susivinh/6787587025/

♥ Eat well, no crash dieting allowed! Make sure that you eat three healthy well balanced meals each day. Include lean protein, whole grains, low fat dairy, legumes and fresh fruit and veg. Think more grilled chicken, vegetables and brown rice and less big mac and Chinese takeaway! Cut out toxins and unneeded calories by steering clear of sugary and fatty foods (yes donut – that means you!) You will have more energy, will sleep better and your tummy will feel less bloated come the day of the wedding.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lablasco/4763362877/

♥ Drink plenty of water and herbal teas. If you can cut back on fizzy drinks and alcohol, your skin will thank you for it. You will automatically be cutting out toxins and your body will be flushing out all of the nasties rather than keeping you topped up with them! Aim for around 8 cups a day to include a mixture of water and herbal teas.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/trekkyandy/466604737/

♥ Get some fresh air! You don’t have to spend two hours at the gym every day to get that gorgeous glow. Just make sure you get around half an hour of exercise each day which gets your heart pumping. So, go for a jog or a brisk walk, go and skip in the garden, or even turn on your iPod and have a crazy dancing session in your front room if the weather is too awful to face going outside! That half an hour of movement each day will get you a radiant glow in time for your wedding day and will also tone up your legs and your tummy to make sure that your wedding dress looks awesome on you!

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/todojuanjo/3724499100/

♥ Invest in a little pamper time. This can be a god send when you need to wind down from all of the day to day pressures of your life. Book a day in your diary close to the wedding day and rule out all appointments, meetings and wedmin. This is a day for you to unwind, relax and get rid of the tension! If you have any spare cash, book yourself in for a back neck and shoulder massage, or facial at your local beauty spa. If there is no cash left in the pot, then you will need to turn your home bathroom into a mini spa! Buy yourself a face mask, buy a hair treatment, get your slices of cucumber for your eyes and just have a blissful hour in the tub, soaking in some hot bubbly water and just relaxing. After your bath, do your own pedicure and pop one of your favourite films on. After taking out just a few hours, you will notice the positive effect in your wellbeing. Now you just need to hold onto that feeling of calm as the wedding day approaches…

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/radarxlove/2795014555/

In this manic world that we live in, it can be really easy to put ourselves second. But this is your time to shine and your time to revel in your wonderful self, so in this precious run up time to the wedding, learn the art of saying no (nicely) and putting yourself first. By the time the wedding day arrives, you will be so glad you made the effort!

Laura xx