Wedding Guest Beauty Essentials From Very

February 28, 2026March 2, 2026 - Vicki Leave a comment

I’m here to share how I keep special occasion prep simple and as stress-free as possible. I have a system, glowing, well-prepped skin, effortless hairstyling, and a vibrant pop of colour that pulls everything together. Whether it’s a wedding, summer party, special event or an evening celebration, I love a look that that make me feel fresh, polished, and confident without ever feeling overdone.

Honestly, skincare prep changes everything when you’re doing your makeup, especially for a special occasion & it takes the stress out of your makeup not looking good by the end of the night. If your base is smooth, hydrated, and primed, everything on top just applies easier and sits better. Taking the time to do your skincare prep means your foundation & concealer goes on evenly without settling into fine lines or looking patchy, and your healthy radiant skin will help you look fresh & put together. As a bonus your makeup will last longer too.

Lately, I’ve been using a trio of products from Korean brand Beauty of Joseon, who do skincare so well. Their Ginseng Essence Water deeply hydrates, calms and refreshes your skin, the Snail Serum fades blemishes, hydrates and smooths texture, and the Dynasty Cream locks in moisture which gives you that healthy, plump, fresh-skin glow even before makeup. If I skip prepping my skin, I notice my makeup settling into fine lines or looking flat by the end of the night. Taking the time to do your skincare properly means your complexion stays dewy and polished, and I find I barely need to touch up.

I’ve found the ghd rise volumising hot brush surprisingly good at creating gentle waves & the 32mm heated barrel is a great size for natural effortless waves. It’s like a cross between a heated brush and a curling wand, so you get that relaxed, beachy wave rather than stiff ringlets, which makes my shorter hair look more textured and fun. So with a couple of passes in the direction, I get that slight curve / wave effect that looks polished but not overly done.

The softer waves add body and dimension without looking overly styled, which I think really suits a shorter cut. Creating this style doesn’t take long or feel fussy, it is my go to when I’m short on time and don’t want to spend ages in front of the mirror. I also have to say the 32mm barrel works brilliantly on my short fringe, adding shape and volume.

The styler is lightweight and very easy to use, you don’t just have to do loose waves you can, add bounce and volume or create a smooth sleek look. It is a great tool to have if, like me, you do not like to overcomplicate your hair routine.

Not only do I love how light and easy the ghd hot brush is to use, but it also gets top marks from me because the brush temperature is controlled to 185°C. It’s hot enough to create beautiful volume, bounce and body, yet gentle enough to help minimise excessive heat damage. You never feel like you’re scorching your hair, but you still achieve salon-worthy lift, soft curls and long-lasting shape with a glossy, healthy-looking finish.

I always feel like a pop of colour instantly lifts my mood – it’s like a little dose of dopamine! This gorgeous floor length pink dress does exactly that. The silhouette is beautifully flattering, skimming in all the right places you could throw on a light blazer, cardigan, or scarf if it’s a bit chilly. It’s honestly the perfect dress for a spring or summer wedding – easy, effortless, but still stylish and put together. Very have a great selection of occasion wear dresses to pick from.

All set and ready to go! What truly makes me feel confident is knowing my skin prep has paid off. My complexion looks radiant, fresh and prepped, which means I can keep my makeup minimal while still feeling polished, and I know it will stay put and look good throughout the entire evening, with just a few lipstick touch ups!

Styling my hair was just as effortless, the ghd hot brush completely took the stress out of the process, adding smooth volume and shape to my fringe and cute natural bouncy waves to my hair. So I have a sleek, put-together finish without the usual fuss.

For every step of your routine from statement occasion dresses to beauty essentials and hair tools, Very.co.uk is my go-to destination.

*Sponsored post with gifted product, but the review is 100% my own.

The Cornish Seaweed Bath Co

August 20, 2025 - Vicki Leave a comment

I have lived in Cornwall for 10 years now, and I am always impressed with how many incredible businesses are founded here. The Cornish Seaweed Bath Co is my latest discovery. Founded in Cornwall in 2013, they’re a natural beauty brand that harness the natural power of organic seaweed, Cornish seaweed and if I know anything from living here it is that there is no shortage of seaweed or coastline.

It’s so refreshing to find a local brand producing high-quality products in small batches, using fantastic ingredients to deliver the very best results, Cornwall has outdone itself again & I am very grateful to have been sent me two products from their collection to try out and get to know the brand.

Revitalising Eye Gel

The first thing I noticed was the scent, which is a coastal ocean scent like you are by the sea. I like it a lot, it is refreshing and very calming. It comes with a lovely roller ball applicator – which makes it so cooling and soothing to apply, helping reduce puffiness around the eye. It is a product that helps refresh, hydrate, and brighten tired eyes, which I have to say is everything I want, and it is all thanks to the naturally powerful blend of seaweed and botanicals,

100% Natural & Gentle – Formulated with seaweed, flowers, and plant-based ingredients.
Kind to Delicate Skin – Calms, hydrates, and supports the sensitive eye area.
No Harsh Additives – Free from silicones, parabens, and synthetic fragrance.
Flower-Powered Formula – With Organic Seaweed, Buddleia, Chrysanthemum, Skullcap, Cypress & Aloe.
Cooling Texture – Lightweight and refreshing, never heavy or greasy.

The silicone-free formula means it absorbs beautifully, it is lightweight, non-greasy, and perfect for hydrating the under-eye area. If you want to refresh, brighten and smooth fine lines, this eye gel is the answer. Light enough for daytime, soothing enough for evening, and its natural formula makes it suitable for every skin type.

Nutri-Therm Hair Serum

This lightweight serum blends seaweed with nourishing botanicals to protect hair from heat, whilst smoothing, strengthening and giving it a healthy glossy finish, all without a trace of silicones. Not having silicones helps prevent that greasy feel and look, and my hair feels fresher and cleaner for longer.

Organic Seaweed – Packed with vitamins and minerals to deeply nourish, fortify, and strengthen hair from root to tip.
Bamboo Leaf – Boosts hair strength, encourages growth, and adds a healthy natural shine.
Eclipta – Celebrated for supporting hair growth while helping to reduce hair fall.
Broccoli Seed Oil (Brassica Oleracea Italica) – Loaded with vitamins and fatty acids to hydrate, smooth cuticles, and enhance softness.
Essential Oils of Clary Sage, Lavender, Ho Wood & Rose Geranium – A soothing, aromatic blend that calms the senses while leaving hair lightly fragranced and refreshed.

This lightweight serum absorbs beautifully, protecting your hair while leaving it smooth, shiny, and full of life. A true multitasker, it delivers protection, strength, and nourishment in every drop. It protects against,

Heat damage from styling tools
Environmental stressors like UV and pollution
Moisture loss, dryness, and brittleness
Cuticle damage, split ends, and frizz

It also helps with,

Strengthen & Repair – Reinforces hair fibres, repairs bonds, and restores resilience
Smooth & Shine – Seals the cuticle for softness, shine, and frizz control
Hydrate & Nourish – Seaweed and botanicals deeply moisturise and protect
Body & Volume – Adds lightweight lift and fullness without heaviness
Fresh for Longer – Non-greasy, silicone-free formula keeps hair looking cleaner

Even their packaging is aesthetically pleasing, it is beautifully minimal with a fresh, coastal-inspired blue and white stripe. It is also environmentally friendly and completely recyclable. They have bundles and sets available which make lovely gifts or are a great way to try the brand whilst making a saving.

I am looking forward to trying more of their skincare, top of my list is their Super-Nutrient Facial Oil and Renewal Facial Cleanser. The Cornish Seaweed Bath Co have a wide range of haircare, body and skincare products to pick from. So be sure to visit their website and have a browse.

The Cornish Seaweed Bath Co.

All products are formulated and crafted in Cornwall utilising only natural, organic, and sustainably sourced ingredients centred around wild-harvested Cornish seaweed.

Design.Me Haircare Products

July 25, 2018 - Vicki 2 Comments

OK so there is a fun new haircare brand in town & it gets the prize for the most adorable, instagramable packaging, ever! It’s fun, simple and pastel coloured – I love it! Design.Me hail from North America and are an innovative, ahead of the curve brand who want to protect, enhance and keep your locks looking fabulous. I’ve been trying out a few products from their collection and they’ve become my goto Summer styling products. I’m pretty impressed by these pastel packaged hair treats! The range consists of 4 cult products:

PowerDRY.ME – a unique technology product to reduce blow dry time by up to 50%.
Fab.ME – the mother of all hair treatments, with four defence formula that will give you your youthful, fabulous hair back in a matter of seconds!
Puff.ME – The FIRST EVER super-volumising powder spray in a pump to pep up medium to thick hair to give you the instant volume you’ve always dreamed of.
Puff.ME Light – A lighter version of Puff.ME, this super-volumising powder spray is perfect for fine to medium hair.

DESIGN.ME products give hair sheen, oomph, volume, and styling speed. Plus, these high-quality products are vegan, cruelty-free and contain not one single drop of harmful sulfates, parabens or gluten.

FAB.ME

I have such a quick hair care routine and the fewer products I need to use each day the better. I like to keep it simple and this Fab.Me Hair Mist is described as ‘The mother of all hair treatments’ and it really is! It has so many wonderful benefits from hydrating to detangling and even protecting against heat damage caused by styling.

You lightly mist it on to clean, damp hair and it works its magic, giving you shine, preventing split ends and leaves your hair feeling manageable and silky smooth. It is such a great multi-benefit product and one that fits right into my haircare routine. I love a product that has more than one benefit and this styling mist has a whopping 18 benefits – as well as smelling amazing and looking super cute. It ticks all the boxes for me and I have been using it a lot over the Summer to lock in moisture and reduce frizz & static (so no flyaways here!)

KEY BENEFITS
Detangles & hydrates
Colour fade protection
Frizz control
Shine and lustre

PUFF.ME Light

How adorable is this little pink and white bottle?! Well, let’s just start by saying it looks cute but the packaging was a nightmare for me – this is a powder and for some reason when I took the lid off so much of it puffed out all over the place. I wouldn’t travel with this and I would say not to put the lid back on.

This product is to give your roots volume and texture and it does that in abundance. I have to say I wasn’t 100% blown away with this and it left my hair feeling weird and the powder wasn’t translucent in my hair. When I used it I 100% had to wash my hair the next day otherwise my hair felt like straw. I think I prefer to use a standard dry shampoo to achieve the same results, this product is great in theory but needs a little more tweaking.

KEY BENEFITS
Instant volume
Odour and mess free
Made for fine to medium hair
Perfect texture for updo’s & braids

Powerdry.ME

Say hello to my new best friend – as most of you know in the UK we have had some of the hottest weather we’ve seen in a LONG time and the last thing anyone wants to be doing in this heat is spending ages blow drying our hair (and melting in the process). So this Powerdry.Me mist has halved the time It takes me to dry my hair. This mist is wonderful if like me you have thick, unruly hair, it speeds up drying times by up to 50% and it also leaves your hair sleek, protects from damaging heat and UV. So it’s the ideal product to add to your hair care routine this Summer. I am singing its praises and have been recommending it to anyone that will listen.

KEY BENEFITS
Decreases your blowdrying time by 50%!
Frizz control
Heat and UV Protection
Smooth & conditions hair

Design.Me Styling Products

The Design.ME hair styling range is now available in Sally Beauty stores nationwide and online at www.sallybeauty.co.uk

*This post contains PR Samples

Discovering New Beauty Brands in 2016

January 1, 2017January 1, 2017 - Vicki 3 Comments

For me 2016 was the year of trying out brands and products I’d never used before. I was not only introduced to brands I had never heard of before but also given the chance to test out products that had been on my wish list for a while.

A few didn’t live up to expectations but I’m pleased to say most of them have become firm favourites. I thought I would share some of the ones that stood out to me. I am very much looking forward to trying more new brands this year and have a few on my radar already.

Pureology Haircare

I had wanted to try this brand for the longest time as I’d only heard positive reviews from bloggers whose opinions I really trust. I was thrilled that the FULFYL haircare system that I tried out lived up to my expectations and my Mum even went out and purchased it for herself too. This particular range is formulated for colour treated hair and it protects your colour from fading whilst keeping your hair strong, nourished and looking super glossy. I am obsessed with it and the hair colour I used on my hair this year stayed vibrant for the longest time, I 100% put it down to using this trio.

NIOD

Again I was excited to try this brand and I have to say its one of my favourite skincare discoveries of 2016. NIOD are a relatively new brand to the market but don’t overlook them on that count, they’re a brand that are pushing the envelope of ingredients and producing products that are fuss free, effective and pretty damn cool. Everything from their production & packaging right down to the products themselves are progressive. I have tried out a couple of their offerings this year but this Mud Mask has changed my life – well my skin. It has restored my skins radiance and I’ve certainly had fewer blemishes which pleases me greatly. I will be purchasing a lot more from them in 2017 and also trying a few products from their sister company The Ordinary.

W7 Summer Nights Eyeshadow Palette

This is a budget brand that has always intrigued me, they are quite renowned for producing dupes and when I saw this MAC Burgundy Times Nine Palette dupe on MissMakeupMagpie blog I knew I had to try it. I love neutral palettes and this 9 pan palette has become a firm favourite. I’ve used it so much these past few months and if you are able to track it down (its like gold dust) then I urge you to snap it up. Its super pigmented, wearable and affordable, what more do you want!?

BRYT Skincare

This was a new British skincare company that I was introduced to this year but they mainly cater for younger skin and I’m certainly not in that bracket anymore. Nevertheless their skincare is gentle and although rich its not greasy or too heavy. I did enjoy trying out these three products, but I need something that offers more lift, tightening and hydration. BRYT seem to be ticking all the boxes when is comes to delivering affordable, ethical and botanical premium skincare. So if you’re under 25 then make sure you check them out. How cute and bright is their packaging too!

skinChemists Skincare

This is quite a luxury brand which has a very modern minimal feel to its branding and packaging. I have enjoyed the products I have tried from them, especially the snail eye cream which I thought was very gentle and nourishing. It was very lightweight and felt cooling around my eye area, also my concealer applied so well over this. I have been using a few products from their Caviar range too but It’s still early days, so keep an eye out for a full review soon.

Ooh! Oils of Heaven

I adore using facial oils and love how versatile they are, these two from Ooh! have been a pleasure to use. The Cacay Oil was my favourite of the two and I mostly use this as part of my evening skincare routine but I do mix a little with my serum during the day of my skin is looking lacklustre. It helps to keep my skin looking radiant and hydrated and is great at reducing scaring and uneven skint one. This particular Oil has a high content of vitamin A, vitamin E and Linoleic Acid (omega-6) which have effective results in skincare.

Blank Canvas Cosmetics

Another brand I had never heard of before trying this palette but I have learnt that they have a huge following, especially in Ireland which is where this brand is from. They produce high quality makeup brushes and also a range of makeup products. The eyeshadow palette didn’t completely WOW me but I did like quite a few of the shades and think they are a brand to keep an eye on. The double ended brush that came with the palette was incredible quality and Its made me want to try a few more from their huge range.

What brands did you try for the first time in 2016, any firm favourites that you would recommend?

Let's talk beauty

Unbiased beauty product reviews & tips

Haircare