The festive season is the perfect time to get glam. Forget your favourite loungewear and try something new. Maybe a red lip or a brand new hairstyle. Unlike last year, we are able to go ‘out out’ this Christmas and New Year.
Local salon owner at SESH Hairdressing SIMON HILL has put together some styles you can create at home for the festivities:
Cool Girl Texture –
This style is perfect if you like an understated style that still looks cool and pairs perfectly with a sparkly, show stopping outfit.
The key to this look is in the products you use. Use your straightening iron to add as much or as little texture as you like. Slightly bend the hair between the irons in alternating directions to create a subtle shape.
Finish with a texturising hairspray and use your fingers to manipulate the shape and style of your hair. The key to this look is not to be too ‘perfected’ so embrace that slightly undone look.
Product recommendation – Wella EIMI Sugar Lift .
Top Knot –
Not just a style reserved for the day before hair wash, but a style that can elevate any Christmas party outfit.
To give this look a polished edge to make it party friendly, spend time smoothing your hair into a ponytail before creating the bun. Use your hair brush to smooth your hair towards the bobble to remove any unwanted lumps.
Take the length of your ponytail and wrap around your hair tie before securing with hair grips. Finish with strong hold hairspray to withstand Scottish winter weather.
Product recommendation – Wella Luxe Oil.
Sleek and Sophisticated –
Bang on trend at the moment is this slick back, sophisticated style. Give this look an update for the festive season with a deep side parting like we have done here.
Use a lightweight hair gel or pomade to remove unwanted texture and smooth your hair back towards the nape of your neck. If you have short hair, try leaving it down, smoothed behind your ears. If your hair is longer, try tying it into a low bun or a sleek ponytail.
Product recommendation – Eleven Australia Dry Shampoo Volume Paste
Vava Volume –
This style embodies Christmas time and is sure to turn heads on NYE.
Use your hairdryer to add lots of volume to your hair before your begin styling. Depending on the look you want, you can add a soft wave through your hair once dry. Take the top section of your hair and create that volume at the front to give an air of drama to your style.
Use a back comb to create this and apply dry shampoo to the roots of your hair to give it more grip and hold. Secure with hair grips towards the crown of your head before using your fingers to gently pull out loose strands. This look is guaranteed to take your Christmas night out outfit to the next level.
Product recommendation – Eleven Australia Dry Finish Wax Spray.
Harrods is proud to announce the launch of its first stand-alone H beauty destination in Scotland, in the heart of Edinburgh, on the 30th November 2021.
Following two successful H Beauty store openings across England, the latest H beauty, will be located at St James Quarter, in the heart of Edinburgh’s shopping district. The latest addition to the H beauty portfolio reflects Harrods’ commitment to bringing its industry-leading expertise in creating luxury shopping experiences through its unique curation of brands, to new communities across the UK.
Offering a game-changing beauty wonderland, the 21,000 sq.ft. space embodies the future of beauty, providing an expansive space for customers to enjoy a diverse portfolio of exceptional services and must-have products from over 90 international beauty brands.
The store is an experiential playground where both beauty novices and experts can discover the industry’s most innovative brands in addition to finding their long-standing favourites.
In keeping with H beauty’s ethos of inclusivity, empowerment, and self-expression, the Harrods buying team, led by Annalise Fard and Mia Collins, has carefully curated a spectacular offering that delivers something for everyone and encourages the H beauty community to play, experiment and celebrate who they are through beauty.
To provide customers with an unmatched and elevated beauty retail experience, each H beauty store is developed with the local beauty community in mind and is designed to bring the most important and vibrant products, brands, and experiences to customers, often for the first time.
H Beauty will support local talent and up and coming Scottish brands, whose values directly connect with Harrods own, with its ‘Born & Bred’ offering, featuring local brands such as Vieve, Moo & Yoo, Kingdom Scotland and Lola’s Lashes.
The store also offers the first physical location in Edinburgh for local customers to test, swatch, play and purchase iconic and coveted products instore from the much-loved Charlotte Tilbury, as well as Keys Soulcare and Kora Organics.
Premium brands such as Chanel, Dior and Givenchy sit alongside cult-favourites, some who until now have only had a limited presence in Edinburgh including Westman Atelier, Kylie Cosmetics, and Sunday Riley.
Annalise Fard, Director of Beauty at Harrods, commented:“The opening of our first H beauty store in Scotland is a significant and hugely exciting milestone for Harrods.
“As a leading authority in luxury and the beauty space, we are committed to meeting the ongoing demand for high quality retail beauty shopping experiences outside of London, through the expansion of our stand-alone H beauty stores, and we take great pride in bringing the essence of Harrods Beauty to local communities across different regions of the UK.
“For H beauty Edinburgh, we have carefully curated an extensive portfolio of brands and products tailored to suit the local customer, which this is reflected in the breadth of beauty collections and services available in store.”
H beauty is a perfume paradise, and as the UK’s leading fine fragrance retailer, Harrods intends to bring the best of what is offered in the Knightsbridge Beauty Halls to regional communities across the UK.
The store’s fragrance offering showcases the sectors growth and the continuous demand for luxury perfumes. With a dedicated Fragrance Bar, boutiques by Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Penhaligon’s, as well as access to brand exclusives from Initio, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Parfums de Marly, and Montale, customers can rediscover their familiar favorites and fall in love with new signature scents.
In addition, H beauty’s extensive skincare offering ensures that there are enriching and effective products to enhance your daily skincare routine or address skin concerns, across a range of different price points.
The store also houses a wealth of innovative beauty gadgets, makeup, candles, and haircare brands that are designed to enhance your inner and outer wellbeing, and up your beauty game with eye-catching looks.
H beauty is an all-encompassing destination for all things beauty and the store is framed by several dedicated boutiques for some of the most iconic names in the industry, from Gucci’s instantly recognisable pastel and floral décor, to Charlotte Tilbury’s glamourous Hollywood-inspired beauty and skincare offering.
Harrods is known for delivering innovative and creative shopping experiences, and at H beauty Edinburgh customers can access interactive make-up tutorials and experiential product testing through state-of-the-art play tables throughout the store.
Additionally, the store’s 14-seat Champagne Bar offers an indulgent menu of patisseries and cocktails created by Harrods’ renowned food and beverage team, providing the prefect space for beauty lovers to sit, sip and reunite with friends.
Mia Collins, Head of Beauty at Harrods, said: “We are delighted to bring the magic of Harrods Beauty to Scotland for the very first time, with our H Beauty St James Quarter store.
“We are so excited to join the avid community of beauty lovers in Edinburgh and we can’t wait to share H beauty and our epic line up of brands & products with them.
“Our new store in Edinburgh features all of H beauty’s iconic signatures including our famous Champagne Bar; the picture-perfect spot to meet loved ones for a glass of something sparkling or a delectable bite to eat, as well as our immersive play-tables and an assortment of new beauty experiences and concepts that will inspire and delight local customers.
“We are bringing a swathe of local and up-and-coming brands, products, and services to our Scottish beauty lovers that aren’t available anywhere else in Edinburgh and I can’t wait to introduce them to this discerning audience.”
Following two successful H beauty openings, the first at Lakeside retail centre in Essex and second at centre:mk in Milton Keynes, H beauty Edinburgh marks the latest chapter in Harrods’ long term strategic plans to bring H beauty to beauty communities around the UK.
The ambitious national expansion will also see two further stores open over the next 12 months in Bristol and Newcastle.
Edinburgh College students have won a string of awards at a national competition designed to recognise the exceptional talent of beauty students in further education and training. Edinburgh College hosted the national World Skills competition and awards ceremony and entered beauty students to compete for awards against hundreds of students from across the country.
The local collge students, who have consistently won awards at the World Skills competition, picked up two 1st places, three 2nd places and one 3rd place in several competitive beauty categories including aromatherapy and beauty therapy – with a clean sweep of awards in Beauty Therapy Advanced.
19-year-old Beauty student Rachel Rooney from Gilmerton won 1st place in Advanced Beauty Therapy. She said: “My lecturers, Carrie, Nicola and Claire, really encouraged and supported me to go in for the competition and I’m really glad they gave me that extra boost to go for it. I couldn’t have done it without their help.
“I was in complete shock when I heard the World Skills judges call out my name to say I had won – all I could hear were my friends and lecturers cheering me on as I went up on stage to collect the award. I’m so pleased to have won such an amazing award. World Skills is a really well known competition. It’ll look brilliant on my CV and will hopefully give me an edge when I’m looking for a job after College.”
34-year-old Beauty student Lola Lopez, who is originally from Madrid but is currently living in Edinburgh, won 1st place in Aromatherapy at the World Skills competition. She said: “It’s such a massive opportunity to have our beauty skills judged by top professionals. During the competition, the judges came around to observe our treatments and asked us questions about our skill and techniques throughout the competition to really put us to the test.”
Mandy Exley, Principal of Edinburgh College, said: “We are delighted to have been given the honour to host and compete in such a high profile event. World Skills really showcases the brilliant work of beauty students across the country, and highlights the next generation of talented and skilled beauty employees in the industry. We’re incredibly proud of all of our students who have won awards in the competition and look forward to seeing how they perform in the UK national final later in the year.”
She added: “The area of beauty within Edinburgh College is fundamental to the College’s overall curriculum, as well as to the overall contribution to GDP within the UK. The number of people training and gaining employment in beauty has grown by leaps and bounds over the last five years, and we’re very proud to be at the forefront of delivering a skilled workforce within the burgeoning beauty industry.”
Highly regarded throughout the industry, World Skills UK champions and drives excellence in workplace skills and education through competition. The beauty students will soon find out if they will be invited to attend the flagship The Skills Show final later in the year.
Pictured Above: (L-R) Edinburgh College beauty students Shevon McKenna, Lola Lopez, Samantha Plastow, Lindsey McCardie, Kirsty Steel, and Rachel Rooney at the World Skills competition.
Spa in the City Returns with fresh new format and top beauty names
Beauty fans can look forward to a bumper weekend as Spa in the City – Edinburgh’s popular free beauty event – returns on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th May for a sixth consecutive year.
Heading once again to St Andrew Square, the Essential Edinburgh extravaganza will feature a new ‘Fresh as a Daisy’ theme which will be accompanied by a fresh new format, with six of the city’s most prestigious beauty retailers – John Lewis, Jenners, Harvey Nichols, Boots, Debenhams and the Roxburghe Hotel – each taking over their own marquee.
The weekend will offer city centre shoppers the chance to ‘freshen up their look’ with a menu of free treatments, with brands for this year including Shu Uemura from Harvey Nichols, Liz Earle from John Lewis and Clarins which will be in the Jenners marquee. Luxurious treatments courtesy of the spa team at the city’s Roxburghe Hotel will also be available, alongside Superdrug and Lush Spa.
The event is organised and funded by Essential Edinburgh, the city’s Central Business Improvement District and aims to promote the wealth of beauty and lifestyle retailers on offer in Edinburgh city centre and encourage shoppers into the area.
Andy Neal, Chief Executive of Essential Edinburgh, said: “We are delighted to be bringing Spa in the City back once again for its sixth year. This has proven to be a really popular event with beauty lovers in Edinburgh and we are confident that this year’s line-up will not disappoint.
“This year, the move to have major retailers hosting their own marquee shows just how far this event has come and how important it has become in the Edinburgh retail calendar. By having this level of involvement in the event, retailers have a prime opportunity to showcase their offerings and brands to thousands of Edinburgh shoppers.
“The Spa in the City event is a great success, driving footfall in the centre and generating valuable follow up business for retailers throughout the city. As we near our renewal ballot, we would like to thank those who have been fantastic supporters of this event and we hope that local retailers will support Essential Edinburgh’s bid so that we can continue providing this key event in the years to come.”
As well as the large marquees, a selection of smaller marquees around the Melville Monument will house brands such as Molton Brown and Kiehls, as well as jazz band Swing Supreme who will be providing entertainment.
Marcello Ventisei, General Manager at Roxburghe Hotel, said: “Spa in the City is a fantastic event for us and having our own marquee this year is great in terms of driving our brand’s presence to the thousands of people passing through the event and the hundreds checking in for their complimentary treatments. The Roxburghe is rebranding to become a Crowne Plaza and this is an amazing opportunity to showcase our spa to the people of Edinburgh”
Spaces for treatments, which are limited to one per person, are secured at the registration desk on the event days from 9.30am until 4pm on a first come first served basis. Some pre-booking will be available through facebook and will be announced at a later date.
For more information visit www.essentialedinburgh.co.uk or www.facebook.com/edsitc
