Alterna Haircare Announces Katie Holmes as Global Spokesperson and Co-Owner

Here at Smith & Monger, we're so excited to be working with our client - Alterna Haircare - especially since announcing its official partnership with actress and entrepreneur Katie Holmes as co-owner and first-ever celebrity spokesperson, her of fabulous hair!

Of the new partnership, A-lister Katie said "I'm really proud to be a part of this company - not only because the products are incredible, but because their 'accessible luxury and 'free of' philosophy really speaks to me...I love that Alterna uses natural and organic ingredients and stays away from harsh chemicals like sulfates and parabens. It's good for my hair and good for the earth, so I feel good using it".

We couldn't agree more!

Over the course of the multi-year relationship, Ms Holmes will be sharing her insights to help the brand continue to grow and expand it's consumer following and inspire salon and retail partners.

Merchandising and marketing materials featuring the new campaign will appear in Alterna salons nationwide, as well as UK trade beauty press with further potential activity to be announced at a later date. Stay tuned for more information!

Award-winning, cosmeceutical brand SkinCeuticals teamed up with flagship clinic and fellow award-winner EF MEDISPA, to launch the new and very exciting SkinCeuticals Balancing Micropeel Treatment. This holistic, inside-and-out treatment not only tackles the skin (with the new SkinCeuticals glycolic Micropeels), but also what might be bothering the skin. A nutritionist is appointed to sort out your diet and a colonic hydrotherapist to remove unwanted toxins.

Charlotte Johnson, Head Therapist and creator of this treatment  is a genius.

We love it!

Our boss refuses to try it.

We know why....(something to do with a tiny tube)

SkinCeuticals Triumphs in ‘The Big Skin Care Experiment’

Way back in January, we were excited to learn of a nine-month skin care experiment that the Stylist team were embarking on and even happier when it was confirmed that Beauty Director, Joanna McGarry would trial SkinCeuticals products! 

We made sure her cupboards were full of the products she needed and offered invaluable advice from our experts. We always knew SkinCeuticals would be up to the challenge, but nothing pleased us more than to pick up this week’s Stylist and see the fantastic results in black and white.

With three different journalists treating their skin for different skin care concerns – sun damage, fine lines and texture/radiance – we’re delighted to see that a SkinCeuticals skincare regime made a hugely positive difference to treating and preventing sun damage for Beauty Director, Joanna McGarry.

From being in the worst 33% for her age group at the beginning of the experiment to being in the best 30% for brown spots at the end of the experiment, the results impressed, which has made both us and our client very happy.  

Thanks Jo for proving that SkinCeuticals products really do work.

Elle Beauty Awards 2012: SkinCeuticals Crowned Best Serum!

It's that time of year again and the ELLE Beauty Award winners are out. We were so excited to find out that the new SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF Gel has been voted Best Serum!

Having only launched earlier this year, Phloretin CF Gel has taken the beauty world by storm, also being voted the Best City Serum in Harper’s Bazaar’s Hot 100 in September 2012

Receiving another award for this serum in a matter of months has of course made the S&M beauty team and SkinCeuticals very happy! Big thanks to all the girls at Elle Magazine.

Phloretin CF Gel is the first serum-in-a-gel antioxidant product from SkinCeuticals, revolutionising the texture of high potency antioxidants, whilst maintaining the integrity and efficacy of the original serum formula.

S&M Loves The National Wedding Show

The Autumn National Wedding Show is fast approaching and with this in mind, we’re hand picking our favourite exhibitors for you lucky brides-to-be to look out for!

With a vast array of gorgeously luxurious dresses, cakes, jewellery, and all things bridal; allow us to be your fairy God mother and select for you what we love right now.

The talented design duo team Belle and Bunty at the Bespoke Wardrobe show their new collections at The National Wedding Show. Highlighting vintage glamour in each phase, these beautifully elegant dresses will wow your crowd with their sweeping necklines and gorgeously floaty cuts and fittings.

We're loving the Petal Dress, their sassy take on the classical panel dress with it's understated front, revealing the open detailing and articulated low back of the dress. A modern twist on the classic bride. 

The generosity of offering us such beautiful gowns doesn’t stop there, as we have organised for one lucky Brides magazine winner to get a free dress (amongst other wedding goodies worth £6k)!  Follow the link for more details to be in with a chance of winning your perfect bridal gown.

http://www.bridesmagazine.co.uk/competitions/list/win-fabulous-wedding-goodies-from-the-national-wedding-show

Another S&M favourite has to be Le Papillon Patisserie and Miss Lola’s Bakehouse, for the most mouth-wateringly stunning wedding cakes.

Le Papillon Patisserie explore the tea party trend for the more contemporary bride; offering a vast array of cakes to personalise with flowers, fruit, chocolate scrolls, or simply create your own bespoke wedding delicacy. They provide fun displays that your guests won’t be able to wait to dive in to.

For the more traditional bride is Miss Lola’s Bakehouse with their classically designed three tier cake creations. Each cake is entirely bespoke and made to order, capturing the overall personality and theme of the wedding, with immaculate attention to detail...mmm, we can taste them already!

For hand assembled, UK based wedding invitations, Amelia Lane Paper is an up and coming custom made invitation service. Ranging from traditional and elegant, whimsical and fun, or modern and unique; Amelia Lane Paper pairs outstanding design with individual personality. We love the vintage, fun feel to her creations, a great introduction to any style of wedding. An S&M favourite!

Alongside beautifully designed gowns is a little something for the men, with Groom’s fashion from contemporary high street store Topman and Cad and the Dandy, making high end tailoring accessible to all.

The Great Gatsby inspired hair accessories are coming to the forefront of all the catwalks, injecting art deco glamour into any bridal party. Tiaras by Harriet exude 20's chic with heavily crystallised applique headpieces, suitable to glam up any bride.

Hermione Harbutt designs statement pieces and are bound to be a great hit on the runway, coinciding with the theme of vintage glamour really taking over bridal fashion this season. Hermione has also donated one of her gorgeous headpieces to the WIN page competition in Brides magazine. We love this statement piece, glamorous yet with a real autumnal feel to it.

Or for something a little different, Yelena Smirnova delivers beautifully floral, handmade head pieces and corsages perfect for a midsummer night's dream wedding.

Here at S&M we recognise that wedding planning is tiring work...did someone say holiday? Both Tropical Sky and AM Resorts in Dominican Republic offer the most fabulous holiday get aways, either for your holiday ceremony or as a honeymooner’s paradise. 

Brides Magazine featured AM Resorts with the stunning location of Dominican Republic, for one winner to receive an all inclusive, a no-expenses-spared week's holiday!

Something old , something new , something borrowed and something .....green !! Fine jewellery designers Jon Dibben and Stephen Webster offer one of the most important items on the day of any wedding. Best men have sleepless nights over forgetting it, and brides to-be eagerly anticipate how big it will be. It is of course, the ring. 

The Fairtrade Foundation are showcasing these talented designers amongst others and Brides magazine have recognised this ethical trend and have already credited these stunning designs and urging brides to think about how the gold is sourced. Read their recent blog post:

http://www.bridesmagazine.co.uk/blog/2012/09/17/idea-of-the-day-fairtrade-foundation-wedding-jewellery

Jon Dibben creates entirely bespoke items, all traditionally handcrafted within his own workshop, making them entirely personalised to you. Offering both fair-trade and fairmined gold or platinum, there truly is something to suit everybody’s tastes and wants; after all, you’ll be wearing it every day of your life!

StephenWebster’s wedding creations are for a more contemporary audience, with edgy designs for those couple’s who really want to make a statement.

As you can see we’ve been working hard alongside the National Wedding Show, carefully selecting the very best exhibitors, giving all you brides-to-be only the finest when it comes to organising your big day.