A Beautiful Mind at Harvey Nichols, Birmingham

There was a big night of beauty taking place at Harvey Nichols in Birmingham’s Mailbox last Thursday.  ‘A Beautiful Mind’ delivered a series of masterclasses in hair, skincare, brows and beauty, whilst serving up beauty discounts and champagne and cocktails. I was invited along to enjoy the proceedings, learn a few lessons, and enjoy a little bit of pampering.

I arrived early and so used the opportunity to have a browse at the latest beauty offerings and enjoy a cocktail of Prosecco and ginger created by using Ficks cocktail fortifier – apparently it helps prevent a hangover. To be honest, as much as I love ginger ale, I think this is an acquired taste which I wasn’t entirely sure about, but can confirm, there was no hangover the next day!

Looking around the beauty section, I totally fell in love with the gorgeous Cinderella tie-ins from the LED nails brand Red Carpet Manicure, the packaging is absolutely stunning, with mini story book style boxes adding to the glittering fairy tale mystique that is proving to make this movie irresistible to big girls and little girls alike.

Elemis is one of my favourite brands, so the opportunity to enjoy a hot stone hand and arm massage was one that I was not going to miss. The hot stones act like a high pressure massage, but without the pain that can sometimes accompany these. The massage was so relaxing and used one of my favourite Elemis products, the Frangipani Monoi body oil that has the most intoxicating scent. My hands felt really soft, and the scent drifted into the air creating a relaxed atmosphere. What I didn’t know was that the oil can also be used on the hair as a real luxurious treat. You learn something new every day.

Then it was time to enjoy a couple of the masterclass sessions. First up was Cloud Nine who were giving expert hints and tips on haircare – specifically the use of straighteners and heat products. Cloud Nine promise products that are easy to use, and can be used everyday. They have a special ‘quick touch’ technology which means it is very easy to turn down the heat – great if you are styling your hair on the run.

The second session I attended was hosted by the lovely ladies of Space NK. This was a great, anything goes session that was keen to highlight that your beauty choices are just for you – there are really no right or wrong answers when it comes to products and colour – different things apply to different people. With this in mind, we were shown why primer is useful as a base for make-up, or just a skin perfector, and why blusher can work on all skin types – even those who think it is a real no-no (i.e me!). This was a fun session, as well as being informative.

Unfortunately, my evening had to finish there, which meant I missed the session with Shavata as she was running late. However, I left with two rather fabulous goodie bags, one from Elemis, and one containing a gorgeous range of beauty products. The perfect end to a rather lovely night.

*With thanks to Lisa Piddington and Harvey Nichols, Birmingham for the invitation.

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