Beauty & Fashion

Christmas is coming, and it’s pink! Each year, after a period of hibernation, Lush’s most popular Snow Fairy Christmas range emerges. Following the success in 2020, Lush has announced they will be bringing back a sweet treat to local high streets and shopping centres as they reveal destinations for Lush’s Snow Fairy pop-up! You can experience the magic of Snow Fairy for limited edition goodies, personalised presents and a whole lot more! The first stop will be Rushden Lakes. The Northampton Lush team will welcome visitors to the external shoppable trailer.  The pop-up will have stairs and a ramp to access. Opening Times - Lush Snow Fairy Pop-Up at Rushden Lakes SATURDAY 16TH OCT 09:00 - 20:00 SUNDAY 17TH OCT 11:00 - 17:00

Butterflies has re-emerged after an extensive makeover and with a new proprietor, Kristina Daukantaite (Kristi). The shop has been in the same premises for some 30 years and Kristi took over toward the end of lockdown when the previous owners looked to retire.  Kristi already knew the shop well having provided a dressmaking and alterations service to its clientele for some years before establishing the Fitting Room four years ago as an in-store service for that ultimate aim; a perfect fit.  Kristi is Lithuanian and came to England some 15 years ago. She had undertaken professional training and qualifications in her home town of Klaipeda on the Baltic Coast. The college teachers were hard taskmasters but she recalls the joy of getting it right and subsequently the satisfaction of smiling customers when they can feel it’s a perfect fit, whether it’s an alteration, a complete reshaping or a new dress..

Jack Walding, a Northampton carpenter who had to postpone his wedding through lockdown, can now step out in style after winning a capsule wardrobe of clothes courtesy of St Crispin Bespoke Menswear. Jack visited the shop just as lockdown finished for non-essential businesses to be measured for his first ever made-to-measure suit, shirts, blazer and chinos which was the prize for the lucky winner of the competition which ran in Pulse Magazine and sister title Business Times.  He was guided, with the expert help of Dean Anderson, the director of Saint Crispin Bespoke Menswear, to a formal three-piece suit using the finest English pure worsted wool fabric from Holland and Sherry in an eye-catching Prince of Wales check. For his smart casual blazer, Jack selected a sophisticated wool silk mix Italian cloth from Reda in a fine blue check with a pale blue lining and bespoke touches in the same..

Forget the gift vouchers, boxes of sweets and bits for the motor this Father’s Day– fellas love their beauty buys too, and we’ve got some cracking choices for June 20 in this month’s Pulse picks... Men’s skin is thicker and renews faster, so skin needs more energy to function optimally, and the skin cell’s ‘energy-producing factories’ (known as the mitochondria) can be damaged by the impact of a busy life. What to do about it? Trust in ClarinsMen which has just issued a plant-powered duo for him.  The Energising Gel promises to hydrate and strengthen the skin, while leaving an invisible non-oily and non-sticky finish. And those who need a little support around the more delicate eye area need to try the Energising Eye Gel, which will help to reduce dark circles and puffiness, and massage and refresh. Price: £35 (Energising Gel) £31 (Energising Eye Gel) Get it: clarins.co.uk   Sisleÿum..

The suit is making a welcome return as we can once again venture out so Jane and Dean talk of the importance of tailoring to achieve that truly smart look. With lockdown easing so many of us are looking for that smarter look for important, high profile occasions like weddings, the races, vintage motorcar events etc. Suiting is now being looked at once more and getting the right fit and cut for men and women can be a complete nightmare if you don’t fit the usual off the peg styles. Equally, if you are looking for something no one else is likely to be wearing, having something made to measure is the answer. All sorts of fabrics, colours, finishes exist to suit your requirements and themes. It isn’t until you have had a garment tailored to your body shape that you can truly appreciate the difference both in fit and..

Dean Anderson of Saint Crispin Menswear and Jane Sumner of Image Matters offer their advice for re-assessing your wardrobes as we emerge from the latest lockdown. As people begin making plans for celebrating the loosening of lockdown restrictions many of us will be looking into our wardrobes and wondering what an earth to wear after all those months of pj’s and/or relaxed home wear attire. Many are dreading the whole idea of meeting even friends and family face to face! Some of you might not have braved hopping on the scales, but have tried to get on those favourite go-to pieces, maybe a favourite jacket and discovered to your dismay that they are not fitting you as they once did! Consequently, having gained too many lockdown pounds means either, a drastic weight loss programme is required or some alterations are necessary ASAP! Alternatively, others may be finding that they have..

Online shopping for everday items like groceries or electrical goods may be quick and convenient, but how easy is it when you’re looking for new clothes? Dean Anderson from  Saint Crispin Bespoke Menswear discusses why buying clothes online can sometimes be a frustrating, costly and time-consuming experience.  The advent of Covid-19 means the switch to online shopping has been immense.  High street and shopping giants like Debenhams and Arcadia Group are literally being eaten alive by the giants of the internet world like ASOS and boohoo.  The convenience of online shopping has consequences including fewer ‘physical’ shops to visit. If you are purchasing certain objects of a regular size and shape, it’s a no brainer. A few YouTube reviews may suffice before buying electrical goods and gadgets with another big tick for food and household items.  How many of these items do you actually think about returning? Few I’m guessing...

Northampton based hair salon Daniel Granger Hairdressing has launched a new competition to celebrate lockdown heroes and give back to those who have put themselves second during these challenging times. This aptly named Star of the Shires competition, launched by the Abington Street award-winning salon, has been launched to recognise and celebrate all the selfless, extraordinary people who have put others first over the last 12 months and have made a difference to people’s lives during this pandemic. The ‘Just for You Package’, will be awarded to one winner and has been pulled together to provide a day of luxury and VIP treatment. It includes: A free cut, colour and finish from salon owner Daniel Granger himself A full makeover from Aimee Garner (or hair products to the same value) A meal for two at Nuovo Restaurant, Abington Street One years’ worth of hair appointments at Daniel Granger Hairdressing Daniel..

Stylist Jane Sumner of Image Matters shares her tips about getting your wardrobe in shape Many of us will be making new year resolutions to ensure we are ready for the arrival of spring and the longed-for summer. It could be we want to get back in to shape after making the most of the festive season and adding pounds during the lockdown. An incentive could be a wardrobe ready for the big reveal which meets the demands of both work and leisure. My first tip is to work out what clothes you will need in your wardrobe. This means you can plan in a focused way about what you will keep, throw away and most importantly what you are thinking of buying. In my experience most people buy clothes on impulse just because they ‘like’ them rather than working out how are they going to add value to the..

Baker Brothers Diamonds is celebrating its sparkling success in the prestigious Billboards Awards 2020. The family-run, Bedford based jewellers was announced as the winners of the Most Eye-Catching Campaign category in the national awards. The business, run by successful sisters, Lizzie McAuley and Rebecca Church, was awarded the accolade after the billboard campaign, which featured illustrative characters, was voted the best by the public, including Baker Brothers customers. It was the first time the business had been in the running in the awards process and follows Baker Brothers decision to try a very different visual approach with their advertising artwork, created with the help of marketing and PR agency, Rocket Creative.  Baker Brothers Director Lizzie McAuley said: “We are delighted to be announced as winners of the most eye-catching campaign in the Billboard Awards 2020. We hadn’t realised we were contenders and had been nominated in the national competition until..

Be the envy of your colleagues and friends and enter a fantastic competition to win a capsule wardrobe of clothes worth £3,500 from Saint Crispin Bespoke Menswear  Are you fed up with seeing the same uninspiring tired looking shirts, chinos and jackets hanging in your wardrobe? Imagine having an impressive new capsule wardrobe of clothes to kick off 2021 in style!  This is a unique chance to win a fresh injection of well-fitting, quality clothing, ready to wear for all those important business and social events that will inevitably come along this year. Saint Crispin Bespoke Menswear is offering one reader a very special opportunity – the chance to win a £3,500 investment in your wardrobe with clothes created using only the very best quality fabrics from Italian designers Loro Piana and Zegna and the British company Holland & Sherry. This is a unique opportunity for any discerning man to..

Tailor’s made-to-measure looks offer the perfect fit for 2021 Living through a pandemic has certainly helped to focus outlooks on life and waist sizes but it is still business as usual for tailor Dean Anderson of Saint Crispin Bespoke Menswear. In 2021 it will be 10 years since doors opened at Saint Crispin Retail Village in Duston after making the move from Milton Keynes where he jointly owned Craig Anderson Menswear for many years. A decade later and Dean is continuing to do what he does best – create beautifully crafted made-to-measure clothes for clients who want to make their individual style statement. The appointment-only service means Dean has time to focus on the needs of each customer who might be looking for a suit for one of life’s landmark events like a wedding, celebration or awards ceremony and better still that suit in the wardrobe that just fits so..

A Northampton College business student who found fame on social media app TikTok has landed a clothing deal with fashion giant Boohoo to show off the online retailer’s latest lines to his army of followers. Will Greaves, aged 19 and from Duston, now has almost 100,000 fans on the video sharing platform, while his clips have been seen more than 14 million times and attracted 1.2 million ‘likes’. The Level 3 Business student, who also works stacking shelves in Aldi, has been using the app since January and discovered one of his videos had gone viral when he suddenly found himself with 20,000 new followers in just a couple of hours. Since then, the numbers have continued to grow and he is regularly featured on TikTok’s ‘For You Page’ – the main screen when users around the world visit the app. He said: “It’s all been a bit of a..