Hyacinth

BE A NATURAL BEAUTY
With the move towards taking a more ecological approach to the planet, there's been a shift towards more holistic, eco-friendly, and natural beauty care as well, says the Flowers & Plants Association.
There's an influx of websites offering natural beauty care, and an increase in these kinds of brands; and more cosmetics are including natural ingredients in their composition.

Flowers have been used since the beginning of our ancestry to make natural beauty products and essences. The healing benefits of flowers and plants has been used in aromatherapy, homeopathy, and beauty for centuries: Cleopatra allegedly bathed in honey, asses' milk and rose petals. In beauty, the natural scent of flowers has been harnessed in perfumery to add to a woman's allure, and what better way to add fragrance to life than with fresh flowers?  The most exotic, heady and sublime scent comes from the hyacinth – the starry-shaped flower with the delicate, feminine colouring in white, pink, peach and blue. So captive is the fragrance of hyacinths, it's used as an ingredient in the most gorgeous perfumes. Gucci, Guerlain, Ralph Lauren and Yves Saint Laurent use it as either a heart or a top note in some of their most famous fragrances.

WEDDING BELLE
Used in celebrity weddings for decades and endorsed as the stylish wedding flower for this season by "Martha Stewart Weddings", the hyacinth is a must for any fashionable bride this spring, says the Flowers & Plants Association.
Elizabeth Taylor wore a crown of lemon hyacinth 'pips' (the individual flower heads) for one of her weddings, and Michelle Rago, of "InStyle Weddings", constructs strings of hyacinth blooms to drape over tree-branches for high-style cocktail receptions. So if you're into vintage chic or want the celebrity look, opt for hyacinths for the most luxurious wedding flowers, fit for the finest Princess.

So what's the appeal of this starry-shaped flower?
They're so versatile: their pips can be strung into leis, garlands, body jewellery and hair – accessorise with beads for a hint of magical sparkle. They come in a range of colours perfect for weddings – white, pale pink, peach and blue - but for the more adventurous there's dark wine purples, rosy reds, navy, egg-yolk yellows and soft oranges. Last but definitely not least, their sweet scent is so pure and natural, it adds to the allure of the bride. So sought-after is the fragrance, that it's a component in some of the most fabulous perfumes by Chanel, Gucci, and Yves Saint Laurent.  The scent  is used in aromatherapy to calm stress and mental tiredness, so hyacinths are the perfect, all-natural boost for a nervous bride on her wedding day!