Your New Bridal Skincare Regimen: Bluemercury’s Brand New Line

The entire M-61 Powerful Skincare line created by Bluemercury founder Marla Malcolm Beck. Photo courtesy Bluemercury.

This week, we had the pleasure of hopping over to the Bluemercury near Rittenhouse and hanging with Marla Malcolm Beck, the delightful founder of the ever-growing brand of beauty boutiques the ladies in this nation have become seriously addicted to over the past nearly 15 years since she opened the doors to her first shop. (The Rittenhouse boutique was Marla’s third!)

And now, it’s time for another milestone: Marla’s first ever skincare line! About five years ago, she felt like Bluemercury had a gap in something her customers were looking for: natural products that gave great, technical results—and that also smelled good, as opposed to, like, a burlap sack of hemp. When she realized she didn’t have anything to give them, she decided to hit the books, hit the lab, hit up a team of scientists, and get cooking.

Thing was, Marla wanted to create a line that focused on natural ingredients—but ones that actually had proven science behind them to declare their wonderfulness; she didn’t want to go all, “Smear this pot of avocado and twigs on you! It’ll make you look pretty, swear!” on her customers, the way so many natural lines or holistic spas seem to without any particularly concrete reason as to the why or how. After five years of the books, the lab, and the scientists, she’s finally got it. And come May 1st, we will, too.

The result is the brand new M-61 Powerful Skincare line, named after a blue galaxy—one of the few that scientists actually understand the workings of. It consists of three different cleansers, two serums, a quickie mask, a quickie peel-and-treatment combo, and some super luxe hand cream brimming with not-scary ingredients (aloe, colloidal oatmeal, lavender, tamarind, witch hazel, glycolic acid, vitamin C, peptides) that actually perform hardcore beauty tasks.

Trained Bluemercury staff can help you figure out which products are best for you, and the most effective combinations in which to use them—but Marla shared her secret weapon for looking refreshed, rejuvenated and glowing before a night out, which she says is perfect for brides to do just before they start getting ready the morning of their Big Day: the Power Pro-Peel, which is a two-minute exfoliating peel with glycolic and salicylic acid, colloidal oatmeal and bilberry followed by post-peel vitamin A&C treatment with chamomile and lavender. That will exfoliate and brighten and make makeup go on ridiculously smoothly. Then, you can either follow it up with the Hydraboost serum for extra hydration and smoothing, or the Vitablast C for extra brightening and glow. It’ll take about three minutes, and the effects will have people wondering if you spent the morning hours of your wedding day in the spa, instead of drinking champagne with your ‘maids. (Marla does recommend starting the skincare line about three months before you walk down the aisle, however, to whip skin into shape.)

Oh, and her other tip for looking gorgeous as you say “I do”? For that, we actually walked over to the Chanel counter. Seems the secret is in their Joues Contraste blush, in the universally-flattering and never-fail shade Orchid Rose. “It’s so good,” she says. “It looks amazing on everyone.”

Products in the M-61 skincare line range from $19-$92. Bluemercury, locally in Rittenhouse, Ardmore, Wayne, Marlton and Atlantic City.

Getting married? Start and end your wedding planning journey with Philadelphia Weddings' guide to the best wedding vendors in the city.