“Wedding Make Up and Walk On Sorted” - TOWIE’S Junaid Ahmed and Joe Blackman Find Their Wedding Beauty Bargains at Bodycare

At a glance

TOWIE's Junaid Ahmed and Joe Blackman attended the reopening of Bodycare's Studio Store in Leicester, where they shopped for wedding essentials and decided to use the store's bhangra drummers for their wedding entrance. The couple, known for their engagement on ITV2, participated in a makeup masterclass and highlighted the affordability of the store's products. This event underscores Bodycare's appeal as a destination for affordable beauty and wedding preparations.

The newly engaged couple turned the reopening of the iconic high street chain into a wedding planning session, and left having borrowed the bhangra drummers from the store’s opening day for their walk on

TOWIE’s Junaid Ahmed and Joe Blackman arrived at Bodycare in Leicester by limousine on Saturday to shop for their wedding, and left with the make up, the masterclass learnings and their entrance all sorted.

The couple, whose beachside engagement in Albania aired on ITV2 last month as the first multiracial gay engagement on reality television, came to the opening of Bodycare’s third next-generation Studio Store at Highcross, Leicester, as part of the 55 year old British high street reopening.

“We have come all the way to Leicester today to go to the brand new store opening of Bodycare,” Joe said. “This is all in preparation for our Groom Glam.”

THE GROOM GLAM

Inside, their shopping instantly started in the Korean skincare department, where nothing is priced above £16. “Medicube, Joe. I need that, and you always steal it from me,” Junaid said, picking up the brand’s toner pads at £15. “I love Medicube so much.”

Joe moved on to haircare and picked up Mane ‘n Tail conditioner. He said: “Do you know how you always say your hair is thinning? You need this. It is going to grow your hair.”

Then came the find neither of them expected on a high street beauty shelf. Junaid said in a video shared on Tiktok: “Oh my God, they have Fenty Beauty here at Bodycare. This is how bronzed I am going to be at the wedding.”

Later, Junaid held up a box of Durex from the shelf on the way round. “Safe sex,” he said. “Safe sex always.”

THE WEDDING WALK ON

At 12.30 an opening day performance took over the front of the store, lead by two female dhol players from Eternal Taal, the bhangra troop billed as the world’s first all-female bhangra team, whose previous bookings include the Royal Family, the Spice Girls and Glastonbury, and included the Bodycare flashmob.

Junaid and Joe were spotted dancing along with the drummers and the flashmob, and decided on the spot that this was how they wanted their wedding entrance to be.

Junaid exclaimed: “Is this the wedding entrance? This is the entrance. Guys, we have been rehearsing our wedding entrance.”

The pair were filmed drumming alongside the players and dancing outside the store. Their video from the day, captioned “wedding prep in full swing”, was published on social media.

THE BRIDAL MAKE UP

The couple also sat in on the store’s Asian makeup masterclass, run by bridal and group makeup artist Romana Artistry, who ended up building a full bridal look on her model over an hour, using products picked straight off the Bodycare shelves and taking questions from the crowd afterwards.

Junaid was photographed alongside the finished bride at the Bodycare Leicester counter, in a wedding look put together entirely from the shop floor.

BIG DAY BEAUTY AT HIGH STREET PRICES

Bodycare’s Leicester Studio Store, which opened on Saturday on the Lower Mall at Highcross, carries a full Korean skincare department where nothing is priced above £16, alongside the complete Technic cosmetics range, fragrance, haircare and the everyday essentials the brand has been known for across 55 years on the British high street.

Tash Courtenay-Smith, CMO of Bodycare, said: “Junaid and Joe came in to shop for their wedding and left having booked their entrance as well. A wedding is the moment people are told they have to spend, and they do not. Everything in their basket is on our shelves at a price anybody can walk in and pay, and nothing in our Korean skincare section is over £16.”

Junaid and Joe joined Love Island’s Yasmin Hadlow, comedian Kita Kartel and more than 100 local creators at the opening of Bodycare Leicester, which ran a full day of live shopping, masterclasses, free colour analysis, and a flashmob and bhangra drum performance at the front of the store.

Editorial insight

Celebrity appearances at high street store openings have become a familiar promotional tactic, but the visit by TOWIE’s Junaid Ahmed and Joe Blackman to Bodycare’s Leicester relaunch brought an extra layer of publicity, tying in their recent high-profile engagement with the retailer’s event. Their decision to incorporate elements of the store’s launch, such as the bhangra drummers and beauty masterclass, into their own wedding planning highlights the potential for retail events to generate wider social media engagement and local buzz.

While the announcement is primarily of local interest, it also reflects the ongoing efforts by established high street brands to attract younger and more diverse audiences through experiential retail and influencer partnerships. For Bodycare, positioning its third Studio Store as both accessible and on-trend, with affordable Korean skincare and branded cosmetics, is a direct response to shifting consumer priorities around value and inclusivity in beauty retail.

Story ideas and journalist angles

Consumer trend

The Economics of Affordable Beauty Products in a Cost-of-Living Crisis

Bodycare's strategy to offer affordable beauty products like Korean skincare under £16 aligns with the current cost-of-living crisis. This story could assess how budget-friendly beauty options are attracting consumers who are looking to maintain personal care routines without financial strain.

Target audience consumer lifestyle and economic trend media Story potential 6/10 Current affairs

The Role of Multiracial Representation in UK Reality TV

The engagement of Junaid Ahmed and Joe Blackman, celebrated as the first multiracial gay engagement on UK reality TV, offers a platform to discuss diversity and representation in British media. This angle could examine how such representations influence public perception and acceptance of minority groups.

Target audience media focused on social issues, diversity, and representation Story potential 8/10