A Midland beauty therapist is preparing to open new stores and salons in Hong Kong and New York following the success of her Far East flagship store in Taiwan.

Deborah Mitchell, who lives in Wolverhampton, and owns Heaven beauty salon in Shifnal, is best known for products she has created herself, one of the most popular being Bee Venom Mask, a natural alternative to botox, which has been championed by Dannii Minogue and the Duchess of Cornwall.

The entrepreneur recently flew out to Taipei to cut the ribbon on her exclusive Heaven store and salon, and also agreed a deal to open further outlets in Korea and China.

She is set to return to the Far East again this month to open her Hong Kong store, before heading to New York in September to launch there too. She already has outlets in Dubai and South Africa.

She said: “It was such a fantastic experience, I felt like a film star for the whole of my trip to Taipei.

“I was met at the airport by TV reporters, and was given star treatment wherever I went.

“It was amazing to finally see the store ready to open – it has been beautifully designed, and is stunning to look at.

“It was very glamorous, with secret doors leading off from the store to the beauty rooms.”

It has been a hectic year for Ms Mitchell, who besides agreeing deals for the new stores, was also involved in the preparations for the Royal Wedding.