LVL Lash treatment and review

Look! lashes!! I know big lashes are no new thing, but I have been seriously obsessed with having huge lashes since I was 13 years old. When I was on holiday I was lucky enough to meet a lovely 18 year old who took me under her wing and taught me how to "properly" apply mascara.

 I have spent over an hour doing my mascara on more than one occasion. I'm definitely a lash perfectionist and want them long and separated. 

So one day I went to my boyfriends house and saw his sister. Her lashes were twice the size as usual AND she had no mascara on. What is this sorcery?! I needed it yesterday! 

LVL lashes. LVL stands for "Lengh, volume and lift" and as you can see from my before and after, I think that's a pretty accurate description. The treatment took around 1 hour, and I had to have a patch test done at least 24 hours beforehand. 

From what I could feel, my lashes were tinted and then shields were placed on my eyes. My lashes were placed on the shields and the treatment applied. It sounds painful but I felt nothing at all and the results are amazing.  My therapist is called Emma and she's pretty damn fabulous herself too in my opinion! This little statement is taken from her website

http://www.mybeautybyemma.co.uk/lvl/

"LVL is a revolutionary treatment that provides you with longer looking lashes without the need for lash extensions. LVL which stands for Length, Volume and Lift uses an innovative technique to gently lift and straighten the lashes, giving your lashes a thicker and more voluminous look. The results are immediately visible and it is a low-maintenance and long-lasting treatment with the results lasting up to 6 weeks. The treatment takes approximatley 45mins-1hour and includes an eyelash tint."

The treatment cost £40 and is worth every single penny. This is seriously the best thing that has ever happened to my makeup and eyelash life. I can achieve the same long lashes with minimum time and effort, and can even go without mascara at a push. It's like I've got my lash extensions again, only better (no pain, no ruined lashes, no crossed lashes, I can actually wash my face properly etc)

Honestly I would recommend this treatment (and Emma with it)  to anyone who likes the longer lash look. I am definitely a convert and will be getting them done on a regular basis from now on. 

Here's a nice side view for you! (Ignore my red skin I had my brows waxed, pale ladies feel my pain!) 

With mascara..

2 weeks on and still fabulous 

For information and booking enquiries, please see Emma's website 

 

http://www.mybeautybyemma.co.uk/lvl/ or Facebook page Emma Nixon ( Beauty by Emma) 

Daenerys inspired braids

I love a braid. It doesn't take all that much effort (once you are used to it) and makes you look like you spent ages doing your hair (in reality I spend hours on my makeup and little or no time dealing with my locks) 

I also love Dany from Game of Thrones. She's a badass dragon queen with nice hair. What's not to love? I've tried lots of braid looks, but my latest attempt is a more "wearable" version of this (without looking like a completely mental fan girl) 

So here's my attempt 

 I've got to say, I kind of love it. It's basically a French, Dutch braid plaited towards the back of the head so that it stays in that position itself. A Dutch braid is simply a plait where the pieces are placed under each other, not over. If you do not know how to Dutch/French braid then it's worth checking out some YouTube tutorials, as that's how I learnt! 

It's super comfortable and keeps my hair off my face in this unusually hot British weather. 

Front view! I secured the end of the braids with small elastics, and they have stayed in place all day! 

Have any of you guys tried to recreate any Game of Thrones / Daenerys Targaryen inspired hair styles? 

Pawsome subscription box for dogs! *WARNING - Contains cuteness*

Hi all!

Sorry I've been AWOL. I have no excuse really except that I'm rubbish sometimes

Anyway this is a bit of a different post but it was too cute not to share. A little while ago I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw an advert for the Pawsome subscription service.

 Intrigued, I had a look and they were doing an offer where the first box was free ( it is normally priced at £19.99) Being the owner of this little girl (Minnie Mouse) I had to try it

When you sign up they take some information about the breed and age of your dog and their name in case you want to add multiple animals. A good few weeks went by and I didn't receive my box, and I started to think that maybe it hadn't processed or maybe when something seems too good to be true that it is.. But then I received a email from them. Basically they had (understandably) had a lot of interest since they offered the first box free so they were just running a little behind. Low and behold I came home yesterday to a HUGE box of doggie things. 

The first thing I noted was that it had not one, but TWO toys in it which is perfect for my little one as she loves her toys but chews them to pieces. The first was a little mouse plush ( well suited to a dog named after the most famous female mouse of all time) 

The second one was a little ball / rope monkey

The box also contained some wipes for her fur ( or hair as she is a Yorkshire terrier) and a blue travel water bottle/bowl (always useful) 

And two large bags of appropriately sized treats. 

Here's Minnie enjoying the banana and chicken ones 

Safe to say she loves them and the box is a hit in this house! 

Would I continue this subscription? Honestly I can't afford too. £19.99 is a lot to pay per month for treats for my dog especially as she is already spoiled as it is However, as a one off for her birthday or for Christmas I think it's great, and you definately get your money's worth. 

It would also be nice if they introduced a smaller box with a smaller price tag to be able to justify a monthly billing.

What do you think about subscription services for pets? 

A few extra Minnie photos for good measure ( before and after hair cut)

Jewellery by Francesca Pina

Accessories. I'm obsessed with them. Seriously. A couple of years ago I started seeing a few jewellery pieces pop up on my Facebook that I loved and HAD to own. Turns out they were being handmade by a friend as gifts, and it wasn't long before they were so popular that they were on sale to the general public. 

My first piece was this beautiful cross bracelet. I'm really not a pink person but I love this colour! The cross gives it the edge it needs to make it super wearable for me. 

 (Photo property of the Francesca Pina website) 

Next up, I ordered this bracelet which is different entirely, but still goes with my grungeish style.

(Photo property of the Francesca Pina website) 

  

Scrolling through my Instagram feed, I spotted this little beauty. I'm not sure if it's on the website *yet* but I sent Fran a private message and ordered one (Francesca can be reached at)  I'm in love with the 90s and adore that chokers are back in fashion so I knew I would get a ton of wear out of this. And for £6 who can complain?!

It's a tiny little Saturn!!! Too cute!!! 

Along with this I ordered one of the star sign bracelets from the "Galaxy collection" in Leo ( of course, what other sign would I have with a mane like mine?!) 

I pair it with my silver skull bracelet that was gifted to me by my lovely friend Cheryl, after she saw how much I loved Francesca's bracelets. This one may have been discontinued or might just be sold out at present as I think it's pretty popular. 

You may have noticed the tiny wing charm. It's on every bracelet ( as well as a italic "F") and I love it! 

So basically, I'm a fan. Francesca has a big sale on at the moment so if you want to check it out, the website is;

http://www.francescapinajewellery.co.uk

What have I got my eye on next? I'm not a flower girl normally, but not sure how long I can resist this bad boy..

(Photo property of the Francesca Pina website) 

After all, how often do you get a chance to afford something that's been featured in Vogue? 

(Photo property of the Francesca Pina website) 

1 minute review - Korean cosmetics Étude House " My castle sweet cookie" hand cream

Working in a office with nasty cheap soap ( sorry but it's true!) my hands get very dry and I need a lot of hand cream. I fancied trying something a bit different and stumbled across this by "Étude House" on EBay. 

 

Ana and Marshmellow don't come with, but they do sit on my desk pc monitor with the hand cream so I thought why not?!  They have different varieties of the "My castle" hand creams, but I choose "Sweet cookie" as I like baking scents. 

Firstly cutest packaging ever. It the "roof" if you like spins off to access the hand cream. 

The hand cream itself is thick and luxurious almost like a face cream. It's very hydrating and a little goes a long way, you can feel it on your hands for a while after application but it isn't slimy like some thick creams can be. It does wash off completely when you wash your hands so it is not water resistant. Funnily enough, it doesn't smell like cookies and smells more like butter with a hint of coconut. It's pleasant and light, but still noticeable ( I use this at work so have a tester audience if you like scent wise! Unlike me they have no choice mwahha. Still, I have had no complaints as it is generally very inoffensive) 

I paid a very random £4.63 with free shipping from a eBay seller, and it took around 10 days to arrive which isn't bad. 

Would I repurchase?

 Well I enjoy testing out things like this so might buy something different next time, or maybe just try one of the other variations ( The "Frozen" one is intriguing me and would go nicely with Ana and Marshmellow) So yes. It does the job and is cute. What's not to like? 

Here's a random cute snippit I found on the "Étude house" website which I liked. 

What's your favourite sweet smelling hand cream? 

1 minute review - Loreal infallible 24hr matte primer and foundation

My favourite foundation that I have found in my 25 years on this earth is Estée Lauder Double Wear. . I bought mine from a cosmetics company outlet so it could be a shade lighter, but apart from that it's perfect. Heavy coverage, can be set to matte and extremely long lasting. This stuff isn't cheap so if anything comes into the drugstore market promising any of these things I'm interested. 

Sadly, this time I was disappointed. You win some, you loose some. (Friendly reminder, what doesn't work for me, may work for you... This is my experience with the products) 

These were on introductory offer at boots (I think) for £5.99 each and it was 3 for 2 so I splurged. They are meant to be used together and have nifty instructions on the back for the best way to apply. 

The primer? Who knows. I'm not sure if any of them do what they say they do... Except porefessional which DOES reduce the visable pores on my face anyway.. This one does not claim to fill/blur your pores and thank god because it seriously doesn't! Does it make my makeup last longer? Guess I'll have to try it with a different foundation before I really know. 

The foundation. Sad face.Now I don't know if my skin just rejects this stuff (combination sensitive) , or if it doesn't agree with my moisturiser or what, but it just would not blend properly on applicaton. Like from far away it looked like it blended but up close it was forming into weird patches that are hard to explain. People who wear glasses; you know how the foundation sits on your nose weird and sort of rubs off where you glasses are over the course of the day? Like that only in multiple places. When I try to blend it, it just rubs off!! 

This gets worse during the day. It's medium coverage but my pores are on full display by lunch time, with random patches missing/ redness showing through. Waa. Not happy. 

So hard to show in a photo! Plus from far away it's fineish, it's just up close that's the real problem. 

It's such a shame as for me the colour was near perfect. I'm a NC15 in MAC and got the shade "porcelain" which is the lightest that they offer. 

It's left me wondering, what does everyone else think? 

Collection concealers - worth the hype?

Collection is known for their affordability, but I still labeled this a "worth the hype?" post because these concealers get a lot of attention from Youtubers and beauty bloggers alike. 

The "origional" if you like, is this one here 

(Image belongs to collection cosmetics)

I'm a huge fan of this stuff. For a long time I was being a makeup snob about it and decided that being so cheap, there was no way it could be as good as some of the high end ones I own. I finally tried it last year and I LOVE it. 

It's very high coverage ( a little goes a long way) thick and the best part? It comes in a super pale shade. I'm a NC15 in MAC for reference, and trying to find concealers or foundations that are light enough is very difficult. This one fits the bill and covers my dark circles as well as slightly highlighting the under eye area. It doesn't crease for me personally either. 

When I heard that there was a new "highlighting" concealer out by Collection I knew I had to try it. The packaging is different, unfortunately in my opinion looks cheaper, however the applicator is one of those twist ones and is quite nice.. The tip is similar to the cult YSL touché éclat 

( Image belongs to Collection cosmetics)

Here are the swatches of the two, side by side ( New " Illuminating touch"  concealer is actually the one swatched on top!) 

My first impression of the new concealer ( swatched nearest my fingers) was HELL NO. It's SO much darker than the other one!!  Both are in the lightest shades and the new one looked positively orange next to the old one. However, I have since used it and under the eyes it does a good job and doesn't look dark at all. Weirdly enough I feel like the new "Illuminating touch" concealer is more of a concealer concealer, and the "Lasting perfection" is better at highlighting! Whatever, my writing skills suck today but basically they should just swap the names of the two in my opinion! 

Will I continue to use and repurchase? 

Yes definately. I generally buy mine from Boots when they're a 3 for 2 offer on (there is right now for anyone interested) so it works out even cheaper, and for the price and the quality of the product they are both a steal. They have already become a staple in my morning routine! 

What's your favourite affordable concealer?