Just a hint, of a tint


After a long hiatus from my blog I’m back. Last year was an exciting time for me. Lots happened, good and bad (some fantastic) and my life changed in so many ways. Needless to say I’m viewing the way I live my life differently.

Facing my fears and saying yes are a big part of this change. As a child I had no fear of flying but after a large gap when I hardly travelled it grew and grew but no longer. This year I am taking my first long haul flight and a well deserved holiday.

This led me to thinking about my lashes, which are naturally very fair, something which I hate when going to the beach. So I am having them tinted to save me from panda eyes.

After having a patch test where my wrist was dyed with a rather fetching circle (hurrah no reaction!) I booked in with a local beauty parlour in Richmond, Beauchamp Beauty.

So here is a before look at my lashes…

Before Lash Tinting Open Eye

Before-Lash-Tinting-2

I wasn’t told whether I should wear mascara on the day or not so I opted not to. I never normally venture outside without it so I felt quite spooked until my work colleagues told me that I looked no different (off to buy a new, better mascara then!).

At the salon I was introduced to my beautician, Stephanie who showed me into a room with a really comfy bed complete with blanket (it has been quite cold recently). All snuggled up under the blanket she took me through the process and how long it would last before starting.

Barrier cream was applied to my lids to prevent the tint staining my skin and then a cleverly shaped pad was placed under my bottom lids before I closed my eyes. The application was okay, it felt quite relaxing and after the tint was applied (blue-black colour)  a further pad was placed on top to stop me from blinking.

A hand massage later and the pads were removed and the tint wiped away. It took about 20 minutes in total so perfect for a lunchtime visit.

I looked in the mirror at my newly darkened lashes and the tint has given me the appearance of wearing eye-liner as well as longer lashes. I wasn’t able to curl my lashes after my appointment so I waited till I got home to do so.

Eyelash Tint After

Eyelash Tint After

When I went out to buy some make-up at the weekend several people said that they thought I had naturally dark lashes. I have to say I’m loving not having to remove mascara every night.

The lash tint should last between 4 and 6 weeks with the use of a water based eye make-up remover so I have booked in for just before my holiday to make sure my eyes look their best for the beach.

I’ll update my post to let you know how well it lasts.

Have you been tempted to tint your lashes?

UPDATE:

It’s now 5 weeks later and I’ve had my lashes tinted again. Only within the past 10 days have I noticed that they are looking like they needed a top up, mostly at the base of my lashes with the false eye-liner effect wearing off. But I have been really impressed. My lashes look great with only curling required and I’ve found that my eyes have been less sensitive, normally I itch my eyes a lot so I’m putting this down to the lack of mascara irritating my eyes.

Next month I am trying out a brow tint too (as they have a special offer on) so I’ll be posting about that at the end of March.

Beauty treatments this weekend


I’ve had enough of the winter now. The cold blasts of air through my clothes, the way the damp weather makes my hair frizzy and dry all at the same time, and the dry skin crying out because of all the drying central heating and layers upon layers of clothes I have to wear to stay warm.

Cold, rainy, windy weather

And it’s not just the weather causing my skin to rebel and attempt to turn into tree bark, the fact my bathroom has no heating and turns into a place I want to spend as little time as possible makes me less inclined to strip off in there for any kind of beauty treatment.Heck, even shaving has to be done in the shower and because my hot water tank is the size of a thimble I have to turn off the shower if I want to shave my legs or wash my hair.

But this weekend isn’t too bad. Yes it’s raining outside but at least the Continue reading

Beauty review: Spa Find Stabilizing Mud Mask


Several months ago I was sent a range of different home spa treatments to try. Amongst them was a small tube of Spa Find’s Stabilizing Mud Mask. Last week I decided to give a go and see if it improved the look and feel of my skin. Now I don’t normally buy face masks as I find gentle steaming much nicer plus it has the added benefit of helping to clear my sinus at the same time.

Deep cleansing steam

So I sat down and applied the mud in areas that currently needed attention. In the winter my skin tends to break out in dry patches as the cold wind and central heating play havoc. So I hoped that the mask would alleviate the spots that appear where my face has dried.

The mask is made of Dead Sea Mud, Harmonised Continue reading

Finding a hair stylist and my haircut at Headmasters


Finding a new hairdressers is a tricky business. For most women our hair is a very sensitive matter; it can shape our days and when it finally sits in the right way and stops being static and fluffy, make us feel confident and downright sexy. So if we happen to get a haircut that doesn’t look the way we asked for it isn’t the end of the world, of course it will grow back, but it makes us dread going again.

Haircut

Many years ago I had a horrific haircut. A friend a at a very well-known salon in Derby was about to put the finishing touches to my new bob by adding feathering to the front sections. Back then using a razor was popular and I sat in the chair with my hair combed forwards not knowing what was going to happen next. Instead of softening the ends she took my hair and said:

“You know, you’d look great with a micro fringe”

And two seconds later ta da! I had one. I was horrified. Not only had I not asked for it but it made my head look like a crazy oversized round thing that out had grown its hair. And worse still, in two weeks I was going to celebrate the Millennium and had a huge night out planned. The micro fringe was possibly the worst thing that had ever happened to my hair. Even worse than when I managed to tangle a huge clump of it in a round brush (that had to be cut from my hair). Needless to say we fell out and I never spoke to her again.

After that going to the hairdressers was a frightening experience. It took about a year to grow out the fringe and I have never had a bob again since.

I found a new hairdresser who gained my confidence and I happily Continue reading

Twin Peaks makeup


Now that summer is well and truly just a distant memory for us (sigh) we can indulge in dark lips, pale skin and smokey eyes with the reinvented 90’s Gothic look that has been featured in Emerald Street with “sophisticated” berry lipsticks and on the runway of Gucci, recreated on The Telegraph by Ruth Crilly in a great video tutorial.

Gucci Gothic Look Autumn Winter 2012

I found an interview with the makeup artist who, at the time, was working on Twin Peaks and she gave some great tips on Continue reading

My quick recipe for fake blood


Fake Blood

I know lots of people who are dashing around, last-minute, looking for fake blood that they can buy at the shops for their Halloween parties. Last year I spent some time looking around several sites looking for the perfect fake blood, one that had the right constancy and colour. Most that I found looked too bright and thin.

Smiffy's Fake Blood

I ended up looking for DIY versions and finally made my own up.

The recipe below is a rough guide. Continue reading

NARS Andy Warhol Nail Polish Superstar


The Andy Warhol collection at NARS launched a few weeks ago and I bought my own bottle of nail polish, a dark teal colour called Superstar.

NARS Andy Warhol Box

It arrived in a lovely box but I wasn’t able to try it on as I was enjoying wearing my nude polish from MAC.

Andy Warhol NARS Collection

As with all dark polishes, application is a tricky business, one small slip and it can end up with Continue reading

My favourite new beauty products


When it comes to beauty products I am wary of trying out new products as inevitably I am disappointed and end up going back to my tried and tested favourites.

Five New Beauty Favourites

Recently though I have come across a handful of products that I’ve tried and am confident that they will remain firm favourites in my beauty regime. Continue reading

Product review: John Frieda Sheer Blonde


I recently decided to take charge of my hair and hide the few platinum white hairs that have appeared around my hairline. They are not that noticeable but I know they are there. So I made a brave choice and had a few highlights and a little toner colour applied to blend them away and stop me feeling so self-conscious.

In doing so I have had to slightly alter my hair washing routine so when I was contacted about trying out some John Frieda products I said what the hell, no harm in trying them out.

Not tonight I'm washing my hair Continue reading

Creating my own spa at home


As we expected, this summer has so far been a mixture of sunshine and downpours. First drought conditions and now flooding. All of which leads to wardrobe dilemmas and those days when your outfit just turns out to be the wrong choice.

It started out cold and rainy and as soon as you’re 10 minutes into your walk to work it starts to get sunnier, and warmer, making the choice of wearing boots and tights a mistake and by the end of the day all you want is to peel those suckers off and soak your poor feet.

The last thing I want to do when my feet ache is to Continue reading