Busy busy Bumble bee...

Hi everyone, sorry I've been away for while... didn't realise how busy April was going to be!

Anyways... I'm going to be talking about something other than makeup and skin today... HAIR!!

I don't know about you, but I constantly have flat, dull lifeless (cue Cheryl Cole..) hair.. particularly at the roots. And of course I've fallen for all the marketing hype with this shampoo and that conditioner that claims to thicken my hair and give it volume and shine etc etc... blah blah blah... what a load of tosh ey?!

So I was talking to my friend about it a few weeks ago and she suggested I try Bumble and Bumble Thickening spray. Her hair always looks fab so I ordered from the love that is Space NK, and it arrived ready to be tried immediately!

I have to say I was sceptical.. nothing had ever worked before on my hair so why would this? But I was pleasantly surprised... and after all, it didn't win In Style best beauty buy for 2012 for nothing.

After towl drying your hair, you spray this all over (I particularly spray into and underneath my roots for a bit of extra ooommppphh!). Then blow dry as normal, or in my case, blast it dry with my fingers.

Its as simple as that.

It doesn't get as much volume in there as I thought it would (I'm not sure what I was expecting..80's bouffant??!) but it certainly gives the hair a lot more texture and a little height at the root and thats a quick blast with the hairdryer. If you blow dry it properly and take a little more time, this will give plenty of height at the root and texture which still leaves movement in that swish swish.

The only downside with this is it can leave the hair feeling a little straw as you do have to saturate the hair with spray before drying.. all in all though, worth trying if you're struggling with volumising products. Only one that has done anything to my hair so far!

So next time I will be reviewing the wonder that is hair dust.. and the new Giles Deacon makeup range for New Look.. exciting stuff ladies, hope you enjoy!

See you soon

L xx

DermaQuest Glycolic Cleanser

I just wanted to do a quick review on this product which I've now been using for a about a week...

This is the Glyco Creamy Cleanser from DermaQuest. It has 15% glycolic acid in it (the highest you are allowed to use in a cleanser) which as some of you may or may not know does a multitude of amazing things to your skin

- Exfoliates

- Hydrates

- Increases cell turnover

- Clears blackheads

- Stimulates collagen and elastin

To name but a few!

How to use...

Use P.M and do a double cleanse with it. You can use it normally as a cleanser, or leave it on for up to 3 minutes as a cleansing mask. Thoroughly and deeply cleanses so skin feels squeaky clean afterwards.

You really do see a difference with this cleanser, my skin has been smoother and much more even just after a week of using it.. and considering its a cleanser, it does a hell of a lot. Really good for age management, breakout skin and preparation for skin peels.

Retails at £32, so little more expensive that your bog standard cleanser, but it can last you up to 3 months (you don't need to use a lot of it either).

My verdict?? Buy it.. so worth it.

See you soon!

Lauren x

Magic Minerals...

Ok I admit it, I used to be a bit of a makeup snob... I thought all the best makeup, was the expensive stuff.. the most widely used, the most popular, the most this, the most that... how wrong I was.

As long as the makeup you're using is working for you, quality wise, price wise, looks wise, then it really doesn't matter. Don't get me wrong, I love my luxurious products (who doesn't!) but I also love the high street brands, and its good to have a proper mix of everything in your makeup bag.

One makeup trend that I was never sure about when it first came out, was mineral makeup. I remember when it started appearing on counters in Selfridges, I thought, how can you use powder based foundation? The pigments mustn't be as good as normal makeup? It won't look as good surely??

Once again, how wrong I was....

Last year I was introduced to Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics - a pure natural mineral range of makeup that was developed by Pauline Youngblood, initially for people who had severely traumatised skin from laser treatments and cosmetic surgery. There was nothing else on the market at the time was up to standard.

And so she formulated a natural mineral foundation that didn't clog the skin but still looked amazing. That was 10 years ago, and there is now a full makeup range..

And is this makeup range up to scratch? Yeah it is!!

The whole of the Youngblood range is amazing.. its luxurious, creates a healthy natural glow, won't block pore or cause spots, free of fragrance, oil, talc, parabens and artificial dyes and it has a natural sun protection factor in, so all of it can be used on any skin type.

I have to say, after using this on my makeup clients, I was and they were, amazed at how good their skin looked. You get a beautiful glow from the loose and the liquid foundations

£31

£35

Both foundations are buildable in coverage, and the powder can be used as a finishing powder on top of the liquid as it gives a gorgeous sheen when buffed into the skin. There is more choice in colour in the loose foundation but the liquids can always be mixed together to get a mid colour for in between seasons.

In a nutshell these foundations are great for your skin because they are actually full of minerals so great for those sensitive people.

I also wanted to mention the high definition powder... this is beautiful. Not only does it mattify where needed like a bog standard powder, but this also helps the skin to look utterly flawless all day long and leaves the skin feeling really really soft.

£32

I could go on and on about each and every product they do but it would take too long! But just know this, this makeup needs to be in your kit. If only one or two of the products, its lovely and really easy to work with.

If anyone is interested in looking at any of the products in the range, I am selling it at Cheshire Makeup HQ! So please get in touch.

See you soon xxx



Ultimate Rejuvenation

Its time for another peel update! This week I am completely loving

'PUMPKIN PEELS'

I've been doing these now for about a month on clients, and the feedback I've had from doing them has been fantastic.

There are two types, Primary Pumpkin (milder, usually clients will start off with this and progress to the power through the course of treatment) and Power Pumpkin (more powerful, both DermaQuest).

This treatment isnt actually a peel, its a powerful resurfacer that

* Supports age management

* Stimulates collagen for hydrated, plumped and smooth skin

* Fades mild pigmentation which will be lightened with the treatment resulting in a more even toned skin.

* Decreases existing acne and aids in preventing new lesions

* Improves skin hydration

It uses the power of 3 acids, Glycolic, Lactic and Salicylic, and also the pumpkin pulp which is enzymatic (imagine a little pac man, munching away on your skin!).

When the pumpkin is on your skin, you will feel some tingling and it can get a little hot, but it will start to cool and is left on the skin for a maximum of 10 minutes.

The initial result is redness on the skin (which will go down after a couple of hours) and a tightening of the skin. The treatments are done in courses of 6 1-2 weeks apart and can be done 2-3 times a year.

So as you can hear, this resurfacer is the business! People will start saying how good you look, how amazing your skin looks, and you will feel amazing!

I'm starting these on myself this week, I can't wait to see the results.. if you're interested, please get in touch, consultations are free and you can ask as many questions as you like.

See you soon!

xxx

New Spring/Summer No 7 products

Hi everyone, firstly just a little note to say sorry I've been away for a while, been really busy and only had time to update today!

And secondly, we're back onto a makeup update today, yey! Colour fun :)

So I've really been wanting to try these new BB creams that everyone has been talking about.

BB creams are 'Blemish Balm' creams, they're an all in one, super duper cream (primer, foundation, concealer, SPF protection and moisturiser). They're really popular in the far east, and made their way over here last year...

I decided to try the No 7 BB cream from their 'Beautiful Skin' range - this comes in two shades, Normal/Dry and Normal/Oily in a fair and a medium tone.

I applied it with my fingers, and I have to say, it goes on like a dream! Soaks into the skin very quickly, gives a flawless finish with a light-medium coverage and there is enough pigment in there to make you feel like you don't then have to layer a load of concealer on over the top. A little seems to go a long way as well so I think this will definately last 4-6 weeks.

At £12.95, its not going to break the bank either!

Whilst I was at Boots, I noticed there was a 3 for 2 mix and match no their No 7 products spring collection.. so I also got their

Vital Brights Cream Blush in Blossoming Pink

And, their Vital Brightening Eye Pallette (both £13)

 

I used these both at the weekend and I absolutely love the eye pallette! It has a lovely range of neutral colours that create a defined, natural, pretty eye makeup look. I especially love the little curve of yellow in there, it looked great on my friend who has amazing blue eyes as an all over colour, and I used just on the inside of my eye as a hint.

The blusher is lovely too, great colour, but I felt it went on better with a brush as you get a better coverage with it like that. With fingers it seemed to go on quite patchy, but still a fab product, that could also be used on the lips. This blusher also comes in a deeper stronger pink, rather than the peachy pink I bought.

All in all, I love this new Spring range from No 7, affordable, fun and easy to use. I'll be using on all my brides this summer for sure :)

Catch up soon girls and guys

xxx

Final Pictures for the TCA Peel!

Good avo girls and guys.. what an absolutely gorgeous day its been! Here's hoping we get some more of that??!!

This is just a quickie today to show you the final images of my skin from the skin peel which were taken at the end of last week (Friday and Saturday).

To feel the skin, its really soft and smooth, much more than before so I'm really pleased after just one treatment that it feels so nice. To look at, its just got a glow about it, makeup goes on much better and I'm hardly having to wear any as it actually looks nice when I'm not wearing any!

So all in all, I would sooo recommend this peel.. particularly if you are a bit older in years, and have a build up of sun damage and any type of scarring. You literally will look the best that you can look!

Remember I'm doing these now at the Skin Sanctuary @ Cheshire Makeup in Warrington so if you're interested, give me a call or email me!

07761 825190, lauren@cheshiremakeup.com

See you soon!

xxx

P.S My next blogs will be all about the current spring makeup trends that are about at the moment, there will be picture tutorials so watch this space!

More pics - TCA Peel from The Skin Sanctuary!

Well... I said I'd update with some pics of my skin from the TCA peel I had done on Friday last...and here they are...

But just before you look... a bit of an update on how its been from a 'daily life' aspect.

The thing with this peel is, you know at the end, when your skin has peeled and healed completely, your skin is going to be amazing.. like AMAZING. Your skin does literally peel off, kind of looks like you've had quite bad sunburn and you didn't put enough aftersun on :)

For the first couple of days, it feels very tight and your skin does look quite.. good actually! Because it is so tight on your face, it looks like you've had botox and the skin is quite luminous..

But it will enevitably start to peel, mine (and most others) started around the mouth on day 1. Day 2 under the nose and further down around the mouth. It also goes quite dark (darker still if pigment has been drawn to the surface) which is quite normal.

Day 3 it then moved to the cheeks, forehead and nose, and now on day 4 5 and 6, I can start to see new, beautiful soft baby like skin emerging.

I'm not going to lie, it does get a little itchy and you really want to pick it all off (which is a big no no as it can scar the new skin underneath.. my way of dealing with this was to pull my face into different expressions so the dead skin stretches out without you touching it and acts as a scratch!).

BUT its totally worth it for the result I know I'm going to get at the end of this week... even worth walking with a scarf around my face at the Noel Gallagher gig I went to on monday night so as not endure endless stares at my face..

So anyway, without any further ado.. here are my pics from day 1,2,3,4,5 and (today).. there will be more to follow as the skin completely heals.. eeeeeekkkkkk

Day 1





Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

So as you can see, the skin starts off looking quite dark and red, then starts to peel, getting worse each day until day 4 when you can see new skin coming through.

By day 6, there are little bits left on around the sides of the face but the rest of my skin looks and feels really good. There is a glow to it that wasn't there before, and its brought all my pigmentation to the surface (that I didn't even know was there!). These parts look as if they are peeling again which will then just fall off. And its also cleared my nose of blackheads..

So all in all, for all the unattractiveness of the first 5 days, its been totally worth it :)

Will update with a final picture when its completley peeled..

Hope you've found it interesting!

See you soon xxx