Eyelash Extensions - The Low Down

As you know I have been doing a lot of eyelash extensions of late. It's something I really enjoy doing. I love wearing eyelash extensions myself so I decided to train and learn how to do them myself.

Eyelash extensions are individual lashes (I use synthetic mink) which are thicker and longer than your own natural lash. They are applied to almost all your own lashes to create a more dramatic yet natural look.

The process:
Applying an extension to each individual lash is time consuming and can take from between 1hr 30mins to 2hrs 30mins. It all depends on your own lashes really. You are lying on a beauty couch with a fluffy blanket with your eyes closed for the entire time. I will have music playing in the background, some clients chat away some clients like to have a snooze, either way its a very relaxing experience. I apply under eye treatment pads for the process so not only are your eyelashes getting a pampering your under eyes are getting a brightening anti ageing treatment.

There are 3 types of curls to choose from, natural, semi natural or dramatic.  Majority of my clients will choose semi natural or the dramatic look. The dramatic look isn't too dramatic but looks great for parties yet still remaining natural looking.

Eyelash extensions normally last for aprox 3-4 weeks before they will need to be refilled or removed. I wear mind normally for 3-4 months at a time. I like to give my lashes a break in between. There isn't really a need to give them a break I just like to (esp so I can give me eyes a good aul rub)

You will need to either let the lashes fall out naturally or have them removed, NEVER EVER pull them off yourself as you will pull out our own natural lash with it. Leaving you with bald patches which is never an attractive look.

I've included a few of my before and after pics below so you can see how the change the look of your lashes.

Check out my Facebook page for my contact details and to see more of my work. I am based in Dublin and you will need to come to me for the extensions. I have a no children policy you will need to keep your eyes closed for the entire process and kids can be a major distraction, I need you to be as relaxed as possible and enjoying the experience. I only use synthetic lashes as I couldn't be 100% certain with the real mink fur lashes that the minks weren't killed afterwards.

Any questions leave them below

Love

Donna
XXX

Product Rave!!!! - Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Cream & Body Lotion

So its that time of year, chapped lips, chapped hands, dry skin....BOOOOOOOO

I'm finding that with pregnancy these issues are almost twice fold. I was recently invited to an event in the Kiehl's store in Wicklow Street in Dublin, for the launch of their Christmas collection. Kiehl's isn't a brand that I am very familiar with and I have to be honest but I've always been interested to find out more about it.

This year they released their Christmas collection in association with NYC artist Haze. And I'm sure you'll agree its a very festive collaboration. Oh and for each of these Christmas items sold money will be donated to Temple Street Children's Hospital :). Kielhs have raised over $800,000 for children's causes from their past Christmas collections too which is fantastic!!!!

While we were there we got to have potter around the shop and got to sample some of the merchandise too. They also had fab red and green cocktails to get everyone in the Christmas spirit, but alas with baby on board I was sampling the bottled water :) I was delighted to see that they will make you up Christmas hampers based on your budget, you get to choose the packaging, the filling everything. Here are a few idea's that the staff there selected:

Now onto my rave!!!!! So when we were leaving we were handed some goodies to take home and try out for ourselves and as i have said already I literally have only used one Kiehl's product before so I was super excited to try out some more. In my bag I had a Hand Salve, a Body lotion, a deep wrinkle treatment and a sample of their ever so famous Mid Night oil.

I suffer with terrible dry sore finger under my wedding and engagement ring and speaking to others they seem to have similar issues. Only thing that helped in the past was to remove the rings and apply what ever concoction of creams I had at hand. And non ever really cured it, until now!!! Kiehl's ultimate strength hand salve is a miracle worker, so much so I've been handing out little pots of it to everyone lol, I'll be back to Kiehl's asap to replenish my stash.  My husband suffers with terrible dry skin on his hands in winter and has also been using this cream and his hands are sooo soft and whats great about it is the packaging isn't girly same goes for the scent, its kind of a medicated smell. So its really guy friendly :)

It contains a blend of botanical oils, avocado, eucalyptus (which you can really smell) and sesame seeds as well as natural wax derived from olive oil. It does say it is specially formulated for severe dry hands but lets face it who hasn't got dry hands in this weather!!!

I love this product so much so I deffo be purchasing for myself and family and friends over Xmas.

I also have to mention the body lotion, I'm desperate when it comes to applying body lotion i just don't do it!  being pregnant though I am conscious of getting stretch marks so I am being extra good at the moment, my skin in soooo dry, so I am applying the Kiehl's body lotion after each shower and ladies, this stuff is amazing!!! its not scented which is kind of a bummer for me as I love scented body lotions but its sacrifice I am willing to take seeing as the results are super!!!! My elbows have never looked sooooo good. its rally light and absorbs into the skin really quickly and doesn't leave you feeling greasy. Another product I will deffo be repurchasing!!

My hubby is super awkward to buy for as he has everything but he's also loving these products so i think a little man hamper from Kiehl's this year is what I'm going to be getting him.  He doesn't really read the blog so fingers crossed he wont see this.

Kielh's isn't really a birds on budget brand but there is really something in this shop for all price ranges even if its a lip balm you will be 100% satisfied with your purchase. 

I will suss out the prices on both these items for you and let you know. 

Lots of Love

Donna

XXX

PS although i was given these items as a gift, all opinions are 100% my own and 100% honest.

Appologies for my absence, but I am back :)

Hi Everyone,

So sorry for my long absence from the reviews. As some of you may all ready know I'm pregnant. After 3 long years and 1 successful IVF im now 21 weeks pregnant. So i've taken a few months off from the blog to concentrate on baby and myself. Also the tiredness from pregnancy and working full time I was alseep so early in the evenings I wasnt finding the time to pen a blog. Plus all my spare cash that normally went on beauty products has been going on baby items, my how times have changed. I've also been suffering from a condition called SPD which hasnt been pleasant. But all that said I am feeling great at the min, so its time to get back on the beauty blog and review some products.

If there are any items you have been looking to buy and would like me to review leave me a comment below.

Also if you yourself are facing IVF or pregnant and would like me to pen a blog on these subjects let me know too or send me a private email and I would be only too happy to answer any questions you might have.


Lots of Love

Donna

NOTD - OPI I'm not really a waitress

Hi,

I love the winter months, woolly jumpers, hats and scarves and warm cosy nights by the fire. Not only that but I can break out the dark nail colours that I love.

This weeks nail of the day is OPI's I'm not really a waitress. This colour is a deep dark red foil colour. You could get away with one coat of this but I always go for 2 coats on all nail polish as I think it just gives it much more depth.

This really is a colour to get you in the mood for Christmas and would go really well with that LBD for the party season.

love

Donna

YSL Babydoll Mascara Review

Along with my obsession with finding the ultimate foundation I also have it seems the same obsession with mascara. My eyes water all the time so most mascara's end up under my eyes adding to the issues I already have with under eye circles.

My all time favourite mascara has been Lancôme Hypnose, that is until now. This mascara is amazing!!!! As you may or may not know I am a eyelash extensionist, the lovely girls at YSL sent this mascara to me and it was perfect timing as I had just had my extensions removed. For those of you who know how that feels will know I was feeling like my own lashes were puny and lacking any length or volume!

The brush is silicone and has longer and shorter bristles, the brush itself is very thin making getting to the lash roots very easy and coating the lower lashes was a dream I have been using it for a couple of weeks now and haven't had a slip up yet. And then there's the packaging! its sooooo shiny, I love the YSL packaging its so luxurious.

The colour I am using is called fetish black, after even one coat your lashes look longer and fuller and the brush catches all lashes long and short. It lasts all day doesn't crumble or smudge.

If you cant already tell I LOVE this mascara I think my beloved  Hypnose has a replacement!

Now only one set back on this mascara and that's the price  €32.50 a pop its ain't BOB friendly,  but as I'm already paying €26 for the Lancôme one it isn't such a huge leap.

Its a treat purchase for most but I promise once you try you will never use another mascara again!!

What are your fav mascara's? have you come to the end of your search for the perfect mascara?

love

Donna
XXXX

LANCOME ADVANCED GÉNIFIQUE REVIEW

I was recently sent this youth activating serum to try out and review. I realised that this was going to be a product that I would need to trial for a while before I would see any results. I started to use this over four weeks ago, so now was as good at time as any to let you all know how I got on.

This new formula has 40% more active ingredients than the original. Lancôme have identified that there are 25 genes actively involved in the fight for youthful skin, once they had identified them they could target them by adding new anti-aging ingredients.

This serum is a milky colour and almost slimely (not a great word to use I know just cant think of another way to describe it :)) texture, it is dispensed using a dropper. You use this serum after cleansing and toning but before moisturising. I use the one drop. Initially it does feel quiet wet on your skin but once it sinks in it feels very moistirising. 

After over 4 weeks of use I can notice some improvements in the look and feel of my skin. It does feel plumper and more nourished than before. My newer less deep wrinkles seem less visible however the deeper ones haven't changed enough for me to notice.

So I must admit what I thought on the outset would be a gimmick has actually surprised me a lot! It's most definitely a luxury item at €73 for 30ml. This isn't something you would buy in a whim. But it's certainly something I feel I need to carry on using in my routine. As I've said before I have been using it for 4 weeks or more and there is still a fair amount left in the bottle I would say at least another 10 weeks worth so if you break the price down its actually not too bad.

So it's a thumbs up from me, I do have dry skin so it has really helped my skin out its not as dry or in need of a heavy moisturiser. Oily skinned ladies you might need to have a bit of trial and error with the amount you use but I am sure the lovely ladies on the counter can advise you better than me :)

Are youth serums part of your beauty routines? Let me know.

Love 

Donna 

Xxx

Ps I've just seen this is on sale on debenhams.ie for €58.00!!! Bargain

Coming up on Lipgloss and Slippers

I have loads of reviews lined up on products I have been loving and not so much loving in the next few weeks.

Are there any products you are dying to try but would like a review on? drop me a line and I will see what I can do.

Keep your eyes peeled for reviews on:

Lancôme Genifique
Cocoa Brown tan
Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation

and much more


Love

Donna
XXX

My Fave suncream for Prickly Heat - Sun Care Central Natural Tone

As holiday season is upon is I thought this would be a good time to tell you all about my fav sun cream ever!!!! I unfortunately suffer from prickly heat and those of you in the same boat know it can really ruin a holiday. Once that rash appears its bye bye sun tanning and hello stinging and burning. This sun cream is a prickly heat suffers dream!!

I worked in cancer services for a few years and it really woke me up to the dangers of sun tanning and I started to question myself, is a suntan (that in Ireland lets face it only lasts a couple of weeks anyway with our dreary weather) really worth damaging my skin and putting my health at risk really worth it?

We've all done it sat in the sun with no cream on, burnt to a crisp, suffered a bad nights sleep, and then had to deal with the peeling skin onslaught afterwards.


I first seen this sun cream when on holidays in Lanzarote a good few years ago, a sun care central adviser came to the pool and gave us a demo and a sun safety talk. What caught my attention was the promise of tanned legs something I never ever achieve. I've made my peace with those demons now though and realise I will never have brown legs unless I use fake tan and I'm ok with that.

This sun cream is 100% Natural and although its a little on the expensive side ranging from €19 - €22 for a 4oz bottle (the SPF 8 comes in a larger 8oz bottle) personally I think its 100% worth it!

The highest factor this sun cream comes in is SPF 25, this is the factor I would use on holidays. Sun care experts are fighting to have the higher SPF 50's and SPF 60's relabelled anyway as these still only offer 1% higher protect that SPF30. I have been using this sun cream for years now and the only time I burned with it was on holiday in Jamaica. I think a combination of cocktails, infrequent application and too much time in the pool where more to blame than the sun cream itself.

As I Said before its 100% natural with a blend of rose hip, aloe and titanium. It smells divine and leaves your skin feeling so soft and nourished. Not a lot of sun creams do this!!. The after sun is made with similar ingredients and I continue to use this as a lotion for months after. There is also an oil tan enhancer which you use in combination with the factor and ever alone!! For more information on the sun cream and tanning visit the sun care central FAQ page here

When I use the sun cream I can say with 100% honesty that I have never gotten prickly heat and I have always gotten a safe golden tan.

You can buy this sun cream here orders over €100 receive free shipping.

Watch out for the sun care advisers if you are visiting Spain or Portugal this year as you will save on the shipping too :)

I didn't purchase this sun cream for my recent holiday to Portugal :( and I completely regretted it. Although I didn't burn or get prickly heat which was a bonus I guess. I used Vichy capital soleil. It was very thick in consistency and rubbed off in balls when I applied throughout the day. :( so next trip to the sun at the end of the summer I will be sure to stock up on Natural tone before I go.

Have you any recommendations for me on sun cream?

Donna

XX

PS. I have not been sponsored to write this post and all opinions are my own

Kiehl's Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream review

Firstly let me apologise for lack of posts on here of late. I have recently qualified as an eyelash extensionist and to say I am busy would be an understatement. But it's all going in the right direction for me so my dream of working in the beauty industry is slowing starting to become a reality.

Anyway enough of that :) onto the review. I was recently sent this BB cream to review and I am really really wanting to love BB creams so far it just hasn't happened.

Kiehl's is a brand that I don't really know that well but deffo a brand I want to get to know. As I get older I find my skin care needs are constantly changing and for years I got away with not looking after my skin this is not the case anymore. When I read the press release for this BB cream I was dying to get my hands on it. One of the major selling points for me was that it wears and hydrates all day something my skin deffo needs right now (I have such dry skin of late). I find that although the colour I got is the darkest of the range, once blended into my skin it did in fact match which was a bonus. This formula is very light and not at all greasy but for me the off putting thing is the smell of it, kind of reminds me a tad bit of fake tan? But this wouldn't be enough to put me off it. Its light coverage but does cover blemishes, but I wouldn't be confident to wear this if I had a breakout but that's just me...... I am like that about all make up when I have a breakout (has to be high coverage or I won’t leave the house).

I love that this product has an SPF of 50! The amount of people who look for products with this high factor is huge, it’s great to see that people are looking after their skin. 

So the nitty gritty.

What Keihls say:

Kiehl’s is pleased to present its first BB cream, offering immediate natural-looking coverage and longer term clinically-demonstrated skin tone correction.

In a consumer study, after application, immediate results included:

·         Instantly conceals flaws and blemishes while providing a natural, nude finish

·         Leaves skin looking naturally luminous

·         Provides a poreless finish

·         Conceals fine lines and wrinkles

·         Has a lightweight feel and texture on skin

·         Does not feel greasy on skin

·         Does not look “cakey” and provides buildable coverage

·         Skin appears more youthful

After consumer trials, respondents agreed that:

·         It wears and hydrates all day (8 hours)

·         Maintains even skin tone throughout the day

·         Color stays true all day

After as little as 4 weeks (evaluation on bare face), clinical results showed significant skin tone correction:

·         35% improvement in skin brightness / radiance

·         32% improvement in the appearance of skin smoothness

·         18% reduction in the overall appearance of imperfections

·         28% improvement in overall skin appearance

·         26% improvement in skin hydration

In a consumer study, after 4 weeks:

·         79% saw a reduction in the appearance of dark spots

·         88% saw visibly more even skin tone

·         85% saw a diminished appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

·         90% saw brighter, more radiant, more luminous skin

·         90% felt their skin appeared healthier 

Formulated with sensitive skins in mind, yet effective for all skin types, Kiehl’s Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream SPF 50/PA +++ is available in 3 shades – fair, light, natural. It offers instantly even skin tone coverage, true color hues and hydration all day.

All three shades are:

 Fragrance free + Paraben free + Mineral oil free

Dermatologist and allergy tested for sensitive skin

                                      Non-comedogenic – won’t clog pores

What I say:

I have been using this on and off for the past few weeks and I do find that My skin does feel healthier, I'm not too sure about the skin tone but I have noticed a difference in my under eye circles which for me is a huge thing (I hate my circles). But again for me BB creams, although I adore what they have to offer they will just never have the coverage I long for. I am using this BB cream under my foundation for work but alone in the evenings and at weekends and along with concealer and my normal day to day make up I can just about make this work for me. It will deffo be taken on holidays with me and I will continue to use it and will purchase in the future, Personally I'm just not confident enough with my skin to wear it alone or any other BB cream for that matter. For those of you looking for a replacement for your tinted moisturiser (you lucky people) I would highly recommend this one to you.

Kiehl's Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream is available now from Kiehls counters in Wicklow Street, Dundrum Town Centre and Arnotts and retails for €29. Which for a brand like Keihls and the spf factor to me seems very reasonable.

Have you guys any other Keihls products you could recommend for me? 

Love

Donna 

XX

 

My Current Fav Haircare Products + Giveaway

As I mentioned on Twitter I'm going through some personal stuff at the moment so apologies for the silence. So to cheer myself up and to say thanks to everyone who reads my blog I've decided to do a giveaway of my current favourite hair care products.

I  love that just washed hair feeling, I have very fine hair that goes limp and yucky very quickly so I need a shampoo and conditioner which, adds volume and gives me the hair I want for as long as possible. So these are the products that I am loving at the moment.

First up is TIGI Bed Head Colour Goddess (for brunettes and red heads), I have these in the 750ml bottles which are huge, as I am a MUA / Nail tech I have a membership to the salon supply stores which is dead handy. I have had these bottles since the start of December and I am only now starting to run out so they were fantastic value. The smell soooo nice too like caramel. They leave my hair feeling free from product build up which is great for my fine hair.

 Before I dry my hair I use Uniq One hair treatment. This claims to have 10 real effects on the hair, from repairing damaged hair, heat protection to longer lasting style, these were the initial reasons I reached for it. I have to say it really has improved the condition of my hair but one thing that I haven't risked yet is the added volume, as I have fine hair I don't like adding product to my roots.

About twice a week I change up what shampoo I use as I find that my hair can get used to a product and then the reason I loved it in the first place fades away. So I use the Uniq One All In One Cleansing Balm. At first I wasn't sure what to make of this cleansing balm, I'm a wash twice person and at first when you use this because its an all in one I was a bit worried this would weigh my hair down and I wasn't getting much of a lather with it which was kind of annoying and because I loved the spray so much i wanted to love this balm. Took me a while but I have to say I really love this now. My hair feels soooo glossy after using it. If I used the shampoo I don't use the spray as the shampoo has the same benefits as the spray so there is no real need for the spray but if you have thick dry hair you might feel the need. I also find i need to blow dry my hair for this to feel good I'm not sure if its the heat that activates something in it or not?

All the items above are available from salons nationwide and I've seen TIGI bedhead in some larger pharmacies.

But fear not as one of you lucky readers will get to win all four products,  a little treat from me for all your support :) (I was not sponsored for this post all items will be bought by me)

So the rules:

1. You must like my facebook page here
2. You must like the photo on facebook and leave me a comment with your hair colour (so that I can get the right shampoo for your hair colour)

Extra entries:
follow my blog
share the photo on facebook.

Competition is open for one week (closing day will be next Wednesday the 10th of April)

Oh and its international too so get liking xxx

Wow Brown Liquid Tan - Review

Just in time for Tan Thursday. I recently attended the Irish Beauty show in the RDS Dublin. I had a few items on my list that I had to buy, one of these items was Wow Brown self tan.

Wow Brown is an Irish brand created by Fran and Don.

The lovely girls at the stand were so helpful (and the stand looked great too). I have skin that just wont go a dark colour with any self tan. It will take but will not be very noticeable. I relayed this to the girl at the stand and she told me that one of the developers of this tan Don also had the same problem and guaranteed me this would work. She suggested I buy the liquid tan. So that's what I got. And it was on offer for €10 which was a steal.

This bottle is 100ml so perfect for travelling with!.

What Wow Brown say about this tan:
 THE GOSS ON WOW BROWN READY TO GLO™:
Ready to Glo is Fran and Don's darkest tanning formula.Designed for gals who want a dark tan in seconds that lasts 7-10 days.
This condensed tanning liquid gives you the same full body applications as it's sister product DIY.
The bottle also says with a scent that's boyfriend friendly.

What I say: OK so let me just remind you, I never ever get a dark result from self tan ever!!! So my skin is a challenge for fake tan and Wow Brown was well up to the challenge. I was delighted with the results. People actually noticed I was tan and I got loads and loads of complements. It has a dark guide colour in it which is a golden brown colour so its safe to head out with it on while its developing. The scent while it might be boyfriend friendly lol its most definitely not husband friendly as Mr Lip gloss made the comment "the smell of fake tan off ye" lol. Its not anymore smelly than other brands but for the colour pay off I am more than happy to smell like fake tan :) and the smell really only lasted until the day after I had applied it. It wore of fantastically well, not a bit of scaly looking skin in sight.  

I was patchy in areas but that was all my own fault I was spraying myself instead of spraying the mitt at the start ha ha. So make sure this is how you apply it too spray the mitt and then apply to your body. And as it's a really dark colour make sure and apply moisturiser any dry areas as they will develop super dark if not.

So to sum up, I love it. Hate the smell but its something I can live with as it has excellent results. If your like me and can never find a tan that will give you the results you want you need to check this tan out. 

You can purchase Wow Brown here it retails at €21.99. Check their facebook page too as I'm sure from time to time there will be offers going on.

Happy tanning ladies

Donna
XXX

PS: I done some before pics but then completely forgot the after ones lol I'll be applying tonight so I will update this post with them then.

Yves St Laurent - Rouge Volupté Shine

I told you guys about this Lippy a couple of weeks ago, well the lovely people over at YSL sent me one to review for you guys, I was over the moon :)

The colour they sent me is no 17 Rose Intention. It’s a lovely deep pink colour.

It isn’t a colour I would wear normally on a day to day basis but would wear it on a night out. I think my favourite colour from the collection for everyday wear would be no 9 Nude in Private.

So the nitty gritty. What YSL say "Rouge Volupté Shine contains an all-in-one cocktail of lip care, for lips that are increasingly beautiful, comfortable and plump.
- Moisturizing action. Hyaluronic acid microspheres seal in moisture and prevent lips from drying out.
- Antioxidant shield. Pomegranate and rice extracts combat free radicals.
- Protection and extreme comfort. Emollients make the lips soft and smooth.
- Intense shine and luminous colour. Candelilla wax, combined with silicon oils, sheathes the lips in a shiny film coating that enhances the colour. Protection, comfort, wet-looking shine, homogeneous colour that doesn’t smudge: Rouge Volupté Shine melts on your lips and stay with you for hours of pure pleasure and unlimited seduction."

What I say: Firstly I just need to say the packaging on this lippy is one of the nicest I have ever seen!! It's soooo sexy :) This will be the lippy I pull out to make other people jealous he he he. The thing that stands out to me the most is the fabulously delicious mango scent, it smells so good. It feels really nice and moisturising on the lips, quite pigmented and it lives up to the name shiny. Its probably one of the most long wearing lippy's I've tried and it does leave a slight stain on the lips too. It kind of feels like a lip balm when it’s on which feels very nice. I think I'm in love.

I've been wearing this since I got it wanted to give it a good going over before I put the review up and I am honestly in love. I’m more a lip gloss girl (hence the name) but I could really get used to wearing a lippy everyday if it felt as good as this does on the lips. With the cold weather we have been having my lips haven’t been chapped once, which is something I normally suffer this time of year. 

With 19 shades to choose from I'm sure there will be a colour to suit every girls needs. Here's a top tip: We've all been asked at one time or another "what would you like for your birthday/Christmas?" and we always answer "ah I don’t mind". Ladies this is when you say oh well there is a YSL lippy I'd love :)

Rouge Volupté is available at YSL counters mid March and retails at €31.50.

What are your fav splurge items?  Do you own any fab Lippy's?

Love

Donna
XX