SHIMMER TWINS

If you are looking for some bad lashes to rock your world... then look no further than Shimmer Twins!

Launched in December 2011, Shimmer Twins Treasure Lashes are the ultimate in party lashes whether you be raving, moshing or glamming it up with the girls on a Saturday night! 

AMAZING!

After being sent a couple of Shimmer Twins Treasure Lashes samples I am absolutely in love and will be stocking up for my professional kit as well as keeping some faves aside for myself.  The lashes are created by celebrity Make-Up Artist Holly Sillius who originally made some bespoke lashes for a 'lash' party.  The collection evolved after she started making them for others including for music videos and festivals and now her own line of amazing and dramatic eyewear. 

The brand itself has a super cool image with Jaime Winstone as the face of the brand and having already been featured on the cover of style Bible,  iD Magazine.  They have also found themselves quite the celebrity following with the likes of Caroline Flack and the X Factor contestants all being fans! 

Jaime Winstone

Treasure Lashes come in a range of plain lashes (rrp £8) or creative (rrp £15).  The creative lashes are pretty much amazeballs ... there, I said it! (hate that expression) but they so are! From gold star lined lashes to iridescent pink hearts, they are loud, vivacious and scream GLAMMA!

You can buy Shimmer Twin lashes at ASOS and Urban Outfitters.  Keep posted for some future face of the days featuring Shimmer Twins, I just can't wait to get a night out wearing the gold star lashes.  I think they will look wicked! 

What do you make of Shimmer Twins? 

x

Rapidlash to the rescue!

Back at the start of the year I was using Revitalash on my lashes to help condition and ultimately lengthen and thicken them.  It gave me the length I was after and I was so happy with the results until I decided to get lash extensions back in March.  Well, I pretty much hated them after only a few days and went about getting rid of the blighters.

Needless to say, my eyes ended up near bald.  Some of you may remember seeing my post with very sore and sad eyes void of lashes.  Instead of going back to the trusty Revitalash, I decided to try another product that I had heard everyone rave about - Rapidlash.

Rapidlash is a lash conditioner that is 'clinically proven to give you up to 50% longer looking natural lashes'  making your lashes look stronger, fuller and longer within 6-8 weeks.  Rapidlash is also the cheaper alternative priced at £39.95 and readily available at Boots.

Like other products of it's kind you apply Rapidlash along the lashline.  I do this at night after I have cleansed, swiping a clean line over my lid as if I were applying a liner.  I do this faithfully every night.

I fully expected to wait a couple  of months for decent results but after only 3 weeks my lashes had started to grow back and look glossier and healthier.  After 6 weeks their full length was back to normal. At the 8 week mark they had grown beyond their natural length with my right eye in particular showing extra length especially on the outer corner.

To cut a long story short, this product has worked wonders for me and I have had no side effects from it, no discolouration to the eye or lids and no soreness or dryness.  I would definitely recommend this product and I even had my sister in law use it before her wedding as she had also had a similar lash extension disaster like myself.  She too loved the results and Rapidlash had her lashes back to full health just in time for her wedding day. Phew!

The proof in the pudding for me is when people at work ask if I am wearing false lashes which of course i'm not.  I would much rather spend up to £40 on a tube of this magic than dodgy extensions that leave my poor wee eyes baldy and raw!

Has anyone else used and loved Rapidlash?  Perhaps you had the opposite experience?  Let me know :)

x

Getting lashed at The Powder Lounge

As well as getting Wah!ed down in London we also used the opportunity while being in the wonder emporium that is Topshop Oxford Street to also have our lashes extended to flirtatious extremes at The Powder Lounge.

Holiday lashes were offered and without really knowing what this entailed I decided to jump in at the deep end anyway.  Without being shown any lashes my therapist - who was extremely lovely - made sure I was comfortable in my seat (which is the equivalent to a dentists chair) and asked me to remove my eye make up - Something I detest doing in public!! Baldy eyes watch out!

removing my make up and hiding my eyes simultaneously

My eyes were then taped up - yes that's right ... a little bit of eye bondage goes a long way at The Powder Lounge.  As I lay there wondering what was happening I asked if I would be choosing my own lashes.  The therapist replied yes then asked a series of questions regarding length, thickness and what kind of impact I was looking for i.e, porno lashes (obviously false) or natural.  I asked for natural, slightly longer than my own.

Before I knew it I could feel individual lashes being applied one by one to each eye.  At this point I started wondering what on earth I was doing sitting there.  I had hardly asked any questions and hadn't even seen the lashes before application but I trusted the therapist and rolled with it.

About 45minutes later, I was untaped and my new eyes revealed.

Dark, long, thick and sultry lashes without looking unnatural and cheap.  It took me a while to get used to them especially as I initially had no liner on which is one of my make up staples.  I was told to avoid mascara and oily make up remover so that I could get maximum wear from them which is about 2 weeks.

Unfortunately it's nearly a week later and I have become a little bored of them already.  They feel a little heavy, they are long enough to cause a shadow under my eye which doesn't help me look any more awake in my already exhausted state and they seem quite hard and plastic.  I have tried baby oil and other eye make up removers but they will not budge.

I think theses lashes are fantabulous for a girly night out or even just a couple of days worth but any longer than that just annoys my eyes.  It's made me realise I do love my own lashes whether they are pale, thin and sparse at times, I can play on them to my own advantage and with the help of falsies I can change how I look as often as I want.  With extensions it is difficult to create more impact or change the look or shape of your eye as the lashes are harder to work with.  Don't even get me started on curling them ... I ended up with square lashes this morning!!

Maybe in the future I would consider lash extensions for a beach holiday but I would prefer to view and choose my own eyelashes for a nicer finish that is more suited to my eye shape.

Who else has tried lash extensions? What was your experience and do you have any tips for removal?

x

There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow

New Year was brought in at a friends club night - Compact Disco at the Black Sparrow. Great night, great tunes, great company ... and a very very sore head and poor memory the next day.

As one of the many changes I would like to make to my blog this year ... Outfit posts are one of the main things I want to introduce. What better way to start than to show you my New Year get up. In keeping with a bird theme I went for full on feathers ... and of course as mentioned in a previous post ... my love for leather is still going strong. Feather and Leather. Nice ring to it.
Feather cape: ASOS; Black Boob tube: Topshop; Leather trousers: River Island; Moc Croc bag: Mango; Wedge heels: New Look

I went with the comfiest shoes I could find as it was a night of dancing, fun and frolics ... normally I would have gone for a long skinny heel with these trousers.
Accessories were kept low key as the feather cape was the statement piece of the outfit.
Bauble bracelet: Mango; Friendship bracelet: Links of London; Rolex: FAKE; Bling Ring: Marc Jacobs

Make up was quite bronzed using Illamasqua powdered metal in Erzule on cheeks and eyes. I used MACs Deep Truth (gorgeous dark blue/navy) underneath the eye and lined with Shu Uemura painting liner in night blue, using the Kimberley Walsh festival lashes by eyelure to finish off (I cut off the end feathers from the lashes to suit).

Lips were simply glossed using Estee Lauder extravagant ruby. I used Mac's sun moon and stars as a blush and cream colour base in Pearl to highlight the inner corner of the eye.

My finished look was statement while remaining comfortable enough for a night of fun twinkling my toes on the dancefloor.

How did everyone else spend Hogmanay?

x

Revitalash

The one thing I can't live without is mascara, closely followed by eyeliner, closely followed by false lashes.

My natural lashes are near invisible and at times appear quite sparse. They are a decent enough length but their uneven appearance and patchiness really does them no favours.

I had been considering for a while about trying lash extensions or a lash conditioner to improve the appearance of my natural lashes ... so it was fortunate I was sent revitalash for review purposes. It seems to have started me off on a journey of lash improvement experimentation!

Before: Without Mascara

Before: With Mascara

Revitalash is a lash conditioner that is applied daily (usually on clean skin before bedtime) to the upper lashline. Only one coat is needed. I was advised that after 6-8 weeks I would see noticeable results with my lashes appearing longer, thicker and fuller.

Well it only took about 2-3 weeks for me to notice an improvement. I have included photos of before and after results of up to 3 weeks use. I will continue to use this product for the time being as I would love to see what the maximum results will be.

My lashes feel and look longer although not necessarily thicker. They are definitely more even and less messy looking than before. I am actually happy to go out with just a coat of mascara on now as my lashes are enough to define my eye whereas previously I would still have insisted on eyeliner.

After: Without Mascara

After: With Mascara

My experience has been completely pain, irritation and side effect free, however, if you are interested in trying this product please have a look at the website and ensure you are fully aware of any negatives as well as the benefits to using this product.

Revitalash costs £95 so it is quite a hefty purchase but I can vouch that it does work. You can buy it at HQ Hair.

I also plan on trying out rapid lash and a full set of extensions at some point.

What lash products do you recommend?

x

So, this kinda bugged me ...

A couple of weeks ago, I stopped by MAC to pick up some falsies for my Christmas night out. Christmas isn't Christmas without falsies and sparkle! I decided to keep it fairly low key for my night out though and went for semi natural looking lashes.

I knew what I was after - No.43's (below)

As described on the MAC website they are 'Wispy bundles and natural style length provide an everyday flirty fringe'.

Nothing indicates that these are individual lashes and I just KNOW already they are not.

So I let the MAC assistant know what i want - she collects them for me and says "Individual lashes, yeah?"

I say "no, they are strip lashes"

she says "no they're not, they are individual lashes, see?"

At this point, I say "No, they just have a clear band, see?"

She says "No, thats just the glue"

I know I am right but I ask "so how would you suggest I apply individual lashes that come in bundles like that?"

She says "with tweezers."

Do I need to say anymore?!! Maybe one day, just maybe I will get someone serve me in MAC who isn't clueless, arrogant, bitchy or condescending. Maybe.

Anyway, I still bought them because thankfully out of the 2 of us - one of us had a clue!!

I love them and here is a terrible photo of me donning said lashes on my night out - you barely see them but it's the only photo I have of me!

Not a great photo for getting an impression of the lashes but it won't be the last time I buy them so next time I will get a more detailed shot! Hopefully you get an idea of the natural fullness they give on the top lash.

Who else is loving lashes this Christmas?

Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation, Nicola's lashes and a Loch Lomond Wedding!

So as previously mentioned I purchased Illamasqua's Rich Liquid Foundation in shade 205. This is not going to be too detailed a review but will rely on visuals to give you an example of this foundations effectiveness.

On Saturday, I attended a beautiful wedding on the banks of Loch Lomond so it was the perfect opportunity to road test this foundation. As I was getting my hair blow dried in the morning I knew I would not have a lot of time once I got home to do my full face so I made sure my base was on before getting there. Once home I completed the look with liner, lashes, bronzer, blush, lipgloss etc. What I am trying to say is that I applied the foundation at around 8.30am and did not touch up all day.

Here is the foundation in action at around 3pm. No touch ups. (Sorry no pics of when it was first applied)
This is me with my mother-in-law, she is so petite, I look the size of Shrek in comparison. Now when you first apply the rich foundation it seems really thick, almost like it will be impossible to blend but this is all an illusion. I apply it with my fingers to my whole face, then buff it in with a brush. It literally takes me seconds to apply, usually my foundation routine would take a full 5 minutes at least and that would be me in a rush! As soon as it is on, it will look very matte and the coverage looks quite full on. It is a full coverage foundation which I like as it kills the intensity of the freckles on my face. After a few minutes though, it seems to absorb with the oils in your skin to create a full coverage yet natural look. It neither covers matt nor luminous but gives a lovely glow to the skin. It is a thick foundation but feels and looks so light on your skin.

Here I am half way through the evening reception after much dancing! (sorry at this point i started to apply a different lipgloss that clearly didn't match the liner, i blame the drink). Again, no touch up to the foundation only a little touch up of concealer under the eyes, which I must say, was not needed I am just in the habit of ALWAYS doing this!
I would say its still looking pretty good at this point. I also wore my Girls Aloud lashes - Nicola's. Not one person commented on them so I assume they didn't notice they were fake - good sign! Because I had quite a busy dress on, i kept most of my make up low key other than the lashes. On my eyes I wore Mac shroom with satin taupe in the crease and a little Mac Mystery for depth along with fluidline winged liner.So back to the foundation, my final photo is of me at 3am in the morning and I think for nearly 19 hours of wear it held up phenomenally - even if i do look zonked! I can imagine this foundation is not for everyone. I know others have mentioned it is drying and i can understand why that might be. I suffer from dry skin but having wore this since Friday I have seen no negative effects to my skin .. and it pretty much only takes a few days for me to notice this. In my opinion this is the perfect base.

And for anyone wanting to know what my dress looked like, here it is .... just a quick snap taken from my hotel room ... not the best but you get the idea.
Have i sold this foundation to you? What do you think of its staying power?

Promise my next post will not be Illamasqua related!!!

x

I tried to resist ....

... but i failed!
Whoops! x