Refuge Christmas Appeal

Not everyone will have a happy Christmas this year, in fact for some women and children it can be the most dangerous time of year.

When I received this email I just had to share it with you.  Please help if you can, you  truly could be saving lives.

We often hear truly inspirational stories, stories which show how our services save and change lives. Stories like Emma’s, which we received this week:

Semi Permanent Eyebrows Before and After

Are you an overplucker?  I am definitely guilty of being an overplucker, but in my defence it was fashionable to have pencil thin eyebrows in the 1970's, then in 1980 Brooke Shields arrived in Blue Lagoon with her unplucked bushy brows and suddenly that was the look that everyone wanted.  By 1980 my eyebrows had been plucked to within an inch of their life and there was no way they were ever going to be suitably resuscitated to anything remotely resembling a full brow.  I was resigned to a life of searching for an eyebrow pencil containing no red pigment and wearing a full fringe.

Fast forward 33 years to June 2013 and a lunch meeting with a friend.  I hadn't seen her for a couple of months and when I met her that day she looked fabulous, I kept looking at her but I couldn't work out what was different, over dessert she casually mentioned that she's had her eyebrows tattooed.  I was amazed, her eyebrows looked fantastic and the difference it made to her face seriously piqued my interest in this procedure.  Before the day was out I was booked in for the same treatment with Sarah at About Face Clinic Olney, Buckinghamshire.

My friend came with me to the appointment as I was little nervous.  Within minutes of meeting Sarah my nerves melted away, she is a lovely person with a beautiful soul, you know when you meet a person and you just know instinctively that they are passionate about what they do?  Well that's Sarah, she is the ultimate professional and is very warm and caring.  Sarah instantly told me that my pathetic excuse for eyebrows were too thin, too short and drooped down so that they were dragging the whole of my eye area down with them, we discussed what shape and look I would like to achieve and then Sarah told me what she would be able to achieve.  Sarah then spent a long time drawing on my new eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil until we were both happy with the shape and thickness.  We then discussed colour, my brows are an ash brown colour and have no red in them at all, we decided on a taupe brown with no red.

Sarah explained that she would initially put a few strokes of colour into each brow and then she would apply an anaesthetic cream to the brow area to make the treatment more comfortable.  Sarah used a machine with a pen/wand attached that was similar to a tattoo artist's needle but on a smaller scale.  I initially felt a slight scratching sensation, this wasn't painful at all but it did make me sneeze.  Once the anaesthetic cream had worked it's magic I didn't feel anything at all.  Sarah explained that initially my eyebrows would look very dark but that the pigment would fade by about 40% within a week.  I was advised that the area would scab over and once the scabs had fallen off it was possible that some of the pigment would come away too.  It is advisable to apply vaseline 2 or 3 times a day to the affected area whilst the healing takes place.  Once healed a second visit to the clinic is required for a top up treatment, this is to fill in any gaps that may have appeared, or to adjust the shape or to make the brows darker.

Once the treatment was complete I could not wait to look in the mirror, wow, although my brows were unnaturally dark and in fact a bit scary, the actual shape was perfect, I looked like I'd had an upper face lift, the results were astounding.  Over the next few days I have to admit that I nearly had a heart attack on a couple of occasions when I would just catch sight of myself in a mirror and see these huge dark eyebrows.  By day 5 the pigment had faded significantly, I had a few bare patches on my right eyebrow but basically I was now sporting a pair of eyebrows that I'd been dreaming of for more than 30 years.  I went back to Sarah a couple of weeks later for my top up, this appointment only took 30 minutes, again it was pain free.

It is now 3 months later and my brows are still perfect. For the first time in years I am not wearing a fringe, I have grown this out completely.  My eyes look lifted, I don't have to worry about sweating off my eyebrow pencil and being left with 2 little lines, I don't look dead when I get up in the morning and I'm not walking around looking permanently surprised!

The pigment should last between 3 and 5 years but I will probably have a maintenance top up in the next 12 months or so

If you are thinking of having any Semi Permanent Treatments done then I recommend that you contact Sarah, she's not happy until you are happy.  As well as eyebrows she offers eye liner, lip make up, areola reconstruction and medical tattooing.

Although Sarah is based in Olney which is a lovely village near Milton Keynes, she holds clinics in Corby, Northampton, Huntingdon, Nottingham, Oakham and Stamford.

You can contact Sarah on 01234 711976 or through her contact form on the website at www.aboutfacepermanentmakeup.co.uk

*Treatment was paid for by me.

I am not affiliated with About Face, I have not been paid for this review and all opinions are my own.

GIVEAWAY - BOOTS £20 GIFT CARD

To celebrate reaching a milestone number of followers on my little old blog and to thank you all for sticking by me through thick and thin, I have decided to run a little giveaway.

I am giving away a £20 Boots gift card so that you can stock up on your favourite make up and skin care brands.

UK ONLY

The giveaway will close on Wednesday 28th August 2013 at Midnight.

The winner will be chosen at random by Rafflecopter and announced on Friday 30th August 2013 on this blog.

The winner will have 48 hours to contact me with shipping details, if no contact is made another winner will be chosen at random.

The prize will be purchased and posted by myself as soon as the winner has contacted me.

I reserve the right to draw another winner if the initial winner has not completed the mandatory part of the giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Real Techniques Duo Fibre Collection - Limited Edition

The Real Techniques Brush Collections by Samantha Chapman have gone down a storm in the make up world and I have to admit I'm a bit late to the party with this brand.  I have read many reviews and it appears that I have been missing out on something special.  I have now arrived at the party with the Limited Edition Real Techniques Duo Fibre Collection.  Each brush has been made using 2 synthetic fibres with the idea being that the user can create soft layers of product to ensure a pixel perfect flawless finish.  The brushes are designed to be used with powder, liquid and cream formulations.

Duo Fibre Face Brush

This brush is designed for the application of all powder and pigment products.  I found this perfect as a finishing powder and bronzer brush.  It was perfect for building up the strength of the bronzer as the application is super light.

Duo Fibre Contour Brush

This brush is designed or applying contour products.  I have been using it to apply my Bobbi Brown cream blusher and it is just perfect.  It picks up a small amount of cream so there is no chance of getting the 'Aunt Sally' look and it blends to perfection.

Duo Fibre Eye Brush

This Brush is designed for applying eye products.  I can see how this would make the perfect brush for blending in the crease, however, I have several of those brushes already, what I don't have is a concealer brush so I thought I would try this with my Estee Lauder Double Wear Cream Concealer under my eyes.  Well it works like a dream, I don't know how I have managed all these years with just my finger as my weapon of choice.  The finish achieved with this brush is far superior to the finish I've been getting with my finger.

I am so impressed by these brushes that I am now considering replacing some of my other brushes with ones from the Real Techniques range.  

The Real Techniques Duo Fibre Collection is currently available from www.cloud10beauty.com for £27.99 

They also stock the full Real Technique Range in kits and individually.

Have you tried the Real Techniques Brushes?

Which brushes from the range do you recommend?

*PR Sample

L'Oreal Color Riche Neon Pop Nails Collection

L'Oreal have released a new collection of Color Riche Nail Polishes, Neon Pop Nail Collection has summer written all over it.  The polishes come in four bright neon colours and are perfect for holidays and festivals.

Wasabi Hint

Banana Pop

Acid Watermelon

Flashing Lilac

All of the photographs show 2 coats of polish with no top coat.  Application is super smooth and drying time is fairly average.  The brush is quite wide, just how I like it, so application is complete in three strokes.  The Banana Pop and Wasabi Hint will look beautiful against darker skin tones and Flashing Lilac and Acid Watermelon should suit pretty much everyone.

The Polishes are available now and retail at £4.99 and are available from usual L'Oreal stockists.

The confetti is from inside the beautiful balloon that arrived with the polishes from Bubblegum Balloons

Will you be getting your 'Neon' on this summer?

*PR Sample

Soothing Showers - Shower Your Senses

You know when you open a box and immediately smell the most beautiful of aromas and you think to yourself 'I think I'm going to love this product'?  Well that's exactly what happened when I received the Soothing Set For Her from Soothing Showers.

The four 75ml tubes come complete with a gorgeous shower puff.  The products are free from sulphates and parabens, Vegan Society approved and approved by Cruelty Free International.

Allure is fragranced with Sweet Orange, Ylang Ylang, Neroli and Patchouli essential oils.

Heavenly is fragranced with Ylang Ylang and Patchouli essential oils.

Bedtime is fragranced with Lavender essential oil and blended with Vanilla Absolute.

Purity is made using pure extract of Aloe Vera.

I have tried all of them this week and my favourite has to be Heavenly, it has a heady fragrance and smells like a very expensive perfume, it's absolutely gorgeous.  Allure is lovely to use in your morning shower or before a night out as it is very zesty and uplifting.  Purity is ideal if you want a fragrance free shower gel and Bedtime is perfect if like me you're a bit of an insomniac.

You only need a small amount of the shower gel on the shower puff as the foaming ability is excellent.  Skin is left beautifully soft and gently fragranced.

Soothing Showers Soothing Set For Her retails at £14.49 and this includes UK p&p you can purchase via Paypal from www.soothingshowers.com and there is also a link to purchase from Amazon on the website.

Products can be shipped internationally but there will be an extra charge for shipping.

The website also shows a full list of ingredients.

If you have any questions then please pop over to Soothing Showers TWITTER PAGE where you will also find lots of fabulous health and beauty information.





*PR Sample

Goldfaden MD Radiant Skin Renewal Review

I have been reviewing 3 products from the Goldfaden MD range.  The Pure Start, Doctor's Scrub and Vital Boost.

Firstly the Pure Start.  I was a little apprehensive when I saw that this was a gel cleanser, I'm not a fan so I intended to just try this cleanser a couple of times to see how I felt about it.

This is a clear gel with a refreshing grapefruit aroma.  The gel didn't foam as much as a traditional gel cleanser, it felt much softer and richer than any other gel cleanser I have tried, I ended up absolutely loving this cleanser and it's my go to morning cleanser.   Goldfdden MD Pure Start is available from www.spacenk.com RRP £32 150ml.

Next I tried the Doctor's Scrub.

Although this is described as a daily exfoliator I found it to be so effective that once or twice a week is more than enough for my mature skin.  There is that lovely grapefruit aroma present in this product and it contains Ruby Crystals.  It is a fabulous exfoliator that leaves the skin so smooth, however, the crystals make the exfoliator quite abrasive so be gentle when using.  Because of the effectiveness of this product you only need to use the smallest amount.  Goldfadden MD Doctor's Scrub is available from www.spacenk.com RRP £65 100ml

Finally the Vital Boost.

This is a beautiful moisturiser, it has the lovely grapefruit smell, skin just drinks it in and it really does leave a beautiful glow on the skin.  I found that after applying I needed to leave this for a good 20 minutes before applying foundation otherwise I experienced some 'rolling'. Goldfaden MD Vital Boost is available from www.spacenk.com £60 50ml.

I have really enjoyed discovering this range.  There are 9 products in this range available in the UK.  If you would like to know more about this brand and it's founders then have a look at www.goldfadenmd.com You can also find stockists in the USA on this website.   If you would like to see all of the range available in the UK then check out www.spacenk.com 

The trial size starter pack that I reviewed is not available to purchase in the UK.

*PR Sample

SkinMed Terproline EGF and Fillast In Depth Revitaliser Review

When I was asked if I would like to try some products from SkinMed I was really excited, I had heard of SkinMed before and I knew that they used products that were results driven and aimed at specific skin concerns.  I had an in depth telephone consultation with Peter Roberts, we discussed my age, the condition of my skin, my skincare routine and my concerns, Peter concluded that I was 'not in bad nick for my age' and he prescribed the following products.

Fillast to be used twice a day

Terproline EGF to be used twice a day on top of the Fillast

Terproline Contour Eye & Lips to be used twice a day

Fillast is described as a 'Shock' Treatment for the skin, an energising anti-ageing action that awakens the skins vitality and delays the natural ageing processes.  Fillast was developed to keep the levels of Hyaluronic Acid high and inhibit the breakdown of Hyaluronic Acid.  You can read all about the science behind this product at www.skinmed.co.uk  Fillast is a lovely serum that has a very delicate fragrance, it has enough 'slip' to enable you to effectively massage it into the skin, the serum completely disappears and there is no tacky residue left on the surface of the skin.

Terproline products are developed specifically for improving and promoting scar reduction, they provide the skin with the stimulation to speed up the removal of damaged tissue.  Terproline provides the skin with the raw materials to improve the elastic matrix structure of the skin, maintaining and improving skin quality and reducing wrinkles and fine lines.  This range of products are also recommended for pre and post surgical procedures to enhance results and speed up recovery times.  For all the science on this amazing range of products visit www.skinmed.co.uk

I applied the Terproline EGF cream twice a day on top of the Fillast and finally applied the Terproline Contour Eyes & Lips twice a day.  Both creams are quite rich so only a small amount is required.  Whilst I didn't notice any particular aroma from the Contour Eyes & Lips, there is a distinct aroma from the Terproline EGF.  It's not an unpleasant aroma, more medicinal than fragrant, however, the aroma dissipated as soon as the cream was massaged into the skin.

I would like to say at this point that having been a therapist I have worked with some fabulous brands, also as a blogger I get the opportunity to try some wonderful products ,however, these 3 products have completely blown me away.  I have never seen such results on my skin as I have using these products in the space of 30 days.  I am the kind of woman that will not answer the phone without my lipstick on, but on Saturday I went out (during the day) without foundation on for the first time in 20 years, whilst I was in Tesco I bumped into 3 different people who told me how well I looked!

So let me explain my results to you.  Firstly my eye area, my crinkly eyelids are no more, I can actually get a straight line of eye liner on my eyelids without the liner seeping into crinkles.  The wrinkles underneath my eyes are barely noticeable and the lines on the corner of my eyes are nowhere near as deep as they were.

I had a few lines forming on my upper lip, these have also improved.

I have a vertical sleep crease on the right side of my face, it is so noticeable to me that I was considering having some filler put into it, this has dramatically improved.  My skin in general looks firmer, plumper and there is a definite natural radiance that I previously used to achieve with carefully applied highlighter.

If you are looking for a skincare range that delivers what is promises then I suggest you head over to www.skinmed.co.uk they have got all skin types and skin disorders covered.



*PR Sample

BEAUTY BLOG SALE PART 2

There are still a few items available from last weeks BLOG SALE if you would like to pop over for a browse.

Now onto this weeks offerings.

THE RULES

All products have been purchased by me or have been gifts from family or friends.  There are no PR samples or blog prizes in this sale.

Payment by PayPal gift only within 24 hours of requesting the item/s or the item/s will be re-listed.

No returns/refunds so please ask any questions about a product you are interested in before committing to buy.

I will obtain proof of posting but once the product is out of my hands I will not be liable for what Royal Mail do with the package.

UK shipping only due to the recent increase in postage costs.

P&P as stated by each product, Royal Mail 2nd Class.  I'm happy to combine postage for multiple purchases.

Items will be sanitised and carefully packaged.

Items will be posted as soon as possible after payment.

If you see something you would like to purchase then email me at jude.dunn@hotmail.co.uk I will then confirm the price of your purchase including postage, please make sure that your paypal account has your current and correct address information.

L-R 

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Instant Iris, Swatched £1.50 + £1 P&P

Sally Hansen Insta_Dri  Grape Going, Swatched £1.50 + £1 P&P

Max Factor Max Effect Minii Nail Polish in Fantasy Fire x2, Unused £2.00 each + £1 P&P

 L to R

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Wedding Crasher, Unused £2.50 +£1 P&P

OPI Nicole Wear Something Spar-Kylie, Swatched £2.50 + £1 P&P

Revlon Facets Of Fuschia, Unused £2.50 + £1 P&P

 L to R

Sinful Colors Folly (much redder than photo) Unused £2.00 +£1 P&P

Sinful Colors Boom Boom (Fuschia Pink) Unused £2.00 + £1 P&P

Ciaté Paint Pots Jelly Bean (Fuschia Pink) Swatched £2.00 + £1 P&P

 Benefit Lemon Aid, Brand New in box.  £10 plus £1 P&P  SOLD

 L-R

Maybelline Color Tattoo, Audacious Asphalt, Swatched. £2.50 + £1 P&P

L'Oréal Color Infallible, Sahara Treasure, Swatched £2.50 + £1 P&P

Maybelline Color Tattoo, Tough As Taupe £2.50 + £1 P&P

L'Oréal Color Infallible, Permanent Kaki, Swatched £2.50 + £1 P&P SOLD

Covergirl Classic Color Blush, Soft Mink. Brand New.  £2 + £1 P&P

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Lipgloss, Star Pink, Swatched £8 + £1 P&P

Philosophy Orange Sunrise Lipgloss, Unused £3 + £1 P&P

Max factor Lipfinity, Euphoric, Unused.  £4 + £1 P&P

L'Oréal Infallible Foundation, Golden Beige, Unused.  £5 + £1 P&P

Bourjoise Healthy Mix Serum, 53 Beige Clair, Light Beige, Swatched.  £5 + £1 P&P

Colorsport Eyelash and Brow Dye Kit, Unused.  £2 + £1 P&P

Eylure Dylash Kit, Unused.  £4 + £1 P&P

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers.  Used a couple of times, still in box with extra silicone refill pad.

£10 + £1 P&P  SOLD

Garnier Ultralift, Unused.  £3 + £1 P&P  SOLD

L'Oréal Youth Code, Youth Booster Serum, Unused.  £10 + £1.50 P&P

L'Oréal Sublime Bronze Ons Day, Unused.  £5 + £1.50 P&P

Ambre Solaire No Streaks Bronzer Gel, Light, Unused.  £4 + £1.50 P&P

Olay Facial Hair Removal Duo, Unused.  £10 + £2.00 P&P

Crazy Color, Unused, Lavender, Sky Blue x2.  £2 each + £2 P&P

Got2b Hair Powder, unused.  £2 + £1 P&P  SOLD

Guerlan Shalimar 30ml, used three times.  £15 + £2 P&P

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess 100ml, used twice.  £30 + £2 P&P  SOLD

Thanks for looking, if anything takes your fancy email me at jude.dunn@hotmail.co.uk