Yes, that is my eye. These are eyelash extensions. I LOVE them!!!!!!!
(So actually, this review has been in my drafts for a while now. I actually got these done back in May 2011 but life got in the way and I just forgot. Slap me on the wrist because I really should have told you about this much sooner... better late than never!)
So only in from this angle can you truly see that these are extensions. And this photo has been zoomed pretty closely. Honestly, in real life you can't tell that these are fake.
I got a lovely email from Kym at Lash Lab offering a bespoke service. I hadn't heard much about eyelash extensions before so I did a little research and read over the information on the Lash Lab website.
So what are eyelash extensions??
On very basic terms, they are synthetic fake lashes which are glued to your natural lashes as a semi-permanent fix for amazing lashes 24 hours a day, for up to 6 weeks.
There is a great FAQ page on the Lash Lab site if you want more details :)
A brand new full set of lashes will set you back £85, taking between one to one and a half hours at the studio. Charged by the treatment, not by the amount of lashes they use, you know exactly what you're expecting to pay and won't get any nasty surprises. Kym will chat with you, discuss the look you're going for and assess your natural lashes so that she can advise and give the best set of lashes for you.
Eyelash extensions are great for special occassions, holidays, and everyday wear. I actually got mine a week before my birthday and before I flew out to Malaysia for my cousin's wedding. It was a big relief not to have to worry about mascara and that I knew if I cried I wouldn't ruin my face with big black tear marks! Perfect for brides-to-be, you don't have to worry about mascara from your rehearsal dinner to the end of your honeymoon.
Here are some before and after shots so you can see just how much these extensions can enhance an eye.
As you can see, my lashes look much fuller longer and more curled. Every lash that can have an extension applied, will!
If you're thinking about getting eyelash extensions, do your research!! Individual extensions applied one at a time are much healthier for your natural lashes - beware of cluster lashes which can damage them. And the service given should not be painful in any way.
I have and always will be an OPI enthusiast. I think it is the best brand of nail polishes around. I love the brushes, the colours (and names!), the bottle sizes, the treatment polishes and the formulae. Suffice to say it's my favourite brand and I have never gotten an OPI polish I don't like BUT I won't hesitate to branch out to others, especially if they have gorgeous shades!
My lovely mother got me two Essie polishes as a souvenir for me from her latest travels with the family to USA. I've always quite admired Essie from afar and have been on the verge of purchasing a few times but I just couldn't splurge on Essie when I knew I could get OPI.
These two sumptuous shades are my first ever Essie polishes! I've always heard that Essie polishes are hit or miss when it comes to their formulae but these two seem pretty good to me!
First up is 'sexy divide'. Described as a bold deep purple with hints of shimmer, this is a classic Toffee pick.
The other is 'beach bum blu'. Not something I would have chosen for myself, but I think I actually prefer a medium sea side blue pearl to the dark purple shade.
What do you think of these Essie shades? Do you have these in your collection already??
After the Eylure & Elegant Touch event, I was really excited to try their affordable Envy Wraps! I got two designs in my goody bag so I chose to try the Gold Bengal Metallic first.
I found the instructions and application really easy and simple, and there are 12 sizes to choose from to cater for your fingers and toes. These nail wraps recommend using a base coat and top coat, which I did (but you can buy some with base and top coat included).
The wraps are shaped in a very square way which does not fit my nails at all as my natural nails taper out from the nail bed. This means that to cover my nail fully, I have to use a slightly bigger size wrap than one that fits from the cuticle. Once the wrap is on, it's very hard to cut off the excess around the edges, so I'm left with this!
It doesn't actually look that bad in real life, but it did annoy me and I had to peel off the wraps shortly after I applied them. Shame really, as the design looks pretty darn good!
However, they are super easy to use and the little nail file that comes with them works just perfectly to remove the excess wrap that isn't stuck. And after using it, you can fit it neatly into a bag, pocket or even wallet/purse for on-the-go use!
Elegant Touch Envy Wraps (£6.12 each) are available in 8 amazing designs, offering a smattering of 3D effects, animal prints and aztec options. With no spills, smudges or chips and no drying time or heat required for application, these really are the easy peasy option for ornate nails in a moment!
Nail wraps are great for people who don't have time or patience or tools to draw free hand designs or get your nails did the pro way. Also, you can get really intricate designs on your nails and metallic effects too! If you don't have kid's hands like me and weird shaped fingernails, then I would totally recommend these fun nail wraps :)
Can you imagine my delight as I walked into the cosy event that Eylure and Elegant Touch held to see tables of lashes and nail displays on all available surfaces??
Well, let me tell you, it was rather delightful!
It was very informal, but there were yummy cocktails and these delish little nibbles that were brought round every ten minutes!
There were also some ladies applying falsies (nails and lashes) so I got some lashes put on me :)
This is me before the event...
...and me after, with my lashes on! Unfortunately, I don't think you can really tell that I'm wearing any but that just shows how natural they look :P
You can definitely tell in this pic though! It was a bit dark in that room though and I think she may have snipped off too much lash as you can see that they don't extend all the way to the end of my eye.
I took some close-ups of my good eye when I got back:
These ones are pretty wearable for day-time.
I love looking up shots. They just show off lashes so well!
I wore this little outfit to the Eylure and Elegant Touch event last Thursday (post on that coming up!) and thought it was cute :)
* Black with small white polkadot strapless dress from China
* Cream sleeveless shirt with pockets from China
* Black shoeboots with triple buckle from Marks & Spencer - I swear these go with any outfit!
* Nude tights - because it was chilly!
* Silver sequinned flower headband from Accessorize
I wore the dress during the day with a long plain black cardigan, but wanted to dress it up a little more. I chose the cream sleeveless shirt to wear almost like a waistcoat but it was a bit long. I kept all the buttons undone but gathered the ends and tied a single knot around my waist to give a cropped 1950's look.
I'm Toffee akamoonbeamstarlight. Hope you'll stick around and enjoy reading my rambles about make-up, beauty, my random fashion style and general life!
