Friday 5 January 2018

7 Ways To Save Money When Fuelling Your Beauty Addiction






With Christmas over and the January sales already looking a tad bare I thought I'd share with you some tricks I use throughout the year to fuel my unstoppable beauty addiction. So take a look to see how I save money whilst expanding my collection of all things beauty.

1. Cards 
I know that every single store seems to have a card available so I am by no means telling you to stuff your wallets to bursting with every single one out there. Focus on the stores you visit most frequently or even shop online with. Every card is different so it all depends on how they work, in my experience I've found Boots to be the best card out there. Turning points collected into money you can spend in store, I know a lady who spends the year collecting her points to then pop into Boots and use her points to get her families Christmas presents. I'm currently saving mine for a Chanel perfume! So take a look at your local stores and ask to get your own card. 

2. Emails 
Having thousands of emails sent to you daily can be frustrating. Before you delete everything in one go, have a quick look at any you have from online beauty sites, they usually send you some fantastic offers from free shipping, discounts, secret sales and free products. The website emails I use are Iconic London, Beauty Bay, Charlotte Tilbury and Cult Beauty to name a few.

3. Samples
There isn't a more expensive mistake than foundation you can't get on with or is the wrong shade. To save yourself from having a full bottle rolling round your drawers go and see a beauty consultant on their counters and ask for a colour match and pot to take home to try. You'll find some counters have pre packaged samples and are happy for you to take one, Nars, Kiehl's and Clinique are usually most helpful with this. 

4. Book An Appointment 
If there is a number on products you want to try then make an appointment with your favourite counter. Explain to the sales advisor what you are after and they should book you in for a bit of a pamper. You can try out the products on your skin and maybe even learn something whilst you're there. This is something I love to do and always end up buying a product I've been introduced to. I believe there's nothing wrong in not buying any products you've tried, but it's always best to grab a least a lipstick. Therefore the beauty consultant gets a sale and you've treated yourself. 

5. Read Reviews
Keep thinking about that one must have product but not completely sure it'll work for you? Have a look at reviews online from people who have bought the product or even take a look at any beauty blogs or Youtube videos featuring it too. If you like the sound of it and reckon it'll work for you than go for it! 

6. Have A Swapping Party
Grab some of your friends together, crack open a bottle of wine and tell them to load up bags of skincare, bath products and make-up they've used once, or don't like and have a swapping party. You all get to try out some new goodies and have a wonderfully girly evening.

7. Know Your Limits 
I guess the final tip is by far the most sensible one out there. If there is something you are desperate for and don't have the funds for it, then hold out for a little while longer. No matter what the product is, there is no need to get yourself into financial difficulty over it. Pop it on a wish list and save it for an upcoming birthday, anniversary or Christmas. 


There you have it, some little tricks to save money whilst fuelling your beauty addiction. Do let me know if any of you use these or have any of your own! I'd love to know. XO



jessietereza@icloud.com 

Thursday 4 January 2018

My Microbalding Journey


Way back in 2009 a new super model was strutting the cat walk. Stunning looks with killer legs, the usual traits of a clothes horse. It was those heavy set, long and dark brows that rocketed her face and name into stardom. I'm talking about Her Royal Eyebrowness, Cara Delevingne. Since that day, eyebrows have become a bit, well, a lot of a big deal in the beauty world. Us Brits alone spend on average £200 a year on brow products alone. 

I myself remember buying my first brow pencil from Rimmel and spending quite some time on my once ignored eyebrows. I couldn't get over how "finished" my face looked. Over time my skills improved and my collection of products grew. You name it, I had it, pencils, stencils, pomades, gels even at home tinting kits. The more my addiction grew, the more I loathed my naked, natural brows. Once my daughter came along and I no longer had the time I actually wanted for my eyebrows the loathing turned to pure hatred. Yep, busy mum life claimed my eyebrows as a victim and I was left looking like some tired, old hag. After all, brows are amazing at adding youth and frame the face perfectly. My patchy numbers just didn't cut the mustard to be left by themselves... I even have a scar in one that, without make-up, made me look like a very sad looking Boyzone impersonator. 

I started giving Microblading a bit of studying and would spend hours looking at various pictures and researching which local salons provided. When I finished looking and was 100% happy with the salon and professional I chose to give me my dream brows I was ready to go! 
Now, for those of you who don't know what I mean by Microblading, it's a procedure that involves tiny strokes of ink added to your brow that resembles hair.... now, stop right there if the word "tattoo" popped into your head, you'll find Microblading is different. 
Unlike tattoos which reach down to the second layer (or Dermis) of the skin, making them perminanate, Microblading reaches the top layer (or Epidermis) of the skin. Therefore making them last for about a year, which in my opinion is great as this gives you an opportunity to change your shape so that it continues to match your face as you age. 
Which is probably why you see a lot of these older ladies with tattooed eyebrows walking round with a startled look constantly. You may also notice that these ladies brows have a slightly odd pink or green tone which is a perfectly normal result of tattoo ink ageing. That being another benefit of having Mircoblading, the ink is different and so therefore ages better too, without any strange fading. 

So once I made my appointment I was itching it get on that bed and have my face transformed. The price for Microblading varies from place to place but I've noticed that the average amount is around £250 with a free top up. This being a very popular treatment at the moment you will find salons and even free lancers offering the treatment. All very well and good but, like anything beauty related, there a few characters around who are more interested in money than providing you with a fabulous service. It all depends on what you are comfortable with, for me I wanted to visit my local salon that I know well and trust fully. 

That was Essential Beauty in Eastbourne where the lovely Amiee, who is fully trained by Phibrows in London, works her magic. Once the "before" snaps were taken Amiee mapped out my brows, this is done to ensure your new brows match your face exquisitely, for example,  the head of my brow fell a little short and one arch wasn't as high as the other. All those details added up to completing my browformation and would make them appear perfect and very natural looking. Mapping all finished Amiee mixed together two shades of ink to give me a bespoke shade. Kitted with all the correct tools and hygiene she was on her way. 
As regards to pain, does it hurt? I'd be lying if I said it doesn't, but it's a pain that can be ignored after a while. I ended up focusing on the tranquil music playing in the background and found the procedure was over in no time. Looking into the mirror at the finished results is a brilliant yet slightly scary feeling. They obviously look a tad red and very dark, but thae colour lightens up as the days go on. I was given a teeny pot of lotion to apply to my fresh brows hourly for the rest of the day. Sounds a tad excessive I know, but you've got to remember that these are technically open wounds and need to be given a lot of TLC, besides, applying the lotion is remarkably soothing so you won't mind, just keep it up and your brows will heal nicely!
After a week or so you'll notice the colour fading a lot and perhaps even disappearing in some places, not to worry as this is all part of the healing process and the colour will be back and the correct shade.  The only issue I experienced is the ink not taking to my scar due to the scar tissue, which was something I expected. However I like it more now, in a funny sort of way, with the rest of my brows looking their best my scar keeps some character and unique finish to them. There's no wonder Amiee is as busy as she is, she truly is a brow queen. 

Now that I am four months on I honestly say I couldn't live without my new brows. Maybe I sound like one of those martialistic, vain girls with a head full of fluff, but so long as that head had these eyebrows... I couldn't really give a monkeys... 


Yes I am aware my before brow was a monster, but I had given up on it entirely 




So there you have my Microblading journey! I hope it was of some use to you and leave me some questions below. Are any of you planning on getting your eyebrows done soon? I'd love to know! XO

jessietereza@icloud.com