Trend: Beanie

The cool girl accessory 

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Browspiration

Brows, brows, brows!!!! The new rage is all about the statement brow. When it comes to the the brow the name that pops to most minds is Cara Delvingne's. Her brows take center stage on her beautiful face. Perfection! 

Cara Delvingne

But hang on.......have you been heavy handed with your tweezers over the years, or the owner of invisible brows or just clueless as to how to achieve your dream brow!?! Fear not, I have found you the solution girls. Introducing you to The Brow Artist, Lorna Farrelly. You can find her on Twitter HERE! Lorna is a genuine artist, having studied fine art and make up artistry. She holds an amazing eye for symmetry and attention to detail. She takes her job and your brows seriously. Lorna, along with her equally talented sister Liz, is trying to give everyone their best possible brow. 

The Brow Artist: Lorna Farrelly

I heard about Lorna from word of mouth and online. She has a room at the fabulous The Hive, 58 South George's St., Dublin 2. I booked an appointment hoping Lorna could rescue my uneven, over-plucked brows. I had never had my eyebrows shaped by anyone, so I was a little nervous. When I arrived Lorna made me feel right at home. We chatted briefly about my disastrous relationship with my tweezers and how she could rescue them.The approach is to sharpen up the brows using a combination of plucking and threading. Lorna does this with ease and precision, no tugging on your delicate skin around the eye. Once the brow is ready, Lorna creates a custom-blended tint used to enhance the new brow shape. The tint is also used to fill in any gaps and give the brow a fuller look. Now it may take a while to achieve your dream brow, but with Lorna working with you, it can be achieved. My main concern was the "Scouse brow", as my hair is so blonde. She explained that they would not be that severe and we discussed my hopes for my brows. As i have over plucked, I have a lot of gaps and uneven areas. We decided on a slightly darker tint for now until my brows grow out a bit more. Lorna can lighten or darken your brow. I will eventually go for more a blonder tone brow when I achieve the shape we want. I have put down the tweezers, I owned three, and embraced my regrowth. 

So far I have been to see Lorna twice. I love going to see her, especially for the chats!! She is a lady and a true pro. My brows are already looking fuller and have a wonderful new profile. For a brow shape and bespoke tint it is €45. For bookings you can email thebrowartist@gmail.com. With a bit more work I hope to have my dream brow very, very soon.

Luscious Locks: Great Lengths

Happy Saturday guys!! Not only is it the weekend but I have some major hair news. Most of you know I am very much a "long hair don't care" kinda girl. I have had long hair pretty much my whole life, apart from a brief bob phase. I was the girl who went in to a salon to get a blowdry and have two stylist to dry it. I had vast amounts of hair and used to moan I had too much hair. I have been guilty of colour abuse......blonde was never blonde enough! Don't get me wrong I went to excellent salons and used salon products on my hair. However in the last two years I saw my long, thick hair slowly thin out and snap away. I must also admit that some of this is probably due to medication I take daily, heat, styling over load and my love of blonde blonde hair. In the last few months it has progressively got worse. I maintained my length, but my ends were showing major signs of thinning and damage. 

Like many girls I see my hair as my crown and glory. Good hair is the key to any outfit. Long, luscious locks grace the magazines, runways and red carpets. Many of us go to our salons with pictures of celebrity hair hoping and wishing for their amazing hair. What we don't realise is many of these beauties have hair added to theirs. Yes girls, extensions!!! This is where Great Lengths come in. Celebrity names such as Cheryl Cole, Kate Beckinsale, Demi Lovato, Jennifer Anniston, Eva Longoria and loadsssss more are Great Length fans. Click HERE to see more names.

Great Lengths extensions are available worldwide. You can check out their website HERE. The Great Lengths system is unique. They use what is known as a Keratin bond to attach the extension, no glue or beads here! Keratin is a protein from which your own natural hair is made from, meaning it is gentle and sympathetic to your own natural hair. The extension even grows with your own hair, no shedding or snapping and can be easily removed, amazing. You can expect your set to last 3-6 months, depending on care. 

I decided to go and get a consultation for Great Lengths. Through research and word of mouth, I heard about Ceira Lambert. You can check her out on Facebook HERE! Ceira's salon is located in Shankill, Dublin 18. I rang and booked a consult for my next trip to Dublin.

Ceira  Lambert applying Great Lengths to Rosanna Davison

Consult:

I popped in to the salon and met with Edel who works a long side Ceira. The girls are the best in the business and train GL certified stylists. Their clients include Rosanna Davison, Roz Purcell, Georgia Salpa, Georgina Byrne, Katherine Thomas and many many more. Edel talked me through the procedure, history and care of the extensions, my options of length and colour. As I am blonde we decided I should come back and get my highlights done in the salon so they could colour match my extensions precisely. We settled on 40cm length, with three types of blonde and a slight low light. Edel also informed me that they dry in a natural wave, like my own hair, and are quite low maintenance. She also assured me that my own hair would grow and strengthen while I had my Great Lengths in. I was sold!!

Ceira Lambert Salon Clients

Highlights:

The following week I popped back to the salon, where I discussed my highlight options with the wonderful Niamh. We looked at my hair in depth and decided I needed a full head......bubye tell tale roots for a few weeks! Niamh suggested I pop in a slight low light to help it look more natural and thick. I got my mesh put in and a few hours later I had a fabulous blonde shade to my hair. LOVE!

Application:

The day had finally arrived and I was so excited, if slightly nervous. I was assured and told of the process by both Ceira and Edel. I sat there flicking through all the new fashion mags as both the girls worked their magic on me. They are such nice girls and made me feel in safe hands. Each strand applied is made up of a number of hairs. It is then applied with a protein polymer bond. This is attached to the hair using a heated tool and folded around the hair. The bond is so fine and natural you can not see any tell tale signs of their existence. It was all applied in about an hour and a half and to say I was pleased with the result would be an understatement. I couldn't believe how natural looking, thick and light they felt. I imagined they would feel heavy, it literally felt weightless. Thank you Ceira and Edel......I LOVE them!!!!!

My Before and After Pic

After Care:

I bought the amazing Great Lengths paddle brush, as this brushes through the hair without tugging or pulling the hair. I feel this is my new best friend. I also bought the Great Lengths Shampoo as Edel explained how regular shampoos can damage the bonds. In my opinion, if you are going to splash out on GL extensions then they need the appropriate shampoo and care. I slept on my new hair last night and popped it into a low ponytail as Edel suggested. I woke up to tangle free, smooth hair. To get the most out of your extensions you need to follow the girls guidelines and advice. I intend to do so! 

Great Length Care Products

I have to say the whole process was a pleasure. I absolutely love and adore my new hair. Any misconceptions I had about extensions are long gone thanks to GL and Ceira Lambert's salon. Thanks guys!

Distressed Denim

My new fave jeans happen to look not very new, but of course that is the idea. Distressed denim is all the rage!! I love this casual, laid back approach to a key piece in my wardrobe. The key to this look is a distressed, lived-in approach. Not ratty, that is a no no!! I will be cuffing mine and pairing them with a pair of heels. My picks can be found HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

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The Dream Baggage

These are what I was dreaming about last night.............

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Lace Up Lovage

I have been loving lace up sandals at the mo. They give the eye a ladder along the leg, giving an illusion of length. At 5'2 (just!!!) this is a major plus for moi! I love the fact that these can be worn as a more casual chic look or paired with a glam dress for a more night time look. My fave highstreet lace up's are these Zara beauties HERE! I am just about to go pop them in my shopping cart.......yay or nay!?!

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Steal Her Style: Millie Mackintosh

I spotted these boots recently on Millie Mackintosh and fell in love. I adore the deep red colour and cowboy feel. They would look great with leather leggings or jeans at the moment. In summer they would be an amazing addition to denim shorts and bare legs. To top it of they are currently on sale. So what are you waiting for.....click HERE!