When Two Become Three...


Hey,

So I have recently been MIA from this blog and I have a very, very good reason for that. Myself and my partner found out that we are expecting a little bundle of joy (Yes a Human baby, not a furry one) *sigh of relief* I have been wanting to announce this news for so long but we wanted to be 'traditional' and wait until the 12 week mark before we announced it publicly. So here goes that announcement! 

Now I want this post to be a positive one obviously because having a baby is one of the biggest things a women will ever do but I would like to talk to you all for a second about 'Hyperemesis Gravidarum' - Now you are probably wondering 'what the heck is that' and it's something that I have been suffering with for the last 12 weeks and has been honestly the toughest three months of my life. Hyperemesis Gravidarum is ultimately extreme sickness in Pregnancy but it is so much more than this, constant nausea, feeling so weak, being sick up to forty times a day (YES 40) and for me this resulted in nearly being admitted to hospital twice because my body was starving itself which was absolutely terrifying. I wanted to mention this condition because I didnt know what it was until my Doctor mentioned it and I did a lot of research. There isn't a 'cure' sadly, although I am now on medication and it is starting to ease slightly but I do definitely have good and bad days.

On the 6th December 2017 I had my 12 week scan and this was the day it would all suddenly become 'real'. For any of you who have been able to experience an ultrasound of an unborn baby you will know that 'terrifying, proud and life changing' moment you experience when the tiny little fetus appears on the screen wiggling away.

I know there will be many of you who know me personally who will be shocked at this news and those of you who know me via the internet who will also be surprised at this news, I just would like to say that I hope everyone will be thoughtful and mindful in the comments.

Until next time,
Storm





If I Knew Then What I Know Now.


Hey,

So I feel like this blog is becoming more and more personal, which is good right? So recently a lot of posts have been circulating by bloggers sharing their thoughts on the subject of 'If I Knew Then What I Know Now'.  I hope for those of you who are younger than myself that this will benefit you greatly and for those of you who simply need a little confidence boost, keep reading! 

1: Some people don't deserve you're attention.

Now this one took me years to realise and I am still releasing it to a certain point. Now don't get me wrong, there are a lot of genuine lovely, caring people out there but there is also people on the other end of the spectrum who simply don't deserve your time. Some people only want your attention to prevent you from giving it to others.

2: It's ok not to be 'ok'.

Now I can not stress this point enough, it's ok to have 'down days'. Recently I lost a good friend due to mental health issues and I just wish that he would of believed everyone that it was ok to feel sad and had reached out for help. There is so much help out there for people, especially young people. Please if you feel like you need/want to speak to somebody, follow the link below.

3: Look how YOU want to look!

*Rant approaching* This point is so important to myself because when I was growing up I wasn't allowed to wear makeup until I was around 15 years old and nobody ever showed me the correct 'way' of wearing it, so I taught myself. Everyone has their own individual style and I love that. If you want to wear eyeliner that covers your whole eyelid, you do that. If you want to wear black lipstick, you do that. If you want to wear wigs, you rock that... you get the idea. Remember 'Be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons'.

4: Whatever you're going through, it will make you stronger in the end (how cliche) 

Now this one is very difficult to believe, I remember getting told this and thinking 'pffft whatever' but honestly, it's true. Learn from your experiences whether they are good or bad and allow them to help you grow and develop as a person. 

5: Everything will work out eventually.

If someone would of told me a year ago that I would be living in my own place with my lovely partner, our two dogs and my career is going from strength to strength I would never of believed them. Even when things seem really tough and almost impossible there is always a way through it. I found the best way of achieving things was to set goals, whether it is to qualify in a subject, finish school, get promoted or even have a night out with friends, set yourself goals to achieve and it will all fall into place eventually. 

Until next time,
Stormydoos






Things Beauty Therapists Get Bored Of Hearing...

Hey,

So recently I gained my Beauty Therapist qualification so in celebration of that I thought I would share with you all a few of the things that I hear on a daily basis from clients. I would just like to say that despite these little things I absolutely love my job and I feel privileged every day to spend hours doing what I love.


'I wanted shellac not gels.' 

Now I hear this on a daily basis, SHELLAC & GELS ARE THE SAME THING! They are just different names for them.

'Does waxing hurt?'

You are pulling hair out of your skin, what do you think?


'Does threading hurt?'

Yes...

'Are your eyelashes real?' 

I also specialise in individual eyelash extensions, so I always get asked if my lashes are real and when I reply 'yes' I then get asked why I haven't got lash extensions.

'You wouldnt want to touch my feet they are really bad?'

The point in a pedicure is to improve the condition and appearance of your feet, if everyone had lovely smooth feet 'pedicures' wouldn't be a treatment.

'I want a nude colour'

I know some therapists enjoy painting nude colours but personally I enjoy doing dark/brights. So when a client requests a nude colour I slightly die inside.

'Dont you get bored of talking to people' 

I never get bored of talking to clients, a lot of them come to us for a treat or for some 'quiet time'. I love hearing about their lives and bringing some happiness to their day. That's why I love my job because something so little like a set of fresh gels can make that person's day and make them feel great. So next time you go to the nail salon or for a massage remember this post... they will appreciate it, trust me.

Products I Always Repurchase


Hey,

So let's be honest we are all creatures of habit and this also means buying the same makeup and skincare products over and over again. Once we find something that we like and works for us, then you can guarantee you will find it in our 'baskets' numerous times. Although for everyone these products vary. For example something that I always repurchase might be a product that another person has tried and simply didn't like it and that's okay. But for the sake of this blog post I thought I would share with you all the products that I always, always have!

These are in no particular order and I do apologise about some of the packaging, these products get used a lot!

The first would have to be NYX's 'Matte liquid liner' in Black - It took me so long to find a decent eyeliner that would last all day whilst im at work and that wouldn't smudge or run. This eyeliner is perfect the only issue with it is that at first it took me a while to get use to the tiny brush as it isn't a 'pen' applicator, but once I had mastered it it's a wonderful product!


Next would have to be NYX's 'Jet Black eye crayon' for the waterline. Now once again I had the same issue with eye pencils as I did with eyeliner, I couldn't find one that wouldn't smudge until I came across NYX. They also stock these in a wide range of colours!


For Mascara, my product I always repurchase has to be the 'Lash construct' by Dreamweave & Co. This company isn't one that many people have heard of but it should be! This mascara is incredible, I have been using it for almost a year now and I am on my third one. Not only does it make your lashes look amazingly long whilst you have the mascara on but it also helps nourish your lashes with the serum that is in the product.

For my brows I always vary the products I am using but I seem to always come back to Bourjois' 'Intense extrait 10' shadow, now I know this isn't made for brows but it does the job! The product stays on all day and allows me to achieve natural looking brows. Also it doubles as a great eyeshadow! win win.

For concealer once again I do vary my products that I use although I do always end up using Collection' 'Lasting Perfection concealer in the shade 'Fair 1'. I use this concealer for everything and it never fails me which is why it's something I always repurchase!


I also love a good eyeshadow palette. Recently I have been seeing a lot of posts online about Revolution's palettes so I figured I would give one a go and ohemgee I was not disappointed. They are incredible, so pigmented and such a wonderful range of tones and colours. If you're just getting into makeup or you're a full blown MUA you have to have some of these in your collection.
*FLAWLESS Palette*


Now for any of you who follow me on Instagram will know that I am a massive highlight fan! You simply can never have enough of the stuff. So this for me was a hard decision as most of my makeup collection are highlighters. But the winner of the highlighter that always gets restocked goes to... *drumroll please* Revolutions' 'Strobe Highlighter' in the shade 'Flash'. I simply have no words for how blinding this product is, its perfect for everyday wear and if you're off to a festival or red carpet event.

Now onto skin care;

So being a Beauty Therapist skincare is something very important to myself as I recommend products to my clients daily so I have to have an honest opinion on them which means I use a lot of different products and ranges. I figured as this post is mainly consisting of 'drugstore' products I would include my favourite skincare products that you can pick up from your local superdrug or boots.

Now im sure none of you will be surprised when I say that Garnier's 'Micellar water' wins for the cleansers as this has been one of my favourite products for almost two years now. I simply can't have enough of it. It removes waterproof makeup (which you need for NYX) and leaves your skin feeling hydrated and clean, which is everything a cleanser should be.

Next I always repurchase Simple's 'Kind to skin hydrating moisturiser' and 'Kind to skin soothing facial toner'. For those of you who dont have a skincare routine I would highly suggest trying these products out as they are affordable and for sensitive skin so you can't really go wrong. I will be doing a whole blog post soon about skincare so keep your eyes peeled.


Another important aspect of skincare is a good exfoliator. The amount of times per week to use an exfoliator varies depending on your own skin type and other factors (will be in a blog post soon). Personally I exfoliate about 2/3 times a week as I have dry/oily skin and exfoliating balances it out.
My must-have exfoliator is The Body Shop 'Seaweed pore cleansing exfoliator' not only does this product do the job but it always smells incredible.


Talking about scrub I always repurchase Soap & Glory's 'The scrub of your life' I only found this product at christmas when I received it as a gift and since then it has stayed in my shower. Body scrubs are important to remove any dead skin you may have and also help reduce any ingrown hairs if you shave instead of wax your legs.


Finally a hair product that I always have in the cupboard is Argan Oil 'hydrating hair mask'. I am someone that has my hair regularly highlighted meaning it sometimes feels dry, this hair mask rebalances the oils in my hair and makes it feel a lot better after just one use and with it being argan oil based it smells lovely, which is always a plus side!



So that's my Products that I always repurchase... I hope you have enjoyed this post and let me know if you feel inspired to try any of these products yourself.

Instagram @stormydoos
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Professional Beauty Show 2017

Hey,

Recently I attended the Professional Beauty Show in London, this was my first every beauty show and I was lucky enough to be Press during the weekend which allowed me to have backstage access and also receive a great goody bag!

I thought I would write a post showing you all the samples and products that I brought at the Show, I met some really lovely people at the show including bloggers and business owners so thank you to everyone for being so lovely and welcoming.

First of all I will show you all what I got in my Professional Beauty Press goody bag.

 Guccio Colour in the shade 'Cuppa Cuccio 6119'

This polish is very quick drying and very opaque, the glitter is very intense and it has a beautiful finish.


 'Scrun' - This hair accessory is definitely something I couldn't live without now especially when im at work. This Scrun is a combination of the traditional hair 'bun' and a 'scrunchie'. Perfect solution to putting your hair up quickly in the mornings before work. The Scruns are also available in blonde (shown in photos) and brunette. 


 Makeup brush cleanser by 'StylPro' (Sample size)


 'YANA' Beauty Liquid collagen shot - This is one of the more interesting products in my goody bag, at first I thought this was a foundation sample but when I began reading the leaflets that YANA had supplied me it became apparent this was much more than what I first thought... You can find out more about YANA here

 Some wonderful 'De-Stress Mind' Bath and Shower Gel by Aromatherapy Associates London. Whilst opening this sample size product I honestly thought it wouldnt have much of a scent but no, it smells absolutely incredible. Just a few of the ingredients listed are; Coconut oil, Citrus & Leaf oil. Aromatherapy Associates


Now for the products that I spend my own money on...


 When I found out that Spectrum were going to be at the Beauty Show I just knew I couldn't resist purchasing some new beautiful brushes. It just so happened that Spectrum had some wonderful show deals including these four brushes and the makeup pouch shown in the photos.



 I also purchased this 'Half Mermaid, Half Unicorn' pouch from Spectrum, I just loved the colour and concept behind it.


I discovered a new makeup brand at the show, K Co. From this brand I brought there 'Brow Powder & Stencils' because the powder is 'semi permanent' it stays on all day meaning your brows stay defined and perfect. It also came with two eyebrow stencils, one 'natural' and one 'thick' meaning you can decide which suits your brow shape better. All the products from K Co have been created in the UK. 




 From K Co I brought the 'Foundation Powder' I honestly thought at first this was going to be slightly over rated... honestly this powder will keep my skin looking 'non oily' all day. You can also use this powder without any liquid foundation on. Really good product.


 K Co 'Super Lash' mascara and 'Liquid Lip Paint' in the shade '3 Peach Pink' 


K Co Natural Glow Powder Foundation.


 For those of you who follow me on Instagram you will know how much I adore 'DreamWeave' mascara'. I usually only get the 'Lash construct Magnet Mascara' (Gold one) but after loving this product so much I thought I would try the Black edition. (One contains lash serum)


 I figured it was about time I brought some Gel polishes of my own so I picked up some Bluesky Gel polishes, the colours I got are; A22, 80546, 80564, 80503 and 80534.
Bluesky is definitely my favourite Gel polish brand, they have such a great and various range of colours. They stock Neons, Glitters, Nudes and almost everything else you can think of.
Take a look at Bluesky's Colours


Recently I have started using some different tan so I figured being at the Beauty show would be a great opportunity to sample and buy some. Moroccan Tan won me over! The tan shade isn't orange at all, it has violet undertones meaning the tan is more 'mediterranean looking.'

The tan set that I brought at the show included 'Primer' to exfoliate the skin before applying the Tan resulting in less chance of streaks and achieving a even tan. I also got the Tanning Mousse, I decided to get the Mousse rather than the lotion because it has a darker finish which is what I am wanting in a Tan and finally the 'Extender and Gradual Tanner' which you apply when you have used the Mousse and it has started to wear off after a few days you can use the Extender to top it up. 


 Finally the last thing I picked up from the Beauty Show and one of my favourite buys of the day are these beautiful Mink lashes by Masqur Beauty. These are the lashes 'Senorita'. I have been using strip lashes for years and these by far have topped any that I have ever used. These are definitely my 'go to' lashes from now on. Highly suggest these lashes if you are looking for some high quality ones.



I had an excellent time at the Professional Beauty Show this year in London, I can't wait for next year. 


Thank you to all the wonderful brands that were generous and Professional Beauty for having me also thank you to Hollie, Laura and Sarah. 

Until next time,
Stormydoos