Sunday 21 October 2012

SEMI-PERMANENT LASH ENHANCEMENT BY CATHY BROWN


I have been very fortunate lately in my new role at Blondie Media Productions with working and meeting such lovely people!

Recently myself and Naomi Isted visited the amazing Dermaspa in Milton Keynes owned by HD Brows Founder Nilam Patel.  Nilam who I first met a couple of years ago trained me in the HD Brows treatment will be featuring in Blondie Media Productions new TV series Harley Street Beauty that aired last Monday on SKY 266 
Nilam Patel

Dermaspa

Nilam had introduced us to her friend and collegue Cathy Brown a few weeks ago who tattooed Naomi’s eyebrows for the show (please see Naomi's Blog). They have worked together for over a decade and we were both kindly invited back by Nilam & Cathy to each have a semi permanent eyelash enhancement.
Cathy Brown

Cathy Brown Bio

With a wealth of experience helping clients restore their appearance and confidence  Cathy’s work in the cosmetic tattoo field is fast generating a celebrity following, with models  and presenters putting their confidence in her abilities to create the look they desire.

Having worked in the semi permanent makeup industry for over 10 years, Cathys skills, artistic flair and knowledge of colour has enabled her to achieve a reputation as one of the industries elite so I was definitely in safe hands!

In 2004 Cathy was selected as a trainer for Nouveau Contour giving her the opportunity to pass on her industry knowledge to students just embarking on their career. Nouveau are one of the UKs leading suppliers of permanent cosmetics equipment and treatment accessories.

The Semi-Permanent Lash Enhancement Treatment

Considered to be the window to our soul, our eyes for many are one of our best assets, whatever that shape or colour, with careful pigment placement even the smallest eye can be made to look bigger,

Eyelash enhancement gives a really soft yet stunning result, pigment in placed in the lash line, in between all the rows of lashes.  The thin line of residue that is sometimes left in the lashes after a tint or when you wipe off your makeup is similar to that of a lash enhancement.

This gives a very natural result, just making the lashes look thicker and eyes not so bare without makeup.

I was so excited about having this treatment as juggling work and a family life I was getting regular comments on how tired I was looking lately!

My visit with Cathy at the Dermaspa started with a very in depth consultation and I had to complete and sign some forms. Once this was done Cathy started the treatment by cleaning the area, drawing a line with a kohl pencil and applying an anaesthetic cream to the lash line to numb the area.

Equipment
For semi permanent makeup Cathy uses the Nouveau Contour Intelligent Machine where with its pre-programmed settings and a press of a button, the Intelligent will automatically adjust the needle frequency to suit the tolerance of the skin. This can promote better healing times and longer lasting results.

The precision control of the Nouveau Contour Intelligent Machine means pigments go in smoother, faster and with greater evenness. This is important for reducing the tattooing time which in turn reduces the risk of skin trauma and improves colour retention.  

All Nouveau Contour needle cartridges are individually packaged in sterile packaging using ethylene oxide gas. Each single-use cartridge has an internal diaphragm which prevents fluid and airborne contaminants from entering the Pigment Pen.

Nouveau Contour professional pigment range offers the widest colour range, to suit any skin tone or complexion. Their pigments are made of the Highest Quality pharmaceutical grade Ingredients and manufactured under very strict European guidelines.
During the treatment

The treatment lasted for around an hour and I found it mostly comfortable but it was only towards the very end that I could feel the slight scratchy feeling.  Nothing at all painful more of an achey feeling.

Afterwards my eyes were a little swollen and felt like they were sunburnt!

Cathy went through our aftercare and gave us a healing balm to take away with us. She told us to start with cleaning the area that evening with cooled boiled water and cotton wool pads and to apply the balm 3-4 times a day for the next few days and that we were to vist her again in 6 weeks for a colour top up.

That evening the swelling started to go down and I cleaned them which I must admit felt very soothing! Especially applying the balm after.

I cleaned them again in the morning as there was a build up of the colour in the corners of my eye.  The swellen had all gone and from there I just used the balm 3 times a day as requested.  I used it when I started to feel a tightness around the eye area.

Cathy had mentioned that the enhancement would dry and be a little flaky and then look like it has disappeared, then after a few days the colour would come through.

This is what certainly happened and the results now are absolutely stunning! I am in love with this treatment!  I can’t stress how much It has given my eyes a makeover and how I don’t look as tired.

Here's my before and after:
Before - Tired looking eyes

After- Eye Makeover!

I would like to say a massive thank you to Cathy for her expertise and Nilam Patel and her wonderful team at the Dermaspa for allowing me to experience this fantastic treatment! 

Before I had met Cathy & Nilam I was not educated at all regarding what should be taken into consideration if you're thinking of having any kind of semi-permanent makeup.  I was totally in the hands of true professionals and for those who are thinking of having it done please please do your research as there is some terrible semi permanent work out there! Please beware and don't always go for the cheaper option!

For more information or to book an appointment with Cathy please visit Dermaspa website or contact Cathy on 07967 156782.

Please feel free to drop me a message if you have any other questions about my experience.

Love Jo x


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Saturday 20 October 2012

LONDON FASHION WEEKEND SEPTEMBER 2012




After a jam-packed London Fashion Week last month myself and the other Blondie Media Girls Naomi Isted & Joanna Lim were invited back to Somerset House for London Fashion Weekend.




Vodafone London Fashion Weekend is London’s largest and most exclusive designer shopping event open to the public biannually where you can enjoy shopping, pampering, champagne and catwalk shows over four days just after London Fashion Week finishes.

With British designers including Rigby & Peller, Pringle of Scotland, Jaeger, French Sole, American Retro, Twenty8Twelve, Yes Master and Antipodium selling their collections at up to 70% off normal prices you’re guaranteed to bag yourself a bargain!

We had such a great evening at the event, which started by us all receiving a Fab Tote Bag (pictured below) designed by Mulberry and stuffed with lots of goodies including the latest copy of Elle Magazine. 


From there we were front row in the Courtyard Show Space for the latest trend Catwalk show styled by resident stylist Miss Molly.

The three current AW12 trends for the show were:

Sergeant Indigo
Taking the lead from Stella McCartney by using oversized proportions to create masculine, boxy silhouettes in military inspired shades of khakis, greys and blacks, this is an instantly accessible trend...

Lady Brocade
It is impossible to ignore the stand out trend for Autumn Winter - the sheer exuberance of the embroideries, embellishments and silhouettes make this one of the most opulent trends spotted on the runways ever...

Kitchen Chic
The Sixties has been an ongoing trend now for several seasons, but for Autumn Winter 2012 it focuses on silhouettes, prints and palettes that are evocative of the decade...

There were some amazing outfits and I fell totally in love with the shoes from the show By Kat Maconie.  These I had also seen the week before when assisting makeup artist Issidora for London Fashion Week Retrospective


After the show we literally shopped until we dropped bagging some amazing bargains!! (mainly Naomi!)

Here’s a look at a couple of Naomi’s purchases and the amazing discounts.

Ducie black floaty dress Was £160 paid £55
Muubaa petrol leather coat £349 paid £150
We would like to say a big thank you to the girls at Ducie, Muubaa and Nelly.com.

Definitely a night out not to be missed next time ladies! For more details and ticket info please visit www.londonfashionweekend.co.uk

Love Jo x

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