Beauty: A GHD Masterclass at John Lewis, Liverpool*

Beauty: A GHD Masterclass at John Lewis, Liverpool*

Saturday, 18 March 2017

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Last week, I had a very beauty focused week: I visited the fantastic Woodland’s Beauty Clinic to give a few of their treatments a whirl and was blown away by what they had to offer. I was also invited to have a little masterclass in John Lewis, at the GHD counter there: the lovely Natalie was there to introduce me to all the amazing products that GHD have to offer.

We all know GHD and we’ve probably all owned a pair of their incredible straighteners at one time or another in our lives. Personally, I managed to resist the temptation of buying a pair for quite a while and it took my straighteners dying a death for me to bite the bullet and invest in a wide pair of the devils. I have incredibly thick, wavy hair and there is absolutely no pair of straighteners that works on my hair other than GHD: the fact I waited so long to invest actually pains me a little, as I probably could have had hours of my life back that I wasted attempting to straighten my hair with rubbish quality straightening irons. I’m all about creating a smooth, effortless look that doesn’t take much time (busy gal, over here!) and GHD are definitely the brand to be using to ensure that that is the case.

Natalie showed all of the products to me, explaining how the different styles of straightening iron and curling tongs and wands work. I loved the upgraded versions of the classic GHD straighteners and I’ve took an instant likening for the GHD Platinum Stylers, a hair straightener that looks as gorgeous as the styles it creates. Natalie explained that the irons use tri-zone technology, which ensures equal distribution of heat and doesn’t damage your gorgeous locks in the process! Natalie also introduced me to a product I’m most definitely lusting after now and have been since the event: a little travel hairdryer. You might think, “Hollie, it’s a hairdryer. What could possibly be so special about a hairdryer?” Go in to John Lewis and up to the GHD counter and have a word with Natalie, and you’ll find out why I love it so much. (Spoiler alert: cool air and warm air separation, portability and POWER.)

Natalie also very kindly curled my hair for me, using all of the amazing GHD products to make sure that it stays healthy in spite of the heat. I personally own a curling wand and I absolutely adore it, so I asked Natalie to give me a subtler, classic look, channelling thick curls. I absolutely adored the look that Natalie gave me and I felt like a million dollars leaving the store afterwards. I was also incredibly lucky to receive a little goody bag full of fantastic GHD products and I am very excited to try them out!

Not a lot of people are aware of the GHD station in John Lewis, as it’s quite far back in the store and is quite small but I honestly couldn’t fault the products and the care and attention you get from staff there. Top tip from Natalie: if you buy products, you’re more than welcome to have a little hair master class yourself. So get yourself down to GHD next time you’re on a night out: we all need a good quality bottle of heat defence spray, for example, so why not treat yourself and then let GHD treat you?

Thanks so much to Natalie and to GHD for the lovely, lovely treat! I’ll definitely be coming back to purchase that hairdryer upon pay-day!!

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Beauty: A Little Pamper Session At the Woodlands Clinic, Baltic Triangle*

Beauty: A Little Pamper Session At the Woodlands Clinic, Baltic Triangle*

Monday, 6 March 2017

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I think it’s perfectly safe to say that one of my absolute favourite things in the world is a good, old fashioned pamper session. There’s nothing better than going to a salon and getting you hair, nails and makeup done when you’re feeling a little bit down in the dumps. When Stephanie, part of the PR team that represent Woodlands Beauty Clinic got in touch to see if I wanted to try out a few of their treatments, it took approximately five seconds of thought before I’d made my decision. I booked myself in for a Shellac Manicure and Facial for the 1^st March. Woodlands Beauty Clinic has salons in Woolton, where I work and in Aigburth, but they’ve also opened a clinic in the up and coming Baltic Triangle, just outside of the bustling Liverpool city centre, in the last year. I LOVE the Baltic Triangle; there are so many cool bars and restaurants to check out and I think that this salon fits right on in there in terms of its style and reputation. Located on Jamaica Street, the clinic is just a stones throw away from Liverpool One and the Albert Docks. It’s incredibly easy to find and upon arrival I was greeted by the LOVELY Antonia. Antonia made me feel right at home, got me settled and was incredibly eager to answer all of my questions.

I get my nails done fairly frequently and when I do, I always go for Shellac as my treatment of choice. I love the versatility of Shellac – it can last so long and has an amazing look- but it also doesn’t cost the Earth which is perfect for someone like me who’s saving up to buy a house. I can’t justify blowing £40 every few weeks on nails but a £25 Shellac treatment is all the more affordable. I had a little job interview the day after my treatment so I opted to go for a more natural coloured Shellac- the colour I chose is a beautiful peach based pink – in certain lights it looks almost a pale coral coloured and I absolutely love it. Antonia is an expert when it comes to Shellac and it’s obvious that she knows exactly what she’s doing and what she’s talking about. The salon used ACTUAL Shellac polishes, which is evident in the finish and time and care was put into ensuring that absolutely every layer was done immaculately. Of course, she filed down and buffed my nails prior to applying the colour, as well as making sure that my cuticles were pushed back as they should be. After my top coat had been seared, almond oil applied to my cuticles to ensure that they’re rehydrated and a big smile put back on my face after a long, tiring week, Antonia took me upstairs to the little massage treatment room and talked me through some options for my facial.

After I’d stripped down and got myself settled on the massage table, Antonia talked me through the different products that the salon uses and introduced Dermaquest to me, their brand of choice. I have to say that I absolutely LOVE the feel of this product on my skin: since my facial (which was just short of a week ago now) my face has felt fully hydrated and I’ve had quite a few comments about how lively and soft it looks. Antonia referred to the treatment that I had as the Red Carpet Treatment on a number of occasions and I think that it’s fair to say that that’s a pretty good description of how it felt. It made me feel incredibly au naturel and revitalised. Antonia explained every stage in detail, telling me what each product was going to do to my skin and how it would help me out. I was a little apprehensive to try an exfoliating treatment on my face, if I’m honest, as my skin is incredibly sensitive and the smallest amount of alien product causes reactions but luckily, that wasn’t the case at all with the Dermaquest products. I’ll definitely be looking into integrating these into my daily routine where I can. I must admit that my favourite part of the facial was the upper body massage: I have an incredibly knotted back- as I said, I’ve had a stressful few weeks- and Antonia was fantastic in getting rid of the knots and making me feel incredibly relaxed. I finished off by having a large glass of water to make sure my skin was getting everything it needed to stay healthy and bright.

Woodlands Beauty Clinic is absolutely fantastic. I felt incredibly comfortable there, which for me is a tell-tale sign of a good and reputable salon. Everything was explained to me in great detail, I felt completely at ease throughout the entire treatment sessions and I’d definitely go back there in a heartbeat for more treatments when I get the chance! Thank you so much to Stephanie for the invite and then Antonia and Woodlands Clinic for my amazing experience!

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(*This post is a collaboration with Woodlands Beauty Clinic. I received the treatments free of charge but this review is fully reflective of my true thoughts and feelings towards the clinic. I will never be influenced in any way by collaborations.) 

Beauty: MetQuarter Christmas PR Event!

Beauty: MetQuarter Christmas PR Event!

Monday, 14 November 2016

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I’ve had a good few weeks events wise and I’m excited to share my experiences at another little event here! At the end of last month, I was invited to an event at Metquarter in Liverpool. For anyone who isn’t local to the area, Metquarter is a grotto of amazing shops including MAC, Illamasqua and Armani, Links of London and GHD, amongst others. I was blooming over the moon to be invited to their press event and being able to see some of the shops’ new collections earlier than the public! Thanks very much to the lovely Emma, part of the Carousel team for the invite to the event!

I’m going to be honest… I felt a little weird going to a Christmas event in OCTOBER. OCTOBER. I could probably have dealt quite easily with an event in November, as I understand that they have to get the products out early, consumer markets, yada yada. October messed with my sense of festivity a little bit. Granted, this last about five minutes as when I got there I got right into the swing of things, singing along to all the Christmas music and ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the amazing decorations.

I nipped into the store pretty early on in the day and met up with a few fellow bloggers who’d gotten there at the same time. It was nice to have a catch up and see the amazing new products that shops had put out for us to have a look at. I fell 100% in love with the brand new Christmas collection that MAC had put out- I’ll definitely be going back to purchase a few of these, it was SO difficult to pull myself away and resist the temptation of spending my entire wage slip on pretty eye shadow palettes and make up brush kits. I also found myself falling in love with the most BEAUTIFUL shoes I’ve seen in a long time, from L. K. Bennett! Fingers crossed Father Christmas puts them under the tree for me this year!

I wasn’t able to stay as long as I would have liked to as I had to get to work so unfortunately I missed out on getting my makeup done by a MAC artist! We were given lovely little goodie bags with money off vouchers, a little MAC mascara and an Illamasqua lipstick in them! There was also a little macaron from Patisserie Valarie included in there, which was a lovely little touch! Who doesn’t love a macaron, after all?

I can’t wait to go back to the Metquarter and fill up a basket with some of their fabulous goodies for my family and friends this year!

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