MY LIP INJECTION EXPERIENCE

I’m sure most of you have read and saw a million posts on cosmetic enhancements by now but as my appointment was fairly recent I thought I’d share my experience anyway for anyone who may be interested.

Now before we jump right into this post I'd just like to say that everybody's experience will be different as everyone's pain tolerance is different and I am in no way saying that everyone should go out and get lip injections or any procedures for that matter. Cosmetic procedures are a personal thing and there is always risks involved so never go through with any cosmetic enhancement procedures just because someone else has and if you are determined to go through with something to make YOURSELF happier then always do your research!

I’d had lip injections done once before in August 2015 and had gotten 0.5ml of Juvederm which is also known as a ‘Juvederm smile’ I loved having them done as I always overdraw my lips and it just made it a lot easier having a bit more lip to play with. Here are some before and after’s of the first treatment..

As you can see both images are of me smiling but on the right you can see that my top lip is much bigger than the left. I've obviously overlined them but in the left image I've also overlined them so it just shows how much more lip I've got to play with on the right image.

Having lip injections is pretty pricey and as I was only working part time at the time I couldn’t afford to have them topped up every so often – hence why it’s taken so long for me to have them done again! I always knew I’d get them done again so since I was working more hours and one of my friends was going to get hers done I decided now was the perfect time.

I contacted the Elanic Glasgow clinic to make my appointment and they told me I’d have to come in for a consultation before my appointment which I thought was a good thing as it meant I could discuss what I wanted beforehand. The consultation only lasted about 10 minutes and involved filling in paper work about health & safety, medication and allergies etc. The nurse was nice and spoke to me about the different fillers and recommended either using Juvederm or Belotero. I ended up opting for Belotero as she spoke slightly more highly of that product.

When I arrived at my appointment it was a different nurse from my consultation (but I knew that prior to my appointment anyway!) but she was really nice and chatty and put me at ease straight away. She applied some numbing cream to my lips which feels so weird, kinda like when you have a clay mask on your face and you can’t smile properly, it feels like if you smile your lips might burst haha. She left that on for a while and ran through my paper work making sure all the information was still accurate. At my consultation the first nurse had recommended Belotero Intense however she said that she was happier to use Belotero Balance as it was slightly cheaper in price and she felt the intense would be too much for me which I was fine with. She then wiped off the excess cream and began the injections.

She began on the right side of my top lip and it was amazing at first as I couldn’t feel anything! Even at the cupids bow (which most people find quite painful) it wasn’t that bad, however when she got to the left side of my top lip I could feel the needle go in and pull out. That probably sounds horrible but it honestly isn’t even that bad! My eyes watered slightly at that point but it was fine. When she moved on to the bottom lip I found this more ‘painful’ and I say that as it’s still not that painful, it’s a very tolerable pain in my opinion. I'd actually say having your eyebrows threaded is a worse pain than lip injections haha.

It was over and done with fairly quickly, maybe after about 15 minutes and I experienced absolutely no pain afterwards. It wasn’t until the next night that some bruising started to appear; I always wear lipstick anyway so it didn’t bother me but the bruising did last for a week although the first time I got my lips done I was left with no bruising so I suppose it's just your luck! However, In my opinion the bruising wasn’t bad looking at all but if lip injections are something you’re considering but you don’t wear lip products on a day to day basis I suppose that’s a con to consider when going to work etc.

The top left picture is my lips on the 23rd of December at 12.23am when the bruising first started to appear. The next 2 images were also taken on the 23rd but at 9.30pm. The image furthest to the left on the middle row was taken on the 24th and the next 2 were the 25th. The bottom row furthest to the left was the 26th, the middle the 27th and the last was the 29th when the bruising had really faded.

All in all if it’s something that will make you feel happier and more confident then go for it, the procedure doesn’t last long and it really isn’t bad in terms of pain but please make sure to always do your research beforehand to stay safe!

I hope this information was useful for anyone thinking of having this type of enhancement done.

Lots of Love,

X o

PAYDAY TREATS

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So as last Friday was payday I thought I'd treat myself to a few new 'staple' pieces (calling them staples makes me feel less guilty!) that will be perfect for the upcoming summer months. Here's what I purchased below.

Faux Leather Jackets in Sky Blue & Apple Green - Both of these jackets are absolutely gorgeous staple pieces for the summer months. I live in Glasgow and we don't tend to get a lot of 'no jacket required' weather so these are brilliant for a pop of color and they're not too heavy for the nicer days, if we ever get any nicer days!

Lara Lace Strappy Triangle Bra & Thong - I currently work in a lingerie shop so the last thing I need to be buying is lingerie however I love all the straps on this bra and own nothing like it so I had to treat myself to this! I think this will look really nice underneath maybe like a slightly opened shirt or something so you can see the harness detail down the front. Lace lingerie is so in at the moment and its so gorgeous. There's also a mink colour of this set here which is lovely too!

Vero Moda Khaki Stripe Tube Skirt - I love maxi skirts, they're so comfy, easy to shove on and can be dressed up or down. I like to pair mine with trainers for a casual but cool look or like the picture above shoe boots or heels for a more dressed up occasion! This skirt also comes in black & white stripes, grey and black which I will probably also end up purchasing as I just love how comfy this little skirt is and its great for any occasion! And for just £12 its such a bargain!

Topshop Colour Block & Camo Print Joggers - Every girl loves their lounge wear & comfy clothes and I am certainly no different. From the minute I get home from work the clothes are off and the lounge wear is on! I thought I'd invest in a couple of pairs that are a bit nicer though just for those days when you really can't be bothered getting ready but just need to nip out to Tesco or something! Haha. I am obsessed with camo print so obviously had to have these ones and the grey colour block ones are cool and a bit different from your typical all grey joggers. They are both super comfy too, perfect for my last minute trips to Tesco.

Topshop Paradise Foil Body - I lovvvve bodys at the moment! Until I need the toilet, every girl knows the struggle but anyway, I still love them, especially cool slogan ones like this one. They just look so nice teamed with a pair of jeans and trainers. I've got a little day trip to Blackpool planned for next week so I plan to team this with a camo print shirt (possibly tied around the waist) black ripped jeans, trainers & a leather jacket. This body also comes in a really cute pink colour here.

Lots of Love,

X o

MY FAVOURITE HIGHLIGHTERS

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Highlighting is definitely a staple part of my make up routine, as I'm sure it is for most of us these days. It completes a look and just gives a gorgeous natural or over the top glow, depending on what type of gal you are. So here are a few of my personal favorites.

L-R Illamasqua 'Furore', Becca 'Champagne Pop', Becca 'Opal', Topshop 'Polished', Benefit 'Watts Up!'

Illamasqua Pure Pigment in 'Furore' - Heres a product I never hear anyone talking about and I don't know why as its so gorgeous! Its a loose pigment from Illamasqua and looks absolutely gorgeous applied to the inner corners of the eyes or on the high points of the face as a highlight. Its described on the Illamasqua website as a "champagne peach shimmer" which I totally agree with. Its super sparkly so makes for a great for a night out highlight.

Becca 'Opal' Shimmering Pressed Skin Perfector - Everyone loves the Becca highlighters and I am certainly no different. They are by far the best highlighters I've used, so pigmented and the consistency is literally like butter, so silky smooth and easy to apply. I remember when everyone first started talking about the Becca highlighters and I wanted to try them so bad, this was before I really used highlighters so the price tag of £32 really put me off for something I wasn't sure I'd even need in my makeup routine so I started off with a cheaper alternative, The Balm 'Mary-Lou Manizer' highlighter, and fell in love with the sparkly glowyness! I continued hearing so many good things about Opal and after falling in love with Becca's 'Champagne Pop' I eventually bit the bullet and I'm so glad I did as the £32 price tag is definitely worth it. I use this probably every day and haven't even hit pan yet so it will definitely last me ages.

Becca 'Champagne Pop' Shimmering Pressed Skin Perfector -Another Becca favorite that I'm sure everyone will be familiar with and Jaclyn Hill's little creation. Like I said above I bought this before I bought Opal as I watch Jaclyn Hills YT channel and obviously heard everyone rave about how much they loved it so I was instantly sold. Unfortunately at that time it wasn't available in the UK so when one of my friends was going over to New York I begged her to pick me one of these up however now its available in the UK which is music to my, and I'm sure most peoples ears as its definitely a gorgeous highlighter that if you don't already own I insist you purchase! Such a gorgeous champagney-gold color, easy to blend and the tiniest amount goes a long way so this will literally last AGES. Looks super gorgeous applied along the collar bone also!

The Balm 'Mary-Lou Manizer' - Like I mentioned above this was the first highlighter I ever purchased and literally loved it so much! Its so affordable at £17.50, really pigmented and as I was just starting to get into highlighters it was definitely a great beginners product to practice and play around with. The only downside to this highlighter is that I've purchased it twice and both times the product has crumbled and broke when its been in my makeup bag so unfortunately I don't actually have one I can photograph as I haven't got around to repurchasing it yet. Opal and Mary-Lou Manizer are really similar shades so if like me your just starting out with highlighters or simply can't justify spending £32 on a highlight then I highly recommend this one. Packaging is really cute also.

Topshop 'Polished' Glow Pot -I'm not a massive fan of cream highlighters or blush but I really like this one. I purchased this as I saw Sarah Ashcroft from That Pommie Girl use it on her YT channel, she used this as a base for Champagne Pop and it looked stunning, so naturally I purchased this to do the same. Such a gorgeous result! Its also super pretty used on its own, offers a subtle natural glow and so reasonable with its £9 price tag! Its consistency is mousse-like making it super easy to blend. A little goes a long way with this product so even though its a small pot it will definitely last ages!

Benefit 'Watts Up!' Cream Highlight - Another cream highlight which I actually really like as it blends so well and offers a really nice subtle natural glow to the cheeks, perfect for a nice day time look. Personally I don't wear this on its own as I like a full on highlighted look so I'll pop this on first as a base and then apply Opal or Mary-Lou Manizer on top and it just looks absolutely gorgeous and extra glowy, perfect for a night out or evening makeup.

What are you favorite highlighters? I'd love to know so I can add to my collection!

Lots of Love,

X o

MY EVERYDAY LIP COLLECTION

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So I've racked up a pretty extensive 'everyday nude' collection of lipsticks, glosses and liners that I could not live without! I keep all of them in a little Ted Baker makeup case in my bag at all times cause you just never know when you might want to change your lip colour throughout the day yeknow? I like to have a bit of variety and to mix it up so here's my everyday favorites. I've devised them into 4 categories, nude-nudes, brown nudes, pink nudes & glosses. Hope you enjoyyy!

NUDE NUDES
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L-R - MAC 'Velvet Teddy', 'Peach Stock', 'Honey Love' & 'Myth'

MAC 'Velvet Teddy' Lipstick - Obviously don't need to say much about this as who doesn't own Velvet Teddy after the whole Kylie saga? Gorgeous color, especially paired with Spice lip pencil. 

MAC 'Peach Stock' Lipstick - One of my absolute favorite shades! So so gorgeous and I always receive lots of compliments when I wear it! One of my friends even went out and bought it the first time she saw me wear it as she loved it so much! The Peach Stock above is a new purchase as I lost my other one haha hence why its not been used much yet!

MAC 'Honey Love' Lipstick - Such a gorgeous nude lipstick and definitely another one of my favorite nudes! MAC describe it as a "light beige toned with rose" which I totally agree with, Its not too nude but not too dark either and does have slight pink undertones. Its just such a perfect nude shade. When I first bought this I literally wore it all the time - hence how tiny it is now! I usually team this with MAC Spice lip pencil.

MAC 'Myth' Lipstick - This is definitely not a color for everyone as its so so pale but it does look absolutely gorgeous on some people. Great color to lighten a lipstick that's too dark or even to do an ombre lip with.

BROWN NUDES
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L-R - MAC 'Whirl', 'Twig' & Gerard Cosmetics '1995'

MAC 'Whirl' Lipstick - I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Whirl, sometimes I love it and other times I'm just not so sure. Currently I love it and have enjoyed wearing it a lot recently but other times I'm like 'mehh' it looks absolutely gorgeous on other people though, especially darker skin tones.

MAC 'Twig' Lipstick - Twig is pretty similar to Brave and Creme In Your Coffee, Brave is probably about 2 shades of a lighter pink and CIYC is more brown whereas Twig is more brown-pink. Again if you own one of these 3 shades you probably don't need the other 2. I loved Twig when I first bought it but it has been neglected of late as I've found new favorites since purchasing it. Still a gorgeous shade though.

Gerard Cosmetics '1995' Lipstick - Again this color is really similar to Twig and CIYC but I feel like I like this a lot more than both of them. Maybe because its a matte whereas Twig is a Satin and CIYC is a cremesheen.

PINK NUDES
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L-R - Rimmel Kate Moss '08', MAC 'Creme In Your Coffee', 'Faux', 'Brave' & 'Viva Glam II'

Rimmel Kate Moss '08' - Gorgeous color and looks great paired with Soar lip pencil. Bargain at £5.49 also!

MAC 'Creme In Your Coffee' Lipstick - This color is so so similar to Whirl, you definitely don't need to own the 2 of these they are that similar! Whirl is more of a brown whereas Creme In Your Coffee is more pink-brown however Whirl is a matte and CIYC is a cremesheen so adds a slight glossy look to the lips.

MAC 'Faux' Lipstick - Faux is a gorgeous pinky nude. I usually team this with MAC Soar lip pencil and a pinky gloss and it always looks so nice!

MAC 'Brave' Lipstick - Brave is a gorgeous pink-beige, I always pair this with Soar lip pencil and it looks gorgeous.

MAC 'Viva Glam II' - Again, a bit of a love/hate with this one. It looks absolutely STUNNING on other people but sometimes just not as stunning on me, haha. I still enjoy it though and wear it anyway.

GLOSSES
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L-R - Nars 'Chelsea Girls', Nars 'Sweet Revenge', Urban Decay 'Nooner' & Urban Decay 'Liar'

Nars 'Chelsea Girls' Lip Gloss - I absolutely LOVE Nars lip glosses, the consistency, the applicator, EVERYTHING. This is a gorgeous pink shade with slight bits of shimmer throughout. So gorgeous. Modesty, Soar lip pencil and this lip gloss is LIFE.

Nars 'Sweet Revenge' Lip Gloss -  Sweet Revenge has been my favorite for years and this is like the 3rd tube of it I've bought which just shows how much I love it as I don't tend to love lip gloss or really run out of any cause I barely use them! Such a gorgeous peachy-nude shade. Really pigmented so could easily be worn on its own for a nice natural glossy look.

Urban Decay Naked 'Nooner' Lipgloss - Gorgeous browny-nude lip gloss. So pigmented so you can definitely wear this color on its own however I usually team it with a nude lipstick such as Velvet Teddy.

Urban Decay Naked 'Liar' Lipgloss - Gorgeous mauvey-pink shade, probably only about 1 or 2 shades darker than 'Chelsea Girls' so purchasing both probably isnt necessary. Same as Nooner this gloss is super pigmented to wear on its own.

Probably should have called this post "My everyday MAC lip collection' but however... What are your favorite nudes? I'd love to find out - as you can see I do love a nudeyyy.

Lots of Love,

X o

ELDORA LASHES

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In my opinion a night out or special occasion face is never complete without a pair of false eyelashes. They are literally the icing on top of the cake for me and my makeup wouldn't be complete without a pair! Over the years I've tried a few different brands, Eylure, Ardell, Red Cherry to name a few, but when I discovered Eldora they blew every pair of eyelashes I was using out of the water and I honestly haven't touched another brand since!

I've been using Eldora lashes for at least a year now and its the only lashes I purchase, I absolutely love them and can't say enough good things about them. They're great quality, easy to apply, come in loads of different styles and are really affordable! (Not to mention that they always come in a cute little shiny envelope with a handwritten "Thankyou" on the invoice, cuteee!)

Three of my absolute fave styles include the H111, H167 and M101's. I always try and make sure I'm fully stocked up on these 3 as they are perfect for any occasion. As well as always purchasing my favorites I always like to buy a new style along with them to mix it up a bit and hopefully find a new favorite. I find that going on to Eldora's instagram account or using their hashtag (#eldorafalseeyelashes) is the easiest way to find a new style that I want to try as they repost pictures of people wearing their lashes which this is a great way for you to see different lashes on different eyes and judge for yourself if you like the length, style, etc.

The current styles that I own right now include the H111, H167, H160, M103 and M106. I haven't got round to trying the last 3 yet so don't know if I'll like them or not but they do look gorgeous. And FYI - the H160's are hanging off at the side cause I've opened them and tried them on haha - I didn't receive them like that. The glue that comes with these lashes is also amazing, I never have a problem with my lashes coming off, I've even went to bed with my lashes on a few times and woke up with them still perfectly in place! The bottle is teeny tiny as well making it perfect to pop into your bag 'just incase'

The top photo is me wearing the H111's and the bottom is the M101's. Both absolutely gorgeous lashes and 2 of my favorites!

The prices of these lashes vary depending on the style of the lash but can be anything from £4.25 to £7.50, which is really affordable in my opinion as I always manage to get at least 3 or 4 wears out of each pair of lashes.

What Eldora lashes do you love/recommend?

Lots of Love,

X o

MAC LIP GOODIES

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The last thing I need is more lipsticks however when I found out last week that Ariana Grande was the new MAC Viva Glam girl I just couldn't resist purchasing her lipstick & lipglass as I absolutely LOVE her! And obviously whilst browsing the MAC website I picked up another 2 lip bits (Ooops..) I'd been eyeing up Peachstock for quite some time but never purchased it as every time I googled swatches online I was never quite sold on it but I ended up biting the bullet and I'm so glad I did as I've been really enjoying it and getting loads of compliments whilst wearing it! I also picked up the Myth lipglass which is really nice also but I'm not a major lipgloss fan so that probably wasn't necessary but oh well...

The photo below is of me wearing Spice lipliner, Peachstock and Myth lipglass on top.

Lots of Love,

X o

K R I S T E N

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Introducing the newest blog on the block

My own little space of the internet where I can share my makeup pics, reviews, opinions, favourites etc etc all within the field of beauty and makeup!

I hope you all enjoy reading my blog, find new favorites and maybe even learn something new along the way.

Lots of Love,

X o