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@scousebirdprobs
Scouse bird with a vodka dependency and an acute sense of social observation. Always self deprecating, always blunt. Follow me on twitter WARNING: Non-scousers may not understand language of this blog.
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Tuesday 30 July 2013

Skincerity - the miracle in a bottle

As I've already talked about before on my Laser hair removal blog http://scousebirdreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-laser-clinic-beauty-boutique.html?m=1 I have suffered really badly with ingrown hairs on my legs. Some of these went infected and unfortunately left scars. I've tried everything to get rid of them; bio oil, scar gel, exfoliating, salicylic acid, you name it!  The laser hair removal has prevented any new ingrown hairs forming but unfortunately they've left a scabby leg legacy which had blighted me now for nearly 3 years.

I was approached by a Skincerity distributor to try this brand new product claiming to be a miracle in a bottle. It works on eczema, scars, stretch marks, pores, wrinkles...basically any skin issue. I agreed to give it a try but maintained I would give an honest opinion after a reasonable amount of time trialling it.

You roll it on the area you want to improve, leave it overnight and then peel it off in the morning (great fun). It smells a bit like nail varnish remover.

These were the results after 6 days on each leg:



As you can see its a big improvement. I've now been using it for about 3 weeks and these are the results:



As you can see one leg has completely cleared and the other one is almost there! I genuinely can't believe the results. I was so skeptical after all the other lotions and potions I'd tried but the proof is in the pudding.

I believe in it so much I've become a Skincerity distributor working with the lady who first introduced me to it. You can order straight from here: http://www.scousebirdskincerity.mynucerity.biz/


Good luck!!

XOXO

Scouse Bird





Saturday 27 July 2013

Louise Walsh Salon Formby

I was lucky enough to be invited to the new Louise Walsh salon opening in Formby the day before it's actually officially opened (Scouse Bird perks). It's Saturday so naturally I was gonna be spending all day in a salon anyway so thought why not visit the waggy neck of the woods and go all out.


Louise Walsh is an experienced semi permenant make up artist and will be offering the full range of brows, lips & eyeliner etc here as well as hair, make up and beauty. Louise was telling me she's recently returned from Dubai where she treated royalty. Proper Prinny brows!


The entire salon is wall to wall leopard print and bling (my idea of heaven) and the make up area has one of those Hollywood make up mirrors which, I'm sorry, I'm determined to own at some point.



The place is filled with cute bling accessories and it seemed whatever I was admiring is actually available to buy as well.




I had a gorgeous bouncy ponytail done which I was so made up with and me mate went for the transitional curly blow (we were worried we'd end up with a wooly blow being in Formby, but it's obviously fab)




The salon will be officially opening on Sunday 28th July so if you're in the area, pop down and check it out. I've seen their champagne stash!

XOXO 

Scouse Bird











Thursday 25 July 2013

Bikini waxing & facials. Origin rejuvenation spa

With the annual trip abroad fast approaching its time to talk bikini line. Getting a bikini wax is not something a girl looks forward to, unfortunately it’s a necessary evil unless you want to spend your entire hard-earned holiday lying on the beach fretting over whether or not you look like you’re smuggling spiders in your bikini. To me shaving isn't an option,  it's still prickly even straight after AND you're just askin for a clitorectomy really.

I took the plunge a few years ago and went for my first ever Hollywood (all off), it was pretty painful and I called my mate afterwards cryin that the woman "touched me bumhole". This wasn't abuse apparently, it was normal. 

I liked the results and I started getting them done regularly by the same girl and it did hurt a bit less each time I went but then one time I had to be seen by someone else; the pain was white hot an I ended up askin her to stop halfway through an went on holiday with a wonky fanny. Finding a good waxer is key.

I did try that Strip place in Harvey Nichs last year as the technique they use is supposed to be 70% less painful. It is deffo less painful but at £50 a wax compared to the £20-25 norm it's 100% more painful to the bank account.

A bit of research and I found an unusual little treatment in Origin spa on Castle St in town. Bikini waxes can be a minefield of ingrown hairs without proper care and attention. They offer a bikini 'facial'. You go in a few days prior to the wax and they prepare the skin with masks and scrubs; it's only a very short treatment as the girl Michelle explained she didn't feel it was appropriate to be down there too long! Then once you've had the wax (using a combination of traditional strip waxing and the hot wax which dries onto your skin, same as Harvey Nichs) you go back in a few days later for your second 'facial' which is more masks and exfoliants. 

I had a proper laugh each time I went in. If its the first time you've ever been for a wax you might find someone faffing around with your bits while carryin on a full blown gossiping session with you a little bit uncomfortable BUT once you get your head around the fact she's seen more fannies than Mario from TOWIE and in her words "it's just the same as doin an eyebrow wax" you'll be fine.

During the wax itself you'll even get to practice yoga positions like these:




While she gets into all the nooks and crannies. I'm not going to lie, it does still hurt but beauty is pain. Getting your extensions tightened hurts, getting your eyebrows tattooed hurts, breaking in a new pair of Kurt Geigers hurts but we do it because the end result is worth it.

Once you start getting it done every 4-6 weeks it gradually begins to hurt less as the hairs grow back thinner. My top tip is don't go and get it done the week before you're due on, wait til the week after you've finished, that's when your pain receptors are least sensitive.

The 'facial' treatments a few days before and after have definitely improved the amount of ingrown hairs. The exfoliation gets rid of the dead skin cells which cause the blockages to the follicles. So all in all it's much more aesthetically pleasing to look at afterwards.

To book in with Michelle pop into Origin Spa on Castle st, contact them via their website http://www.originrejuvenationclinic.co.uk/
Or follow them on twitter @origincastlest

Enough about my bits now

XOXO

Scouse Bird


Wednesday 24 July 2013

Sparkly me

I love a good bit of costume jewellery. There's some shockingly bad tat out there which every fucker has imported from China and is selling on for a £15 mark up but by the same token there's some amazing pieces out there at the moment.

One of my fave jewellery places is Swarovski so I was made up when someone recommended Sparkly Me to me (a Facebook shop) as all their items are big Swarovski style bling but at a fraction of the price.



I don't know what ring size I am but the owner was able to size me up by me telling her what size I am in Swarovski. They do loads of mad designs but I just decided to get a couple of gorgeous but simple items which would go with almost any outfit.

Here's a couple of other items they do. Deffo goin on my wishlist!




XOXO

Scouse Bird





Tuesday 23 July 2013

Oriflame - ombré lips

Oriflame is a bit like the Avon catalogue except it's Swedish so isn't massive over here yet.

Basically they sell an entire own brand make up and beauty range. 

I was google image searching "ombré lips" when I came across their triple core lipstick. A lipstick containing 3 colours in one to give a very subtle (or bold depending on shade) ombré look.


I went for the pink as I wanted a subtle everyday look. If you look you can see the darker shade around the edges fading to the light in the centre.


I think I'd deffo be interested in trying a bolder shade too next time. Ombré lips - thumbs up.


XOXO

Scouse Bird




Sunday 21 July 2013

Enrapture hair styling

I first heard of Enrapture last Christmas when I was looking for a decent set of heated rollers. A set would normally set you back around £70 but they were on offer on amazon for about £35; plus who cares, I wasn't buying.



They are the best heated rollers I've ever tried. They heat up in about 2 minutes. Both the roller itself and the clip which secures it are heated so the curl lasts much longer. I normally get up, lash them in first thing in the morning and let them cool while I'm getting ready and then voila, instant curly blow.


That's actually me. Excuse the ham arm it was pre gym.

I decided to try their jumbo waver as I have a little bit of an obsession with "Game of Thrones" hair. I'm sorry but in medieval times there's no way that was people's natural hair. If I let mine dry naturally or even plait it, it's just a frizzy mess. They deffo had one of these.


It's basically a giant crimper. There's a heat dial to control the heat but I just think low heats are for meffs so I turned it up to 11 (This is Spinal Tap reference for the film geeks). Considering my hair is 22" (it's all my own, I bought it) it only took about 20-30 mins to style my whole head. Unfortunately as I'm single now I couldn't get an immediate picture in good light of the results so here's one in poor light which my drunk mate took much later on. Bear in mind I'd been out about 12hrs at this point.


It did look proper gorge like and that's been brushed through a few times so you can see how it held the wave. And I wasn't far off!



Another boss product from Enrapture. They also have an award winning totem styling wand which is deffo on my list to try next!


Xoxo

Scouse Bird







Wednesday 17 July 2013

Bean bag bazaar

The weather lately has been fantastic for catching a bronzey so I decided to "make hay while the sun shines" and get myself out in the garden on the reggers. 
The only trouble is I've got one of those decking chair things an its not in the slightest bit comfy, all buttons diggin into me and an ordeal every time I wanted to roll over to tan me back.
I started researching alternative solutions!

I found these mazzy outdoor beanbags on bean bag bazaar website and knew it was just the solution I'd been looking for.
 

That's not me by the way.

I ordered a fetching purple one (around the £60 mark) an it was delivered in like 4 days so I was well happy.

The beanbag came half filled and with an extra bag of stuffing to plump it up. On the directions it said filling it up without having a a bean ball massacre was a 2 person job. 2 people? Wow rub it in that I'm newly single why don't you? All my women who independent throw your hands up at me and attempt this alone.

Inevitably it resulted in a bean ball massacre. Top Scouse bird tip, if you haven't got a mate or fella to hand hire an escort for an hour. Get him to mow the grass with his top off while you're there.


In the end I stuffed the entire refill bag inside the hole (not easy) and pulled out the giant net condom slowly. Voila.

A quick run round with the dyson and the world was good again. Even if I now have a dyson branded snow shaker.


The material is like a tent sort of or thick mac which I suppose is because its an outdoor beanbag. Weatherproof I'm guessing.

It's deffo more comfortable than a recliner. Overall, yes I would recommend.

Pros: comfy
Cons: self assembly is arlarse on single people 


Scouse bird

Xoxo


Wednesday 10 July 2013

Yonanas what's my name? Yonanas what's my name?

If you're a fan of ice cream but not a fan of being fat then it's your lucky day!

Yonanas is a miracle gadget which makes fit ice cream from only one ingredient. Frozen fruit. You literally pop frozen fruit in the chute (leave it to thaw for about 10 mins for best results) and out pops soft scoop ice cream.

A quick google reveals that the recipes are endless. The official Yonanas website gives you a few to get you started: http://www.yonanas.com/recipes/


The best thing is, the people at 
www.no1brands4you.co.uk
(Where you can purchase the Yonanas from)
are giving away 4 of these ice cream makers to
some lucky followers. 2 from Facebook & 2 from
Twitter. Competition will run from Friday 12th til
Sunday 14th at 9pm so stay tuned! I can't wait 
to get mine!

Told you I have boss competitions lined up!

XOXO

Scouse Bird



Kiehls skincare

I've never really been one for a skincare routine, taking make up off before bed is for grasses I thought. Ain't nobody got time fo dat. However now that I'm officially on the wrong side of 25 (and have been for a couple of years) I thought its high time I get my act together. I've been getting better and better, using my home & bargain baby wipes and my loreal moisturiser but with my recent birthday I thought its high time I graduate to the big leagues. I headed to John Lewis beauty department, I'm so at home with the make up but skincare? So alien and intimidating. I finally stumbled upon the Kiehls stand, it looked so organic and home grown and a lovely lady called Natalie was very helpful.
She asked me about my skin issues (none really, I'm a lucky bitch like that) and recommended a few products. Apparently Cameron Diaz, J-Lo and the almighty Oprah swear by Kiehls. This was sounding good. I stocked up on a few products and here's what I think of them having trialled them for a few weeks.

The midnight rescue oil is amazing. You put a few drops on before bed and your skin feels glorious when you wake up. Recommended.

The acai berry cleanser is the one Cameron Diaz swears by for her acne. I wasn't a fan just because I can't really get on board with foam cleansers. I prefer creams/milks (try the cleanser made by @scousehoney on twitter it's fab). I gave it to my boyfriend though as he has occasional breakouts and he loves it.

The tinted moisturiser which is also supposed to correct skin tone I haven't really given a fair go to yet. You can use it under your foundation but I'm saving it for when I go on holiday. It's got built in SPF.


The overnight peel is amazing. It's like a microdermabrasion/chemical peel in a bottle, you use it once a week overnight and it removes all the dull dead skin from your face. 


The pore reducing amazonian clay mask I LOVE. I use it once a week in the bath and it feels like I'm having a spa treatment. It goes hard. I must say after a few weeks I am definitely happier with the appearance of my pores on my nose and cheeks. I've noticed a real difference when applying make up.


Finally last but not least the rare flower moisturiser. I use the oil at night and this in the morning. It smells divine. It's not watery or dead thick like Nivea (which although is my mums favourite, to me it feels like I've lashed a load of oily sudocrem on my face), it's got a midway consistency which is perfect for me. It's the ideal skin hydration before applying your face.


I also got an eye brightening cream and a fine line filler but I've not really used them yet, still taking baby steps on the skincare routine. My next mission which Natalie made me promise to do was to go in for a facial so they can talk to me more in depth about my skin needs. I WILL! If you need any advice about your skin at all go in and see them in John Lewis in town (Liverpool city centre for the non-scousers). May your pores be ever shrinking!

XOXO

Scouse Bird