GET IT I BEAUTY STYLE
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Hairway to Heaven rd
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your… overly priced mane of blonde hair extensions. Yes, I love my hair — it’s just not technically my hair — but like a stepchild, I love it like it’s my own. I am a self-professed hair extension addict and I’m not sorry in the slightest. This month I want to celebrate some universal moments of truth that any hair extension aficionado knows all too well. Firstly, there is nothing quite like a fresh set of extensions. You rise from the salon chair, turn around slowly and you are Beyoncé Knowles on stage at Madison Square Garden, clad in a sparkly-gold leotard number belting out Crazy in Love with multiple wind machines blowing your hair like the luscious crown that it is. You are powerful, you are bold, you are Sasha Fierce. And then your hairdresser politely asks for your life savings in payment and you’re suddenly less diva and more destitute. Next comes the moment you realise that buns, ponytails and basically any style of updo is no longer in your hair repertoire. No matter how many different ways you try, you can never quite disguise the tops of the extensions and friends, family and even complete strangers are all too willing to point them out. Then it arrives. The moment you knew was coming but you pleaded desperate ignorance to, willing the problem to just go away. But it doesn’t. You need to wash your hair. But you’re not mentally prepared to dry it. You sit there for 45 minutes contemplating the effort, the aching arm from holding the hairdryer, the torturous heat. No, you can’t. Dry shampoo it is. And finally, that glorious moment when you have your hair extensions removed and you can finally scratch your scalp again! And you don’t hold back, going at it like a crazy cat lady with fleas! Ahh, it feels… So. Damn. Good. “But all that money! The upkeep! The effort!” I hear you cry! Oh, I’m sorry, I can’t actually hear you over the volume of my hair…
Ge
Hayley x November 2017
Raise an eyebrow! ’m calling it now folks, 2017 is the year of the eyebrow. This year has seen some bizarre brow trends come about; wavy brows, braided brows and even McDonalds brows (yes, as in the Golden Arches!). But for many of us, we’d be happy with just some brows. For those of us not blessed with naturally thick and bushy caterpillars atop our eyes, eyebrow upkeep can be a real challenge. Enter, Maybelline New York Tattoo Brow 3 Day Peel-Off Gel-Tint. The company describes the product as, ‘a game-changing peel-off gel-tint that leaves brows perfectly defined and evenly filled for up to 3 days.’ Three days of defined, tinted brows? Challenge accepted. Following the instructions carefully, I remove all makeup and wave goodbye to my drawn on brows and quietly say a little prayer that this works! The instructions are simple enough; apply the gel, leave it for 20 minutes, peel it off
and voila — brows! The gel is quite thick and I’m surprised how easily it applies. The brush is easy to use, however, I find I need an angled eyebrow brush to really define the shape of the brow. Without much existing brow to work with, it’s hard to navigate the shape but I get there, hoping it’s more Jessica Alba than Jocelyn Wildenstein. I look to the mirror to admire my handy work and panic sets in. They are so dark! I assure myself that it’s just because the gel is still wet and tentatively go about distracting myself for 20 minutes while they dry. I can feel the product drying, becoming stiffer on my face, and at 20 minutes on the dot, I’m ready to peel! Panic sets in again. I’m going to peel off what very little eyebrow hairs I have. I’ll be bald. Oh crap, what have I done!?
I can feel the product drying, becoming stiffer on my face, and at 20 minutes on the dot, I’m ready to peel!
BEFORE
But surprisingly, the gel peels off with ease, leaving all my hairs intact. And I’m left with two well-defined, filled-in and clearly visible EYEBROWS! They are not at all as dark as the tint and, in fact, look incredibly natural. I am officially converted! This is a fantastic product, incredibly easy to use and the results are brilliant. My only complaint is that they only last three days, but let me tell you, I’ll be flaunting them for every one of those three days!
DURING
AFTER 22