Semi Permanent Make Up (SPMU)

Last week I went to have my Semi Permanent Make Up topped up. I have done this every year for the past 5 years to keep it looking fresh.  Here are all the Before, During and after pictures...

Before....

You can see how light the old SPMU has become
which is why i am having it topped up.

I love my Semi Permanent Make Up as it has completely changed my life.  My Alopecia got a lot worse about 5 years ago and I lost both my eyebrows and all my eyelashes.  I hated the blank expressionless look on my face and felt like i had to put make up on as soon as i got up to make me feel like me...   It use to take me so long to get ready in the morning...  Drawing on my eyebrows, eyeliner and applying false lashes... as well as dealing with a wig too!  It felt like such a mission to get up and out the house! 

Sometimes I really did not feel like putting any make up on after days and days of layering eyeliner onto my eyes but for me to feel and look like me I would have to do it.   

Semi Permanent Make Up gives me so much freedom... knowing that my eyebrows are there no matter what gives me so much confidence and the eyeliner is so great that i don't need to wear false eyelashes anymore.  I save my false lashes for a night out or special occasion.   All i need to do now is put a little bit of eyeliner along the waterline of my eye as you can not tattoo this and i am all done!
 

During..

You can see the individual hairs here and my eyeliner...

My eyelids are a little swollen from the eyeliner
being applied but it is not that painful.. No really it's not!!

I am such a believer in Semi Permanent Make Up that I am going to train to become a Semi Permanent Make Up Artist!

I would like to specialise in creating natural eyebrows and eyeliner for people with Alopecia.  I will be able to create the tiny little hairs that makes Semi Permanent Make Up look so realistic when applied in this great way.  

It will also give me to opportunity to meet more people with Alopecia and offer my support... 

If you would like to have Semi Permanent Make Up applied please let me know as I will be able to recommend someone in your area.  It is really important that you get the right person to apply your make up to get the best results. 

After...

Please visit my website www.alopeciabeautytips.com where you can see how my story has been in the Daily Mail, GMTV with Lorraine Kelly, Marie Claire and how i have worked with the little princess trust charity and Trevor Sorbies Charity 'My New Hair'

My Wig

I often get asked about wigs... what wig I wear?? where I got it from?? and what is the best wig out there?? 

This is such a personal choice, as with anything you choose to wear!   They all have their positive and negatives so it depends on your lifestyle and what you want out of your wig to enable you to pick the right one for you.  All I can do is tell you what I wear and why and this might help you recognise what you need from your own wig...

Wig Base

After wearing every type of wig going I have decided the best thing for me is a custom made mesh base that has tabs to attach my wig tape at the front, sides by the ears and the neck.  I have tried the vacuum and the kind of wigs that have a thin transparent plastic that clings to the head and I found that they made my head hot even though I am not the most active person!  I like my head to be able to breath.  I choose to have it custom made as my head is very small so off the peg does not fit.  However the comfort you get from custom made means that I can totally forget that I am wearing a wig which makes me feel so confident.  

There is also the option of having your hair permanently glued to your head but as I have been wearing wigs for 15 years I have found that being able to remove your hair and switch between wigs it a real perk!  So I choose not to do this.


Hair

When I first started to wear wigs it was European real hair or synthetic hair.   Positives and negatives for both... Real hair was best for longer styles as it looked more realistic and flowed better.  It also had a long life in some cases 2 years... Negative was that it is more expensive and took more looking after.   Synthetic hair was good for short styles as it kept its style after washing, it was much cheaper but had a very short life span as it would start to frizz, they are not as realistic and if near anything hot it could melt!

Now there is a type of hair available that has the best of both hair types... It is called many different things by different wig salons but what it does is the same.  Like real hair you can wash, blow dry and heat style. Unlike real hair it is durable, colour constant and easy to care for, its stronger, lighter and more heat resistant than real hair. The unique quality of this hair is that once you have created the hair-style you want it will stay that way no matter how many times you wash it.  This is what my next wig is going to be made with!!



Please visit my website www.alopeciabeautytips.com where you can see how my story has been in the Daily Mail, GMTV with Lorraine Kelly, Marie Claire and how i have worked with the little princess trust charity and Trevor Sorbies Charity 'My New Hair'

Dry Shampoo - The Results!

Dry Shampoo is one of my favourite beauty products that i cannot live without...

Now to find out which is the best...

Batiste Dry Shampoo...  6/10

I really liked the smell of this as it was light and fresh and comes in lots of different sents.  When you spray a lot comes out so be careful!  I have dark hair so it was not great for that reason as if you use too much you can see the white powder in your hair.  But i you don't use too much and you have lighter hair it is great and at only £2 it is a bargain!

I also used the brunette version of this dry shampoo and i was really disappointed.. the talc colour was a bit darker but still left my hair with a powdery finnish.  Also the smell was really strong and spicy and i smelt like Christmas!

Charles Worthington Dry Shampoo...  9/10

I love this dry shampoo..  the smell of it is to die for!  It smells so fresh like you have just washed your hair with delicious shampoo.  It too has a slight white powdery Finnish but as it comes out of the can in a finer mist so it works a lot better.  Bit more expensive at £5 a can but i think it is worth it for the the smell.  My man loves it!  Just make sure you give the can a good shake before you use it.










TRESemme Dry Shampoo and Waterless Foam Shampoo... 10/10 *** Winner ***

I thought the dry shampoo was really good and also just had a fine mist  of powder like the Charles Worthington brand  (again make sure you shake!).  The smell was much more subtle which is good if you don't want it to mix with your perfume.  At £4.29 a can it is also great value.

I also tried the waterless foam which is good if you had the time to also re-style your hair.  Its the equivalent of wetting your hair and re-styling it...  I think this is more suited to someone who might have their hair bonded to their head as you can get right in the roots with this.





Please visit my website www.alopeciabeautytips.com where you can see how my story has been in the Daily Mail, GMTV with Lorraine Kelly, Marie Claire and how i have worked with the little princess trust charity and Trevor Sorbies Charity 'My New Hair'

Dry Shampoo

I would like to tell you about the 1st product trial that I am going to do...

Dry shampoo!

Now I know it's a life saver for most but even more so when you wear a real hair wig! 

It is very time consuming to wash and style your real hair wig and quite often your hair is clean but it is just the front that has got a little greasy from touching it with your fingers. Also it can need freshening up if you have cooked some fragrant dinner or been with people who smoke.  Yuck! 

Before I knew about dry shampoo I once tired febreze I was that desperate! he he

I will be trialling ....

Batiste Dry Shampoo... I have just heard that there is one for dark hair too so I will try that too!

Charles Worthington Dry Shampoo... I have used this before and it smells amazing but lets see how it compares to the others!

TREsemme Fresh Start – This is a brand new product and there are 3 kinds to choose from depending on your hair type.

Once I have given all of these a good test I will report my findings!

Make sure you come back and see how I get on!

Please visit my website http://www.alopeciabeautytips.com where you can see how my story has been in the Daily Mail, GMTV with Lorraine Kelly, Marie Claire and how i have worked with the little princess trust charity and Trevor Sorbies Charity 'My New Hair'

False Eye Lash Look

Here is a free clip of my Alopecia Beauty Tips DVD.  This is me applying my false eyelashes...



Please visit my website www.alopeciabeautytips.com where you can see how my story has been in the Daily Mail, GMTV with Lorraine Kelly, Marie Claire and how i have worked with the little princess trust charity and Trevor Sorbies Charity 'My New Hair'

Eye Make Up Tips

Just added a new You Tube clip of my Alopecia Beauty Tips DVD.

You can watch it here...



Please visit my website www.alopeciabeautytips.com where you can see how my story has been in the Daily Mail, GMTV with Lorraine Kelly, Marie Claire and how i have worked with the little princess trust charity and Trevor Sorbies Charity 'My New Hair'

Catch Up

Just thought I would give you a little update on the Top 5 things I am working on at the moment for Alopecia Beauty Tips...

• Working on getting some more you tube clips up of my make up tips... Along with the tried and tested products that i mentioned in my last blog. Please look at once of my videos by clicking here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAL7GkBrduE 

• I am waiting on the new wig that I am going to help develop...  The bad thing about getting a made to measure wig is the wait! But eventually this wig will be available in a few different sizes so no need to wait!  You will be able to walk in and buy it! Factories always say 6 weeks but it is  always more than that.  Silly thing is that I know this but I still get impatient.  Just really excited about :o)

 

• I got in touch with the Charity Look Good... Feel Better this week and they are so lovely.   http://lgfb.co.uk  They offer make up lessons to women who are suffering from the side effects of chemotherapy.  They have some great ideas and I was totally inspired.

 

• Next week I am going to visit a Semi Permanent Make Up (SPMU) artist... Gail Proudman  http://www.spmubygail.co.uk  I am interested in becoming a SPMU artist myself so I am going to pepper her with questions...  SPMU as I have said many time before has really transformed my life and I am really keen to get out there and share it with all those who could benefit from it.  

 

• I have been doing some work with the Little Princess Trust Charity and Optima Hair who provide free real hair wigs to children who have medical hair loss... http://www.littleprincesses.org.uk http://www.optimahair.co.uk I would really like to create a special DVD just for children so that every time the charity provides a wig to a little girl they also get a DVD from me on how to look after their fancy new real hair wig, a few little natural make up tips to define the eyes and some tips for when they are a little older too on how to handle lots of different situations.

Please visit my website www.alopeciabeautytips.com where you can see how my story has been in the Daily Mail, GMTV with Lorraine Kelly, Marie Claire and how i have worked with the little princess trust charity and Trevor Sorbies Charity 'My New Hair'

Top 5 Alopecia Beauty Tools

After having Alopecia for the past 15 years I have learned to rely on the below tools to create my look everyday... 

1 Eyeliner 

2 False Eyelashes

3 Lash Glue and applicator 

4 Eyebrow Pencil 

                                                                            

5 Dry Shampoo

I have my favorites that I will recommend to you, but I am also going to do a tried and tested review on loads of products.  This way you can make your own decision on whats right for you!

In my next blog i will tell you all about differently eyeliners and give you a demonstration on how i use mine.... so stay tuned!

Please visit my website www.alopeciabeautytips.com where you can see how my story has been in the Daily Mail, GMTV with Lorraine Kelly, Marie Claire and how i have worked with the little princess trust chartiy and Trevor Sorbies Charity 'My New Hair'

Wigs Have Their Advantages - Top Ten Advantages to Wearing a Wig...

I have taken it on myself to cycle to work over the past few months, but it has taken some time to sort out my morning routine!

I have been using one of my old wigs to cycle in and then when I get into work I sneak up the stairs hoping not to be spotted by any of my work colleges for a quick shower and change into my fresh clean wig... Brilliant!

This got me thinking what other advantages are there to wearing a wig?

1. They make you feel really confident;

2. have a few on the go so your hair always looks it’s best;

3.  try different styles without worrying if the style will suit you;

4. take your hair off and style it on a mannequins head and get the back perfectly straight or curled;

5. have loads of different styles.. Long for the weekend and short for being practical at work;

6. You don’t really ever have a bad hair day;

7. If you use synthetic wigs they remember your style after washing so they dry perfect looking;

8. You don’t need to have monthly trims.. Once it is cut it’s cut think of the money you save!

9. It does not really get greasy... You only really need to wash your wig once a week;

10. You can save your best hair for special occasions and have an old wig for going to the gym or doing house chores.

If you can think of any others that I have missed let me know! I was thinking about getting a wig that is glued on all the time and then I thought hang on a minute!! Miss out on all those advantages?? No thanks!

Please visit my website www.alopeciabeautytips.com where you can see how my story has been in the Daily Mail, GMTV with Lorraine Kelly, Marie Claire and how i have worked with the little princess trust chartiy and Trevor Sorbies Charity 'My New Hair'