The Botox Diaries & Re-Ehnance Clinic in Hale!

You may remember that I had my first ever Botox injection on 30th June 2011 and that I was over the moon with it (it's probably one of the best things I've ever had done) and decided it was going to be something I'd continue to have done in the ever increasing battle for youth?! Well it's now October, and I had regained a bit of movement in the frown area (although not as severe as it was previously) so I thought now would be a great time to get another dose.

This time I had the work done by the same doctor, Dr Martin Kinsella (who is a proper medical doctor and dentist that I fully recommend), but at his main Re-Enhance clinic in Hale instead, so that I could have a look around and see where the majority of his clients visit for their treatments.

I look hideous, I know.

The clinic is very close to Hale train station, however trains aren't that regular from what I gather, so you might be better getting the train or metro to Altrincham and walking to the clinic which isn't *too* far away (or you could get a taxi for about £3ish)!
His clinic is clean and has a modern, but in no way pretentious feel to it and is currently undergoing some work, which will give more treatment areas and a new reception (if my knowledge is correct); don't worry though - the work being done doesn't affect the treatment areas already being used, and actually probably isn't even visible to most clients there.

Martin and his staff are also very professional, and friendly and it's quite clear that this family run clinic is nothing like one of those big faceless places where their main concern is their profit margin. It's always nice to have a personal touch, I feel.

The treatment went well, and my photographs are from just after the injections when I arrived home as I wanted to show the level of movement I had regained since June (excuse the stupid expressions on my face, and imperfections, my make-up was removed from the area and surrounding areas at the clinic and my hair was windswept from being out) which I think actually lasted quite well, don't you?

I'll be posting up more photo's in a couple of weeks once the new Botox injections (and top-ups) have had a chance to do their thing, so you can continue to see my Botox treatment results!

(Is this post with my mug on it scary enough to be considered a Halloween post?)

Celeb Sunday - Gwyneth Paltrow!

I've loved her in Glee as Holly Holiday, she is perfect for what is probably my favourite show on TV and she can really sing too! What I really love about Gwyneth Paltrow is her ability to look absolutely stunning in pretty much anything she wears. It never seems to matter if her hair isn't perfect, or she isn't wearing a scrap of make-up, she always seems to rock whatever look she has at any given time.

Her face always looks fresh, and even with her natural make-up and styling, she still manages to look every bit the glamorous A-List celebrity that she is. I just think she's really very classy. What do you think m'dears? x

Titanic Spa & Our Girl's Night In!

 Reception & waiting area.

Reception desk.

Shop, leading through to hairdressers.

I recently visited the Titanic Eco Spa on a press trip with a fabulous group of girls, including Harriet (from the PR agency), Yinka (Vex in the City), Priya (BeautyWowza), Natasha (The Trusted Beauty Guide) and Hannah (The Times) and what an amazing trip it was.

When we arrived at the spa we were greeted with a drink whilst we checked in - at this point you’re also given your itineraries for any treatments included in your package or that you have booked in as extras, and if you’re staying over you will also have your bags taken up to your room for you.

 Bistro and Kitchen.

Buffet area at breakfast.

We were then shown to the bistro where they provided a small buffet lunch, when I say small, I mean in terms of selection, but there was plenty of each selection available. The buffet had about 4 salad-y dishes (coleslaw, chickpea and pepper salad, normal salad and a cucumber salad if I remember correctly), bread rolls, jacket potato halves, a hot potato, leek and feta cheese dish (suitable for vegetarians, which is what I ate and really enjoyed) and a chicken curry with rice, which I obviously didn’t eat but everybody else seemed to enjoy! I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t ONLY salad available as I had been wondering what kind of food they’d be serving.

Treatment waiting area.

Treatment room.

After lunch I had a treatment booked in, the Pinks Boutique Organic Massage where I was taken to one of the many treatment rooms and asked to choose which organic oil I’d like from a choice of 3. I chose the peppermint as that was meant to be good for my muscles – perfect for after travelling with a heavy bag (since I don’t really do travelling light, even for a one night stay), but there was also lemongrass or lavender oil to choose from too (lavender was relaxing and lemongrass was uplifting).

This treatment was a light, but lovely full body massage that was so very relaxing, luckily not so relaxing that I fell asleep – I’m always a bit wary of falling asleep during a massage and ending up dribbling or snoring, things I wouldn’t do normally, but I’m certain I would, should I ever fall asleep during a treatment like this. After the treatment I was left to my own devices to take advantage of the spa’s numerous facilities.

Firstly I went into the relaxation room which couldn’t have been more aptly named as it was full of beanbags, beds and other kinds of lounging furniture for you to chill out, or sleep on. It even had a sunken area full of beanbags that looked so cosy, but was always occupied when I went in there. It was so lovely to just be able to sit and relax in there – perfect for clearing the mind.

Heat & Ice Experience

Heat & Ice - Crystal Steam Room

Heat & Ice - Ice!

Heat & Ice - Plunge Pool.

The Bucket!!

I then went to the Heat and Ice Experience room, where ‘the experiences on offer originate from cultures dating back thousands of years and are renowned for cleansing and beautifying the body’ and where the ‘sensory journey has the ultimate aim of inducing deep relaxation’. I have to say, it was great, I felt utterly refreshed after being in there and my skin felt fab for it too (although that could be partly due the oils used on my body during the massage). Unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to try out the cold water bucket – I honestly meant to, we were all going to do it whilst together but then time ran away with us and we didn’t manage it.

Pool and Jacuzzi area (gym in the distance behind the window - I didn't go in there though)

After my Heat & Ice Experience I visited the pool where I lounged on the loungers (they recline so that you’re lay much further back... so much so that I scared myself when I first went to tip it backwards as I didn’t think it was going to stop, luckily it did) and relaxed even more. After a while, I decided it was time to be brave and take my robe off for a swim – I honestly don’t know what I was so worried about though as nobody gave two hoots about this kind of thing. I swam for a while and even had a bit of a chill out in the Jacuzzi section, bliss.

Before I knew it, it was time for me to go to the apartment to start getting ready for dinner, and I was totally blown away by how spacious it was. It was also furnished to a high standard and the country views from the HUGE windows were spectacular – I was honestly expecting nothing more than an average hotel-type room. Just look at the photographs to see for yourself!

Dinner in the bistro was a relaxed affair (although there were no robes to be seen) with a chilled atmosphere and a 2 course meal included if you’re staying over. For your 2 courses, you could choose to have a starter and main, or a main and dessert. We ALL (rather predictably?) went for the latter, with most of us having the chocolate orange fudge cake – which was SO worth all the calories it must have contained. For my main, I had a curry that contained sweet potato and pepper (I think) which was nice, but for me could have done with more vegetables in it.

Our dinner was so much fun, I could not have been with a better bunch as we laughed and chatted our way through most of it. We then continued the fun and laughter up in the apartment where we had a couple of bottles of fizzy stuff, some chocolate, popcorn and DVDs to accompany it. It was the perfect end to a great day – I totally recommend you having a girl’s night in there!

 Girl's Night In Goodies!

 Girls night in photographs (two courtesy of Priya @ BeautyWowza)

  Breakfast Hamper!

This little fella shared a croissant with me at 7:30am!

The treatment room where I had my Elemis facial.

The next morning I had booked in for an Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial, a treatment that claims to resurface and smooth the skin and one that I really enjoyed having, both in terms of the relaxation but also the massage that came with it – heaven! My skin was glowing when I left – I highly recommend this treatment. Book early though to make sure you are able to have your treatment, in fact book them when you book your trip if you can as demand can be high, but also because you’re likely to get a 10% discount on the treatment cost if you do so too!

I can’t recommend this spa enough, the staff there are SO friendly and always willing to help and the spa and facilities are divine, you could literally fall asleep ANYWHERE in there, it is SO relaxing and such a lovely experience. Not forgetting that this is an ECO Spa so all your lovely relaxation time and treatments are practically guilt free on that score – you can read more on their eco credentials here: http://www.titanicspa.com/

Thanks again to all the gorgeous girls who I was with for making it SO much fun. x


My stay was provided free of charge, I paid for the Elemis facial myself.

Yves Saint Laurent Autumn 2011 - YSL 5 Ombres Lumiéres, 11, Midnight Garden Eyeshadow!

By now, you may already know of my love for Yves Saint Laurent make-up (and basically every other luxury beauty brand too, for I am a girl with expensive taste and a big beauty shopping addiction, but the less said about that in black and white the better as I never know if Mr Beauty Scoop sees any of these posts), so when I got sent some of the new autumn collection to try, I was very excited indeed.

First up from the collection is quite possibly my favourite from the collection, the Ombres 5 Lumiéres in 11, Midnight Garden. This palette is made up of shades of purple and green that are very pretty to look at in the pan, and yes, I did find myself making it twinkle in the light before swatching them.

Which brings me to my next point, that is if you don’t like shimmer or glitter, then this palette is not for you at all as it is loaded with shimmery and glittery particles galore... but this makes the magpie in me very happy indeed!

Back to the colours though, I really like the selection in this compact and I think that they work together surprisingly well. There’s a deep, forest green with teal shimmer running through it that I cannot, for the life of me get my camera to catch – it is stunning though and a very pale mint green with teal shimmer running through – although I think this is touted more as a highlighter than a shadow, but it is pigmented and colourful enough to use as a shadow too, in my opinion.

There’s also a lilac in there that looks to have sky blue shimmer running through it, a more aubergine-y (eggplant) shade of purple with what looks like a very fine red/magenta shimmer and an almost electric purple with blue shimmer running through it. The contrasting shimmer running through these shadows, really make them pop, it gives them more depth and a multi-faceted appearance too!The lighter shades are almost iridescent in some lights too - totally stunning!

The darker shades in this compact are a LOT more pigmented than the lighter ones (especially the lilac), but can still be used as a light wash of colour if you wanted as they are still very buildable when used dry/alone... they all apply a lot better over Urban Decay’s Primer Potion though, as you can see on the swatches – which is how I’d use them anyway, personally.

The swatches were done using the sponge applicators included in the compact, on the left is a dry swatch and on the right is applied over UDPP - which makes a huge difference in depth with less effort needed! However, I quite like that you can use the colours a bit more subtley if you desire, it makes this palette much more universally wearable!

Showing the highlighter blended out, I thought it looked quite nice.

The lighter shades are still lovely, but just need a bit more time spent applying to get the desired effect, I find this is the case a lot of the time with lighter shades so it’s not really of too much detriment to the palette... and it also allows you to use both as a highlighter, due to them not being too heavy in application.

All the shadows had great staying power on my lids too – even the lighter ones, I was very impressed... although not quite so impressed when I was trying to remove them from my hand after swatching, ha!

The packaging is gorgeous, as always – but also as always, is a total fingerprint magnet and I do find myself buffing these cases quite a lot to try to hide that, is that a bit OCD?

Anyway moving swiftly away from my OCD tendencies, I really recommend this palette to those of you like me that have magpie tendencies and a penchant for colour. It is £40, but then you get 5 products in there totalling 8.5g... which effectively makes each shadow £8.

I really don’t think that this all that bad to be honest, especially if you consider that a No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow will set you back £8 for 1.5g of product - which, if multiplied by 5 would equal 7.5g... which is 1 whole gram LESS than YSL give, therefore making YSL surprisingly better value, financially, than No7!!